John 7: 3-8: 13-11 Controversy

John 7:53-8:11 is one of the most controversial verses in the Bible and the reason is not even what the text says. The most controversial issue about this pericope is whether or not this verse actually belongs in the Bible or not. The reason why this is even a debate is because the writing style does not match the rest of the book. While this is the biggest controversy on this passage I will discuss no more about it, and focus more on the minor controversies that get little attention. These issues are more textual and tend to either add a lot or a little meaning to the text. To start off with I will outline the text so that you can have a deeper understanding of what I am talking about.
I. Setting (Introduction)
a. 7:53-8:2
II. Case 8:3-8:6a
a. Claim 8:3-8:4
b.
In each section a controversy will be put into place as well as other textual issue that may occur. Section 1 is very simple and has no little issues in it. This is where the story is set. This section opens the story. Helps the reader get into the right mindset to hear the rest of the story. This is what happens at the beginning of any good story. The author opens up with a detail explanation of a story to help the reader form a picture in their minds. Here the author wants us to view Jesus teaching in a temple surrounded by people. This is a normal thing for Jesus to be doing so the reader should have no trouble forming an image in his or her head. The only issue that arises in this passage is tied to the biggest controversial issue that of the placement. The key in this figure is that the Mount of Olives is only mentioned here in John’s gospel. This leads to suspicion by many scholars. Section two of this pericope brings in the action or the plot of our story. The plot of the story is that a woman committed adultery and was caught in the act. The Pharisees and scribes brought the woman to Jesus for him to decide if she