John 7:53 – 8:11

The woman caught in adultery (Pericope Adulterae)

Later additionNot original to John. Missing from every early Greek manuscript. First appears in Codex Bezae (~AD 400).

What's at stake

The famous story of the woman about to be stoned, with Jesus saying 'let him who is without sin cast the first stone' and writing in the dust. Probably the most beloved passage in the Gospel of John.

Missing from every early Greek manuscript of John. Found in Codex Bezae (~AD 400) and the broader Byzantine tradition. Some manuscripts insert it at different places (after Luke 21, after John 7:36, at the end of John). Almost certainly an authentic ancient Jesus story, but not originally part of the Gospel of John.

Witnesses

Papyrus P66 (Bodmer II)AD 150 – AD 250 (~AD 200)

OMITS

Papyrus P75 (Bodmer XIV-XV)AD 175 – AD 225 (~AD 200)

OMITS

Codex SinaiticusAD 330 – AD 360 (~AD 350)

OMITS

Codex VaticanusAD 300 – AD 350 (~AD 325)

OMITS

Codex AlexandrinusAD 400 – AD 440 (~AD 425)

OMITS (the relevant page survives intact, so this is a real omission)

Codex BezaeAD 380 – AD 420 (~AD 400)

INCLUDES — the earliest Greek manuscript to contain it