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The Diatessaron

Tatian

Section 39

About this work

An influential continuous harmony weaving material from the four canonical Gospels into one narrative, known especially through later witnesses because Tatian’s original form does not survive intact.

Author: Tatian
Date: c. AD 170–175
Origin: Syria
Genre: Gospel Harmony

The original text is lost; surviving witnesses and reconstructions differ and require source-specific review.

Section XXXIX.

[1] And Jesus six days

‹ Section 38 Section 40 ›

before

the

passover

came

to

Bethany

,

where

was

Lazarus

,

[

2

]

whom

Jesus

raised

from

among

the

dead

.

And

they

made

a

feast

for

him

there

:

[

3

]

and

Martha

was

serving

;

while

Lazarus

was

one

of

them

that

sat

with

him

.

And

[

4

]

at

the

time

of

Jesus

’

being

at

Bethany

in

the

house

of

Simon

the

leper

,

great

multitudes

of

the

Jews

heard

that

Jesus

was

there

:

and

they

came

,

not

because

of

Jesus

alone

,

but

[

Arabic

,

p

.

147

]

that

they

might

look

also

on

Lazarus

,

whom

he

raised

from

among

the

dead

.

[

5

,

6

]

And

the

chief

priests

considered

how

they

might

kill

Lazarus

also

;

because

[

7

]

many

of

the

Jews

were

going

on

his

account

,

and

believing

in

Jesus

.

And

Mary

took

a

case

of

the

ointment

of

fine

nard

,

of

great

price

,

and

opened

it

,

and

poured

[

8

]

it

out

on

the

head

of

Jesus

as

he

was

reclining

;

and

she

anointed

his

feet

,

and

wiped

them

with

her

hair

:

and

the

house

was

filled

with

the

odour

of

the

ointment

.

[

9

,

10

]

But

Judas

Iscariot

,

one

of

the

disciples

,

he

that

was

to

betray

him

,

said

,

Why

was

[

11

]

not

this

ointment

sold

for

three

hundred

pence

,

and

given

unto

the

poor

?

This

he

said

,

not

because

of

his

care

for

the

poor

,

but

because

he

was

a

thief

,

and

the

chest

[

12

]

was

with

him

,

and

what

was

put

into

it

he

used

to

bear

.

And

that

displeased

the

rest

of

the

disciples

also

within

themselves

,

and

they

said

,

Why

went

this

ointment

[

13

]

to

waste

?

It

was

possible

that

it

should

be

sold

for

much

,

and

the

poor

be

given

[

14

]

it

.

And

they

were

angry

with

Mary

.

And

Jesus

perceived

it

,

and

said

unto

them

,

Leave

her

;

why

molest

ye

her

?

a

good

work

hath

she

accomplished

on

me

:

for

the

[

15

]

day

of

my

burial

kept

she

it

.

At

all

times

the

poor

are

with

you

,

and

when

ye

[

16

]

wish

ye

can

do

them

a

kindness

:

but

I

am

not

at

all

times

with

you

.

And

for

this

cause

,

when

she

poured

this

ointment

on

my

body

,

it

is

as

if

she

did

it

for

my

burial

,

[

17

]

and

anointed

my

body

beforehand

.

And

verily

I

say

unto

you

,

In

every

place

where

this

my

gospel

shall

be

proclaimed

in

all

the

world

,

what

she

did

shall

be

told

for

a

memorial

of

her

.

[18, 19] [Arabic, p. 148] And when Jesus said that, he went out leisurely to go to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at Bethphage and at Bethany, beside the mount which is [20] called the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, and he said unto them, Go [21] into this village that is opposite you: and when ye enter it, ye shall find an ass tied, and [22] a colt with him, which no man ever yet mounted: loose him, and bring them unto me. And if any man say unto you, Why loose ye them? say unto him thus, We [23] seek them for our Lord; and straightway send them hither. All this was, that what was said in the prophet might be fulfilled, which said,

[24] Say ye unto the daughter of Zion,

Behold, thy King cometh unto thee,

Meek, and riding upon an ass,

And upon a colt the foal of an ass.

[25] And the disciples did not know this at that time: but after that Jesus was glorified, his disciples remembered that these things were written of him, and that this [26] they had done unto him. And when the two disciples went, they found as he had [27] said unto them, and they did as Jesus charged them. And when they loosed them, [28] their owners said unto them, Why loose ye them? They said unto them, We seek [29] them for our Lord. And they let them go. And they brought the ass and the colt, [30] and they placed on the colt their garments; and Jesus mounted it. And most of the multitudes spread their garments on the ground before him: and others cut branches [31] from the trees, and threw them in the way. And when he neared his descent from [Arabic, p. 149] the mount of Olives, all the disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with [32] a loud voice for all the powers which they had seen; and they said, Praise in the highest; Praise to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name [33] of the Lord; and blessed is the kingdom that cometh, that of our father David: Peace in heaven, and praise in the highest.

[34] And a great multitude, that which came to the feast, when they heard that Jesus [35] was coming to Jerusalem, took young palm branches, and went forth to meet him, and cried and said, Praise: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the [36] King of Israel. Certain therefore of the Pharisees from among the multitudes [37] said unto him, Our Master, rebuke thy disciples. He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If these were silent, the stones would cry out.

[38, 39] And when he drew near, and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, Would that thou hadst known the things that are for thy peace, in this thy day! now that is [40] hidden from thine eyes. There shall come unto thee days when thine enemies [41] shall encompass thee, and straiten thee from every quarter, and shall get possession of thee, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

[42] And when he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was agitated, and they said, [43] Who is this? And the multitudes said, This is Jesus, the prophet that is from Nazareth [44] of Galilee. And the multitude which was with him bare witness that he called [45] Lazarus from the grave, and raised him from among the dead. And for this cause great multitudes went out to meet him, because they heard the sign which he did.

Notes

1
John xii. 1.
2
cf. the Greek phrase.
3
John xii. 2.
4
Lit. he made (cf. first note to § 38, 43, last sentence).
5
Mark xiv. 3a.
6
John xii. 9.
7
John xii. 10.
8
John xii. 11.
9
John xii. 3a.
10
Mark xiv. 3b.
11
John xii. 3b.
12
John xii. 4.
13
John xii. 5.
14
John xii. 6.
15
Lit. fell (cf. § 25, 18).
16
Mark xiv. 4.
17
Matt. xxvi. 9.
18
Mark xiv. 5b.
19
Or, spake angrily to.
20
Matt. xxvi. 10a.
21
Mark xiv. 6b.
22
John xii. 7b.
23
John xii. 8a.
24
Mark xiv. 7b.
25
Matt. xxvi. 12.
26
Lit. cast, as in Greek.
27
Mark xiv. 8b; Mark xiv. 9.
28
Luke xix. 28.
29
Luke xix. 29a; Matt. xxi. 1b.
30
Matt. xxi. 2a; Mark xi. 2b.
31
Matt. xxi. 2b; Luke xix. 30b.
32
Sic.
33
Dual in Arabic.
34
Matt. xxi. 2c; Luke xix. 31a.
35
Matt. xxi. 3b; Matt. xxi. 4.
36
Matt. xxi. 5.
37
John xii. 16.
38
Matt. xxi. 6a; Luke xix. 32b.
39
Matt. xxi. 6b; Luke xix. 33.
40
Luke xix. 34.
41
Mark xi. 6b; Matt. xxi. 7.
42
Matt. xxi. 8.
43
Luke xix. 37.
44
The Syriac versions have the.
45
Matt. xxi. 9b [or better Luke xix. 38a.].
46
Mark xi. 10a.
47
Or, and, Blessed.
48
The Arabic has to, but it probably represents the Syriac text with the meaning given above.
49
Luke xix. 38c.
50
John xii. 12b.
51
Lit. the heart (or, pith) of the palm. The word pith, which occurs also in the Æhiopic version (Ezek. xxvii. 25; Jubilees, ch. 16) and in Ibn-at-Tayyib’s exposition, though not in the Brit. Mus. gospel text, is perhaps used here of the inner branches from its resemblance to the post-biblical Hebrew word employed in accounts of the Feast of Tabernacles.
52
John xii. 13.
53
Luke xix. 39.
54
Luke xix. 40.
55
Luke xix. 41.
56
Luke xix. 42.
57
Lit. are found, a rendering due to the Syriac.
58
Luke xix. 43.
59
Luke xix. 44.
60
So Ciasca’s text, following Vat. ms. The other ms. has drag, which by restoring a diacritical point to the third radical would give destroy, the reading of the Syriac versions. Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary has hide.
61
Matt. xxi. 10.
62
Matt. xxi. 11.
63
John xii. 17.
64
John xii. 18.