Jesus Had Many Wives
In 1853, LDS Apostle Jedediah M. Grant declared that Jesus Christ was a polygamist, persecuted because 'he had so many wives.' He concluded: 'We might almost think they were Mormons.'
The following documents teachings on plural marriage that may be disturbing, particularly for women, survivors of religious trauma, or those affected by historical polygamy practices. These views are presented for historical accountability, not endorsement.
Audio coming soon
The Quote
“What does old Celsus say, who was a physician in the first century, whose medical works are esteemed very highly at the present time… He says, ‘The grand reason why the Gentiles and philosophers of his school persecuted Jesus Christ, was, because he had so many wives; there were Elizabeth, and Mary, and a host of others that followed him.’” — Jedediah M. Grant, JoD 1:345-346 (August 7, 1853)
“The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were ‘Mormons.’” — Jedediah M. Grant, JoD 1:346 (August 7, 1853)
Lyrics
Coming Soon
Historical Context
The Setting: August 7, 1853 — The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City. This sermon was delivered just one year after the public announcement of polygamy (1852). Church leaders were actively defending the practice.
The Speaker: Jedediah M. Grant — Second Counselor in the First Presidency (1854-1856), Mayor of Salt Lake City, and zealous advocate of the Mormon Reformation. Known for his fiery rhetoric.
The Argument: Grant uses the ancient critic Celsus (c. 175 CE) to argue:
- Jesus was a polygamist
- His “many wives” were the reason for his persecution
- The apostles followed Jesus’s example (citing John’s “elect lady”)
- Mormons were being persecuted for the same reason
The Problem:
- Celsus was a pagan critic who opposed Christianity; using him as a source for Jesus’s life is highly problematic
- Modern scholarship does not support these claims
- The LDS Church today does not teach that Jesus was a polygamist
- This was used to justify a practice the church later abandoned
Lyric-to-Source Mapping
| Lyric | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Coming Soon |
Addressing Apologetic Responses
“This was just Grant’s speculation”
Grant was Second Counselor in the First Presidency. He presents this as historical fact, not speculation: “evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers.”
“He was citing Celsus, not making his own claim”
Grant endorses Celsus’s alleged account and uses it to justify Mormon polygamy. He connects Jesus’s persecution to Mormon persecution: “We might almost think they were ‘Mormons.’”
“The church never officially taught this”
This was taught from the pulpit at General Conference and published in the official Journal of Discourses. Other leaders (Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt) also taught Jesus was married/polygamous.
“Celsus was unreliable”
Exactly — which raises the question of why a counselor in the First Presidency would cite him as authority for Jesus’s marital status to justify Mormon polygamy.
“The church doesn’t teach this today”
The abandonment of this teaching (along with polygamy itself) raises questions about prophetic reliability. What else taught as fact might be abandoned?
For all the wives Jesus supposedly had, and the ones Joseph Smith definitely did.