The Red Handbag
Yesterday we learned that Jesus was married according to the inscriptions on a 4th century Coptic papyrus fragment. I was interested to read that the color of the handbag in which the owner of the fragment carried it to the specialist who examined it for authenticity was red.
What is the significance of the color in this instance? It sure seems to be a clue to something significant in the story, something that will be disclosed later on, just as the handgun on the mantel of the fireplace mentioned at the beginning of a story by Chekhov.
The owner is a woman who does not wish to disclose her identity because of fear to be inundated with requests for further information. In one interpretation, the disclosure of the red color of the handbag is a desperate attempt by the author of the news report to make up for the lack of tangible attributes of the anonymous woman.
In another interpretation, which I favor, the red color of the handbag is the result of an invasion of the story into the the narration of the story. In response to reports that Jesus is married, all things associated with married life suddenly gain significance, and the owner, a woman, becomes a proxy for the wife 2000 years ago. Her anonymity mirrors the anonymity of the wife, giving her a sheen of authenticity. Did Jesus’ wife have a handbag? Was she vain? Did she use perfume? And, really, what did they do all night?
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