Tatian: Diatessaron — Arabic Witness

Section III.

[1, 2] ^{Edition note 1}And after that,^{Edition note 2} the Magi came from the east to Jerusalem, ^{Edition note 3}and said, Where is the King of the Jews which was born? We have seen his star in the east, and have [3] come to worship him. ^{Edition note 4}And Herod the king heard, and he was troubled, and all [4] Jerusalem with him. ^{Edition note 5}And he gathered all the chief priests and the scribes of the [5] people, and asked them in what place^{Edition note 6} the Messiah should be born. ^{Edition note 7}They said, In Bethlehem of Judæa: thus it is written in the prophet,

[6] ^{Edition note 8}Thou also, Bethlehem of Judah,

Art not contemptible among the kings of Judah:

From thee shall go forth a king,

And he shall be a shepherd to my people Israel.

[7] ^{Edition note 9}Then Herod called the Magi secretly, and inquired of them the time at which [8] the star appeared to them. ^{Edition note 10}And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said unto them, Go and search about the child diligently; and when ye have found him, come and [9] make known to me, that I also may go and worship him. ^{Edition note 11}And they, when they [Arabic, p. 11] heard the king, departed; and lo, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, until it came and stood above the place where the child [10, 11] was. ^{Edition note 12}And when they beheld the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. ^{Edition note 13}And they entered the house and beheld the child with Mary his mother, and fell down worshipping him, and opened their saddle-bags and offered to him offerings, gold and [12] myrrh and frankincense. ^{Edition note 14}And they saw in a dream^{Edition note 15} that they should not return to Herod, and they travelled by another way in going to their country.

[13] ^{Edition note 16}And when they had departed, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, and said unto him, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I speak to thee; for Herod is determined to seek the child [14] to slay him. ^{Edition note 17}And Joseph arose and took the child and his mother in the night, and [15] fled into Egypt, ^{Edition note 18}and remained in it until the time of the death of Herod: that that might be fulfilled which was said by the Lord in the prophet, which said, From [16] Egypt did I call my son. ^{Edition note 19}And Herod then, when he saw that he was mocked of the Magi, was very angry, and sent and killed all the male children which were in Bethlehem and all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time [17] which he had inquired from the Magi. ^{Edition note 20}Then was fulfilled the saying in Jeremiah the prophet, which said,

[18] ^{Edition note 21}A voice was heard in Ramah,

Weeping and much lamentation;

Rachel weeping^{Edition note 22} for her children,

And not willing to be consoled for their loss.

[19] ^{Edition note 23}But when Herod the king died, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to [20] Joseph in Egypt, ^{Edition note 24}and said unto him, Rise and take the child and his mother, and [Arabic, p. 12] go into the land of Israel; for they have died who sought the child’s life. [21] ^{Edition note 25}And Joseph rose and took the child and his mother, and came to the land [22] of Israel. ^{Edition note 26}But when he heard that Archelaus had become king over Judæa instead of Herod his father, he feared to go thither; and he saw in a dream that he should [23] go into the land of Galilee, ^{Edition note 27}and that he should abide in a city called Nazareth: that the saying in the prophet might be fulfilled, that he should be called a Nazarene.

[24] ^{Edition note 28}And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, becoming filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.

[25] ^{Edition note 29}And his kinsfolk^{Edition note 30} used to go every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover. [26] ^{Edition note 31}And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to their custom, [27] to the feast. ^{Edition note 32}And when the days were accomplished, they returned; and the child [28] Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not: ^{Edition note 33}and they supposed that he was with the children of their company. And when they had gone one day’s journey, they sought him beside their people and those who knew them, [29] and they found him not; ^{Edition note 34}so they returned to Jerusalem and sought him again. [30] ^{Edition note 35}And after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, [31] hearing them and asking them questions; ^{Edition note 36}and all who heard him wondered at [32] his wisdom and his words. ^{Edition note 37}And when they saw him they wondered, and his mother said unto him, My son, why hast thou dealt with us thus?

behold, I and thy father [33] have been seeking for thee with much anxiety. ^{Edition note 38}And he said unto them, Why were [34] ye seeking me? know^{Edition note 39} ye not that I must be in the house of my Father? ^{Edition note 40}And they [35] understood not the word which he spake unto them. ^{Edition note 41}And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he was obedient to them: and his mother used to keep all these sayings in her heart.

[36] [Arabic, p. 13] ^{Edition note 42}And Jesus grew in his stature and wisdom, and in grace with God and men.

[37] ^{Edition note 43}And in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, when Pontius Pilate was governor in Judæa, and one of the four rulers, Herod, in Galilee; and Philip his brother, one of the four rulers, in Ituræa and in the district of Trachonitis; and [38] Lysanias, one of the four rulers, in Abilene; ^{Edition note 44}in the chief-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the command^{Edition note 45} of God went forth to John the son of Zacharias in the [39] desert. ^{Edition note 46}And he came into all the region which is about Jordan, proclaiming the [40] baptism of repentance unto^{Edition note 47} the forgiveness of sins. ^{Edition note 48}And he was preaching in the [41] wilderness of Judæa, and saying, ^{Edition note 49}Repent ye; the kingdom of heaven is come near. [42] ^{Edition note 50}This is he that was spoken of in Isaiah the prophet,

The voice which crieth in the desert,

[43] ^{Edition note 51}Prepare ye the way of the Lord,

And make straight in the plain, paths for our God.

[44] ^{Edition note 52}All the valleys shall become filled,

And all the mountains and hills shall become low;

And the rough shall become plain, And the difficult place, easy;

[45] ^{Edition note 53}And all flesh shall see the salvation^{Edition note 54} of God.

[46] ^{Edition note 55}This man came to bear witness, that he might bear witness to the light, that [47] every man might believe through his mediation. ^{Edition note 56}He was not the light, but that he [48] might bear witness to the light, ^{Edition note 57}which was the light of truth, that giveth light to [49] every man coming into the world. ^{Edition note 58}He was in the world, and the world was made [50] by him, and the world knew [51] him not. ^{Edition note 59}He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ^{Edition note 60}And those who received him, to them gave he the power^{Edition note 61} that they might [52] be sons of God,—those which believe in his name: ^{Edition note 62}which were born, not of blood, [53] nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God. ^{Edition note 63}And the Word became flesh, and took up his abode among us; and we saw his glory as the glory [54] of the only Son from the Father, which is full of grace and equity.^{Edition note 64 Edition note 65}John bare witness [Arabic, p. 14] of him, and cried, and said, This is he that I said cometh after me and [55] was before me, because he was before me.^{Edition note 66 Edition note 67}And of his fullness received [56] we all grace for grace. ^{Edition note 68}For the law was given through the mediation of Moses, but truth and grace were^{Edition note 69} through Jesus Christ.