Jesus and the woman taken in adultery: Difference between revisions
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Until recently, it was not thought that any Greek Church Father had taken note of the passage before the 12th Century; but in [[1941]] a large collection of the writings of [[Didymus the Blind]] (c313- 398) was discovered in Egypt, including a reference to the ''pericope adulterae'' as being found in "several gospels"; and it is now considered established that this passage was present in its canonical place in a minority of Greek manuscripts known in Alexandria from the 4th Century onwards. In support of this it is noted that the 4th century [[Codex Vaticanus]], which was written in Egypt, marks the end of John chapter 7 with an "umlaut", indicating that an alternative reading was known at this point. |
Until recently, it was not thought that any Greek Church Father had taken note of the passage before the 12th Century; but in [[1941]] a large collection of the writings of [[Didymus the Blind]] (c313- 398) was discovered in Egypt, including a reference to the ''pericope adulterae'' as being found in "several gospels"; and it is now considered established that this passage was present in its canonical place in a minority of Greek manuscripts known in Alexandria from the 4th Century onwards. In support of this it is noted that the 4th century [[Codex Vaticanus]], which was written in Egypt, marks the end of John chapter 7 with an "umlaut", indicating that an alternative reading was known at this point. |
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[[Jerome]] reports that the ''pericope adulterae'' was to be found in its canonical place in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts" in Rome and the Latin West in the late 4th Century. This is confirmed by the consensus of Latin Fathers of the 4th and 5th Centuries CE, including [[Augustine of Hippo]] who speculates that the passage may have been excluded from some manuscripts in order to avoid the impression that Christ had sanctioned adultery. |
[[Jerome]] reports that the ''pericope adulterae'' was to be found in its canonical place in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts" in Rome and the Latin West in the late 4th Century. This is confirmed by the consensus of Latin Fathers of the 4th and 5th Centuries CE, including [[Ambrose]] and [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] who speculates that the passage may have been excluded from some manuscripts in order to avoid the impression that Christ had sanctioned adultery. |
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==History of textual criticism on John 7:53-8:11== |
==History of textual criticism on John 7:53-8:11== |
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Revision as of 16:24, 3 March 2008
The Pericope Adulterae (Template:PronEng in English; IPA: [peˈrikope aˈdulterai] in Latin; - or Pericope de Adultera; Latin for "the pericope (passage) of the adulterous woman") is the name traditionally given to verses 7:53–8:11 of the Gospel of John, which describe a confrontation between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees; over whether a woman accused of adultery ought to be stoned. In English, the passage is usually referred to as "(Jesus and) the woman taken in adultery".
The most common opinion amongst textual scholars is that the passage was not part of the original gospel of John; but may represent an independently transmitted tradition, incorporated into the gospel at this place early in church history.[1] Some scholars, however, defend it as original to John [2]; and a few reject the whole passage as an invention of the early church.
The passage
John 7:53–8:11 in the King James Version:
7:53 And every man went unto his own house. 8:1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7 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. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Textual history
The pericope is not found in its canonical place in any of the earliest surviving Greek Gospel manuscripts; neither in the two 3rd century papyrus witnesses to John - P66 and P75; nor in the 4th century Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The first surviving Greek manuscript witness to the pericope is the Latin/Greek diglot Codex Bezae of the fifth century. Papias (circa 125 CE) refers to a story of Jesus and a woman "accused of many sins" as being found in the Gospel of the Hebrews, which may well refer to this passage; while there is a certain reference to the pericope adulterae in the 3rd Century Syriac Didascalia Apostolorum; though without any indication as to which Gospel, if any, then contained the story.
Until recently, it was not thought that any Greek Church Father had taken note of the passage before the 12th Century; but in 1941 a large collection of the writings of Didymus the Blind (c313- 398) was discovered in Egypt, including a reference to the pericope adulterae as being found in "several gospels"; and it is now considered established that this passage was present in its canonical place in a minority of Greek manuscripts known in Alexandria from the 4th Century onwards. In support of this it is noted that the 4th century Codex Vaticanus, which was written in Egypt, marks the end of John chapter 7 with an "umlaut", indicating that an alternative reading was known at this point.
Jerome reports that the pericope adulterae was to be found in its canonical place in "many Greek and Latin manuscripts" in Rome and the Latin West in the late 4th Century. This is confirmed by the consensus of Latin Fathers of the 4th and 5th Centuries CE, including Ambrose and Augustine who speculates that the passage may have been excluded from some manuscripts in order to avoid the impression that Christ had sanctioned adultery.
History of textual criticism on John 7:53-8:11
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2008) |
During the 16th Century, Western European scholars - both Catholic and Protestant - sought to recover the original Greek text of the New Testament, rather than relying on the Vulgate Latin translation. At this time, it was noticed that a number of early manuscripts containing John's Gospel lacked John 7:53-8:11 inclusive; and also that some manuscripts containing the verses marked them with critical signs, usually a lemniscus or asterisk.
The first to systematically apply the critical marks of the Alexandrian critics was Origen:[3]
"In the Septuagint column [Origen] used the system of diacritical marks which was in use with the Alexandrian critics of Homer, especially Aristarchus, marking with an obelus under different forms, as "./.", called lemniscus, and "/.", called a hypolemniscus, those passages of the Septuagint which had nothing to correspond to in Hebrew, and inserting, chiefly from Theodotion under an asterisk (*), those which were missing in the Septuagint; in both cases a metobelus (Y) marked the end of the notation."
Early textual critics, familiar with the use and meaning of these marks in classical Greek works like Homer, interpreted the signs to mean that the section (John 7:53-8:11) was an interpolation, was not an original part of the Gospel.
Beginning with Lachmann (in Germany, 1840), reservations about the pericope became more strongly argued in the modern period, and these opinions were carried into the English world by Samuel Davidson (1848-1851), Tregelles (1862), and others; the argument against the verses being given body and final expression in Hort (1886). Those opposing the authenticity of the verses as part of John are represented in the 20th century by men like Cadbury (1917), Colwell (1935), and Metzger (1971).
On the other hand, many scholars strongly defended the Johannine authorship of these verses, and presented opposing arguments and counter-analysis. This group of critics is typified by such scholars as Nolan (1865), and Burgon (1886); and find modern counterparts and apologists in Hoskier (1920), O.T. Fuller (1978), Pickering (1980), Hodges & Farstad (1985), Pierpont, and Robinson (2005).
Almost all modern translations now include the Pericope de Adultera at John 7:53-8:11; but some enclose it in brackets, and/or add a note concerning the oldest and most reliable witnesses.
Authorship
Arguments against Johannine authorship
Bishop J.B. Lightfoot wrote that absence of the passage from the earliest manuscripts, combined with the occurrence of stylistic characteristics untypical of John; together implied that the passage was an interpolation. Still, he wrote, the story seems to be authentic history.[4]
Arguments for Johannine authorship
Zane C. Hodges and Arthur L. Farstad argue for Johannine authorship of the pericope.[5] They suggest points of similarity between the pericope's style and the style of the rest of the gospel. They claim that the details of the encounter fit very well into the context of the surrounding verses. They argue that the pericope's appearance in the majority of manuscripts, if not in the oldest ones, is evidence of its authenticity.
See also
References
- ^ "certainly not part of the original text." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005
- ^ "If it is not an original part of the Fourth Gospel, its writer would have to be viewed as a skilled Johannine imitator, and its placement in this context as the shrewdest piece of interpolation in literary history!" The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text with Apparatus: Second Edition, by Zane C. Hodges (Editor), Arthur L. Farstad (Editor) Publisher: Thomas Nelson; ISBN-10: 0840749635
- ^ Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Vol II: Basilica - Chambers, I. Greek Version 1. LXX, ~ 4, Hexapla of Origen
- ^ "The passages which touch Christian sentiment, or history, or morals, and which are affected by textual differences, though less rare than the former, are still very few. Of these, the pericope of the woman taken in adultery holds the first place of importance. In this case a deference to the most ancient authorities, as well as a consideration of internal evidence, might seem to involve immediate loss. The best solution would probably be to place the passage in brackets, for the purpose of showing, not, indeed, that it contains an untrue narrative (for, whencesoever it comes, it seems to bear on its face the highest credentials of authentic history), but that evidence external and internal is against its being regarded as an integral portion of the original Gospel of St. John." J.B. Lightfoot, R.C. Trench, C.J. Ellicott, The Revision of the English Version of the NT, intro. P. Schaff, (Harper & Bro. NY, 1873) Online at CCEL (Christian Classic Ethereal Library)
- ^ "If it is not an original part of the Fourth Gospel, its writer would have to be viewed as a skilled Johannine imitator, and its placement in this context as the shrewdest piece of interpolation in literary history!" The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text with Apparatus: Second Edition, by Zane C. Hodges (Editor), Arthur L. Farstad (Editor) Publisher: Thomas Nelson; ISBN-10: 0840749635
External links
- John 7:53–8:11 (NIV)
- John 7:53-8:11 (KJV)
- The Pericope de Adultera Homepage Links to a wide range of scholarly published material about all aspects of this text, dozens of new articles here.
- The Pericope de Adultera Homepage Alternate link to mirror site.