At that Time Herod the Tetrarch Heard of the Fame of Jesus...

The Diatessaron of Tatian — Rev. Hope W. Hogg, B.D.

[1] [1266] At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and all the things which came to pass at his hand; [1267] and he marvelled, for he had obtained excellent [2] information concerning him. [1268] [1269] And some men said that John the Baptist was risen [3] from among the dead; [1270] and [1271] others said that Elijah had appeared; and others, Jeremiah; [4] and others, that a prophet of the old prophets was risen; [1272] and others said that he [5] was a prophet like one of the prophets. [1273] 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. [1274] 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. [1275] And John said to Herod, Thou hast no authority to take the wife of thy [8] brother. [1276] And Herodias avoided him and wished to kill him; and she could not. [9] [1277] 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. [1278] And he wished to kill him; but he feared the people, for they adhered to him as the [11] prophet. [1279] And there was a celebrated day, and Herod had made a feast for his great men on the day of his anniversary, [1280] and for the officers and for the chief men [12] of Galilee. [1281] 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. [1282] And he sware unto her, [14] Whatsoever thou shalt ask, I will give it thee, to the half of my kingdom. [1283] And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask him? [1284] She said unto her, The [15] head of John the Baptist. [1285] 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. [1286] And the king was exceeding sorry; but because of the oath and the [17] guests he did not wish to refuse her. [1287] 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, [1288] and brought it on a dish, and delivered it to the [19] damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother. [1289] And his disciples heard, and came [Arabic, p.71] and took his body, and buried it. [1290] And they came and told [1291] Jesus what [20] had happened. [1292] 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. [1293] 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. [1294]

[22] [1295] And many saw them going, and knew them, and hastened by land [1296] from all the cities, and came thither beforehand; [1297] for they saw the signs which he was doing on the [23, 24] sick. [1298] And Jesus went up into the mountain, and sat there with his disciples. [1299] And [25] the feast of the passover of the Jews was near. [1300] And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and saw great multitudes coming to him. [1301] And he was moved with compassion for them, for [26] they were like sheep that were without a shepherd. [1302] And he received them, and spake to them concerning the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

[27] [1303] And when the evening approached, [1304] his disciples came to him, and said unto [28] him, [1305] The place is desert, and the time is past; send away the multitudes of the people, [1306] 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. [1307] But he said unto them, They have [30] no need to go away; give ye them what may be eaten. [1308] They said unto him, We have not here enough. [1309] He said unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? [31, 32] [1310] And he said that proving him; and he knew what he was resolved to do. [1311] Philip said [Arabic, p.72] unto him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread would not suffice them after [1312] [33] every one of them hath taken a small amount. [1313] One of his disciples said unto [34] him (namely, Andrew the brother of Simon Cephas), [1314] Here is a lad having five loaves [35] of barley and two fishes: but this amount, what is it for all these? [1315] 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. [1316] 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. [1317] And the disciples did so. And all the people sat down [38] by companies, by hundreds and fifties. [1318] Then Jesus said unto them, Bring hither [39] those five loaves and the two fishes. [1319] 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; [1320] and the disciples set for the multitudes the bread [41] and the fish; and they ate, all of them, and were satisfied. [1321] And when they were satisfied, he said unto his disciples, Gather the fragments that remain over, that nothing [42] be lost. [1322] 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. [1323] And those people who ate were five thousand, besides the women and children. [44] [Arabic, p.73] [1324] 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. [1325] 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. [1326] 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] [1327] And when the nightfall was near, his disciples went down unto the sea, and sat [1328] in a boat, and came to the side of Capernaum. [1329] And the darkness came on, and Jesus [49] had not come to them. [1330] And the sea was stirred up against them by reason of a violent [50] wind that blew. [1331] And the boat was distant from the land many furlongs, and they were much damaged by the waves, and the wind was against them.

Footnotes:

[1266] Matthew 14:1; Luke 9:7b.

[1267] Mark 6:14b.

[1268] There can be little doubt that this is the meaning of the Arabic. There is nothing like it in the Peshitta; the Curetonian is of course lacking; but the phrase in the Sinaitic is very similar.

[1269] Luke 9.

[1270] Luke 9:8a; Matthew 16:14b.

[1271] Here begins verse 8a in Greek.

[1272] Luke 9:8b; Mark 6:15b.

[1273] Mark 6:16; Matthew 14:2b.

[1274] Mark 6:17.

[1275] Mark 6:18.

[1276] Mark 6:19.

[1277] Mark 6:20.

[1278] Matthew 14:5.

[1279] Mark 6:21.

[1280] Perhaps appointment (cf. Moesinger, p. 165; but Ishodad [Harris, Fragments, p. 65] and the Brit. Mus. text of Ibn-at-Tayyib's Commentary have the ordinary reading).

[1281] Mark 6:22.

[1282] Mark 6:23.

[1283] Mark 6:24.

[1284] Or simply ask.

[1285] Mark 6:25.

[1286] Mark 6:26.

[1287] Mark 6:27.

[1288] Mark 6:28.

[1289] Mark 6:29.

[1290] Matthew 14:12b.

[1291] Or, to tell.

[1292] Luke 9:9.