Category:Jesus and the Adulteress (subject)

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Jesus and the Adulteress refers to an episode of the Ministry of Jesus. The episode is narrated only in the Gospel of John (7:53-8:11).

Overview

According to Christian tradition, an unnamed Adulteress was brought before Jesus of Nazareth, who saved her from stoning.

It is generally recognized that the passage, although in line with many stories in the Gospels and probably primitive, was not part of the original text of the Gospel of John. Its origin and authorship are disputed.

The identification of the Adulteress with Mary Magdalene belongs to later Christian tradition and is not supported by textual evidence.

Jesus and the Adulteress in ancient sources

Gospel of John

John 7:53-8:11 (NRSV) -- [7:53] Then each of them went home, [8:1] while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, [4] they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. [5] Now 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. [9] When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" [11] She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

Jesus and the Adulteress in Scholarship

The lack of evidence and the literary nature of the pericope make it impossible to evaluate the historicity of the episode. Scholarly research has concentrated on the philological aspects of the passage and on its theological meaning within the Early Christian tradition.

See Chris Keith, "Recent and Previous Research on the Pericope Adulterae (John 7.53—8.11)," Currents in Biblical Research 6.3 (2008) 377–404; "Pericope adulterae", in F.L. Cross (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005).

Jesus and the Adulteress in Fiction

The episode of Jesus and the Adulteress is a popular one both in traditional Christian iconography and in modern fictional works. Sometimes the Adulteress is identified with Mary Magdalene, sometimes she is not. Very often in movies the part is the opportunity for a cameo for popular actresses. More than a woman "caught in adultery," the protagonist is generally portrayed as a beautiful courtesan.