Jesus may have married because first-century Jews viewed procreation as a sacred duty, and point to non-canonical writings like the Gospel of Philip which allege a romantic connection with Mary Magdalene.
However, mainstream historical-critical scholarship and Christian tradition emphasize that there is no verified historical or biblical evidence to support the claim that Jesus married, concluding he practiced lifelong celibacy. The New Testament does explicitly verify that Jesus had brothers and sisters, though theologians debate whether they were biological siblings, step-siblings, or cousins.
Jesus' brothers were married. It is likely that Jesus had a wife for the following reasons:
- Pious 1st century Jews took God's commandment to Adam and Eve to 'multiply' seriously
- No evidence to suggest Jesus was celibate
- As a future king of Israel, Jesus would never have been celibate
- He was close to his companion Mary Magdalene - Gospel of Philip has Jesus kissing Mary on the lips