Tatian: Diatessaron — Arabic Witness

Section XXXVI.

[1] ^{Edition note 1}Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever keepeth my word shall not see death [2] for ever. ^{Edition note 2}The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast demons. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, Whosoever keepeth my word shall not [3] taste death for ever. ^{Edition note 3}Art thou haply greater than our father Abraham, who is [4] dead, and than the prophets, which are dead? whom makest thou thyself? ^{Edition note 4}Jesus said unto them, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: my Father is he that [5] glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is our^{Edition note 5} God; ^{Edition note 6}and yet ye have not known him: but I know him; and if I should say that I know him not, I should become [6] [Arabic, p. 137] a liar like you: but I know him, and keep his word. ^{Edition note 7}Abraham your father [7] longed to see my day; and he saw, and rejoiced. ^{Edition note 8}The Jews said unto him, [8] Thou art now not fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? ^{Edition note 9}Jesus said unto [9] them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. ^{Edition note 10}And they take^{Edition note 11} stones to stone him: ^{Edition note 12}but Jesus concealed himself, and went out of the temple. And he passed through them, and went his way.

[10] ^{Edition note 13}And as he passed, he saw a man blind from his mother’s womb. ^{Edition note 14}And his [11] disciples asked him, and said, Our Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, so [12] that he was born blind?^{Edition note 15 Edition note 16}Jesus said unto them, Neither did he sin, nor his parents: [13] but that the works of God may be seen in him.^{Edition note 17 Edition note 18}It is incumbent on me to do the deeds of him that sent me, while it is day: a night will come, and no man will be [14] able to busy himself. ^{Edition note 19}As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. [15] ^{Edition note 20}And when he said that, he spat upon the ground, and made clay of his spittle, and [16] smeared it on the eyes of the blind man, and said unto him, ^{Edition note 21}Go and wash thyself in [17] the pool^{Edition note 22} of Siloam.^{Edition note 23 Edition note 24}And he went and washed, and came seeing.

And his neighbours, which saw him of old begging, said, Is not this he that was sitting begging? [18] ^{Edition note 25}And some said, It is he; and others said, Nay, but he resembles him much. He [19, 20] said, I am he. ^{Edition note 26}They said unto him, How then were thine eyes opened? ^{Edition note 27}He answered and said unto them, A man named Jesus made clay, and smeared it on my eyes, and said unto me, Go and wash in the water of Siloam: and I went and [21] washed, and received sight.^{Edition note 28 Edition note 29}They said unto him, Where is he?

He said, I know not. [22, 23] [Arabic, p. 138] ^{Edition note 30}And they brought him that was previously blind to the Pharisees. ^{Edition note 31}And the day in which Jesus made clay and opened with it his eyes was a sabbath [24] day. ^{Edition note 32}And again the Pharisees asked him, How didst thou receive sight? And he said [25] unto them, He put clay on mine eyes, and I washed, and received sight. ^{Edition note 33}The people^{Edition note 34} of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he keepeth not the sabbath. And others said, How can a man that is a sinner do these signs?

And there came [26] to be a division amongst them. ^{Edition note 35}And again they said to that blind man, Thou, then, what sayest thou of him that opened for thee thine eyes? He said unto them, [27] I say that he is a prophet. ^{Edition note 36}And the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he was blind, and received sight, until they summoned the parents of him who received [28] sight, and asked them, ^{Edition note 37}Is this^{Edition note 38} your son, of whom ye said that he was born blind? [29] how then, behold, doth he now see? ^{Edition note 39}His parents answered and said, We know [30] that this is our son, and that he was born blind: ^{Edition note 40}but how he has come to see now, or who it is that opened his eyes, we know not: and he also has reached his prime; [31] ask him, and he will speak for himself. ^{Edition note 41}This said his parents, because they were fearing the Jews: and the Jews decided, that if any man should confess of him that [32] he was the Messiah, they would put him out of the synagogue. ^{Edition note 42}For this reason [33] said his parents, He hath reached his prime; ask him. ^{Edition note 43}And they called the man a second time, him that was blind, and said unto him, Praise God: we know that this [34] man is a sinner. ^{Edition note 44}He answered and said unto them, Whether he be a sinner, I know [35] not: I know one thing, that I was blind, and I now see. ^{Edition note 45}They said unto him again, [36] [Arabic, p. 139] What did he unto thee?

how opened he for thee thine eyes? ^{Edition note 46}He said unto them, I said unto you, and ye did not hear: what^{Edition note 47} wish ye further to hear? [37] ye also, do ye wish to become disciples to him? ^{Edition note 48}And they reviled him, and said unto him, Thou art the disciple^{Edition note 49} of that man; but as for us, we are the disciples of [38] Moses. ^{Edition note 50}And we know that God spake unto Moses: but this man, we know not [39] whence he is. ^{Edition note 51}The man answered and said unto them, From this is the wonder, [40] because ye know not whence he is, and mine eyes hath he opened. ^{Edition note 52}And we know that God heareth not the voice of sinners: but whosoever feareth him, and doeth [41] his will, him he heareth. ^{Edition note 53}From eternity hath it not been heard of, that a man [42] opened the eyes of a blind man, who had been born in blindness. ^{Edition note 54}If then this man [43] were not from God, he could not do that. ^{Edition note 55}They answered and said unto him, Thou wast all of thee born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they put him forth without.

[44] ^{Edition note 56}And Jesus heard of his being put forth without, and found him, and said unto [45] him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God? ^{Edition note 57}He that was made whole answered [46] and said, Who is he, my Lord, that I may believe in him? ^{Edition note 58}Jesus said unto him, [47] Thou hast seen him, and he that speaketh to thee is he. ^{Edition note 59}And he said, I believe, my Lord. And he fell down worshipping him.