The Bible and the English Major / Season 5
The Pharisees have made the woman in this story the infamous star of the show, but is that what the author intends? Check out John’s use of sentence and plot structure and uncover not just the grace Jesus offers but the justice he enacts.
We conclude this series on John 8 with a conversation with Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw about her book, "Scapegoats, the Gospel through the Eyes of Victims." She helps us understand better ways to read the Bible and why English majors are the best. Those are her words, I promise!
Have you noticed Jesus' moves yet? He shows them off with the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law first. Then he repeats them for the accused woman. Individual results vary, but Jesus makes his point, and it's all about justice.
Noticing the Greek tragedy structure of this story shines a dramatic spotlight on its central theme. All the tragic goodness, including the crisis, climax, and fatal flaw, lies with the Pharisees and not with the woman, leaving the theme that usually distracts us backstage.
The story’s title has made the woman caught in adultery the infamous star of the show. But when we do a little grammatical analysis, we see she functions far more like a prop for the Pharisees than a leading lady. How then, has she become the title character?
