The Corruption of John 7:53-8:11

The Corruption of John 7:53-8:11 (The Pericope Adulterae)

One of the most prominent examples of textual corruption in the Bible is the passage commonly referred to as the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53–8:11). This narrative, which describes the encounter between Yeshua HaMashiach and a woman accused of adultery, is well-known and frequently cited in modern Bible translations. However, a thorough examination of the evidence reveals that this passage is a later addition to the Gospel of John, and was not part of the original, inspired text. The story itself is a fabrication, likely originating in the 4th century AD—several centuries after the Gospel of John was first composed.

A) Absence in the Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Alexandrinus, and Codex Ephraemi

The absence of the Pericope Adulterae from the Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence against the authenticity of this passage. The Codex Sinaiticus, dating back to the 4th century, is one of the oldest and most complete manuscripts of the entire Christian Bible. Upon close examination, one can see that the verses comprising John 7:53–8:11 are entirely missing from this manuscript, further indicating that they were not part of the original Gospel of John. This omission is not an isolated case, as the Codex Vaticanus, another 4th-century manuscript of equal significance, also excludes this passage, though it contains umlauts at the end of John 7:52, suggesting some awareness of the variant.

Additionally, the Pericope Adulterae is absent from other critical early manuscripts, including the Codex Alexandrinus and the Codex Ephraemi, both of which date to the 5th century. The consistent exclusion of these verses across such a broad range of authoritative early manuscripts provides overwhelming evidence that the Pericope Adulterae was not part of the original text of John.

B) The Overwhelming Absence in Other Early Manuscripts

The exclusion of the Pericope Adulterae is further substantiated by its absence from an extensive list of other early manuscripts, which include:

Papyri: Papyri 66 (c. 200 or 4th century) and Papyri 75 (early 3rd century or 4th century).
Codices: In addition to the Codices Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, and Ephraemi, the passage is missing from Codices Washingtonianus, Borgianus (both 5th century), Athous Lavrensis (c. 800), Petropolitanus Purpureus, Macedoniensis, Koridethi (9th century), and Monacensis (10th century).
Uncials: 0141 and 0211.
Minuscules: A vast number of minuscules, including but not limited to 3, 12, 15, 19, 21, 22, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 39, 44, 49, 63, 72, 77, 87, 96, 106, 108, 123, 124, 131, 134, 139, 151, 154, 157, 168, 169, 209, 213, 228, 249, 261, 269, 297, 303, 306, 315, 316, 317, 318, 333, 370, 388, 391, 392, 397, 401, 416, 423, 428, 430, 431, 445, 496, 499, 501, 523, 537, 542, 554, 565, 578, 584, 649, 684, 703, 713, 719, 723, 727, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 736, 740, 741, 742, 743, 744, 749, 768, 770, 772, 773, 776, 777, 780, 794, 799, 800, 817, 818, 819, 820, 821, 827, 828, 831, 833, 834, 835, 836, 841, 843, 849, 850, 854, 855, 857, 862, 863, 865, 869, 896, 989, 1077, 1080, 1141, 1178, 1230, 1241, 1242, 1253, 1256, 1261, 1262, 1326, 1333, 1357, 1593, 2106, 2193, 2244, 2768, 2862, 2900, 2901, 2907, 2957, 2965, and 2985.
Lectionaries: The majority of lectionaries also omit this passage.
Versions: Some Old Latin manuscripts, the majority of the Syriac versions, the Sahidic dialect of the Coptic, the Garima Gospels, other Ethiopic witnesses, the Gothic version, and some Armenian and Georgian manuscripts exclude the Pericope.
Early Christian Writings: Prominent early church writers such as Clement of Alexandria (died 215), Tertullian (died 220), Origen (died 254), Cyprian (died 258), John Chrysostom (died 407), Nonnus (died 431), Cyril of Alexandria (died 444), Cosmas (died 550), and later Christians such as Vardan Araveltsi (13th century) do not mention the Pericope Adulterae, further indicating its absence in the texts available to them.

The widespread omission of this passage across such a diverse and geographically spread range of early texts further confirms that it was not originally part of John's Gospel.

C) Absence from Early Homilies, Including John Chrysostom’s

The absence of this passage from early Christian writings, particularly homilies on the Gospel of John, is another compelling indication that it was a later insertion. John Chrysostom, an influential early church writer, delivered extensive homilies on the Gospel of John. Notably, in his homily on John 7:52 and 8:12, he seamlessly transitions from one verse to the next, without any mention of the Pericope Adulterae. His homily reads:

"John 7:52

Are you also of Galilee?

When they ought to have shown that they had not sent to summon Him without judgment, or that it was not fitting to allow Him speech, they take the reply rather in a rough and angry manner.

Search, and look: for out of Galilee has arisen no prophet.

Why, what had the man said? That Christ was a prophet? No; he said, that He ought not to be slain unjudged; but they replied insolently, and as to one who knew nothing of the Scriptures; as though one had said, Go, learn, for this is the meaning of, Search, and look. What then did Christ? Since they were continually dwelling upon Galilee and The Prophet, to free all men from this erroneous suspicion, and to show that He was not one of the prophets, but the Master of the world, He said,

John 8:12

I am the light of the world.

Not of Galilee, not of Palestine, nor of Judæa. What then say the Jews?"

This seamless transition from John 7:52 to John 8:12, with no mention of the woman caught in adultery, further underscores the fact that this story was not part of the original Gospel of John. The passage appears to have been added later, likely to insert a popular oral tradition into the text, but it was not part of the inspired writings of the apostle John.

In light of this overwhelming evidence—the absence from key early manuscripts, the omission in the writings of early church writers, and the scholarly consensus—the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) must be regarded as a fabrication and a later addition to the Gospel of John. It stands as a clear example of how certain sections of Scripture have been altered or added to by later scribes, rather than being part of the original, inspired text. The Mashiachim remain committed to discerning and upholding the true Word of God, free from such falsehoods.

Before we leave the fable of the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11), which was inserted into the Scriptures, we would like to point out that most Protestant branches of so-called "christianity" promote and teach this false section within the Bible as if it were one of the dearest parts of Scripture to them. We, the Mashiachim, find this quite disturbing, considering it is complete fable. Another of the apostle Paul's prophecies has come true in them: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).