What Scripture says
Most modern Bibles mark two longer passages with brackets or a note:
- Mark 16:9–20, the “longer ending” of Mark. It describes appearances of the risen Jesus, the commission to preach to all creation, signs such as picking up serpents and drinking poison without harm, and the ascension. The ESV notes: “Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.”
- John 7:53–8:11, the story of the woman caught in adultery, with Jesus’ words, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7, ESV). The ESV notes: “The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.”
Several shorter passages are also marked, such as an angel stirring the water at Bethesda (John 5:3–4) and the Ethiopian official’s confession (Acts 8:37).
What the evidence says
Textual Criticism
The ending of Mark
Mark’s Gospel survives with several different endings:
| Ending | Where it’s found |
|---|---|
| Ending at 16:8 (“for they were afraid”) | Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (4th century); some early translations |
| The longer ending (16:9–20) | The large majority of later manuscripts |
| A “shorter ending” (one or two sentences) | A few manuscripts, sometimes alongside the longer one |
| The longer ending with an extra passage | Codex Washingtonianus (5th century) |
The case that the longer ending was added:
- The two oldest complete manuscripts end at 16:8. Codex Vaticanus leaves a blank column after 16:8, as if the scribe knew of something more but didn’t include it.
- Early writers Eusebius (4th century) and Jerome (5th century) said most Greek manuscripts they knew ended at 16:8.
- Its vocabulary and style differ from the rest of Mark, and it reads like a summary of resurrection appearances found in the other Gospels and Acts.
- The existence of several competing endings suggests different scribes felt the need to supply one.
The case for the longer ending:
- It appears in the great majority of manuscripts.
- It was known early: Irenaeus quotes Mark 16:19 around AD 180, and Tatian included it in his harmony of the Gospels around 170.
- Ending a Gospel with “for they were afraid” seems abrupt.
Most scholars conclude the longer ending was added in the 2nd century. A minority defend it as original. Some think Mark meant to end at 16:8, with the women’s fearful silence as a deliberate cliffhanger; others think the original ending was lost.
The woman caught in adultery
- It is missing from the earliest manuscripts, including Papyri 66 and 75 (c. AD 200), Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus.
- It first appears in a Greek Gospel manuscript in Codex Bezae (5th century).
- In later manuscripts it wanders: it appears after John 7:52, after John 7:36, after John 21:25, and even after Luke 21:38.
- Its style is closer to Luke than to John.
Yet many scholars think it records a genuine early story about Jesus. A 3rd-century church manual, the Didascalia, knows it, and Papias (early 2nd century) may have known a similar story. It seems to have circulated separately before being inserted into John.
History
The King James Version (1611) included these passages without comment, because the Greek text it used, based on later manuscripts, contained them (see 4.9). Modern translations, using older manuscripts discovered since, keep the passages but mark them. That transparency is a strength of modern scholarship, not a cover-up.
Where they meet
No Christian doctrine depends on either passage:
- The resurrection appearances in the longer ending of Mark are reported in Matthew 28, Luke 24 and John 20–21.
- Jesus’ mercy to sinners is clear throughout the Gospels, as in Luke 7:36–50.
- The more unusual promises in Mark 16:17–18, such as handling snakes, aren’t taught elsewhere, which is one reason to be cautious about building practice on them.
What’s still open
- Whether Mark meant to end at 16:8, or whether his original ending was lost.
- Whether the woman caught in adultery is an authentic memory of Jesus.
Bottom line
These passages aren’t in the earliest copies, and most Bibles flag them. No doctrine depends on them. That is well understood, so this is rated Settled.