In the New Testament

New Testament

The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....

, Chapters 14-17 of the Gospel of John

Gospel of John

The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...

 are known as the Farewell Discourse given by Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

 to eleven of his disciples at the conclusion of the Last Supper

Last Supper

The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...

 in Jerusalem, the night before his crucifixion

Crucifixion of Jesus

The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...

.

This discourse is rich with Christological

Christology

Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...

 content, e.g. it reiterates the Pre-existence of Christ

Pre-existence of Christ

The pre-existence of Christ refers to the doctrine of the ontological or personal existence of Christ before his conception. One of the relevant Bible passages is where, in the Trinitarian view, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine hypostasis called the Logos or Word...

 in John 17:5 when Jesus refers to the glory which he had with the Father "before the world was".

Structure of the discourse

After the introduction in John 13:31-38, the discourse itself may be separated into four components: First discourse: Chapter 14, Second discourse: 15:1-16:4a, Third discourse: 16:4b-33 and The Farewell Prayer: 17:1-14.

The theme of the First discourse is Departure and return; peace and joy, and is similar to the third discourse. Second discourse (15:1-16:4a) deals with Jesus' love and the world's hatred. the Third discourse again deals with Departure and return; peace and joy, as the first discourse does.