Fr. Skiadaresis John, The Sinless and the Adulteress (John 7,53-8,11), Pournaras Press: Thessaloniki, 2001, pages 320.

            The study has as its topic the narration of the Adulteress in John’s Gospel (7,53-8,11) and the problems, of authenticity and hermeneutic ones, which are connected to the passage.

           After the introduction, where the diagram, the problematic and the aim of the paper are presented, the study is divided in two parts. The first part examines the narration of the adulteress in the scripted tradition of the New Testament and in texts of ancient and younger writers. The second part deals with the hermeneutic approach of the passage.

            In the first chapter of the first part, the form, in which the passage is saved in the scripted tradition of the New Testament and in the translations, is examined. The manuscripts, in which the passage does not appear, the manuscripts that save the passage and the different positions of the passage in the gospels are presented.

            In the second chapter, the traces and possible testimonies of the passage in texts of the first centuries, such as the first gospel of Jacob, texts by Origenis, Eusevios of Caesaria, Papias and the  Gospel according to the Jews are examined.

            In the third chapter, the clear testimonies of the episode of the adulteress in texts of ancient and younger writers, such as the testimony in the Commands of the Apostles, in Athanasios the Great, the Twin Blind, Holy Crysostomos, the Byzantine texts are presented and analyzed. In the third unit of the chapter, there is an attempt for a comparative consideration of the testimonies to the evangelic narration and to each other.

            In the fourth chapter, the passage is examined in the liturgical act and sacramental life of the Church, that is to the memories of saints and the sacrament of penitence.

            In the second chapter, there is an analysis of the hollow problematic points of the passage, as well as the setting and the atmosphere of the episode.

           In the third chapter, finally, there is reference to the most important variations of the text and the annotation of the passage.  

            The study closes with conclusions, a summary in English, an appendix of passages of the Old and New Testament, a board of abbreviations and an extensive bibliography on the subject.