Jesus did not die on the cross a single man – he had married a prostitute, Mary Magdalene, and the happy couple had two young children by the time Christ was crucified.
The surprising revelation comes from a lost ‘Gospel’ dating back more than 1,000 years, which has been translated from Aramaic after being unearthed in the British Library.
It even reveals the names of Christ’s offspring – and whether they had descendants.
Rumours that Jesus had a hush-hush relationship with a lady of the night have swirled for centuries – after theologians noticed that Mary Magdalen seems to feature rather a lot in the existing gospels.
Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all the existing Gospels as having been present at important moments in Jesus’s life, such as his resurrection – and is described as a ‘sinful woman’ by Luke.
Her story is often downplayed by theologians – but experts Barrie Wilsion and Simcha Jacobovici who translated the Aramaic manuscript say that Magdalen was actually married to the Messiah.
Full details of the manuscript will be revealed at a press conference on Wednesday, with a Science Channel documentary due in December.
