Historical Authenticity as Presence

In September 2012, Dr. Karen King, a Harvard divinity professor of history, unveiled a small piece of papyrus at a conference in Rome. The papyrus included the words “Jesus said, ‘My wife.’” For King, the small artefact could spark debate over clerical celibacy and the role of women in Christianity.¹ The discovery led to a documentary, which was to air on the Smithsonian Channel on 30 September. However, persistent doubts about the authenticity of the papyrus led to a delay of the broadcast and to a round of scientific testing. After months of examination, in April 2014, scientists at the