Back to Today
John 6:35Bread of Life discourse
Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'
Permalink Verse page
Interpretation

Jesus teaches a bread of life that is worked out in family life in John 6:35—look for "whoever" and "jesus". Choose bread of life in prayers we actually pray—brighten hope by remembering.

Context

John speaks here as gospel narrative writing, developing bread of life. Read in John 6, its force becomes clearer. Listen for “whoever” alongside “jesus”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits John to John the Apostle. Critical study of John often concludes: Often linked with a Johannine circle; style distinct from the Synoptics.. Date: AD 90–100. John appears framed for Johannine circles.. Genre and setting: gospel narrative, in the Bread of Life discourse. Signs and discourses create a distinct theological portrait.

More details
Traditional:John the Apostle
Modern scholarship:Johannine community; final redaction distinct from Synoptics.
Date:AD 90–100
Audience:Johannine circles.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in 5,800+ manuscripts, surpassing other ancient works in manuscript count. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text within about 100-150 years of its writing. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the most probable original wording reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46