The Diatessaron of Tatian — Section 4

St. Cyril of Alexandria

1. 0. Greeting

[[1 John 1.18]] No man has seen God at any time; the only Son, God, which is in the bosom of his Father, he has told of him.

[[2 John 1.19]] And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent to him from Jerusalem priests 3 and Levites to ask him, Who are you? [[John 1.20]] And he acknowledged, and denied not; 4 and he confessed that he was not the Messiah. [[John 1.21]] And they asked him again, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not he. Are you a prophet? He 5 said, No. [[John 1.22]] They said to him, Then who are you? That we may answer them that 6 sent us. What do you say of yourself? [[John 1.23]] And he said, I am the voice that cries in 7 the desert, Repair ye the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. [[John 1.24]] And they 8 that were sent were from the Pharisees. [[John 1.25]] And they asked him and said to him, Why do you baptize now, when you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor a prophet? 9 [[John 1.26]] John answered and said to them, I baptize with water: among you is standing 10 one whom you know not: [[John 1.27]] this is he who I said comes after me and was before 11 me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. [[John 1.28]] And that was in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

12 [[Matthew 3.4]] Now John's raiment was camel's hair, and he was girded with skins, and his food 13 [Arabic, p. 15] was of locusts and honey of the wilderness. [[Matthew 3.5]] Then went out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region which is about the 14, 15 Jordan; [[Matthew 3.6]] and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. [[Matthew 3.7]] But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said to them, You children of vipers, who has led you to flee from the wrath to come? 16, 17 [[Matthew 3.8]] Do now the fruits which are worthy of repentance; [[Matthew 3.9]] and think and say not within yourselves, We have a father, even Abraham; for I say unto you, that God is able to 18 raise up of these stones children unto Abraham. [[Matthew 3.10]] Behold, the axe has been laid at the roots of the trees, and so every tree that bears not good fruit shall be taken and 19 cast into the fire. [[Luke 3.10]] And the multitudes were asking him and saying, What shall we do? 20 [[Luke 3.11]] He answered and said to them, He that has two tunics shall give to him that 21 has not; and he that has food shall do likewise. [[Luke 3.12]] And the publicans also came 22 to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? [[Luke 3.13]] He said to 23 them, Seek not more than what you are commanded to seek. [[Luke 3.14]] And the servants of the guard asked him and said, And we also, what shall we do? He said to them, Do not violence to any man, nor wrong him; and let your allowances satisfy you.

24 And when the people were conjecturing about John, and all of them thinking 25 in their hearts whether he were haply the Messiah, [[Luke 3.16]] John a