New Book on the Pericope de Adultera

A few interesting names of current researchers in this area appear in the news item on this new book.

Peter Head has quoted Mr. Black as giving the general outline of contents on the new volume, which comes out of the recent conference on the PA:

'Well, the papers have now been assembled in book form. Yours truly and my former assistant and current Th.M. student Jacob Cerone are serving as editors. Here are the contents:
Foreword:  Gail O’Day
Preface: David Alan Black
Introduction: Jacob N. Cerone
Chapter 1: John David Punch: “The Piously Offensive Pericope Adulterae”
Chapter 2: Jennifer Knust: ” ‘Taking Away From': Patristic Evidence and the Omission of the Pericope Adulterae from John’s Gospel”
Chapter 3: Tommy Wasserman: “The Strange Case of the Missing Adulteress”
Chapter 4:  Chris Keith: “The Pericope Adulterae: A Theory of Attentive Insertion”
Chapter 5: Maurice Robinson: “The Pericope Adulterae: A Johannine Tapestry with Double Interlock”
Chapter 6: Larry Hurtado: “The Pericope Adulterae: Where from Here?

J. D. Punch has had his work (2010) reviewed by us on the Main Website,
as well as Chris Keith (2008).

2008	C. Keith	recent survey
2010	J.D. Punch	more review soon!

We also quoted Gail O'Day a few times in our review of 400 years worth of commentary on these verses, here:
 
The Best of the Commentators - on Jn 8:1-11

Dr. Maurice Robinson is best known for his textual critical work on the Received and Majority Text found among the many manuscripts spanning nearly a millenium and a  half.

We have happily cited his articles and comments and also reviewed some of his analysis on several of our related sites, such as here:

M. Robinson (2001) Byzantine Text - its priority
M. Robinson (/06) Majority Method - D.Black Interview

Dr. Maurice Robinson on Textual Variants

So we are very interested in reading the new collection of articles, which will reflect modern viewpoints on the passage, and also give a significant slice of opinion and modern criticism of John and the PA. 

The link to C.&C. Clarke's publishing site seems to be a broken link, but we expect that will be rectified soon.

 http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.ca/2015/05/forthcoming-book-on-pericope-of-jesus.html

 

 

 

 

Tommy Wasserman & Jennifer Knust on the PA

 A new article by Tommy Wasserman has been published, on an aspect of the Pericope de Adultera, which is the only place in Holy Scripture where Jesus is recorded as writing.  The article was written earlier, but has finally reached publication, and can be downloaded here:

Tommy's Article

Here is the Synopsis:

 

Earth Accuses Earth: Tracing What Jesus Wrote on the Ground

• Article author query
• knust j [Google Scholar]
• wasserman t [Google Scholar]

Jennifer Knust^a1 and Tommy Wasserman^a2

^a1 Boston University
^a2 àrebro Theological Seminary

The story of the woman taken in adultery (John 7:53–8:11) has a long, complex history. Well-known in the Latin West, the story was neglected but not forgotten in the East. Incorporated within Late Antique and Early Medieval Gospel manuscripts, depicted in Christian art, East and West, and included within the developing liturgies of Rome and Constantinople, the passage has fascinated interpreters for centuries despite irregularities in its transmission. Throughout this long history, one narrative detail has been of particular interest: the content and significance of Jesus— writing. Discussed in sermons, elaborated in manuscripts, and depicted in magnificent illuminations, Jesus— writing has inspired interpreters at least since the fourth century, when Ambrose of Milan first mentioned it. Offering his opinion on the propriety of capital punishment, the bishop turned to the pericope in order to argue that Christians do well to advocate on behalf of the condemned since, by doing so, they imitate the mercy of Christ. Nevertheless, he averred, the imposition of capital punishment remains an option for Christian rulers and judges. After all, God also judges and condemns, as Christ showed when, responding to the men questioning him and accusing the adulteress, he wrote twice on the ground. Demonstrating that “the Jews were condemned by both testaments,” Christ bent over and wrote “with the finger with which he had written the law,” or so the bishop claimed. Ambrose offered a further conjecture in a subsequent letter: Jesus wrote “earth, earth, write that these men have been disowned,” a saying he attributes to Jeremiah (compare Jer 22:29),. As Jeremiah also explains, “Those who have been disowned by their Father are written on the ground,” but the names of Christians are written in heaven.

------------------------------------

mr.scrivener