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Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The Scribes and Pharisees (experts in religious law) brought to Christ a young woman caught having sex outside marriage (John 8: 1–11). They asked him whether she should be stoned to death in accordance with the laws of Moses. Jesus, seeming not to hear them, stooped down and wrote on the ground. They kept asking him and Jesus replied: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.’ The Scribes and Pharisees left. When Jesus asked the woman whether any man had condemned her, she said no. He replied that neither did he and told her to go and sin no more. The scene is set in front of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Christ’s words are written in Hebrew on the steps. One of the roundels decorating the building shows Moses and the Ten Commandments, which include the seventh commandment against adultery.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery

Date

probably 1522

Medium

Oil on wood

Measurements

H 46 x W 30.8 cm

Accession number

NG641

Acquisition method

Bought, 1860

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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