Christ and the Adulteress (예수와 간음한여인)

 

 

(요 8:3)

서기관들과 바리새인들이 음행중에 잡힌 여자를 끌고 와서 가운데 세우고

 

 

 

 

de Gelder 1645 – 1727

Christ and the Adulteress

oil on canvas (72 × 94 cm) — 1683

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Arent de Gelder biography

 

This work is linked to John 8:3

 

A group of scribes and Pharisees brings an adulteress to Jesus. According to the Law of Moses, the woman has to be stoned. The scribes believe that Jesus is too softhearted for such a cruel punishment, so they challenge him for his opinion.

To the right are Jesus' students, some with books in their hands. The desperate woman kneels in the center. To the left are the scribes.

The positioning of the figures resembles that of Rembrandt's Adulteress (1644, now in London). De Gelder was one of Rembrandt's students.

 

 

 

 

 

Vasily Polenov 1844 – 1927

Jesus and the Sinner Woman

oil on canvas (325 × 611 cm) — 1886-1887

Russian Museum, St Petersburg

 

This work is linked to John 8:3

 

adultress before Jesus, who was busy teaching his group. The scribes want to embarrass Jesus: if he adheres to the law, the woman would have to be stoned; if he sticks to his own principles, he would be breaking the law.

After a while he comes up with the famous answer: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." one by one the men leave the scene.

Polenov was a gifted painter of landscapes. He made this painting, which some consider his masterpiece, after traveling to the Middle East in the early 1880s.

 

 

 

 

 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery

oil on panel (84 × 65 cm) — 1644

  National Gallery, London

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

 

This work is linked to John 8:3

 

A group of scribes and Pharisees bring a woman before Jesus. She has been caught in adultery. According to the Law of Moses, the woman has to be stoned. The scribes believe that Jesus is too softhearted for such a cruel punishment, so they challenge him for his opinion. He responds with "he who is without sin, cast the first stone".

Rembrandt depicts Jesus as the tallest figure in the group, a trick to emphasize his moral superiority.