527:
theology is mythology, literary invention, with no content of truth. For the first time the voice μυθολογία appears in the
Christian lexicon (Oratio ad Graecos 40.1); it specifically signifies the falsification of the philosophy of Moses perpetrated by the Greeks. Their poetry is shameful but, nevertheless, not false in an absolute way, because the 'gods' exist and act: they are the 'demons', who impinge on the deviation of human behavior and are the ones who manage the destructive and evil culture of the whole Greek παιδεία. Greek theology, then, is seen not as a praeparatio evangelica but as a degradatio mosaica, that is, as an imitative corruption of the writings of the Bible (40.1). Consequently he ends up sustaining several theses, the main one being that Moses is older than all the legislators and writers of humanity (31; 36.2-40.1); that there is no plurality of gods but creational monarchy (Oratio ad Graecos 29.2); that there is no plurality of worlds but only one with only one final judgment to come, which is to be universal (Oratio ad Graecos 6.1). The literary genre of the Oratio is still that of apologetics, with elements of diatribe and protreptic. Sterling has called it "apologetic historiography."
509:
skillful literati, bad philosophers, but they can never be good historians, for "for those who have a disjointed chronology it is impossible to say what is true of history" (31.4). The Greeks are embellishers of language and, in general, with respect to productive and artistic techniques they are skilled imitators, not creators or discoverers: "stop calling imitations inventions" (Oratio ad
Graecos 1.1). He then asserts that the Greeks received from other cultures all the disciplines that they managed to practice: divination by dreams, prognostication by the stars, observation of the flight of birds, the art of sacrifice, astronomy, magic, geometry, the alphabet, poetry, singing, the mysteries, plastic arts, anagraphic records, the manufacture of musical instruments and metallurgy (1.1-2) he specifies in each case the nation from which the knowledge that the Greeks have of the arts comes from. However, although he does not recognize the inventive capacity of the Greeks, Tatian describes himself as a prudent historian on the model of
513:, whom he never names. He presents himself as a scholar of documentation "with all my rigor <for you>" (Oratio 41.2.13) Thucydides' principle. He also distinguishes between annals and documents that are within the historian's reach and things that fall outside his direct knowledge (Oratio ad Graecos 20.2), another of Thucydides' principles. He then accepts the caution of the Greek historians who rejected the mythological 'archaeology' with which the ancient ethnographers and historians (
874:
539:
862:
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478:
and caused others to fall, and thus the demons originated. The fall of the spirits was brought about through their desire to separate man from God, in order that he might serve not God but them. Man, however, was implicated in this fall, lost his blessed abode and his soul was deserted by the divine
526:
What Tatian seems to propose is thus not a philosophy, theology, or exegesis of some revealed text, but a historical truth that attentive study can achieve. Nor does he do mythology because in impugning the mythologists as a whole, he uses an argument consonant with the critical historians: Greek
521:
Well then, all these things I do not expound because I learned them from another but because, traveling through many lands I have been a teacher of your own doctrines and have examined many arts and conceptions and finally I was able to study with attention the variety of statues brought by you to
466:
or "soul," so that on the material side and in his soul man does not differ essentially from the animals; though at the same time he is called to a peculiar union with the divine spirit, which raises him above the animals. This spirit is the image of God in man, and to it man's immortality is due.
430:
The starting-point of Tatian's theology is a strict monotheism which becomes the source of the moral life. Originally, the human soul possessed faith in one God, but lost it with the fall. In consequence, under the rule of demons, man sank into the abominable error of polytheism. By monotheistic
413:
Tatian designates matrimony as a symbol of the tying of the flesh to the perishable world and ascribed the "invention" of matrimony to the devil. He distinguishes between the old and the new man; the old man is the law, the new man the Gospel. Other lost writings of Tatian include a work written
508:
Tatian gives the voice for the first time in the
Christian lexicon to ναγραφή, annals or documentary chronology. Tatian claims that the Greeks learned historiography from the Egyptians (Oratio ad Graecos 1.1), who possessed exact techniques for chronology (38.1). For the Syriac the Greeks are
482:
As by freedom man fell, so by freedom he may turn again to God. The Spirit unites with the souls of those who walk uprightly; through the prophets he reminds men of their lost likeness to God. Although Tatian does not mention the name of Jesus, his doctrine of redemption culminates in his
517:) had covered the dark path between the known facts and the legendary origin of each city or ethnic group. Another characteristic of the rigorous historian is the personal inspection of places and cities with the discernment of the various types of documentation and sources:
522:
the city of Rome. For I do not seek to confirm my doctrines, as the vulgar do, with opinions foreign to my own, but 'I wish to compose anagraphs' (τὴν ἀναγραφὴν συντάσσσειν βούλομαι) on all those things which by myself I have understood (Oratio ad
Graecos 35.1).
495:
Unlike Justin, who had related the new
Christian doctrine to philosophy, Tatian manifests a violent rejection of the forms of philosophical literature with which he is familiar and consequently turns to a safer literary genre: the writing of history.
765:
The basis of the theory was
Platonic, though some of the terms were borrowed from both Aristotle and the Stoics. It became itself the basis for the theory which ultimately prevailed in the Church. The transition appears in Tatian
442:
he was alone before the creation, but he had within himself potentially the whole creation. Some scholars consider Tatian's creation theology as the beginning of teaching "ex nihilo" (creation from "nothing").
162:, where he first encountered Christianity. During his prolonged stay in Rome, according to his own representation, his abhorrence of the pagan cults sparked deep reflections on religious problems. Through the
236:
in which the catechumen promises celibacy. This shows how firmly the views of Tatian were established in
Assyria, and it supports the supposition that Tatian was the missionary of the countries around the
503:
Thus I believe I have summarily but with all my rigor analyzed the treatises of the sages, their 'chronologies' (χρόνοι) and their archives (ναγραφαί), each one in particular" (Tatian Oratio ad
Graecos
390:'s surviving writings, and in the Roman Antiphony. After the Codex Fuldensis, it would appear that members of the Western family led an underground existence, popping into view over the centuries in an
129:, or "harmony", of the four gospels that became the standard text of the four gospels in the Syriac-speaking churches until the 5th-century, after which it gave way to the four separate gospels in the
692:
The
Origins and Emergence of the Church in Edessa during the First Two Centuries A.D. Author(s): L. W. Barnard Source: Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Sep., 1968), pp. 161-175.
981:
776:
Alesso, Marta. (2013). Hermeneutics of literary genres: from antiquity to
Christianity.Buenos Aires : Institute of Classical Philology. pp. 371-77.
382:, the order of the passages is distinctly how Tatian arranged them. Tatian's influence can be detected much earlier in such Latin manuscripts as the
209:
refers to a belief that Tatian had founded the Encratitic sect. It is clear that Tatian left Rome, perhaps to reside for a while in either Greece or
454:
who, generated in the beginning, was to produce the world by creating matter from which the whole creation sprang. Creation is penetrated by the
701:
Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, articles 'Diatessaron' and 'Peshitta.'
335:
on Tatian's work, which itself is preserved in two versions: an Armenian translation preserved in two copies, and a copy of Ephrem's original
253:(Address to the Greeks) condemns paganism as worthless, and praises the reasonableness and high antiquity of Christianity. As early as
748:
956:
166:, he wrote, he grew convinced of the unreasonableness of paganism. He adopted the Christian religion and became the pupil of
293:("The Gospel of the Mixed"), and it was practically the only gospel text used in Assyria during the 3rd and 4th centuries.
966:
552:
296:
In the mid 5th century the Diatessaron was replaced in those Assyrian churches that used it by the four original Gospels.
228:
The early development of the Assyrian church furnishes a commentary on the attitude of Tatian in practical life. Thus for
458:, "world spirit," which is common to angels, stars, men, animals, and plants. This world spirit is lower than the divine
151:, ii. 81–82): that he was born in "the land of the Assyrians", scholarly consensus is that he died c. AD 185, perhaps in
976:
971:
951:
680:"ANF02. Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Clement of Alexandria (Entire)"
147:
785:
Sterling, G. (1992) Historiography and Self-definition, Josephos, Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography, Leiden.
431:
faith, the soul is delivered from the material world and from demonic rule and is united with God. God is spirit (
100:
899:
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640:
31:
806:
Die christliche Lehrer im zweiten Jahrhundert. Ihre Lehrtätigkeit, ihr Selbsverständnis und ihre Geschichte
866:
356:
141:
Concerning the date and place of his birth, little is known beyond what Tatian tells about himself in his
92:
827:
The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity
218:
214:
304:, ordered the priests and deacons to see that every church should have a copy of the separate Gospels (
873:
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479:
spirit, and sank into the material sphere, in which only a faint reminiscence of God remained alive.
254:
171:
115:
961:
544:
301:
126:
612:
900:
links to Greek and Latin versions of 'Address to the Greeks', and to ‘The Diatessaron Of tatian’
598:
825:
Gaca, K. L. "Driving Aphrodite from the World: Tatian and His Encratite Argument," in Eadem,
744:
626:
352:
286:
210:
177:
Knowledge of Tatian's life following the death of Justin in AD 165 is to some extent obscure.
887:
331:
are extant. The earliest, part of the Eastern family of recensions, is preserved in Ephrem's
348:
221:
relates that Tatian established a school in Mesopotamia, the influence of which extended to
51:
813:
Tatian's Diatessaron: Its Creation, Dissemination, Significance and History in Scholarship
763:
Edwin Hatch, The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages upon the Christian Church, 195–196.
391:
375:
371:
344:
336:
317:
108:
643:
738:
436:
399:
395:
320:
manuscript of gospels was produced in between AD 411 and 435 as a result of his edict.
84:
930:
367:, but more recent scholarly judgement does not connect it directly to Tatian's work.
275:
261:
and of Jewish legislation, and it was because of this chronological section that his
174:
competed with Greek sophists. Like Justin, Tatian opened a Christian school in Rome.
167:
163:
878:
832:
Petersen, W. L. "Tatian the Assyrian," in Antti Marjanen and Petri Luomanen (eds),
679:
475:
403:
383:
360:
340:
111:
893:
484:
270:
202:
189:
i. 353) that after the death of Justin, he was expelled from the church for his
122:
882:
839:
Harris, J. R. "The First Tatian Reading in the Greek New Testament," in Idem,
534:
514:
510:
194:
190:
905:
861:
740:
A Translation of the Four Gospels from the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpsest
538:
324:
309:
238:
712:
Eusebius' ecclesiastical history : complete and unabridged: iv. 28, 29
657:
915:
387:
229:
206:
178:
152:
130:
17:
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that contrasts the nature of man with the nature of the animals, and a
379:
297:
222:
198:
799:
The Diatessaron and Ephrem of Syrus as Sources of Romanos the Melodist
850:. M.A. diss., Abilene Christian University, 2009, 177 pp., #050-0171.
422:, which aimed to present a compilation of obscure Scripture sayings.
370:
The earliest member of the Western family of recensions is the Latin
278:
911:
450:("power expressed in words"). At first there proceeded from God the
843:(Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2006) (New Testament Monographs, 7).
339:
text from the late 5th/early 6th century, which has been edited by
471:
451:
282:
258:
343:(Paris, 1966). Other translations include translations made into
572:
159:
890:, website earlychristianwritings.com. (Translation J.E. Ryland)
808:(Leiden, 1989) (Vigiliae Christianae. Supplements, 4), 182–194.
312:, Bishop of Cyrus, removed more than two hundred copies of the
225:
in Assyria, and was felt in Cilicia and especially in Pisidia.
233:
75:
66:
257:, Tatian was praised for his discussions of the antiquity of
398:(c. 1280), a Venetian manuscript of the 13th century, and a
72:
60:
829:(Berkeley, University of California Press, 2003), 221–246.
63:
378:
in 545 AD. Although the text is clearly dependent on the
411:
On Perfection according to the Doctrine of the Savior,
894:
page, linking to translation ‘Address to the Greeks’
57:
820:
Christianity in the 2nd Century: The Case of Tatian
627:"History of the Christian Religion to the Year 200"
54:
27:
2nd century Syriac Christian writer and theologian
834:A Companion to Second-Century Christian "Heretics"
197:) views, as well as for being a follower of the
848:Tatian's Diatessaron and the Passion Chronology
470:The first-born of the spirits (identified with
363:in 1933 was once thought to have been from the
896:, website ccel.org. (Translation J.E. Ryland)
579:. Vanderbilt University, Princeton University
8:
599:"Church Fathers: The Other Greek Apologists"
402:manuscript from 1400 that was once owned by
906:Entry in ‘Catholic Encyclopedia’ on Tatian
644:"Introductory Note To Tatian the Assyrian"
841:New Testament Autographs and Other Essays
281:into a combined narrative of the life of
563:
316:from the churches in his diocese. The
274:, a "harmony" or synthesis of the four
801:(Tournout, Peeters, 1985) (CSCO 475 ).
682:. Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
355:. A fragment of a narrative about the
121:Tatian's most influential work is the
902:. Website documentacatholicaomnia.eu.
714:, page 141, accessed 27 February 2023
615:. New York, C. Scribner's sons. 1907.
613:"Canon and Text of the New Testament"
7:
499:He thus recapitulates his treatise:
104:
888:Translation 'Address to the Greeks'
374:, written at the request of bishop
232:baptism conditions the taking of a
25:
982:2nd-century Christian theologians
919:
872:
860:
727:. New York: Ardent Media, p. 14.
537:
50:
836:(Leiden: Brill, 2005), 125–158.
577:Syriac Biographical Dictionary
573:"Tatian of Adiabene - Syriaca"
446:The means of creation was the
1:
646:. earlychristianwritings.com.
553:Greek Gospel of the Egyptians
268:His other major work was the
265:was not generally condemned.
107:; c. 120 – c. 180 AD) was an
918:(public domain audiobooks)
737:Lewis, Agnes Smith (1894).
435:), but not the physical or
409:In a lost writing entitled
213:, where he may have taught
998:
822:(London, Routledge, 2003).
96:
29:
306:Evangelion da Mepharreshe
908:. Website newadvent.org.
394:translation (c. 830), a
723:Ferguson, John (1974).
462:and becomes in man the
291:Evangelion da Mehallete
32:Tatian (disambiguation)
957:Systematic theologians
865:Quotations related to
815:(Leiden, Brill, 1994).
524:
506:
359:found in the ruins of
289:referred to it as the
172:Christian philosophers
88:
725:Clement of Alexandria
658:"Tatian, Address, 42"
519:
501:
384:Old Latin translation
215:Clement of Alexandria
170:. During this period
967:Christian apologists
187:Ante-Nicene Fathers,
118:of the 2nd century.
30:For other uses, see
977:2nd-century writers
662:Ante-Nicene Fathers
545:Christianity portal
420:Problematon biblion
148:Ante-Nicene Fathers
127:Biblical paraphrase
46:Tatian the Assyrian
972:2nd-century Romans
952:Bible commentators
877:Works by or about
571:Walters, James E.
38:Tatian of Adiabene
743:. pp. xvii.
416:Oratio ad Graecos
386:of the Bible, in
287:Ephrem the Syrian
251:Oratio ad Graecos
185:, I., xxviii. 1,
143:Oratio ad Graecos
42:Tatian the Syrian
16:(Redirected from
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329:Diatessaron
314:Diatessaron
271:Diatessaron
203:Valentinius
123:Diatessaron
114:writer and
962:Gnosticism
931:Categories
883:Wikisource
710:Eusebius,
559:References
515:Titus Livy
511:Thucydides
333:Commentary
325:recensions
219:Epiphanius
211:Alexandria
191:Encratitic
116:theologian
583:30 August
310:Theodoret
239:Euphrates
181:remarks (
133:version.
112:Christian
916:LibriVox
531:See also
504:41.2-3).
437:stoical
426:Theology
388:Novatian
255:Eusebius
245:Writings
230:Aphrahat
207:Eusebius
179:Irenaeus
153:Adiabene
131:Peshitta
109:Assyrian
97:Τατιανός
89:Tatianus
18:Tatianus
668:: 81–82
460:pneuma,
439:pneuma;
380:Vulgate
357:Passion
349:Persian
327:of the
308:), and
298:Rabbula
279:Gospels
223:Antioch
201:leader
199:gnostic
195:ascetic
879:Tatian
867:Tatian
747:
464:psyche
433:pneuma
351:, and
345:Arabic
337:Syriac
302:Edessa
263:Oratio
105:ܛܛܝܢܘܣ
472:Satan
452:Logos
396:Dutch
283:Jesus
259:Moses
183:Haer.
85:Latin
40:, or
745:ISBN
585:2016
476:fell
249:His
160:Rome
137:Life
125:, a
914:at
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234:vow
48:, (
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933::
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575:.
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