Why does Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper have 12 people there (excluding Jesus)?

Question

When the Bible says there would of been 11 since Judas Iscariot who was at first among them was sent away.

Answer 1

Judas was sent away, but he came back when he realized he had left his sandals under the table.

Answer 2

Da Vinci was trying to depict what could have been the scene before Judas was sent away. It appears from the four gospels of the New Testament that Judas was eating with the rest of the apostles when Jesus told him to "do what he (Judas) had to do."

In point of fact, there could have been other persons present during the occasion, like Mary Magdalene, Jesus' mother, the house owner, some servants, and other disciples. But Da Vinci, using pure imagination, opted to paint only twelve of the persons who could have been present.

Keep in mind that Da Vinci's work was a painting, not a photograph, of what could have occurred at the last supper.

Answer 3

From Wikipedia:
The Last Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. From left to right:

* Bartholomew, James, son of Alphaeus and Andrew form a group of three, all are surprised.
* Judas Iscariot, Peter and John form another group of three. Judas is wearing green and blue and is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as treasurer. He is not the only person to have his elbow on the table; the painting also shows Jude Iscariot with his elbow on the table, traditionally a sign of bad manners. Peter looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
* Thomas, James the Greater and Philip are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation.
* Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot are the final group of three. Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.

These names are all agreed upon by art historians. In the 19th century, a manuscript (The Notebooks Leonardo Da Vinci pg. 232) was found with their names; before this only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus were positively identified.

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end of Wikipedia cite

Answer 4

Oh, for crying out loud. You should read the Bible yourself before you start hitting other people (like dead painters who knew a lot more than you) with it.

Because the Bible clearly place Judas RIGHT THERE at the Seder. He's there until he leaves to betray Jesus. Jesus hands him a sop, remember? That's dinner. Hello, last "supper"?

Read John 13. Judas was not only there for the bread and the wine, he was still there at the time of the footwashing .

Answer 5

Judas is still there. This is before he is sent away. But answer me this. Why are there glasses on the table instead of a chalice?
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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C

Answer 6

Well....Judas is still there. It is a painting not a movie. He could not leave one such important player in this story out of it just because of continuity. It is very common to have the 'complete cast' in the picture while the story calls for less 'actors'.

Answer 7

The last supper was their last meal together before the crucifixion. Judas hadn't yet betrayed Christ. There were still 12 apostles.

Answer 8

Mary Magdalene