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John 15:13Vine and Branches
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
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Interpretation

Jesus teaches a greater love that is worked out in family life in John 15:13—look for "greater" and "love". Align greater love in conversations that test patience—anchor courage in promise.

Context

John speaks here as gospel narrative writing, developing greater love. Read in John 15, its force becomes clearer. Listen for “greater” alongside “love”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits John to John the Apostle. John is frequently described this way: Often linked with a Johannine circle; style distinct from the Synoptics.. Scholars commonly date John AD 90–100. John seems aimed at Johannine circles.. Genre and setting: gospel narrative, in the Vine and Branches. Johannine style and community setting feature in scholarly accounts.

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 probably reflects the initial text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46