Did Jesus have a wife? For a brief moment, a tiny piece of ancient-looking papyrus appeared to offer extraordinary new evidence.

The so-called Gospel of Jesus’ Wife was unveiled by a Harvard scholar and made headlines around the world. But there was a problem: the fragment was almost certainly a modern forgery.

New Testament scholar Stephen Carlson joins Mike Bird to uncover the extraordinary story behind the papyrus. How did suspicious Coptic, material copied from the internet and a mysterious collector eventually expose the hoax?

And what does the scandal reveal about money, academic ambition and confirmation bias? Carlson and Bird explore why even experts can be vulnerable when a discovery appears to confirm exactly what they hoped to find.

History’s Last Stand with Mike Bird.



Subscribe & Support

👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate💡

🎧 Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the History's Last Stand podcast at History's Last Stand with Michael Bird - Premier Plus🎙️

🔗 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes - absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com/ 📢

Instagram: https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable

Facebook: https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable

Tik Tok: https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable

X: Premier Unbelievable? (@UnbelievableFE)

Follow us


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Released on 7 Oct 2026