Diatessaron

Tatian, ANF 9

And he spake a parable unto those which were bidden there, because he saw them choose the…

And he spake a parable unto those which were bidden there, because he saw them choose the places that were in the highest part of the sitting room: 2When a man invites thee to a feast, do not go and sit at the head of the room; lest there be there a man more honourable than thou, and he that invited you come and say unto thee, Give the place to this man: 3and thou be ashamed when thou risest and takest¹ another place. 4But when thou art invited, go and sit last; so that when he that invited thee cometh, he may say unto thee, My friend, go up higher: and thou shalt have praise before all that were invited with thee. 5For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and every one that abaseth himself shall be exalted.

And he said also to him that had invited him, When thou makest a feast a or a banquet,² do not invite thy friends, nor even thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest haply they also invite thee, and thou have this reward. 7But when thou makest a feast, invite the poor, and those with withered hand, and the lame, and the blind: 8and blessed art thou, since they have not the means to reward thee; 9that thy reward may be at the rising of the righteous. And when one of them that were invited heard that, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

Jesus answered again in parables, and said, 11The kingdom of heaven hath been likened to³ a certain king, which made a feast⁴ for his son, and prepared a great banquet,⁵ and invited many: and he sent his servants at the time of the feast to inform them that were invited, 12Everything is made ready for you; come. And they would not come, but began all of them with one voice to make excuse. 13And the first said unto them, Say to him, I have bought a field, and I must needs go out to see it: 14I pray thee to release⁶ me, for I ask to be excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them: I pray thee to release me, for I ask to be excused. 15And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 16And the king sent also other servants, and said, Say to those that were invited, that my feast is ready, and my oxen and my fatlings are slain, and everything is ready: come to the feast. 17But they made light of it, and went, one to his field, and another to his merchandise: 18and the rest took his servants, and entreated them shamefully, and killed them. 19And one of the servants came, and informed his lord of what had happened. 20And when the king heard, he became angry, and sent his armies; and they destroyed those murderers, and burned their cities. 21Then he said to his servants, The feast is prepared, but those that were invited were not worthy. 22Go out quickly into the markets and into the partings of the ways of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and those with pains, and the lame, and the blind. And the servants did as the king commanded them. 23And they came, and said unto him, Our lord, we have done all that thou commandedst us, and there is here still room. 24So the lord said unto his servants, Go out into the roads, and the ways, and the paths, and every one that ye find, invite to the feast, and constrain them to enter, till my house is⁷ filled. 25I say unto you, that no one of those people that were invited shall taste of my feast. 26And those servants went out into the roads, and gathered all that they found, good and bad: and the banquet-house was filled with guests. 27And the king entered to see those who were seated, and he saw there a man not wearing a festive garment: 28and he said unto him, My friend, how didst thou come in here not having on festive garments? 29And he was silent. Then the king said to the servants, Bind his hands and his feet, and put him forth into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 30The called are many; and the chosen, few.

And after that, the time of the feast of unleavened bread of the Jews arrived, and Jesus went out to go to Jerusalem. 32And as he went in the way, there met him ten persons who were lepers, and stood afar off: 33and they lifted up their voice, and said, Our Master, Jesus, have mercy upon us. 34And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and shew yourselves unto the priests. And when they went, they were cleansed. 35And one of them, when he saw himself cleansed, returned, and was praising God with a loud voice; 36and he fell on his face before the feet of Jesus, giving him thanks: and this man was a Samaritan. 37Jesus answered and said, Were not those that were cleansed ten? where then are the nine? 38Not one of them turned aside to come and praise God, but this man who is of a strange people. 39He said unto him, Arise, and go thy way; for thy faith hath given thee life.⁸

And while they were going up in the way to Jerusalem, Jesus went in front of them; and they wondered, and followed him fearing. And he took his twelve disciples apart, and began to tell them privately⁹ what was about to befall him. 41And he said unto them, We are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things shall be fulfilled that are written in the prophets concerning the Son of man. 42He shall be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and deliver him to the peoples;¹⁰ 43and they shall treat him shamefully, and scourge him, and spit in his face, and humble him,¹¹ 44and crucify him, and slay him: and on the third day he shall rise. 45But they understood not one thing of this; but this word was hidden from them, and they did not perceive these things that were addressed to them.

Then came near to him the mother of the (two) sons of Zebedee, she and her (two) sons, and worshipped him, and asked of him a certain thing. And he said unto her, What wouldest thou? 47And James and John, her two sons, came forward, and said unto him, Teacher, we would that all that we ask thou wouldest do unto us. 48He said unto them,¹² What would ye that I should do unto you? 49They said unto him, Grant us that we may sit, the one on thy right, and the other So on thy left, in thy kingdom and thy glory. 50And Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am to drink? and with the baptism that I am to be baptized with, will ye be baptized? 51And they said unto him, We are able. Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism wherewith I am baptized ye shall be baptized: 52but that ye should sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give; but it is for him for whom my Father hath prepared it.

Notes

Lit. at thy rising and taking.
Practically synonymous words.
Borg. MS., is like.
Used specially of a marriage feast.
Lit. bread, the Syriac word for which (not that in the versions) means also feast.
Or, omit.
Or, that my house may be.
Or, saved thee.
Lit. between himself and them.
i.e., Gentiles.
An obscure expression; perhaps it was originally a repetition of the preceding clause. It might be emended into point at him (the finger of scorn).
Lit. of course the two of them, and so all through the conversation.