A bombshell manuscript said to be nearly 1,500 years old has sparked fresh debate by suggesting Jesus Christ was wed to Mary Magdalene and the pair had children.

Dubbed the "Lost Gospel", the document, which surfaced in the British Library, reveals these shocking claims after translation from Aramaic as reported by The Sunday Times.

While many scholars have historically downplayed Mary Magdalene's role, translators of this text believe she held much more prominence.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Professor Barrie Wilson and writer Simcha Jacobovic devoted months to translating the ancient text, concluding that it identifies the original Virgin Mary as Jesus's spouse rather than his mother and asserts they conceived two children.

Mary Magdalene's presence is woven throughout traditional gospel narratives, witnessing key events in Jesus's life, but this "Lost Gospel" isn't the pioneer in proposing she was Jesus’s wife, reports .

The audacious idea previously surfaced in Nikos Kazantzakis's 1953 novel "The Last Temptation of Christ" and was famously echoed by Dan Brown in his bestseller "The Da Vinci Code".

Known from the four canonical gospels as a devout follower who journeyed with Jesus, Magdalene's story remains interlaced with his, her significance perhaps greater than ever imagined.

She is also thought to have been present at his crucifixion and subsequently, his resurrection. She is named a dozen times in the canonical gospels - more than most of the apostles.

It's widely acknowledged among secular historians that Mary Magdalene, like Jesus, was a real historical figure.

She is also referred to more than any other woman in the gospels, apart from Jesus's family.

Magdalene is recognised as a saint by several religions including the Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran churches.

In 2016, Pope Francis elevated the level of liturgical memory on July 22 from memorial to feast, and declared her to be known as the "Apostle of the apostles". In some Protestant Churches, she is celebrated as a heroine of the faith, while the Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates her on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers.

During the Counter-Reformation in Roman Catholicism, the descriptor "penitent" was appended to her name on her feast day.