Tatian: Diatessaron — Arabic Witness

Section LI.

[1] [Arabic, p. 192] ^{Edition note 1}And when Pilate heard this saying, he took Jesus out, and sat on the tribune in the place which was called the pavement of stones, but in the Hebrew [2] called Gabbatha. ^{Edition note 2}And that day was the Friday of the passover: and it had reached [3] about the sixth hour.^{Edition note 3 Edition note 4}And he said to the Jews, Behold, your King! And they cried out, Take him, take him, crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests said unto him, We have no king except [4] Cæsar. ^{Edition note 5}And Pilate, when he saw it, and^{Edition note 6} he was gaining nothing, but the tumult was increasing, took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, and said, I [5] am innocent of the blood of this innocent man: ye shall know.^{Edition note 7 Edition note 8}And all the people [6] answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. ^{Edition note 9}Then Pilate commanded to grant them their request; and delivered up Jesus to be crucified, according to their wish.

[7] ^{Edition note 10}Then Judas the betrayer, when he saw Jesus wronged, went and returned the [8] thirty pieces of money to the chief priests and the elders, ^{Edition note 11}and said, I have sinned in my betraying innocent blood. And they said unto him, And we, what must we do? [9] know thou. ^{Edition note 12}And he threw down the money in the temple, and departed; and he [10] went away^{Edition note 13} and hanged^{Edition note 14} himself. ^{Edition note 15}And the chief priests took the money, and said, We have not authority to cast it into the place of the offering,^{Edition note 16} for it is the price [11] of blood. ^{Edition note 17}And they took counsel, and bought with it the plain of the potter, for [12] the burial of strangers. ^{Edition note 18}Therefore that plain was called, The field of blood, unto [13] [Arabic, p. 193] this day. ^{Edition note 19}Therein^{Edition note 20} was fulfilled the saying in the prophet which said, I took thirty pieces of money, the price of the precious one, which was fixed [14] by the children of Israel; ^{Edition note 21}and I paid them for the plain of the potter, as the Lord commanded me.

[15] ^{Edition note 22}And the Jews took Jesus, and went away to crucify him. ^{Edition note 23}And when he bare his [16] cross and went out, they stripped him of those purple and scarlet garments which he [17] had on, and put on him his own garments. ^{Edition note 24}And while they were going with him, they found a man, a Cyrenian, coming from the country, named Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus: ^{Edition note 25}and they compelled this man to bear the cross of Jesus. [18] ^{Edition note 26}And they took the cross and laid it upon him, that he might bear it, and come after Jesus; and Jesus went, and his cross behind him.

[19] ^{Edition note 27}And there followed him much people, and women which were lamenting and [20] raving.^{Edition note 28 Edition note 29}But Jesus turned unto them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not [21] for me: weep for yourselves, and for your children. ^{Edition note 30}Days are coming, when they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that bare not, and the breasts [22] that gave not suck. ^{Edition note 31}Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and [23] to the hills, Cover us. ^{Edition note 32}For if they do so in the green tree,^{Edition note 33} what shall be in the dry?

[24] ^{Edition note 34}And they brought with Jesus two others of the malefactors,^{Edition note 35} to be put to death.

[25] ^{Edition note 36}And when they came unto a certain place called The skull, and called in the Hebrew Golgotha, they crucified him there: ^{Edition note 37}they crucified with him these two [26] malefactors, one on his right, and the other on his left. ^{Edition note 38}And the scripture was [27] [Arabic, p. 194] fulfilled, which saith, He was numbered with the transgressors. ^{Edition note 39}And they gave him to drink wine and myrrh, and vinegar which had been mixed with the myrrh; ^{Edition note 40}and he tasted, and would not drink; and he received it not.

[28] ^{Edition note 41}And the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and cast lots for them in four parts, to every party of the soldiers a part; and his tunic was [29] without sewing, from the top woven throughout. ^{Edition note 42}And they said one to another, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith,

They divided my garments among them,

And cast the lot for my vesture.

[30, 31] ^{Edition note 43}This the soldiers did. And they sat and guarded him there. ^{Edition note 44}And Pilate wrote on a tablet the cause of his death, and put it on the wood of the cross above his head.^{Edition note 45} And there was written upon it thus: This is Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the [32] Jews. ^{Edition note 46}And this tablet^{Edition note 47} read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city: and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. [33] ^{Edition note 48}And the chief priests said unto Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, He it is [34] that^{Edition note 49} said, I am the King of the Jews. ^{Edition note 50}Pilate said unto them, What hath been [35] written hath been written.^{Edition note 51 Edition note 52}And the people were standing beholding; and they [36] that passed by were reviling^{Edition note 53} him, and shaking^{Edition note 54} their heads, and saying, ^{Edition note 55}Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, ^{Edition note 56}save thyself if thou art the Son [37] of God, and come down from the cross. ^{Edition note 57}And in like manner the chief priests and the [Arabic, p. 195] scribes and the elders and the Pharisees derided him, and laughed one with [38, 39] another, and said, ^{Edition note 58}The saviour of others cannot save himself. ^{Edition note 59}If he is the Messiah, the chosen of God, and the King of Israel,^{Edition note 60} let him come down now from the [40] cross, that we may see, and believe in him. ^{Edition note 61}He that relieth on God—let him deliver him [41] now, if he is pleased with him: for he said, I am the Son of God. ^{Edition note 62}And the soldiers [42] also scoffed at him in that they came near unto him, ^{Edition note 63}and brought him vinegar, and [43] said unto him, If thou art the King of the Jews, save thyself. ^{Edition note 64}And likewise the two robbers^{Edition note 65} also that were crucified with him reproached him.

[44] ^{Edition note 66}And one of those two malefactors who were crucified with him reviled him, and [45] said, If thou art the Messiah, save thyself, and save us also. ^{Edition note 67}But his comrade rebuked him, and said, Dost thou not even fear God, being thyself also in this [46] condemnation? ^{Edition note 68}And we with justice, and as we deserved, and according to our deed,^{Edition note 69} have we been rewarded: but this man hath not done anything unlawful. [47] ^{Edition note 70}And he said unto Jesus, Remember me, my Lord, when thou comest in thy kingdom. [48] ^{Edition note 71}Jesus said unto him, Verily^{Edition note 72} I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

[49] ^{Edition note 73}And there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister,^{Edition note 74} [50] Mary^{Edition note 75} that was related to Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ^{Edition note 76}And Jesus saw his mother, and that disciple whom he loved standing by; and he said to his mother, [51] Woman, behold, thy son! ^{Edition note 77}And he said to that disciple, Behold, thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto himself.

[52] [Arabic, p. 196] ^{Edition note 78}And from the sixth hour^{Edition note 79} darkness was on all the land unto the ninth [53] hour,^{Edition note 80} and the sun became dark. ^{Edition note 81}And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and said, Yail, Yaili,^{Edition note 82} why hast thou forsaken me? which^{Edition note 83} is, My [54] God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ^{Edition note 84}And some of those that stood there, when they heard, said,^{Edition note 85} This man called Elijah.