By NICOLE HOOD

Recently, CNN reported on a topic that will shake religious debates for, undoubtedly, a while.

Did Jesus have a wife?

A piece of papyrus, dated between 659-859 CE, contained the words, “Jesus said to them, my wife … and she will be able to be my disciple.” Until the discovery of this document, it was well believed that Jesus did not have a wife. Such implications suggest extremely controversial issues such as whether Jesus had children and the role of women in the church.

When it comes to religious figures like Jesus, there will always be debate. We generally have the religious or moral teachings of these figures, but not enough solid evidence to put together a comprehensive history — now that there is any sort of hard evidence, the beliefs of millions are at stake.

When I came across this news, I was a bit surprised. You don’t hear much about religion on the news unless it is a religion-based insurgency group or a conflict between two religious parties or countries. Most of what you hear about the Catholic Church is about current scandal.

This finding, however, has drawn to large parties around the world: while Harvard University is releasing the confident opinion that the parchment isn’t faked and Brown University experts are confidently calling the parchment “at first sight so patently fake,” the Vatican has also released a statement on the topic. They claim it is a “clumsy counterfeit.”

This article is a reminder that, although it may not be all over the news, ideologies can be worth reporting. In this case, because a church and a lifestyle is based off of this ideal religious figure, its effect extends both physically (with the church system) and spiritually, to millions.