Scholarly Deceivers: TATIAN and the DIATESSARON

Do we have a LOVE for The pure WORD+ of GOD ?

Through the ages --- most likely starting as soon as the Memoirs of the Apostles were written --- there has been a group of scholars whose sole scholarly purpose has been to destroy the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. 

This particular group of scholars had no love of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, The LOGOS+, the Living WORD+ of GOD.

So, why should they revere His+ written Word ?

These scholars, so gifted in languages, made their way into the Church. . . so often to replace the HOLY WORD of GOD with their own thinking, their own twists to Scriptures, their own doctrines. 

One of these brilliant and gifted men was Tatian. He was an Assyrian, according to his own account, who could compose in fine Greek as well as in Syriac. Around 170 AD, Tatian wrote the DIATESSARON in which he blended all four Gospels together as a running narrative of the Life of CHRIST.

It was popular in the Syrian church and was used in it until the 400's AD, when it was forcibly replaced by the Peshitta, which had the four Gospels separated into each respective Gospel book. The Diatessaron was widely disseminated in languages and dialects throughout Europe, although it was frequently changed in spots to bring it into line with correct manuscripts. 

Who was this Tatian ? He was born in Assyria, traveled extensively, and lived 110 to 172 AD. He was gifted in languages and wrote in Greek as well as Syriac.

Tatian became an adherent to Christian thought as he associated with Justin Martyr in Rome. However, the extant account of his "conversion" in his sole existing writing does not mention CHRIST JESUS, repentance from sin, his baptism, etc. [ See  Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2, Address of Tatian to the Greeks, chapter XXIX, "Account of Tatian's Conversion", pg. 77 ( Hendrickson Publishers -- June 1995 ).]

It seems his "conversion" was one of philosophy, rather than a personal relationship with CHRIST JESUS as LORD of His+ Life.

He was enamored by the clean and pure life-style of the Christians and defended that pureness of life in his Address, chapter XXXIII, pg. 78-79. Tatian was well acquainted with the Old Testament, however, and rebuked the Greeks in his Address by his references to the Old Testament.

When Justin Martyr [ 110- 165 AD ] was  called to seal his testimony by his blood, Tatian fell away.

According to J. E. Ryland , the ANF translator of Tatian's Address, Tatian established the sect of the Encratites about 166 AD in Antioch, where he " acquired a considerable number of disciples who continued after his death [ circa 172 AD ] to be distinguished by the practice of those austerities which he had enjoined. " 

In view of the one-year time frame between Justin's death and Tatian's Encratite Sect, it seems plausible that Tatian carried his Gnostic and ascetic views with him WHILE he was in association with Justin.

[ We are indebted for much of this information to the research and work of  the scholar and professor, Arthur Voobus, (1909-1988), who wrote Early versions of the New Testament Manuscript Studies, Stockholm, 1954, from which this information is gleaned. Voobus was a leading authority on ancient Syriac writings. He held a professorship at the  Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago and was a former professor of historical theology at the University of Tartu ( Estonia ) and at the Baltic University in Hamburg-Pinneberg,Germany. Escaping from death from both the Soviets and Nazi Germany during the World War II years, Voobus eventually brought his research and manuscripts with him to Great Britain and then the United States. ]

Although there is much discussion in Christian writings, Tatian seems to have written the original Diatessaron in the Syriac language. It became the Scriptures used in Syriac church liturgy, the Scriptures used in homes, the Scriptures used by the monastic Syriac communities. ( Voobus, page 25).

As an Encratite, [ " Self-controlled", the "masters of themselves" ] Tatian wove his heretical doctrines into the Scripture harmony , according to Voobus, pg. 16-20. 

The problem was: Tatian did not seem to make CHRIST the LORD of his life. Thus, Tatian felt free to change things in the Gospel narrative and being gifted in languages, he did so cleverly and very smoothly.

The book was very popular and was owned and read by the people and in the churches for a couple hundreds of years.

The Syriac Diatessaron was translated into several languages and dialects: Latin, Greek, German, Dutch, French, Persian, and Arabic. Voobus ( pg. 23 )  stated there were some " vestiges of the Diatessaron from Armenia to Abyssinian and from Persia to the British Isles."    Some sources claim it was translated into 20 different languages / dialects.

Although no copy of the original Diatessaron exists today, readings from it are found in some of these translated copies, albeit most translated copies have been emended over time.

The Greek fragments of the Diatessaron found in 1933 at Dura Europos and in 1937 among the papyrus remnants from Egypt have "numerous Syriasms"  ( Syriac idioms ) in them, according to the scholar  A.   Baumstark  who submitted the Greek fragments to a thorough examination. ( Voobus, pg. 5 )

Being so familiar to the Christians for so many years, Tatian's Diatessaron worked its way into some of the ancient Scripture manuscripts, causing immense confusion, according to Herman von Soden, ( Voobus, pg. 23 )

[ This information is from Voobus, pg. 16-31, but much of it can be verified online also, under various topics concerning the Diatessaron and Tatian. ]

One GLARING change in the Gospels is Tatian's change from SALVATION / SAVED to "life", "live", and "give life." 

Voobus stated that "this was NOT caused by the lack of Syriac equivalents" for the word "saved / salvation". ( Voobus, pg. 19 )

This wretched and confusing change worked its way into the very  Aramaic/Syriac text of the Peshitta. The Peshitta translators DO say "saved" , but the Aramaic word in the text is "life", which can be literally translated to the confusion of all, as was readily done in the Aramaic-English New Testament [ AENT] by Andrew Roth. 

Tatian's change brought immense confusion to the reader and translators alike.

Being an Encratite, Tatian changed Scripture to reflect his distaste of the physical state of marriage and procreation. ( Voobus, pg. 17). Voobus wrote a research paper entitled: Celibacy, a Requirement for Admission to Baptism in the Early Syrian Church, 1951, which reflected the influence of Tatian's Diatessaron upon the Syriac church.

Tatian wrote into his Diatessaron " several omissions and modifications which have in mind the purpose of avoiding reference to Joseph as Mary's husband." ( Voobus, pg. 17 ) 

The Peshitta reflects Tatian's influence by calling Joseph,  "Mary's guardian" [ Syriac: "Gowra"] in Matthew 1:16. This is stated in Andrew Roth's AENT also.

In Matthew 27:49, Tatian caused immense confusion by inserting into the Diatessaron that the soldier pierced the side of JESUS while HE+ was still alive .

According to footnote 1, Voobus , pg 16, this information was inserted into several manuscripts by a scholion ( a marginal note ) in a minuscule Gospel codex which states the addition appeared in Tatian's work.   [ This was found in Voobus minuscule 52 = Harley 5647 = minuscule 72 , according to Dean Burgon. ]

Although Voobus has no references to DEAN John William Burgon's works in the late 1800's, Burgon verifies the information given by Voobus.  DEAN Burgon provides an excellent analysis of the historical sources of this error in his The Last Twelve Verses of S.Mark, Oxford and London, James Parker and Co., 1871, (a reprint by the Dean Burgon Society), Appendix H, pg. 311-318.

Through this Appendix H, Dean Burgon walks the reader through the steps of the development of Tatian's error of Matthew 27:49 noted in the margin and which was inserted into the Greek text of Codices alpha, C, L, U, and G (Gamma).

What other havoc did Tatian's Diatessaron wreak ? 

It omitted the genealogies of The LORD.

Tatian seemed to be anti-Semitic and thus, he cleverly found a way to change some words to slant the wording AWAY from the Jewish foundation of the New Testament, such as changing "Salvation is of the Jews" into "Judea", in John 9:22.

Here is an example of Tatian's subtle changes to the Words of The LORD ,  from Matthew 15. 

 15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto HIM+, saying, Have mercy on me, O LORD, THOU+ Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

15:23 But HE+ answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought HIM+, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

15:24 But HE+ answered and said,

I+ am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

15:25 Then came she and worshipped HIM+, saying, LORD, help me.

15:26 But HE+ answered and said,

It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.

15:27 And she said, Truth, LORD: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

15:28 Then JESUS answered and said unto her,

O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.

And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Matthew 15: 22-28

Tatian wrote instead:

"  'It is not fair to take the bread which children throw to the dogs,' " meaning: it is not fair to feed the Gentiles only with crumbs, for the whole Kingdom belongs to them,"  according to Voobus, pg. 18. 

Ephraem Syrus also used the Diatessaron in his writings until 373 AD and wrote a commentary on it, according to Voobus, pg. 26.

Tatian not only changed The LORD'S very words to conform to his doctrines and values, but he embellished at will.  He added to the Baptism of JESUS a great light which appeared to cover the Jordan --- a reading which also appears in the Gospel according to the Hebrews. ( Voobus, pg. 20 ).  In Tatian's nativity account, there are a " number of readings which appear in the Proto-evangelium of James", Voobus stated on that same page.

Voobus also states that Tatian could not touch the Gospels without "improving" them, so the " Diatessaron was invested with literary qualities which furnished it with a peculiar charm.  His hand becomes visible again and again as it smoothens and files the text into conformity with his taste. " ( Voobus, pg. 21 )

And unfortunately for the Jews, unfortunately for Christians called into Holy Matrimony, and unfortunately for the accuracy of the very words spoken by our LORD JESUS CHRIST, Tatian sacrificed Truth to establish his own value system.

He over-laid his values upon the Christian church, diverting the true worshippers away from following CHRIST JESUS in Spirit and in Truth.

Tatian's work caused immense confusion and undoubtedly , hurt, amongst the Followers of The LORD JESUS CHRIST.

This seems to be the work of a Cult of Scholars in times past, scholars who do not know the LORD JESUS, who do not serve HIM+, but rather function to subvert His+ people by means of brilliant scholarship  into following them instead of CHRIST.

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TAKE HEED,

THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU…

Many shall come in MY+ Name

and deceive many.

From such turn away.

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