Tatian: Diatessaron — Arabic Witness

Section XVIII.

[1] ^{Edition note 1}At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and all the things which came to pass at his hand; ^{Edition note 2}and he marvelled, for he had obtained excellent [2] information concerning him.^{Edition note 3 Edition note 4}And some men said that John the Baptist was risen [3] from among the dead; ^{Edition note 5}and^{Edition note 6} others said that Elijah had appeared; and others, Jeremiah; [4] and others, that a prophet of the old prophets was risen; ^{Edition note 7}and others said that he [5] was a prophet like one of the prophets. ^{Edition note 8}Herod said to his servants, This is John the Baptist, he whom I beheaded; he is risen from among the dead: therefore mighty [6] [Arabic, p. 70] works result from him. ^{Edition note 9}For Herod himself had sent and taken John, and cast him into prison, for the sake of Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, whom he [7] had taken. ^{Edition note 10}And John said to Herod, Thou hast no authority to take the wife of thy [8] brother. ^{Edition note 11}And Herodias avoided him and wished to kill him; and she could not. [9] ^{Edition note 12}But Herod feared John, for he knew that he was a righteous man and a holy; and [10] he guarded him, and heard him much, and did, and obeyed him with gladness. ^{Edition note 13}And he wished to kill him; but he feared the people, for they adhered to him as the [11] prophet. ^{Edition note 14}And there was a celebrated day, and Herod had made a feast for his great men on the day of his anniversary,^{Edition note 15} and for the officers and for the chief men [12] of Galilee. ^{Edition note 16}And the daughter of Herodias came in and danced in the midst of the company, and pleased Herod and those that sat with him.

And the king said to the [13] damsel, Ask of me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee. ^{Edition note 17}And he sware unto her, [14] Whatsoever thou shalt ask, I will give it thee, to the half of my kingdom. ^{Edition note 18}And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask him?^{Edition note 19} She said unto her, The [15] head of John the Baptist. ^{Edition note 20}And immediately she came in hastily to the king, and said unto him, I desire in this hour that thou give me on a dish the head of John [16] the Baptist. ^{Edition note 21}And the king was exceeding sorry; but because of the oath and the [17] guests he did not wish to refuse her. ^{Edition note 22}But immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded that he should bring the head of John: and he went and cut off [18] the head of John in the prison, ^{Edition note 23}and brought it on a dish, and delivered it to the [19] damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother. ^{Edition note 24}And his disciples heard, and came [Arabic, p. 71] and took his body, and buried it. ^{Edition note 25}And they came and told^{Edition note 26} Jesus what [20] had happened. ^{Edition note 27}And for this cause Herod said, I beheaded John: who [21] is this, of whom I hear these things. And he desired to see him. ^{Edition note 28}And Jesus, when he heard, removed thence in a boat to a waste place alone, to the other side of the sea of the Galilee of Tiberias.^{Edition note 29}

[22] ^{Edition note 30}And many saw them going, and knew them, and hastened by land^{Edition note 31} from all the cities, and came thither beforehand; ^{Edition note 32}for they saw the signs which he was doing on the [23, 24] sick. ^{Edition note 33}And Jesus went up into the mountain, and sat there with his disciples. ^{Edition note 34}And [25] the feast of the passover of the Jews was near. ^{Edition note 35}And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and saw great multitudes coming to him. ^{Edition note 36}And he was moved with compassion for them, for [26] they were like sheep that were without a shepherd. ^{Edition note 37}And he received them, and spake to them concerning the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

[27] ^{Edition note 38}And when the evening approached,^{Edition note 39} his disciples came to him, and said unto [28] him, ^{Edition note 40}The place is desert, and the time is past; send away the multitudes of the people,^{Edition note 41} that they may go to the towns and villages which are around us, and buy for [29] themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat. ^{Edition note 42}But he said unto them, They have [30] no need to go away; give ye them what may be eaten. ^{Edition note 43}They said unto him, We have not here enough. ^{Edition note 44}He said unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?

[31, 32] ^{Edition note 45}And he said that proving him; and he knew what he was resolved to do. ^{Edition note 46}Philip said [Arabic, p. 72] unto him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread would not suffice them after^{Edition note 47} [33] every one of them hath taken a small amount. ^{Edition note 48}One of his disciples said unto [34] him (namely, Andrew the brother of Simon Cephas), ^{Edition note 49}Here is a lad having five loaves [35] of barley and two fishes: but this amount, what is it for all these? ^{Edition note 50}But wilt thou that we go and buy for all the people what may be eaten?

for we have no more [36] than these five loaves and the two fishes. ^{Edition note 51}And the grass was plentiful in that place. Jesus said unto them, Arrange all the people that they may sit down on the grass, [37] fifty people in a company. ^{Edition note 52}And the disciples did so. And all the people sat down [38] by companies, by hundreds and fifties. ^{Edition note 53}Then Jesus said unto them, Bring hither [39] those five loaves and the two fishes. ^{Edition note 54}And when they brought him that, Jesus took the bread and the fish, and looked to heaven, and blessed, and divided, and gave to [40] his disciples to set before them; ^{Edition note 55}and the disciples set for the multitudes the bread [41] and the fish; and they ate, all of them, and were satisfied. ^{Edition note 56}And when they were satisfied, he said unto his disciples, Gather the fragments that remain over, that nothing [42] be lost. ^{Edition note 57}And they gathered, and filled twelve baskets with fragments, being those that remained over from those which ate of the five barley loaves and the two [43] fishes. ^{Edition note 58}And those people who ate were five thousand, besides the women and children.

[44] [Arabic, p. 73] ^{Edition note 59}And straightway he pressed his disciples to go up into the ship, and that they should go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he [45] himself should send away the multitudes. ^{Edition note 60}And those people who saw the sign which [46] Jesus did, said, Of a truth this is a prophet who hath come into the world. ^{Edition note 61}And Jesus knew their purpose to come and take him, and make him a king; and he left them, and went up into the mountain alone for prayer.

[47, 48] ^{Edition note 62}And when the nightfall was near, his disciples went down unto the sea, and sat^{Edition note 63} in a boat, and came to the side of Capernaum. ^{Edition note 64}And the darkness came on, and Jesus [49] had not come to them. ^{Edition note 65}And the sea was stirred up against them by reason of a violent [50] wind that blew. ^{Edition note 66}And the boat was distant from the land many furlongs, and they were much damaged by the waves, and the wind was against them.