her on a level with several other characters in the gospels about whom there is no suggestion of sexual misconduct.101 What then, more precisely, did Jesus offer to ‘sinners’? It would be all too easy to say ‘forgiveness’, and leave it at that. But, like many terms which have become standard in later Christian vocabulary, this one too needs further exploration if we are to locate Jesus within his historical context. Centuries of Christian usage have accustomed readers