One of the main support tactics used by those within the Muslim community regarding the age of Muhammad's wife Aisha ( 6 years old) is to bring forth evidence from the catholic encyclopedia to prove that the virgin Mary was around 12 years old when she married Joseph, who was in his early 90s. Furthermore, they go on saying that there is no age limit mentioned by Christ regarding marriage. Let us see what the gospels say.
When we read what Jesus said about marriage in Mark 5:12, Luke 16:18 and Matthew 5:32, notice that he uses the words MAN and WOMAN. It is also interesting to see that the word used for wife in the gospels, γυναῖκά, ALSO means woman.
According to Merriam Webster's dictionary, woman means:
: an adult female human being
: a woman who has a specified job or position
: all women thought of as a group
So what we see is that Jesus told us that our wives should be Adult FEMALES.
Regarding the age of a woman, we must understand that Jesus saw a clear difference between a GIRL ( child female) and a WOMAN ( adult female). He did NOT use the word woman to mean every female of every age.
In Matthew 9, we read the story of Jesus raising a GIRL,κοράσιον (not a woman) from the dead. We then go on to read that this girl was 12 YEARS OLD. So what we see is that a 12 year old female is STILL viewed as a girl and NOT as an adult or woman. Hence, she is NOT of Marriageable Age. It is very likely then that a female is viewed as being of marriageable age in her late teens. But it is CERTAIN that it is after the age of 12.
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