A Third Century Witness to the Pericope Adulterae
“For if thou receive not him who repents, because thou art merciless, thou sinnest against the Lord God, because thou dost not obey our Lord and God in acting as He acted; for even He to that woman who had sinned, her whom the elders placed before him and left it to judgment at His hands, and went away; He them who searcheth the hearts, asked her and said to her, ‘Have the Elders condemned thee, my daughter?’ She saith to Him, ‘No, Lord.’ And our Saviour said, ‘Go, and return no more to do this, neither do I condemn thee.” In this therefore let our Saviour and King and God be to you a sign, O Bishops!”
Source: Syriac Didascalia (c. 230 AD), chapter 7
