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

by Tatian

Section XXIX.

[1] ^[1]Verily I say unto you, It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of [2] heaven.  ^[2]And I say unto you also, that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of [3] a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  ^[3]And the disciples were wondering at these sayings.  And Jesus answered and said unto them again, My children, how hard it is for those that rely on their possessions to enter the [4] kingdom of God!  ^[4]And those that were listening wondered more, and said amongst [5] themselves, being agitated,^[5] Who, thinkest thou, can be saved?  ^[6]And Jesus looked at them intently, and said unto them, With men this is not possible, but with God it is:  [6] [Arabic, p. 111] it is possible for God to do everything.  ^[7]Simon Cephas said unto him, Lo, we have left everything, and followed thee; what is it, thinkest thou, that we [7] shall have?  ^[8]Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, Ye that have followed me, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also [8] shall sit on twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel.  ^[9]Verily I say unto you, No man leaveth houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or kinsfolk, or lands, because of the kingdom of God, or for [9] my sake, and the sake of my gospel, ^[10]who shall not obtain^[11] many times as much in this [10] time, and in the world to come inherit eternal life:  ^[12]and now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecution; [11] and in the world to come everlasting life.  ^[13]Many that are first shall be last,^[14] and that are last shall be first.

[12] ^[15]And when the Pharisees heard all this, because of their love for wealth they [13] scoffed at him.  ^[16]And Jesus knew what was in their hearts, and said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves before men; while God knows your hearts:  the thing that is lofty with men is base before God.

[14] ^[17]And he began to say, A certain man was rich, and wore silk and purple, and enjoyed [15] himself every day in splendour:  ^[18]and there was a poor man named Lazarus, and [16] he was cast down at the door of the rich man, ^[19]afflicted with sores, and he longed to fill [Arabic, p. 112] his belly with the crumbs that fell from the table of that rich man; yea, [17] even^[20] the dogs used to come and lick his sores.  ^[21]And it happened that that poor man died, and the angels conveyed him into the bosom of Abraham:  and the [18] rich man also died, and was buried.  ^[22]And while he was being tormented in Hades, [19] he lifted up his eyes from afar, and saw Abraham with^[23] Lazarus in his bosom.  ^[24]And he called with a loud voice, and said, My father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to wet the tip of his finger with water, and moisten my tongue [20] for me; for, behold, I am burned in this flame.  ^[25]Abraham said unto him, My son, remember that thou receivedst thy good things in thy life, and Lazarus his afflictions:  [21] but now, behold, he is at rest here, and thou art tormented.  ^[26]And in addition to all this, there is between us and you a great abyss placed, so that they that would cross unto you from hence cannot, nor yet from thence do they cross unto [22] us.  ^[27]He said unto him, Then I beseech thee, my father, to send him to my father’s [23] house; ^[28]for I have five brethren; let him go, that they also sin not,^[29] and come to [24] the abode of this torment.^{[30]  [31]}Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the [25] prophets; let them hear them.  ^[32]He said unto him, Nay,^[33] my father Abraham:  but [26] let a man from the dead go unto them, and they will repent.  ^[34]Abraham said unto him, If they listen neither to Moses nor to the prophets, neither if a man from the dead rose would they believe him.

[27] ^[35]The kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a householder, which went out early [28] in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.  ^[36]And he agreed with the labourers on [29] one penny a day for each labourer, and he sent them into his vineyard.  ^[37]And he went [30] [Arabic, p. 113] out in three hours, and saw others standing in the market idle.  ^[38]He said unto them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and what is right I will pay you.  [31] ^[39]And they went.  And he went out also at the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise, [32] and sent them.  ^[40]And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle.  He said unto them, Why are ye standing the whole day idle?  [33] ^[41]They said unto him, Because no one hath hired us.  He said unto them, Go ye [34] also into the vineyard, and what is right ye shall receive.  ^[42]So when evening came, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the labourers, and pay them [35] their wages; and begin with the later ones, and end with the former ones.  ^[43]And [36] those of eleven hours^[44] came, and received each a penny.  ^[45]When therefore the first came, they supposed that they should receive something more; and they also [37] received each a penny.  ^[46]And when they received it, they spake angrily against the [38] householder, and said, ^[47]These last worked one hour, and thou hast made them equal [39] with us, who have suffered the heat of the day, and its burden.  ^[48]He answered and said unto one of them, My friend, I do thee no wrong:  was it not for a penny that [40] thou didst bargain with me?  ^[49]Take what is thine, and go thy way; for I wish to [41] give this last as I have given thee.  ^[50]Or am I not entitled to do with what is mine^[51] [42] what I choose?  ^[52]Or is thine eye perchance evil, because I am good?  Thus shall the last ones be first, and the first last.  The called are many, and the chosen are few.

[43] ^[53]And when Jesus entered into the house of one of the chiefs of the Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, and they were watching him to see what he would [44, 45] do, ^[54]and there was before him a man which had the dropsy, ^[55]Jesus answered and [46] said unto the scribes and the Pharisees, Is it lawful on the sabbath to heal?  ^[56]But [Arabic, p. 114] they were silent.  So he took him, and healed him, and sent him away.  [47] ^[57]And he said unto them, Which of you shall have his son or his ox fall on the sabbath day into a well, and not lift him up straightway, and draw water for [48] him?  ^[58]And they were not able to answer him a word to that.

Footnotes

1. Matt. xix. 23.
2. Matt. xix. 24.
3. Mark x. 24.
4. Mark x. 26.
5. cf. note, § 1, 14.  Borg. MS, omits being agitated.
6. Mark x. 27.
7. Luke xviii. 28; Matt. xix. 27<b.
8. Matt. xix. 28.
9. Mark x. 29b.
10. Luke xviii. 30.
11. Lit. meet with; or, be recompensed with.
12. Mark x. 30b.
13. Mark x. 31.
14. The Arabic words are not so strong.
15. Luke xvi. 14.
16. Luke xvi. 15.
17. Luke xvi. 19.
18. Luke xvi. 20.
19. Luke xvi. 21.
20. Or, so that.
21. Luke xvi. 22.
22. Luke xvi. 23.
23. Or, and.
24. Luke xvi. 24.
25. Luke xvi. 25.
26. Luke xvi. 26.
27. Luke xvi. 27.
28. Luke xvi. 28.
29. The Syriac and Arabic versions here agree with the Greek.  For a plausible suggestion as to the origin of the strange reading in the text, see Harris, The Diatessaron of Tatian, p. 21, who cites a parallel from Aphraates.
30. This may be simply a corruption of the Peshitta.
31. Luke xvi. 29.
32. Luke xvi. 30.
33. Or, Surely.  The word is omitted by Borg. ms.
34. Luke xvi. 31.
35. Matt. xx. 1.
36. Matt. xx. 2.
37. Matt. xx. 3.
38. Matt. xx. 4.
39. Matt. xx. 5.
40. Matt. xx. 6.
41. Matt. xx. 7.
42. Matt. xx. 8.
43. Matt. xx. 9.
44. i.e., probably the eleventh hour (cf. § 21, 10).
45. Matt. xx. 10.
46. Matt. xx. 11.
47. Matt. xx. 12.
48. Matt. xx. 13.
49. Matt. xx. 14.
50. Matt. xx. 15.
51. Lit. my thing.
52. Matt. xx. 16.
53. Luke xiv. 1.
54. Luke xiv. 2.
55. Luke xiv. 3.
56. Luke xiv. 4.
57. Luke xiv. 5.
58. Luke xiv. 6.