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Is the Woman Caught in Adultery Story True? (John 7:53-8:11): Non-existent in ancient manuscripts?
The Glorious Deeds of Christ ^ | Glenn E. Davis

Posted on 12/13/2015 6:23:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Is the Story Scriptural or Not?

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

John 8:8 (NKJV)

This Sunday, the Gospel reading in the Roman Catholic Lectionary will be the famous story of “The Woman Caught in Adultery” (John 8:1-11). Some scholars and a few pastors, both liberal and conservative, have questioned the veracity of this unique and beautiful story of God’s mercy and love. This blog post is my feeble attempt at defending the historical truthfulness and canonical faithfulness of this encounter between Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.

You will notice in your modern translations that brackets have been placed around the text with some type of footnote. The note explains that early Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of John do not contain this story and that this narrative when found is placed in different sections of the Gospel. The note seems to cast doubt on the reliability of “The Woman Caught in Adultery Story” causing many readers confusion.

To add to the confusion even some Bible-believing pastors have stopped preaching this famous story of testing, hypocrisy, and forgiveness. In another state, a pastor was teaching through the Gospel of John, as he worked through the text, the pastor came to the "Woman Caught in Adultery" story found in 7:53-8:11. He wrote in the church newsletter that this famous story was not reliable and should not be considered inspired of the Holy Spirit: "Why are we skipping over this passage? Simply put, because it is my suspicion, based on the evidence given by numerous textual scholars, that this story is not part of the inspired canon of Scripture." Therefore, the pastor concluded that he would not be teaching this famous story. To say the least, the pastor’s decision caused no small stir within that congregation.

Below, I list several reasons for the continued inclusion of the "Woman Caught in Adultery" story (John 7:52-8:11) in the canon of Scripture. Consequently, the story should be understood as inspired by the Holy Spirit and worthy of being taught to the Christian faithful.

1. Church Tradition: The Church has accepted the woman caught in adultery story for two thousand years, why stop teaching the passages now? “Throughout the history of the church, it has been held that, whoever wrote it, this little story is authentic.” [Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, Revised, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 779]. The story resonates with the spirit and attitude of the Ancient Church toward those who have fallen and need Christ's mercy and grace.

2. Attestation: Contrary to this pastor’s newsletter article, writings during the Patristic period do refer to this story: Papias (Eusebius, HE 3.29.17), Apostolic Constitution (2.24), and Didymus the Blind. The woman caught in adultery story is not cited in the writings of the Greek fathers, but in the West, Ambrose (397), Ambrosiaster (350) and Augustine (430) refer to the pericope, or story-unit, in their sermons and commentaries. Jerome found the text in early Greek codices and thus translated the story into the Latin Vulgate (fourth century).

Also, during the fourth century, the woman caught in adultery story was accepted into the Sunday lectionary of the Greek East.

"It is plain enough that this passage was unknown anciently to the Greek Churches; and some conjecture that it has been brought from some other place and inserted here. But as it has always been received by the Latin Churches, and is found in many old Greek manuscripts, and contains nothing unworthy of an Apostolic Spirit, there is no reason why we should refuse to apply it to our advantage."

[John Calvin, Commentary on the Gospel According to John, 284.]

3. Reliability: The text may not be the actual writing of the Apostle John, but the story does reflect the writing style of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Many scholars acknowledge that adultery story does not belong at the end of chapter seven, but the passages do reflect the concerns, attitude, and teaching of Jesus.

"On one hand it seems clear that the weight of evidence mitigates against the originality of the story. That is, this brief account is probably not original to the Fourth Gospel. On the other hand, the story has every suggestion of historical veracity, suggesting that it was indeed an event that occurred in the life of Jesus and was a story worthy of collection and recitation.”

[Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: John (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 238].

4. Complexity: "Although this narrative is included in the sequence of the outline, it can hardly have belonged to the original text of this Gospel. It is absent from most of the oldest copies of the Gospel that precede the sixth century and from the works of the earliest commentators. To say that it does not belong in the Gospel is not identical with rejecting it as unhistorical. Its coherence and spirit show that it was preserved from a very early time, and it accords well with the known character of Jesus. It may be accepted as historical truth; but based on the information we now have, it was probably not a part of the original text."

[Merrill Tenney, John, Expositor's Bible Commentary [CD-Rom] (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984).]

Even though a problem exists with the manuscript history of the story of the woman caught in adultery, that complex history is not enough to deny its truthfulness.

Conclusion: Regardless of whether the Apostle John wrote this story or an editor added it later, there is every reason to believe that the story was an actual event in the life of Jesus. No suspect doctrine is present in this text, and the story is certainly represents the manner in which Jesus dealt with Pharisees and sinners.


TOPICS: History; Religion & Culture; Theology
KEYWORDS: adultery; gospel; john
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1 posted on 12/13/2015 6:23:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
The difference between Islam and Christianity is clear. Christ teaches forgiveness. Mohamed teaches killing. Killing is the nature of their religion.

The example of Mohamed on forgivness Sahih Muslim, Book 17: 4206

There came to him (the Holy Prophet) a woman from Ghamid and said: Allah's Messenger, I have committed adultery, so purify me. He (the Holy Prophet) turned her away. On the following day she said: Allah's Messenger, Why do you turn me away? Perhaps, you turn me away as you turned away Ma'iz. By Allah, I have become pregnant. He said: Well, if you insist upon it, then go away until you give birth to (the child). When she was delivered she came with the child (wrapped) in a rag and said: Here is the child whom I have given birth to. He said: Go away and suckle him until you wean him. When she had weaned him, she came to him (the Holy Prophet) with the child who was holding a piece of bread in his hand. She said: Allah's Apostle, here is he as I have weaned him and he eats food. He (the Holy Prophet) entrusted the child to one of the Muslims and then pronounced punishment. And she was put in a ditch up to her chest and he commanded people and they stoned her. Khalid b Walid came forward with a stone which he flung at her head and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and so he abused her. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) heard his (Khalid's) curse that he had huried upon her. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Khalid, be gentle.By Him in Whose Hand is my life, she has made such a repentance that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have been forgiven. Then giving command regarding her, he prayed over her and she was buried.

2 posted on 12/13/2015 6:31:34 AM PST by FatherofFive (Islam is evil and must be eradicated)
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To: SeekAndFind

I’ve read on this subject many times and I am not sure what way to believe.

All I know is that it doesn’t impact my faith one way or the other.


3 posted on 12/13/2015 6:34:05 AM PST by boycott (--)
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To: SeekAndFind

The story is completely missing from the New English Bible if I remember correctly. John chapter 8 starts at verse 12! Academics run amok!


4 posted on 12/13/2015 6:39:58 AM PST by vladimir998 (Apparently I'm still living in your head rent free. At least now it isn't empty.)
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To: SeekAndFind

LOL! Like they know??

If they claim this didn’t happen, why don’t they just claim none of it did. That’s where they’re going with this.


5 posted on 12/13/2015 6:51:31 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (And yet...we continue to tolerate this crap...)
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To: SeekAndFind
This Sunday, the Gospel reading in the Roman Catholic Lectionary will be the famous story of "The Woman Caught in Adultery" (John 8:1-11).

No, it's Luke 3:10-18, "The crowds asked John the Baptist, 'What should we do?'" and so on.

6 posted on 12/13/2015 6:58:15 AM PST by Tax-chick (Maximizing my cultural appropriation.)
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To: FatherofFive

Stoning was done in bible too...


7 posted on 12/13/2015 7:00:00 AM PST by wyowolf
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To: wyowolf

“Stoning was done in bible too...”

Not by followers of Christ it wasn’t.


8 posted on 12/13/2015 7:10:42 AM PST by vladimir998 (Apparently I'm still living in your head rent free. At least now it isn't empty.)
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To: boycott
I was told that it was probably left out because people who don't know the law would focus on the adulterous woman instead of the Pharisees whom the passage is actually about.

The Pharisees broke several Judaic laws, such as needing two witnesses and bringing both the man and the woman to be judged. Also the judge was supposed to be an appointed judge which Jesus was not. The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus and instead broke the law but, as I said, everyone focuses on the woman. In the story it states that the oldest dropped their stones first. They knew the law said that if they hurled a single stone they would be stoned for bearing false witness.

9 posted on 12/13/2015 7:11:23 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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To: boycott
This story has always bothered me because I think what happened can be interpreted in so many different ways.

What was Jesus’s point in stopping this?

Is he condoning adultery?

Is he arguing that there can be no laws and punishments for any crime because we should forgive anything anyone does to sin?

Is he condemning stoning for the crime of adultery?

Is he condemning the men about to stone her knowing that it's quite possible that many of THEM were her customers?

or is he condemning a lawless mob who has no authority to condemn anyone of anything?

10 posted on 12/13/2015 7:11:40 AM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
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To: wyowolf

Stoning ended with the coming of the Christ. Islam has no Savior.


11 posted on 12/13/2015 7:12:30 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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To: wyowolf
Stoning was done in bible too...

Where did Christ teach to stone anyone?

12 posted on 12/13/2015 7:12:54 AM PST by FatherofFive (Islam is evil and must be eradicated)
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To: boycott

I learned about the story not being in the older manuscripts decades ago using the NASB. There was a recent thread about how many historical texts of the New Testament in Greek there are and verifying it as very reliable through comparison.

Not being able to find one single older text with this story included has always bothered me. It especially bothers me when it is used so often in media. Maybe I noticed it because I would never use it as a doctrinal reference and it is used often.

This site gives the time of earliest manuscripts (I was specifically searching for the first manuscript with the pericope adulterae [adultery selection-learn something new every day] to no avail):

http://www.bible.ca/ef/topical-the-earliest-new-testament-manuscripts.htm

Reading a paper submitted to Liberty Univ that makes things easier to understand...

http://www.scottfillmer.me/wp-content/uploads/docs/pericope_adulterae_fillmer.pdf


13 posted on 12/13/2015 7:15:21 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: FatherofFive

So...its not in the Bible?


14 posted on 12/13/2015 7:19:07 AM PST by wyowolf
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To: DJ MacWoW

Correct. The authenticity of the account becomes obvious when you study ancient texts from greater Judaism. After all, and entire tractate of the Talmud is called “Sotah” (the suspected unfaithful wife).

When you compare the account to the passage of the Sotah in Leviticus it shows deep insight on the part of Jesus. For instance, writing in the dust of the Temple courtyard, whereas in Leviticus, the dust was added to the drink. It makes what Jesus wrote less of a mystery, and why when He wrote it, it had a dramatic effect on the accusers.


15 posted on 12/13/2015 7:20:14 AM PST by Tzfat
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To: Tzfat

Absolutely.


16 posted on 12/13/2015 7:21:34 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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To: SeekAndFind
and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Just then a woman in the crowd threw a stone and made a direct hit.

Jesus looked at the woman who threw the stone and said "Mom, you know you're not helping."

17 posted on 12/13/2015 7:21:59 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: TexasFreeper2009

I believe post 9 answers the questions. It does for me.


18 posted on 12/13/2015 7:24:55 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776

Yep, I agree.

I have always thought the point was not the woman, or her crime, or what if anything her punishment should be.

It was about condemning a lawless mob who had no authority to dispense punishment.


19 posted on 12/13/2015 7:30:01 AM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (You can't spell Hillary without using the letters L, I, A, & R)
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To: TexasFreeper2009
It was about condemning a lawless mob who had no authority to dispense punishment.

The Pharisees did have authority. That was the problem. They broke the law. It was a set up.

20 posted on 12/13/2015 7:36:12 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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