Were the Pharisees testing Jesus in John 8?
Yes, in John chapter 8 the Pharisees were literally testing Jesus, attempting to drive Him into a corner. They wanted Him to claim He was the God of Abraham, which they considered blasphemy, giving them cause to put Him to death.
Les explains that in John's Gospel chapter 8 the Pharisees are literally testing Jesus, trying to drive Him into a corner. To them, whenever He would claim to be God, it was pure blasphemy. That is what they really wanted to hear: they wanted Him to say in uncertain terms that He was the God of Abraham. Then they would have every cause to put Him to death, because that was as blasphemous as they thought a person could get.