John 7:53-8:11, the woman caught in adultery
Reading A says the story is absent from John’s earliest copies; Reading B says it belongs in John. The issue is whether John 7:52 leads directly to 8:12 or includes John 7:53-8:11.
The APB text at this verse
The manuscripts, editions, and versions
The committee record at this verse
The APB's translation committee works blind: it is never told it is translating the Bible, never given a book name or a verse number, and it never sees the witnesses above. Since revision 3.5, the places where the manuscripts disagree are decided before translation by three readers, Grok 4.3, GPT-6 Astra, and Claude Fable 5.1, who see the readings and the witnesses by age and class but never a reference or a manuscript name. Whatever was done at this verse was done on the language and the evidence alone, and the record is public.
John 7:53-8:11: set in brackets as a disputed passage, wording kept.
“The base text reads ἐγείρεται.¶. The copies also carry the omission [greek papyrus; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. Default wording ἐγείρεται.¶ is preferred; the evidence is not genuinely against it.”
“The base text reads ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης. The copies also carry προφήτης ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας [greek majuscule; greek papyrus; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. The evidence favors ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης but the difference in attestation is not overwhelming, so another reader is desirable.”
“The base text reads ἐγείρεται. The copies also carry ἐγηγέρται [later majority tradition], 7:53–8:11 : 53 καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· 8:1 Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἐπορεύθη εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν Ἐλαιῶν. 2 Ὄρθρου δὲ πάλιν παρεγένετο εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἤρχετο· καὶ καθίσας ἐδίδασκεν αὐτούς. 3 ἄγουσιν δὲ οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πρὸς αὐτὸν γυναῖκα ἐν μοιχείᾳ καταλήφθεισαν· καὶ στήσαντες αὐτὴν ἐν μέσῳ, 4 λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, πειράζοντες· Διδάσκαλε, αὕτη ἡ γυνὴ κατελήφθη ἐπʼ αὐτοφόρῳ μοιχευομένη. 5 ἐν δὲ τῷ νόμῳ Μωσῆς ἡμῖν ἐνετείλατο τὰς τοιαύτας λιθοβολεῖσθαι· σὺ οὖν τί λέγεις [later majority tradition], 6 τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας, τῷ δακτύλῳ ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν, μὴ προσποιούμενος. 7 ὡς δὲ ἐπέμενον ἐρωτῶντες αὐτόν, ἀνακύψας εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὁ ἀναμάρτητος ὑμῶν, πρῶτον ἐπʼ αὐτὴν τὸν λίθον βαλέτω. 8 καὶ πάλιν κάτω κύψας ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. 9 οἱ δέ, ἀκούσαντες, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως ἐλεγχόμενοι, ἐξήρχοντο εἷς καθʼ εἷς, ἀρξάμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων· καὶ κατελείφθη μόνος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἐν μέσῳ οὖσα. 10 ἀνακύψας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ μηδένα θεασάμενος πλὴν τὴς γυναικός, εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Ποῦ εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι οἱ κατήγοροί σου [later majority tradition], Οὐδείς σε κατέκρινεν [later majority tradition], 11 ἡ δὲ εἶπεν· Οὐδείς, κύριε. εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Οὐδὲ ἐγώ σε κρίνω· πορεύου καὶ μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε. [later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. default wording chosen because early independent witnesses support it and internal evidence favors it”
“This passage is not in the earliest copies of the text. The committee judged it a later addition and keeps it in brackets rather than removing it. The evidence is genuinely against the default Καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἐπορεύθη εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν. ὄρθρου δὲ πάλιν παρεγένετο εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ καθίσας ἐδίδασκεν αὐτούς. ἄγουσιν δὲ οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πρὸς αὐτὸν γυναῖκα ἐν μοιχείᾳ κατειλημμένην καὶ στήσαντες αὐτὴν ἐν μέσῳ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, πειράζοντες διδάσκαλε, αὕτη ἡ γυνὴ κατείληφθη ἐπ᾽ αὐτοφώρῳ μοιχευομένη· ἐν δὲ τῷ νόμῳ ἡμῖν Μωϋσῆς ἐνετείλατο τὰς τοιαύτας λιθοβολεῖσθαι· σὺ οὖν τί λέγεις; τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας τῷ δακτύλῳ ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. μὴ προσποιούμενος ὡς δὲ ἐπέμενον ἐρωτῶντες αὐτόν, ἀνακύψας καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς, ὁ ἀναμάρτητος ὑμῶν, πρῶτος ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν τὸν βαλέτω λίθον· καὶ πάλιν κατακύψας ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως ἐλεγχόμενοι ἐξήρχοντο εἷς καθ εἷς ἀρξάμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἕως τῶν ἐσχάτων, καὶ κατελείφθη μόνος, ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἐν μέσῳ ἑστῶσα. ἀνακύψας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ μηδένα θεασάμενος πλὴν τὴς γυναικός εἶπεν αὐτῇ· ἡ γυνή, ποῦ εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι οἱ κατήγοροί σου οὐδείς σε κατέκρινεν; ἡ δὲ εἶπεν, οὐδείς, κύριε. εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, οὐδὲ ἐγώ σε κατακρίνω· πορεύου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε.¶. Early attestation of presence deserves weight, but it does not outweigh the substantially broader early support for the omission.”
“Included from Faithlife/SBLGNT John.txt as part of the bracketed Pericope Adulterae supplement. Witnesses: Faithlife/SBLGNT v1.2, RP.”
The APB 3.5 decision sets John 7:53-8:11 “in brackets as a disputed passage, wording kept.” Its textual note states: “This passage is not in the earliest copies of the text. The committee judged it a later addition and keeps it in brackets rather than removing it.” The three readers worked blind, seeing witnesses only by class and date. The committee’s own record labels the unit “Textual supplement: John 8:7” and gives the audit verdict “flagged.”
The argument for each reading
If it is a later insertion
Reading A follows the witnesses in which John 7:52 continues directly to 8:12. P66 P75 ℵ B, dated 2nd-4th century A.D., are described here as the earliest witnesses to John and lack the passage. NA28 likewise prints the transition without John 7:53-8:11, and its witness note says that none of the critical editions carry the passage as original text. The raw apparatus marks the longer material with RP after the wording at John 7:52. On this account, the story’s later placement after several different points, including after John 7:36, after 21:25, and into Luke, is relevant evidence about its transmission. The question remains whether that movement reflects a later insertion or another history for the story.
If the story belongs to John
Reading B takes seriously that RP includes John 7:53-8:11 where English Bibles print it, presenting the episode as Scripture. Its text contains the saying ὁ ἀναμάρτητος ὑμῶν and the complete encounter described in the apparatus. The case for this reading begins with the fact that the story was copied and preserved in the Byzantine text at this location. The committee record also retains the wording on the page in brackets rather than removing it, so readers can examine the passage itself. Its shifting locations in later manuscripts complicate the question of Johannine placement, but they also show that the story circulated in the textual tradition. Reading B therefore concerns both the story’s preservation and its place after John 7:52.
The packet supplies a sharp disagreement in attestation: the earliest listed witnesses omit the story, while RP includes it. It also reports later movement of the passage, without resolving why that movement occurred. This variant changes whether this narrative is read as part of John at this point. It does not by itself decide doctrine; doctrines rest on many passages. The committee’s brackets preserve the wording while signaling its disputed status.
Common questions
Is the woman caught in adultery in the earliest copies of John?
The packet says P66 P75 ℵ B, dated 2nd-4th century A.D., omit John 7:53-8:11. NA28 also joins John 7:52 directly to 8:12.
Why is the story printed in many English Bibles?
RP includes John 7:53-8:11 as Scripture where English Bibles print it. The packet also says later manuscripts place the story after John 7:36, after 21:25, and into Luke.
How does the APB print John 7:53-8:11?
The APB sets the passage in brackets as disputed and keeps its wording. Its committee note says it was judged “a later addition” while retained rather than removed.
Related entries
Witness readings for critical editions are quoted from the SBLGNT apparatus (CC BY 4.0); Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible). Readings of ancient manuscripts and versions are cited as published scholarly fact with their sources linked above. The page does not declare which reading is original.
The registry gives no verdict
The registry does not say which reading is original. Each page lists the witnesses, shows what the committee did with the same text, and leaves the judgment to the reader.