Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol IX:
The Diatessaron of Tatian.: Section XXXIV

Section XXXIV.

[1]  2315 Then went the Pharisees and considered how they might ensnare him in a word, [2] and deliver him into the power of the judge, 2316 and into the power of the ruler.   2317 And they sent unto him their disciples, with the kinsfolk of Herod; and they said unto him, [Arabic, p. 129] Teacher, we know that thou speakest the truth, and teachest the way of God with equity, 2318 and art not lifted up 2319 by any man:  for thou actest not so as to [3] be seen of any man.   2320 Tell us now, What is thy opinion?  Is it lawful that we should [4] pay the tribute to Cæsar, or not? shall we give, or shall we not give?   2321 But Jesus knew [5] their deceit, and said unto them,  2322 Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?  Shew me the [6] penny of the tribute.   2323 So they brought unto him a penny.  Jesus said unto them, To whom belongeth this image and inscription?  They said unto him, To Cæsar.  [7, 8]  2324 He said unto them, Give what is Cæsar’s to Cæsar, and what is God’s to God.   2325 And they could not make him slip in a single word before the people; and they marvelled at his word, and refrained.

[9]  2326 And on that day came the Sadducees, and said unto him, 2327 There is no life for [10] the dead.   2328 And they asked him, and said unto him, Teacher, Moses said unto us, If a man die, not having children, let his brother take his wife, and raise up seed [11] for his brother.   2329 Now there were with us seven brethren:  and the first took a wife, [12] and died without children;  2330 and the second took his wife, and died without children; [13]  2331 and the third also took her; and in like manner the seven of them also, and they [14, 15] died without leaving children.   2332 And last of them all the woman died also.   2333 At the resurrection, then, which of these seven shall have this woman? for all of them took [16] her.   2334 Jesus answered and said unto them, Is it not for this that ye have erred, [17] because ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God?   2335 And the sons of this [18] world take wives, and the women become the men’s; 2336  2337 but those that have become worthy of that world, and the resurrection from among the dead, do 2338 not take p. 96 [19] [Arabic, p. 130] wives, and the women also do 2339 not become the men’s.   2340 Nor is it possible that they should die; but they 2341 are like the angels, and are the children of [20] God, because they have become the children of the resurrection.   2342 For in 2343 the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read in the book of Moses, how from the bush God said unto him, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?  [21]  2344 And God is not the God of the dead, but of the living:  for all of them are alive with him.  And ye have erred greatly.

[22, 23]  2345 And when the multitudes heard, they were wondering at his teaching.   2346 And [24] some of the scribes answered and said unto him, Teacher, thou hast well said.   2347 But the rest of the Pharisees, when they saw his silencing the Sadducees on this point, gathered against him to contend with him.

[25]  2348 And one of the scribes, of those that knew the law, when he saw the excellence [26] of his answer to them, desired to try him, and said unto him,  2349 What shall I do to inherit eternal life? and,  2350 Which of the commandments is greater, and has precedence [27] in the law?   2351 Jesus said unto him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O [28] Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one:   2352 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy thought, and with all thy [29, 30] strength.   2353 This is the great and preëminent 2354 commandment.   2355 And the second, which is like it, is, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  And another commandment [31] greater than these two there is not.   2356 On these two commandments, then, are hung the [32] [Arabic, p. 131] law and the prophets.   2357 That scribe said unto him, Excellent! my Master; 2358 thou hast said truly that he is one, and there is no other outside of him:  [33]  2359 and that a man should love him with all his heart, and with all his thought, and with all his soul, and with all his strength, and that he should love his neighbour as [34] himself, is better than all savours and sacrifices.   2360 And Jesus saw him that he had answered wisely; and he answered and said unto him, Thou art not far from the [35, 36] kingdom of God.   2361 Thou hast spoken rightly:  do this, and thou shalt live.   2362 And he, as his desire was to justify himself, said unto him, And who is my neighbour?  [37]  2363 Jesus said unto him, A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and the robbers fell upon him, and stripped 2364 him, and beat him, his life remaining in him but little, 2365 [38] and went away.   2366 And it happened that there came down a certain priest that way; [39] and he saw him, and passed by.   2367 And likewise a Levite also came and reached [40] that place, and saw him, and passed by.   2368 And a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, [41] came to 2369 the place where he was, and saw him, and had compassion on him,  2370 and came near, and bound up his strokes, 2371 and poured on them wine and oil; and he set 2372 him on the ass, and brought him to the inn, and expended his care upon him.  [42]  2373 And on the morrow of that day he took out two pence, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said unto him, Care for him; and if thou spendest upon him more, [43] when I return, I shall give thee.   2374 Who of these three now, thinkest thou, is nearest [44] to him that fell among the robbers?   2375 And he said unto him, He that had compassion [45] [Arabic, p. 132] on him.   2376 Jesus said unto him, Go, and do thou also likewise.  And no man dared afterwards to ask him anything.

[46]  2377 And he was teaching every day in the temple.  But the chief priests and scribes and the elders of the people sought to destroy him:   2378 and they could 2379 not find what [47] they should do with him; and all the people were hanging upon him to hear him.  [48]  2380 And many of the multitude believed on him, and said, The Messiah, when he [49] cometh, can it be that he will do more than these signs that this man doeth?   2381 And the Pharisees heard the multitudes say that of him; and the chief priests sent [50] officers 2382 to seize him.   2383 And Jesus said unto them, I am with you but a short time p. 97 [51] yet, and I go to him that sent me.   2384 And ye shall seek me, and shall not find me:  [52] and where I shall be, ye shall not be able to come.   2385 The Jews said within themselves, Whither hath this man determined to go that we shall not be able 2386 to find him? can it be that he is determined to go to the regions of the nations, 2387 and teach [53] the heathen?   2388 What is this word that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me:  and where I am, ye cannot come?

Footnotes

Matt. 22:15, Luke 20:20b.

Vat. ms. omits the power.  We should then translate (with Pesh. and Sin.) unto judgement.

Matt. xxii. 16.

See note, § 3, 53.

Possibly this is the meaning of the Arabic phrase, which occurs also in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (Brit. Mus. text).

Matt. xxii. 17.

Mark xii. 15a.

Matt. 22:18, 19.

Matt. xxii. 20.

Matt. xxii. 21.

Luke xx. 26.

Matt. xxii. 23.

cf. the Syriac versions.

Matt. xxii. 24.

Matt. 22:25, Luke 20:29b.

Luke xx. 30.

Luke xx. 31.

Matt. xxii. 27.

Matt. xxii. 28.

Matt. xxii. 29a; Mark xii. 24b.

Luke xx. 34b.

cf. the Syriac versions.

Luke xx. 35.

Or, shall.

Or, shall.

Luke xx. 36.

Borg. ms., all of them instead of but they.

Matt. 22:30, Mark 12:26.

Or, Moreover, regarding.

Luke 20:38, Mark 12:27b.

Matt. xxii. 33.

Luke xx. 39.

Matt. xxii. 34.

Matt. 22:35, Mark 12:28.

Luke x. 25b.

Mark xii. 28b.

Mark xii. 29.

Mark 12:30, Matt. 22:37.

Matt. xxii. 38.

This simply represents first in Syriac.

Mark xii. 31.

Matt. xxii. 40.

Mark xii. 32.

Vat. ms. has a corruption of Excellent! Rabbi, better preserved by Borg. ms., which, however, adds our translator’s ordinary rendering of Rabbi—my Master.  This explanation is confirmed by Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary.  Ciasca’s emended text cannot be right.

Mark xii. 33.

Mark xii. 34a.

Luke x. 28b.

Luke x. 29.

Luke x. 30.

The diacritical point over the third radical must be removed.

cf. Peshitta.

Luke x. 31.

Luke x. 32.

Luke x. 33.

Ciasca’s Arabic text (apparently following Borg. ms.) has till he before came.  This is unsupported by any of the three Syriac texts, although they differ from one another.  Perhaps till and came should be transposed.  The translation would then be as given in the text above; but this rendering may also be obtained according to § 54, 1, note.

Luke x. 34.

The Syriac word used means both wounds and strokes.

The Arabic word is a favourite of the translator’s, and may therefore be original.  One cannot help thinking, however, that it is a clerical error for mounted (cf. Cur. and Sin.).

Luke x. 35.

Luke x. 36.

Luke x. 37.

Mark xii. 34b.

Luke xix. 47.

Luke xix. 48.

In Syriac could and found are represented by the same word.  The Arabic translator has chosen the wrong one.

John vii. 31.

John vii. 32.

See note, § 11, 11.

John vii. 33.

John vii. 34.

John vii. 35.

See note above, on § 34, 46.

i.e., Gentiles.

John vii. 36.