THE GENUINENESS OF JOHN 7:53-8:11

By Bob Myhan

nasmuch as some scholars claim that the passage containing the account of the adulterous woman was not part of John’s original manuscript, we notice the following reason for believing that John did, indeed, write the passage. In 7:14-29, John describes Jesus as teaching in the temple when the temple guards fail in their attempt to arrest Him.

“Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.... The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.... Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.” (John 7:30, 32, 44)

ohn then switches to the scene of a debate among certain chief priests, Pharisees and the officers who failed to arrest Jesus. If John 8:12 is read immediately following John 7:52, it appears that the officers had brought Jesus before the chief priests and Pharisees. But the text of John 7:45 clearly says that He had not been brought. Notice:

“Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why have you not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this Man!’ Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.’ Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?’ They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.’” “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”

owever, when the passage in question is inserted the closed meeting of 7:45-52 is adjourned (7:53) and Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives (8:1). The next day, He returns to the temple to resume teaching the people (8:2). He is then interrupted by the scribes and the Pharisees. After dealing with the woman and her accusers, “Jesus spoke to them again” (8:12).That is, He resumed teaching those whom He was teaching before He was interrupted.

“Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why have you not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this Man!’ Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.’ Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?’ They answered and said to him, ‘Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.’ And everyone went to his own house. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.”

“Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’"

he second alternative makes far more sense than the first, so much more that this writer cannot accept the claim that the account of the adulterous woman was not a part of the original record. &