“Arise, Let us Go Forth!”

Abstract

This chapter author argues that John's Last Supper Discourses can be profitably compared to the dramatic to death. Material from ancient drama is brought to bear on the problems involved. The author addresses synchronic and diachronic arguments. This is done to take to grasp the various interpretive concerns, and to arrive at a synchronic reading of the text that does not bracket and ignore historical concerns and arguments. The first half of the chapter argues that Jesus' from the Last Supper is reasonably read as an exit to death in ancient tragedy. The remainder of the chapter briefly addresses the overall narrative unity of the discourses. The author, further argues, that not all of the seeming tensions are actually seams and tensions. The chapter attempts to reconcile the competing methodological voices in the study of the Farewell Discourses.Keywords: ancient drama; ancient tragedy; Farewell Discourses; Last Supper