St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R.

(Unedited Version)

John 7:53-8:11: The Pericope de Adultera 8 53[[Then each of them went home, 1while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4they said to him, Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? 11She said, No one, sir. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.]] (NRSV)

Problems with Authorship, Historicity, and Canonicity The pericope, the story of the Woman caught in Adultery, does not belong to the corpus of the Johannine Gospel.1 It is universally accepted by biblical scholars as nonJohannine2 and as a later insertion3 based on evidences from manuscripts, from early Greek commentators, and from textual and literary criticisms. The pericope is nowhere to be found in any of the early important Greek manuscripts of Eastern origin prior to ca. 9004 and that there were no Greek commentators during the first thousand years of Christian era [that] expounds the section at all.5 However, evidences from Latin and Western manuscripts (e.g. 5th century Codex Bezae) and the references and evidences from the western church fathers (Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome- who included the story in the Vulgate) support the passage as Scripture during the early centuries.6 The origin of the story/pericope is still subject to scholarly investigation, debates, and there are no certain conclusions that could be drawn. The story might, had its origin in the East and is truly ancient based on the reference to Eusebius, who says that Papias
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St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R. (Unedited Version)

relates another story of a woman who was accused of many sins before the Lord, which is contained in the Gospel according to the Hebrews.7 But the certainty of establishing the fact that Papias is referring to the same pericope/ story of the woman caught in adultery cannot be established. Nonetheless, the pericope/story was known but not necessarily as Scripture during the second century in Syria and in the third century Didascalia Apostolorum (Apostolic Constitutions, which is of Syrian origin). The latter, gives a clear reference to the story of the adulteress and uses it as a presumably well-known example of our Lords gentleness.8 Applying textual and literary criticisms to the pericope, the majority of scholars argued that the style of writing and the Greek words and vocabularies being used in the narrative/story/pericope are non-Johannine or it indicates a work of a different writer9. It is, however, closely related to that of the Synoptic Gospels particularly to that of Luke.10 The narrative is closely related to that of the Synoptics story about Jesus in Mt. 21:28-31 and Lk. 7:36-5011 and to that of Lk. 20:21-25 (where the scribes and Pharisees seek to trap Jesus by posing Him questions regarding paying taxes to the Romans)12. The Pericope de Adultera in its present form, nonetheless, has links or connections (although still inconclusive and still remain mainly on the surface) with its Johannine Gospel context.13 R. Schnackenburg cites the following14, which we shall illustrate in table form:
8:2 8:3 8:5 8:10-11 8:11 8:1-6a 7:14,28; 8:20 7:47; 8:13 7:19,23,51; 8:17 7:24; 8:15a 8:15b 7 Jesus teaching in the temple in Jerusalem The Pharisees are Jesus opponents The authority of the Law is repeatedly invoked. Jesus warns against judging by external appearances. What is compared here is the Greek of judge/judging. Jesus judges no one. The situation where Jesus finds Himself in: The people, or at least certain groups, are favorably inclined towards Him while the leading circles confront him with skepticism and hostility and with an intention of killing Him (in the pericope, the Scribes and Pharisees seek to trap or test Him). Chapter 7 consists of discussions, which could be linked with the question laid before Jesus in 8:5. In the Johannine debates, Jesus appears as the person in control, entangling his audience in difficulties; the same applies to the pericope.

St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R. (Unedited Version)

However, the pericope remains a foreign body in the Johannine corpus15 and interrupts the complex thought of 7:1- 8:59 [and] disrupts the storytellers systematic account of Jesus presence at the feasts of the Jews.16 Nonetheless in spite of the questions being raised, the pericope/story, as part of the Johannine Gospel with its present location, between 7:52 and 8:12, is canonically accepted by Christians as part of the fourth Gospel and of the canon of Scriptures.17 Exegesis Since we are dealing with a narrative or a story with elements of dialogues and of drama we shall approach the text as follows: 1) The plot or the Setting, 2) The Actors or the Characters, 3) The conflict or the Issue, and the 4) Resolution.18 1) Plot or Setting (Jn. 7:53-8:2): Jesus is in Jerusalem teaching in the temple. He spent the night before the event at the Mount of Olives. He came again to the temple early in the morning and the people came to hear Him teach. Jesus sits and teaches the people gathered. Jesus is portrayed here as a Rabbi or teacher. It was the custom of Jewish teachers to sit while they were teaching.19 While Jesus was teaching and the people listening to Him, the Scribes and the Pharisees came into the picture bringing a woman that was caught in the act of committing adultery. Here, the drama and the interaction or exchanges between Jesus and the antagonists begin. 2) The Actors or the Characters
The Narrator The narrator in the pericope gives us the setting/plot and narrates to us the conflict, the progression of the story, and the actions of the main characters. The narrator also narrates to us who are the main characters and the interactions between the characters and offers certain clarifications for the action or motives of particular characters (cf. 8:6a). The people are unspecified, nonetheless, one could consider the people to be the ordinary or the common people of Jerusalem who came to Jesus and listen to him teaching in the temple. 20 Generally, the people in the pericope are passive listeners and silent audiences of the event. 3

The people

St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R. (Unedited Version)

Jesus

Scribes and Pharisees

(Adulteress) Woman

[See also Appendix 1] Jesus spent the night before in the Mount of Olives and went back to the temple in Jerusalem. He is portrayed as a Rabbi or as a teacher who sits while teaching the people. In dealing with the conflict or the issue, He is a merciful, compassionate, serene, calm, and wise judge or person. He is an integrated person and shows mercy and respect to the adulterous woman but at the same time exercises justice by not condoning the sin, which He expressed through His command to the woman not to sin again (8:11). 21 He is also portrayed as mercy incarnate (in relation to the Lucan Jesus) and as a serene judge or person who knows the hearts of people (in relation to the Johannine Jesus). 22 They are the Jewish authorities and are portrayed as the antagonists who are plotting to trap Jesus so that they could have something with which to accuse Him. Their motive is clearly stated in 8:6. They are not interested or concerned with the case of adultery and of the Law, with the woman, or with the injured husband (never mentioned in the story) or with justice. 23 Instead, they use the woman and the act she committed as an opportunity for them to trap or test Jesus and to find fault with Him. 24 The elders in 8:9 refers to them and to those who are advanced in years who were present at the event.25 [See also Appendix 1] The name of the woman is never mentioned. She is caught in the very act of committing adultery (in flagranti), which means that at least two witnesses (cf. Deut. 19:15) caught her while having sexual intercourse with another man. 26 The woman could have either been married or already been betrothed to a man. Nonetheless, the former possibility (married) is accepted by most scholars.27 She is silent throughout the drama or exchanges of words and questions between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees and she speaks only once without showing any emotion in the end of the pericope when Jesus asked her whether anyone had condemned her (8:11).28

3) The Conflict or the Issue (8:3-9) Verses 3-8:5:

The Scribes and Pharisees (accusers) brought a woman caught in adultery (the accused) and made her stand before all of them (for judicial examination)29. They present the case of the adulterous woman to Jesus, asking Him to say

St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R. (Unedited Version)

something about the woman and on the case of adultery.30 The accusers cited the Mosaic Law, which states that the punishment for adultery is death by stoning. They addressed Him as teacher. The implication of such an address is, for R. Schnackenburg, that they submit the case to Jesus for decision.31 R. Brown (following Deretts opinion), on the other hand, has a different opinion; the accusers come to Jesus more as to a prophet than to a rabbi or expert of the Law.32 The implication of the address is still subject to scholarly discussion, nonetheless, the reason and the motive for the Scribes and the Pharisees in coming to Jesus and asking Him about the case is clear in 8:6a. Verse 6a: The motive of the accusers is to trap Jesus, to find fault in Him, to find charges against him, and to humiliate Him in front of the people, whom He teaches (to humiliate a Rabbi in front of his students)33. Their motive is somewhat related to that in Lk. 20:21-25; they intend to put Jesus in a situation where He could either be in conflict with the Roman authorities and law or be in conflict with the Mosaic law.34 [See also, our discussion on the actors or characters]. Verse 6b: Jesus avoids giving a direct answer and chooses not to take position as a judge.35 He bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. The gesture of Jesus suggests a sign of indifference, and even disappointment with the proceedings36 (He knows the motive of the accusers). It could also be that Jesus is making a picturesque reference to Jeremiah 17:13.37 The latter interpretation of Jesus gesture means that He refers them [the accusers who like to submit the woman to the severity of the Mosaic Law] to the judgment of God, before whom all are sinners. They are all fit to be written in the earth.38 Although all are sinners and are fit to be written in the earth, Jesus act of writing on the ground (in the dust) means that He desired not to keep a permanent record of sin and that what is written in the dust can be erased, so much so is sin.39

St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R. (Unedited Version)

Verse 7a; The Scribes and the Pharisees, unimpressed by Jesus response, continued to ask Jesus, pressing and pressuring Him, to give an answer, and they would not let Him escape.40 Verses 7b-8:8: Jesus straightened up and said, Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her; He bent down and wrote on the ground after saying what needed to be said in order to explain his actions.41 In relation with Lk. 20:21-25, Jesus here puts the burden back on his questioners or to them whose motivation is to trap him.42 Jesus statement is short, sharp, and straight to the heart.43 It lets the accusers understand and realize (if they have not yet in 8:6b) their own sinfulness, and of Jesus desire to proclaim mercy and not judgment to sinners.44 Verse 9: The Scribes and Pharisees, after hearing Jesus words and challenge (failed to achieve their intention of trapping Jesus), drift away unwatched one by one.45 It is not clear whether the people departed together with the Scribes and Pharisees or remained as a silent audience for the final scene. 46 Nonetheless, the verse is clear in saying that Jesus was left alone with the woman and that they (could refer to both the Scribes and the Pharisees and to the people) went away, one by one, beginning with the elders or those who are advanced in years.47

4) The Resolution (8:10-11) In connection with 8:9, Jesus and the woman were left alone. Augustine beautifully described the dramatic scene as "relicti sunt duo, misera et misericordia" (and two were left, the wretched one, and mercy).48 Jesus straightened up and asked, for
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St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute Johannine Literature By: Gary R. Alvarado, C.Ss.R. (Unedited Version)

the first time, (establishing communication with) the woman about her accusers; He neither asks her about the act of adultery she committed nor about her excuses or reason for committing such an act.49 Jesus two questions (where are they? and has no one condemned you?) are intended to get the woman to speakShe can breathe freely: no one has dared to pronounce sentence upon her.50 He allowed the woman and let her speak with Him, i.e. to enter into relationship with Him.51 In this relationship, Jesus does not condoned or is being soft on Sin but He shows mercy to the sinner (to the woman) and at the same time commanded the sinner, from now on do not sin again. The wretched one (the woman) and Mercy (Jesus) stand face to face; in this encounter Jesus offers two possibilities of new life for the woman. First, saving her from death (which is the prescribed punishment for adultery), and second, offering her the possibility of a newness of life in a right relationship with God (by the command do not sin again).52

Hermeneutics The story of the woman caught in adultery (Jn. 7:53-8:11) offers us two central messages and challenges. The first is in relation to the encounter between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees (or from the conflict or issue part of the story). From this encounter, we reflect on: a) Jesus attitudes and actions towards the Scribes and the Pharisees who use the case of the woman and the Mosaic law to their own advantage, to serve their own motive and intention of testing and trapping Jesus so that they could find fault in Him and bring Him down. Jesus knows what is in their heart, He knows that their intention is neither for justice (to serve the law that is promulgated for the benefit and goodness of all) nor for the fate of the woman. He bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground twice, to express his disinterestedness in and disgust with the proceeding, and to remind us all that in the eyes of God, the Supreme and True judge, all are sinners but, at the same time, God offers mercy and serves justice. He further says, Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her to throw back the challenge to the Scribes and the Pharisees and at the same time to make clear his message. His message is not that only those who are pure, sinless, and perfect can act
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as judge or serve and promote the law but on the purity and goodness of motive and intention, and on self integrity that are demanded for all who take on the office of judges, law enforcer, and for all whose duty it is to promulgate and serve the intent of the law. The challenge of Jesus message for us today, is for us Christians, especially those in authority and in the position to promulgate, serve, and implement the law (both on the side of the state and of the church) to examine our motives and intentions and at the same time to be merciful and just. b) Jesus attitude of being serene and calm in the midst of pressures and situations where He is tested and being trapped. The Scribes and Pharisees pressured Him and posed a difficult question or case on Him but Jesus remained calm and serene. His calmness and serenity emanated from His self-integrity. In times of pressures and difficult situations, can we maintain our calmness and serenity? Are we people of selfintegrity who know our values and principles and who know how to take a rightful and just stand/ position in the midst of issues and conflicts that confront us? Second, in relation to the encounter between Jesus (Mercy) and the woman caught in the very act of committing adultery (the wretched one). From the encounter we reflect and learn the delicate balance between the justice of Jesus in not condoning the sin and His mercy in forgiving the sinner53As Christians, what is our attitude towards sin? How do we show mercy to the sinners? Do we see and acknowledge with true humility our sinfulness and our desire for Gods mercy and at the same time our accountability in relation to Gods justice? Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery nor condone the act of adultery. In our encounter with Mercy (Jesus) in our prayers, in the sacrament of reconciliation, and in our daily lives, we are standing before Him who loves and shows mercy to us, and whose desire is not to condemn us but to invite us into a relationship with Him through genuine repentance and conversion Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.

END NOTES See Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John. Sacra Pagina, vol. 4, ed. by Daniel Harrington (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), 259; Raymond Brown, The Gospel According to John I-XII: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Bible, vol. 29 (New York: Doubleday, 1966), 335-336;
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Rudolf Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to John, vol. 1 (New York: The Seabury Press, 1980), 162; , John Marsh, Saint John. The Pelican New Testament Commentaries, (England: Viking Penguin, Inc., 1987), 681-682. For a more detailed list of scholars dealing on the pericope, see: chapter 2 of John David Punch, The Pericope Adulterae: Theories of Insertion and Omission (Dissertation, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, April 19, 2010) electronic copy retrieved from: Radboud Repository, http://hdl.handle.net/2066/76519 (August 4, 2010).
2

Moloney, 259. Brown, 335.

Ibid. The same explanation is provided in the footnote on John 7:53 in the New American Bible, The story of the woman caught in adultery is a later insertion here, missing from all early Greek manuscripts 5 Marsh, 682. A Western text-type insertion, attested mainly in Old Latin translations, it is found in different places in different manuscripts: here, or after John 7:36 or at the end of this gospel, or after Luke 21:38, or at the end of that gospel. (footnote on John 7:53in the New American Bible)
7 6

Brown, 335. Ibid.

Brown, nonetheless, does not rule out the possibility that the pericope could be a stray narrative composed in Johannine circles. See Appendix 1. There are many non-Johannine features in the language, and there are also many doubtful readings within the passage. (footnote on John 7:53in the New American Bible)
11 10

Marsh, 683

Cf. Raymond Brown, The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1988), 52.
13

12

Schnackenburg, 171. Ibid. Ibid. Moloney, 259.

14

15

16

Canonicity, understood as traditional ecclesiastical acceptance and usage, answers the question by pointing out to the fact that the pericope has been included in the Vulgate (the bible of the church for centuries) and that it has already been incorporated into the Johannine Gospel corpus when the Council of Trent declared the Gospel according to John canonical and forms as part of the canon of Scriptures. (cf. Brown, 336 and Schnackenburg, 162). R. Brown further states, in relation to its acceptance as Scripture by non-Roman Christians/Catholics, It also found its way into the received text of the Byzantine Church, and ultimately into the King James Bible (Brown, 336).
18

17

We shall deal with the pericope as an insertion or as an interpolation. Schnackenburg, 163. see also appendix 1. Moloney, 260 and Schnackenburg, 163.

19

20

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21

Cf. Brown, 337 and Moloney, 262. Cf. Brown, 30. Cf. Brown, 337, and Moloney, 260-261. Cf. Schnackenburg, 165. Cf. Schnackenburg, 167. Brown, 333. Cf. Moloney, 260; Schnackenburg, 164, Brown, 333, and Marsh 683-684. Cf. Moloney, 260 and Schnackenburg, 167.

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Having somebody stand before or in the midst of the people means subjecting that person to judicial examination. cf. Brown, 333.
30

29

cf. Moloney, 260. Schnackenburg, 164-165. Brown, 333. cf. Schnackenburg, 164-165 and Moloney, 260-261 cf. Raymond Brown, The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary, 52. Marsh, 686. Moloney 261.

31

32

33

34

35

36

This interpretation has been already proposed by Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome and finds supports from modern scholars, like Eisler and Jeremias. see Schnackenburg, 165. Jeremiah 17:13 reads O hope of Israel! O Lord! All who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be recorded in the underworld, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, the Lord (NRSV)[Italics to add emphasis on what Jesus could have particularly referred to]
38

37

Schnackenburg, 166. Marsh, 686. Schnackenburg, 166 and Marsh, 686. Schnackenburg, 166. Brown, The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary, 52. Ibid. Schnackenburg, 167.

39

40

41

42

43

44

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45

Moloney, 261. Schnackenburg, 167 and Moloney, 261.

46

R. Schnackenburg argues that the term elder could not be applied to the lay nobility (Sanhedrin) since only the Scribes and Pharisees are present in the scene. Elders, in the pericope, then mean those who are advance in years who were present in the scene. (Schnackenburg, 167).
48

47

Brown, 337. Schnackenburg, 167. Ibid. Moloney, 262. Ibid. Brown, 337.

49

50

51

52

53

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, Raymond. The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1988. Brown, Raymond. The Gospel According to John I-XII: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The Anchor Bible, vol. 29. New York: Doubleday, 1966. Marsh, John. Saint John. The Pelican New Testament Commentaries. England: Viking Penguin, Inc., 1987. Moloney, Francis J. The Gospel of John. Sacra Pagina, vol. 4, ed. by Daniel Harrington. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998. Punch, John David. The Pericope Adulterae: Theories of Insertion and Omission (Dissertation, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, April 19, 2010) electronic copy retrieved from: Radboud Repository, http://hdl.handle.net/2066/76519 (August 4, 2010). Schnackenburg, Rudolf. The Gospel According to John, vol. 1. New York: The Seabury Press, 1980.

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