Madam, - Was John the Baptist married? (We know his parents were - see Luke, Chapter 1 v 5.) But if we follow the reasoning that Jesus may have been married because of Jewish tradition and practice (Damian Bruce, May 17th) should we extend the hypothesis to conclude that John the Baptist must also have had a wife? - Yours, etc,
ANNA BRYAN, Raheen, Limerick.
Madam, - I beg to differ with Damian Bruce (May 17th) when he suggests it might be beneficial for women in the Roman Catholic church if the possibility of Jesus being married were properly considered.
This would merely reinforce the gender bias that women are important only in relationship to the men in their lives. Dan Brown's novel has done a disservice to the historical Mary of Magdala by focusing on the fiction of her being the wife of Jesus, rather than the historical and scriptural fact of her leadership and her primary witness to Jesus's resurrection. - Yours, etc,
COLM HOLMES, BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ), Avoca Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.