- ANF09. The Gospel of Peter, The Diatessaron of Tatian, The Apocalypse of Peter, the Vision of Paul, The Apocalypse of the Virgin and Sedrach, The Testament of Abraham, The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, The Narrative of Zosimus, The Apology of Aristides, The Epistles of Clement (complete text), Origen’s Commentary on John, Books 1–10, and Commentary on Matthew, Books 1, 2, and 10

Section IV.

[1] ³⁰³

³⁰³ John i. 18.
No man hath seen God at any time; the only Son, God,³⁰⁴

³⁰⁴ cf. Peshitta, etc. (not Cur.); cf. also Gildemeister, op. cit., p. 29, on Luke ix. 20.
which is in the bosom of his Father, he hath told of him.

[2] ³⁰⁵

³⁰⁵ John i. 19.
And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent to him from Jerusalem priests [3] and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? ³⁰⁶

³⁰⁶ John i. 20.
And he acknowledged, and denied not; [4] and he confessed that he was not the Messiah. ³⁰⁷

³⁰⁷ John i. 21.
And they asked him again, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he said, I am not he. Art thou a prophet? He [5] said, No. ³⁰⁸

³⁰⁸ John i. 22.
They said unto him, Then who art thou? that we may answer them that [6] sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? ³⁰⁹

³⁰⁹ John i. 23.
And he said, I am the voice that crieth in [7] the desert, Repair ye the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. ³¹⁰

³¹⁰ John i. 24.
And they [8] that were sent were from³¹¹

³¹¹ Lit. from the side of.
the Pharisees. ³¹²

³¹² John i. 25.
And they asked him and said unto him, Why baptizest thou now, when thou art not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor a prophet? [9] ³¹³

³¹³ John i. 26.
John answered and said unto them, I baptize with³¹⁴

³¹⁴ Or, in.
water: among you is standing [10] one whom ye know not: ³¹⁵

³¹⁵ John i. 27.
this is he who I said cometh after me and was before [11] me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. ³¹⁶

³¹⁶ John i. 28.
And that was in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

[12] ³¹⁷

³¹⁷ Matt. iii. 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.³¹⁸

³¹⁸ On the original Diatessaron reading, honey and milk of the mountains, or, milk and honey of the mountains, which latter Ibn-at-Tayyib cites in his Commentary (folio 44b, 45a) as a reading, but without any allusion to the Diatessaron, see, e.g., now Harris, Fragments of the Com. of Ephr. Syr. upon the Diat. (London, 1895), p. 17 f.
^{³¹⁹
³¹⁹ Matt. iii. 5.}Then went out unto him the people of Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region which is about the [14, 15] Jordan; ³²⁰

³²⁰ Matt. iii. 6.
and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ³²¹

³²¹ Matt. iii. 7.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees³²²

³²² The translator uses invariably an Arabic word (name of a sect) meaning Separatists.
and Sadducees³²³

³²³ Lit. Zindiks, a name given to Persian dualists and others.
coming to be baptized, he said unto them, Ye children of vipers, who hath led you to flee from the wrath to come? [16, 17] ³²⁴

³²⁴ Matt. iii. 8.
Do now the fruits which are worthy of repentance; ³²⁵

³²⁵ Matt. iii. 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. ³²⁶

³²⁶ Matt. iii. 10.
Behold, the axe hath been laid at the roots of the trees, and so every tree that beareth not good fruit shall be taken and [19] cast into the fire. ³²⁷

³²⁷ Luke iii. 10.
And the multitudes were asking him and saying, What shall we do? [20] ³²⁸

³²⁸ Luke iii. 11.
He answered and said unto them, He that hath two tunics shall³²⁹

³²⁹ Grammar requires this rendering, but solecisms in this kind of word are very common, and in this work (e.g., § 48, 21) the jussive particle is sometimes omitted. We should therefore probably render let him give, let him do, etc.
give to him that [21] hath not; and he that hath food shall³³⁰

³³⁰ Grammar requires this rendering, but solecisms in this kind of word are very common, and in this work (e.g., § 48, 21) the jussive particle is sometimes omitted. We should therefore probably render let him give, let him do, etc.
do likewise. ³³¹

³³¹ Luke iii. 12.
And the publicans also came [22] to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what shall we do? ³³²

³³² Luke iii. 13.
He said unto [23] them, Seek not more than what ye are commanded to seek. ³³³

³³³ Luke iii. 14.
And the servants³³⁴

³³⁴ cf. Peshitta, where the word has its special meaning, soldiers.
of the guard asked him and said, And we also, what shall we do? He said unto them, Do not violence to any man, nor wrong him; and let your allowances satisfy you.

[24] ³³⁵

³³⁵ Luke iii. 15.
And when the people were conjecturing about John, and all of them thinking [25] in their hearts whether he were haply³³⁶

³³⁶ Our translator constantly uses this Arabic word (which we render haply, or, can it be? or, perhaps, etc.) to represent the Syriac word used in this place. The latter is used in various ways, and need not be interrogative, as our translator renders it (cf. especially § 17, 6).
the Messiah, ³³⁷

³³⁷ Luke iii. 16.
John answered and said unto them, I baptize you with water; there cometh one after me who is stronger than I, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen; he will baptize you with the [26] Holy Spirit and fire: ³³⁸

³³⁸ Luke iii. 17.
who taketh the fan in his hand to cleanse his threshing-floors, [Arabic, p. 16] and the wheat he gathereth into his garners, while the straw he shall burn in fire which can³³⁹

³³⁹ Or, shall.
not be put out.

[27] ³⁴⁰

³⁴⁰ Luke iii. 18.
And other things he taught and preached among the people.

[28] ³⁴¹

³⁴¹ Matt. iii. 13.
Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized of him. [29] ³⁴²

³⁴² Luke iii. 23a.
And Jesus was about thirty years old, and it was supposed that he was the son of [30] Joseph.³⁴³

³⁴³ The Vat. ms. here gives the genealogy (Luke iii. 23–38), of which we shall quote only the last words: the son of Adam; who (was) from God. If this were not the reading of the Peshitta (against Sin.) and Ibn-at-Tayyib’s Commentary, one might explain from as a corruption of the Arabic son of, the words being very similar. On the Borg. ms. see § 55, 17, note.
³⁴⁴

³⁴⁴ John i. 29.
And John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, This is the Lamb of [31] God, that taketh on itself the burden of the sins of the world! ³⁴⁵

³⁴⁵ John i. 30.
This is he concerning whom I said, There cometh after me a man who was before me, because he was [32] before me.³⁴⁶

³⁴⁶ cf. § 3, 54, note.
³⁴⁷

³⁴⁷ John i. 31.
And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, [33] for this cause came I to baptize with water. ³⁴⁸

³⁴⁸ Matt. iii. 14.
And John was hindering him and [34] saying, I have need of being baptized by thee, and comest thou to me? ³⁴⁹

³⁴⁹ Matt. iii. 15.
Jesus answered him and said, Suffer this now: thus it is our duty to fulfill all righteousness. [35] Then he suffered him. ³⁵⁰

³⁵⁰ Luke iii. 21b.
And when all the people were baptized, Jesus also [36] was baptized. ³⁵¹

³⁵¹ Matt. iii. 16b.
And immediately he went up out of the water, and heaven opened [37] [Arabic, p. 17] to him,³⁵²

³⁵² For the statement of Isho’dad (see above, Introduction, 10), “And straightway, as the Diatessaron testifieth, light shone forth,” etc., see Harris, Fragments, etc., p. 43 f.

³⁵³

³⁵³ Luke iii. 22a.
and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the similitude of the [38] body of a dove; ³⁵⁴

³⁵⁴ Matt. iii. 17.
and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved [39] Son, in whom I am well pleased. ³⁵⁵

³⁵⁵ John i. 32.
And John bare witness and said, I beheld the [40] Spirit descend from heaven like a dove; and it abode upon him. ³⁵⁶

³⁵⁶ John i. 33.
But I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt behold the Spirit descending and lighting upon him, the same is he that [41] baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. ³⁵⁷

³⁵⁷ John i. 34.
And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.

[42, 43] ³⁵⁸

³⁵⁸ Luke iv. 1a.
And Jesus returned from the Jordan, filled with the Holy Spirit. ³⁵⁹

³⁵⁹ Mark i. 12.
And immediately the Spirit took him out into the wilderness, to be tried of the devil;³⁶⁰

³⁶⁰ Lit. calumniator.
³⁶¹

³⁶¹ Mark i. 13b.
and he [44] was with the beasts. ³⁶²

³⁶² Matt. iv. 2a.
And he fasted forty days and forty nights. ³⁶³

³⁶³ Luke iv. 2b.
And he ate nothing [45] in those days, and at the end of them he hungered. ³⁶⁴

³⁶⁴ Matt. iv. 2b, 3.
And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, speak, and these stones shall become [46] bread. ³⁶⁵

³⁶⁵ Matt. iv. 4.
He answered and said, It is written, Not by bread alone shall man live, but [47] by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. ³⁶⁶

³⁶⁶ Matt. iv. 5.
Then the devil³⁶⁷

³⁶⁷ Lit. calumniator.
brought [48] him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, ³⁶⁸

³⁶⁸ Matt. iv. 6.
and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written,

He shall give his angels charge concerning thee:

And they shall take thee on their arms,

So that thy foot shall not stumble against a stone.

[49] ³⁶⁹

³⁶⁹ Matt. iv. 7.
Jesus said unto him, And³⁷⁰

³⁷⁰ Borg. ms. omits and.
it is written also, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy [50] God. ³⁷¹

³⁷¹ Luke iv. 5.
And the devil³⁷²

³⁷² Lit. backbiter, a different word from that used above in § 4, 43, 47.
took him up to a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms [51] [Arabic, p. 18] of the earth, and their glory, in the least time; ³⁷³

³⁷³ Luke iv. 6.
and the devil³⁷⁴

³⁷⁴ Lit. backbiter, a different word from that used above in § 4, 43, 47.
said unto him, To thee will I give all this dominion, and its glory, which is delivered to [52] me that I may give it to whomsoever I will. ³⁷⁵

³⁷⁵ Luke iv. 7.
If then thou wilt worship before me, all of it shall be thine.
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