Verily, Verily, I Say unto You, Whosoever Keepeth My Word Shall not See Death...

The Diatessaron of Tatian — Rev. Hope W. Hogg, B.D.

[1] [2456] Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever keepeth my word shall not see death [2] for ever. [2457] The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast demons. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, Whosoever keepeth my word shall not [3] taste death for ever. [2458] Art thou haply greater than our father Abraham, who is [4] dead, and than the prophets, which are dead? whom makest thou thyself? [2459] Jesus said unto them, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: my Father is he that [5] glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is our [2460] God; [2461] and yet ye have not known him: but I know him; and if I should say that I know him not, I should become [6] [Arabic, p.137] a liar like you: but I know him, and keep his word. [2462] Abraham your father [7] longed to see my day; and he saw, and rejoiced. [2463] The Jews said unto him, [8] Thou art now not fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? [2464] Jesus said unto [9] them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. [2465] And they take [2466] stones to stone him: [2467] but Jesus concealed himself, and went out of the temple. And he passed through them, and went his way.

[10] [2468] And as he passed, he saw a man blind from his mother's womb. [2469] And his [11] disciples asked him, and said, Our Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, so [12] that he was born blind? [2470] [2471] Jesus said unto them, Neither did he sin, nor his parents: [13] but that the works of God may be seen in him. [2472] [2473] It is incumbent on me to do the deeds of him that sent me, while it is day: a night will come, and no man will be [14] able to busy himself. [2474] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. [15] [2475] And when he said that, he spat upon the ground, and made clay of his spittle, and [16] smeared it on the eyes of the blind man, and said unto him, [2476] Go and wash thyself in [17] the pool [2477] of Siloam. [2478] [2479] And he went and washed, and came seeing. And his neighbours, which saw him of old begging, said, Is not this he that was sitting begging? [18] [2480] And some said, It is he; and others said, Nay, but he resembles him much. He [19, 20] said, I am he. [2481] They said unto him, How then were thine eyes opened? [2482] He answered and said unto them, A man named Jesus made clay, and smeared it on my eyes, and said unto me, Go and wash in the water of Siloam: and I went and [21] washed, and received sight. [2483] [2484] They said unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. [22, 23] [Arabic, p.138] [2485] And they brought him that was previously blind to the Pharisees. [2486] And the day in which Jesus made clay and opened with it his eyes was a sabbath [24] day. [2487] And again the Pharisees asked him, How didst thou receive sight? And he said [25] unto them, He put clay on mine eyes, and I washed, and received sight. [2488] The people [2489] of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he keepeth not the sabbath. And others said, How can a man that is a sinner do these signs? And there came [26] to be a division amongst them. [2490] And again they said to that blind man, Thou, then, what sayest thou of him that opened for thee thine eyes? He said unto them, [27] I say that he is a prophet. [2491] And the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he was blind, and received sight, until they summoned the parents of him who received [28] sight, and asked them, [2492] Is this [2493] your son, of whom ye said that he was born blind? [29] how then, behold, doth he now see? [2494] His parents answered and said, We know [30] that this is our son, and that he was born blind: [2495] but how he has come to see now, or who it is that opened his eyes, we know not: and he also has reached his prime; [31] ask him, and he will speak for himself. [2496] This said his parents, because they were fearing the Jews: and the Jews decided, that if any man should confess of him that [32] he was the Messiah, they would put him out of the synagogue. [2497] For this reason [33] said his parents, He hath reached his prime; ask him. [2498] And they called the man a second time, him that was blind, and said unto him, Praise God: we know that this [34] man is a sinner. [2499] He answered and said unto them, Whether he be a sinner, I know [35] not: I know one thing, that I was blind, and I now see. [2500] They said unto him again, [36] [Arabic, p.139] What did he unto thee? how opened he for thee thine eyes? [2501] He said unto them, I said unto you, and ye did not hear: what [2502] wish ye further to hear? [37] ye also, do ye wish to become disciples to him? [2503] And they reviled him, and said unto him, Thou art the disciple [2504] of that man; but as for us, we are the disciples of [38] Moses. [2505] And we know that God spake unto Moses: but this man, we know not [39] whence he is. [2506] The man answered and said unto them, From this is the wonder, [40] because ye know not whence he is, and mine eyes hath he opened. [2507] And we know that God heareth not the voice of sinners: but whosoever feareth him, and doeth [41] his will, him he heareth. [2508] From eternity hath it not been heard of, that a man [42] opened the eyes of a blind man, who had been born in blindness. [2509] If then this man [43] were not from God, he could not do that. [2510] They answered and said unto him, Thou wast all of thee born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they put him forth without.

[44] [2511] And Jesus heard of his being put forth without, and found him, and said unto [45] him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God? [2512] He that was made whole answered [46] and said, Who is he, my Lord, that I may believe in him? [2513] Jesus said unto him, [47] Thou hast seen him, and he that speaketh to thee is he. [2514] And he said, I believe, my Lord. And he fell down worshipping him.

Footnotes:

[2456] John 8:51.

[2457] John 8:52.

[2458] John 8:53.

[2459] John 8:54.

[2460] cf. Peshitta. The Sinaitic omits our.

[2461] John 8:55.

[2462] John 8:56.

[2463] John 8:57.

[2464] John 8:58.

[2465] John 8:59.

[2466] The Vat. ms. has took him, probably omitting stones, though Ciasca does not say so. Take is probably a copyist's error (change in diacritical paints) for took.

[2467] John 8:60 [reckoned to verse 59 in the Greek.].

[2468] John 9:1.

[2469] John 9:2.

[2470] A different word in Arabic from that used in verses 1 and 6.

[2471] John 9:3.

[2472] The Vat. ms. has that we may see the works of God in him. By the addition of a diacritical point this would give the same sense as in the text above, and more grammatically.

[2473] John 9:4.

[2474] John 9:5.

[2475] John 9:6.

[2476] John 9:7.

[2477] The Arabic word properly means baptism. The Syriac has both meanings.

[2478] Lit. Shiloha, as in Syriac.

[2479] John 9:8.

[2480] John 9:9.

[2481] John 9:10.

[2482] John 9:11.

[2483] Lit. saw.

[2484] John 9:12.