This is a volume of cross-disciplinary essays focused on the enigmatic story of the woman taken in adultery (John 7.53--8.11). Explorations of the background, history and interpretation of the passage are offered, including investigations of the adulterous woman motif in Old Testament, New Testament, rabbinic, patristic and mediaeval writings. There are also treatments of the motif as it appears in other cultural expressions, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, and assessments of the theme's significance for contemporary theologies, in particular for feminist and pastoral approaches. The contributors represent a wide range of professional and ecclesiological backgrounds.

Author Biography

Larry J Kreitzer is Tutor for Graduates and Tutor of New Testament at Regent's Park College, Oxford. He also holds a Research Lectureship within the Faculty of Theology in Oxford. He is the author of several books, including "The Letter to the Ephesians" (Epworth Commentary, 1997), "Pauline Images in Fiction and Film" (1999), and "Gospel Images in Fiction and Film" (2002). Larry Kreitzer is a Tutor for Graduates and Tutor of New Testament at Regent's Park College, Oxford Deborah W. Rooke is Lecturer in Old Testament Studies, King's College London.