Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Chapter One. The One and the Many -- Presence in Absence -- A. Turning One into Many: Questions of Literary Influence -- The Testament and the Fourth Gospel -- Exits in Ancient Drama -- Ancient Consolation -- The Literary Symposium -- Summary -- B. Turning Many into One: Synchronic vs. Diachronic -- The Problem: Historical Criticism -- The Problem: Literary Criticism -- Chapter Two. "Arise, Let Us Go Forth" -- The Exit to Death -- The Delayed Exit -- The Delayed Exit and Narrative Unity -- Chapter Three. The Thematics of Tokenness -- The Paraclete and Jesus -- Testament and Commission -- Consolation Literature -- Chapter Four. And the Flesh Became Words… -- The Symposium: Friendship and Enmity -- The Feast of Words -- "I Did Not Say These Things . . ." -- Chapter Five. Summary and Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index of Modern Authors -- Index of Ancient Sources.