Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this last video of the series I turn to the question, "Who was at the Last Supper?" If only the twelve were present with Jesus, and if the author of the Gospel is the Beloved Disciple and was named "John," then he must be John bar Zebedee.
Commentators have long emphasized the fact that it's a natural interpretation to take from the Synoptic Gospels that only the twelve were present. "Other John" theorists reject this as a mere argument from silence--ironic, since their own arguments often contain very weak arguments from silence.
I give this argument that only the twelve were present a somewhat different emphasis, which strengthens it and removes it decisively from the category of an argument from silence.
In this last video of the series I turn to the question, "Who was at the Last Supper?" If only the twelve were present with Jesus, and if the author of the Gospel is the Beloved Disciple and was named "John," then he must be John bar Zebedee.
Commentators have long emphasized the fact that it's a natural interpretation to take from the Synoptic Gospels that only the twelve were present. "Other John" theorists reject this as a mere argument from silence--ironic, since their own arguments often contain very weak arguments from silence.
I give this argument that only the twelve were present a somewhat different emphasis, which strengthens it and removes it decisively from the category of an argument from silence.
