Prof. Pino di Luccio is professor of Sacred Scripture and vice-rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University. In the last issue of Civiltà Cattolica he proposes an interesting reinterpretation of the passage in Jn 8,1-11 about the adulterous woman. According to the biblical scholar Di Luccio, the passage was inserted at this point in the Fourth Gospel to underline the connection between the liturgical time and the experience of salvation. The story is set during the festival of the Tents or Huts (Sukkot in Hebrew), with which we celebrate the merciful care of the Lord for his people in the time of the desert, after the exit from Egypt. The mention of the Mount of Olives in Jn 8,1 recalls that in this place the eschatological prophecies are set, and in this place on the Day of Forgiveness (Yom Kippùr in Hebrew) the rite of the red heifer took place, a rite that evoked the judgment of God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ judgment is compared to the celebration of Yom Kippùr and the fulfillment of the prophecies set on the Mount of Olives. In the episode, which has in the background Ps 96, for the adulterous woman, the liturgy becomes life with a judgment of mercy that renews, raises and vivifies.
Here are the articles.