Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IX/The Diatessaron of Tatian/The Diatessaron/Section XLV

by Tatian

Section XLV.

[1, 2] [Arabic, p. 170] ^[1]And one of his disciples was sitting^[2] in his bosom, he whom Jesus loved.  ^[3]To him Simon Cephas beckoned, that he should ask him who this was, concerning [3] whom he spake.  ^[4]And that disciple leaned^[5] on Jesus’ breast, and said unto him, [4] My Lord, who is this?  ^[6]Jesus answered and said, He to whom I shall dip bread, and give it.  And Jesus dipped bread, and gave to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.  [5] ^[7]And after the bread, Satan entered him.  And Jesus said unto him, What thou [6] desirest to do, hasten the doing of it.  ^[8]And no man of them that sat knew why he [7] said this unto him.  ^[9]And some of them thought, because Judas had the box, that he was bidding him buy what would be needed for the feast; or, that he might pay [8] something to the poor.  ^[10]Judas the betrayer answered and said, Can it be I, my [9] Master?  Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said.  ^[11]And Judas took the bread straightway, and went forth without:  and it was still night.

[10] ^[12]And Jesus said, Now is the Son of man being glorified,^[13] and God is being glorified^[14] [11] in him; ^[15]and if God is glorified in him, God also will glorify him in him, and straightway will glorify him.

[12] ^[16]And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and divided; ^[17]and he [13] gave to his disciples, and said unto them, Take and eat; this is my body.  ^[18]And he [Arabic, p. 171] took a cup, and gave thanks, and blessed, and gave them, ^[19]and said, Take [14, 15] and drink of it, all of you.  ^[20]And they drank of it, all of them.  ^[21]And he said unto them, ^[22]This is my blood, the new covenant, that is shed for many for the [16] forgiveness of sins.  ^[23]I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this, the juice of the vine, until the day in which I drink^[24] with you new wine in the kingdom of [17] God.  ^[25]And thus do ye in remembrance of me.  ^[26]And Jesus said unto Simon, Simon, [18] behold, Satan asketh that he may sift you like wheat:  ^[27]but I entreat^[28] for thee, that thou lose not thy faith:^[29]  and do thou, at some time, turn^[30] and strengthen thy brethren.

[19] ^[31]My children, another little while am I with you.  And ye shall seek me:  and as [20] I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; I say unto you now also.  ^[32]A new commandment I give you, that ye may love one another; and as I have loved [21] you, so shall ye also love one another.  ^[33]By this shall every man know that ye are [22] my disciples, if ye have love one to another.  ^[34]Simon Cephas said unto him, Our Lord, whither goest thou?  Jesus answered and said unto him, Whither I go, thou canst not now follow me; but later thou shalt come.

[23] ^[35]Then said Jesus unto them, Ye all shall desert^[36] me this night:^[37]  it is written, I [24] will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.  ^[38]But after my [25] rising, I shall go before you into Galilee.  ^[39]Simon Cephas answered and said unto [26] him, My Lord, if every man desert thee, I shall at no time desert thee.  ^[40]I am with thee ready for imprisonment and for death.  ^[41]And my life will I give up for thee.  [27] [Arabic, p. 172] ^[42]Jesus said unto him, Wilt thou give up thy life for me?  ^[43]Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Thou shalt to-day, during this night, before the cock crow [28] twice, three times deny me, that thou knowest me not.  ^[44]But Cephas said the more,^[45] Even if it lead to^[46] death with thee, I shall not deny thee, my Lord.  And in like manner said all the disciples also.

[29] ^[47]Then Jesus said unto them, Let not your hearts be troubled:^[48]  believe in God, [30] and believe in me.  ^[49]The stations^[50] in my Father’s house are many, else I should [31] have told^[51] you.  I^[52] go to prepare for you a place.  ^[53]And if I go to prepare for you a place, I shall return again, and take you unto me:  and so where I am, there ye [32, 33] shall be also.  ^[54]And the place that I go ye know,^[55] and the way ye know.^{[56]  [57]}Thomas said unto him, Our Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how is the way for [34] us to the knowledge of that?^{[58]  [59]}Jesus said unto him, I am the way, and the truth, [35] and the life:  and no man cometh unto my Father, but through me.  ^[60]And if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father:  and from henceforth ye know^[61] him, [36] and have seen him.  ^[62]Philip^[63] said unto him, Our Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth [37] us.  ^[64]Jesus said unto him, Have I been all this time with you, and dost thou not know^[65] me, Philip?^[66] whosoever hath seen me hath seen the Father; how then sayest [38] thou, Shew us the Father?  ^[67]Believest thou not that I am in my Father, and my Father in me? and the saying that I say, I say not of myself:  but my Father who dwelleth in [39] me, he doeth these deeds.  ^[68]Believe that I am in my Father, and my Father in me:  [40] [Arabic, p. 173] or else believe for the sake of the deeds.  ^[69]Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever believeth in me, the deeds that I do shall he do also; and [41] more than that shall he do:  I go unto the Father.  ^[70]And what ye shall ask in my [42] name, I shall do unto you, that the Father may be glorified in his Son.  ^[71]And if ye [43, 44] ask me^[72] in my name, I will do it.  ^[73]If ye love me, keep my commandments.  ^[74]And I will entreat of my Father, and he will send unto you another Paraclete, that he [45] may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth:  ^[75]whom the world cannot receive; for it hath not seen him, nor known him:  but ye know him; for he hath dwelt^[76] [46] with you, and is in you.  ^[77]I will not leave you orphans:  I will come unto you.  [47] ^[78]Another little while, and the world seeth me not; but ye see me that I live, and ye [48] shall live also.  ^[79]And in that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Footnotes

1. John xiii. 23.
2. The Syriac versions have reclining.
3. John xiii. 24.
4. John xiii. 25.
5. Lit. fell.
6. John xiii. 26.
7. John xiii. 27.
8. John xiii. 28.
9. John xiii. 29.
10. Matt. xxvi. 25.
11. John xiii. 30.
12. John xiii. 31.
13. A simple change of diacritical points would give the reading of the Greek and of the Syriac versions.
14. A simple change of diacritical points would give the reading of the Greek and of the Syriac versions.
15. John xiii. 32.
16. Mark xiv. 22a.
17. Matt. xxvi. 26b.
18. Mark xiv. 23a.
19. Matt. xxvi. 27b.
20. Mark xiv. 23b.
21. Mark xiv. 24a.
22. Matt. xxvi. 28.
23. Matt. xxvi. 29.
24. Peshitta adds it.  The reading of the Sinaitic is doubtful.
25. Luke xxii. 19b.
26. Luke xxii. 31.
27. Luke xxii. 32.
28. Past tense in Syriac versions.
29. We may translate, with the Syriac versions, that thy faith fail not, only if we assign a somewhat Syriac meaning to the verb, and assume either an error in diacritical points (t for y) or an unusual (Syriac) gender for faith.
30. cf. Syriac versions.
31. John xiii. 33.
32. John xiii. 34.
33. John xiii. 35.
34. John xiii. 36.
35. Matt. xxvi. 31.
36. The Arabic word is not unlike the word for stumble, and Borg. ms. omits me.
37. Vat. ms. omits this night.
38. Matt. xxvi. 32.
39. Matt. xxvi. 33.
40. Luke xxii. 33b.
41. John xiii. 37b.
42. John xiii. 38a.
43. Mark xiv. 30b.
44. Luke xxii. 34b; Mark xiv. 31.
45. Or, went on saying.
46. Lit. end in.  Or, if I come to (the point of).
47. John xiv. 1.
48. The diacritical points in both Vat. (followed by Ciasca) and Borg. mss. appear to demand a rendering inquire for be troubled.  In Ibn-at-Tayyib’s comments (not the text), however (with other points), we have the meaning wail (root nhb).  Every Syriac version uses a different word.
49. John xiv. 2.
50. Or, ranks.
51. Or, should tell.
52. Probably the Arabic represents a Syriac For I.
53. John xiv. 3.
54. John xiv. 4.
55. Different words.
56. Different words.
57. John xiv. 5.
58. cf. Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary (f. 352a) and order of words in Peshitta (not Sin.).
59. John xiv. 6.
60. John xiv. 7.
61. Lit. have known.
62. John xiv. 8.
63. Different forms, as in Peshitta.
64. John xiv. 9.
65. More exactly, hast thou not come to know.
66. Different forms, as in Peshitta.
67. John xiv. 10.
68. John xiv. 11.
69. John xiv. 12.
70. John xiv. 13.
71. John xiv. 14.
72. The Borg. ms. has me clearly (cf. Peshitta).  The Vat. ms. is ambiguous.
73. John xiv. 15.
74. John xiv. 16.
75. John xiv. 17.
76. Probably a misreading of the Peshitta (not Sin. or Cur.), since the next clause also agrees with it.
77. John xiv. 18.
78. John xiv. 19.
79. John xiv. 20.