Introductory Notes

Section XXIII

Page 30 of 468

¹¹⁶⁰⁶ And Jesus departed thence, and came to the side of the sea of Galilee, and went² up into the mountain, and sat there.¹⁶⁰⁷ And there came unto him great multitudes, having with them lame, and blind, and dumb, and maimed, and many others, and³ they cast them at the feet of Jesus:¹⁶⁰⁸ for they had seen all the signs which he did in⁴ Jerusalem, when they were gathered at the feast.¹⁶⁰⁹ And he healed them all.¹⁶¹⁰ And those multitudes marvelled when they saw dumb men speak, and maimed men healed, and lame men walk, and blind men see; and they praised the God of Israel.

⁵¹⁶¹¹ And Jesus called his disciples, and said unto them, I have compassion on this multitude, because of their continuing with me three days, having nothing to eat; and to send them away fasting I am not willing, lest they faint in the way,¹⁶¹² some of them having⁶ [Arabic, p. 89] come from far.¹⁶¹³ His disciples said unto him, Whence have we in the desert⁷ bread wherewith to satisfy all this multitude?¹⁶¹⁴ Jesus said unto them, How⁸ many loaves have ye?¹⁶¹⁵ They said unto him, Seven, and a few small fishes. And he⁹ commanded the multitudes to sit down upon the ground;¹⁶¹⁶ and he took those seven loaves and the fish, and blessed, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before¹⁰ them; and the disciples set before the multitudes.¹⁶¹⁷ And they all ate, and were satisfied: and they took that which remained over of the fragments, seven basketfuls.¹¹¹⁶¹⁸ And the people that ate were four thousand men, besides the women and children.¹²¹⁶¹⁹ And when the multitudes departed, he went up into the boat, and came to the borders of Magada.¹⁶²⁰

¹³¹⁶²¹ And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him, and began to seek a discussion with him. And they asked him to shew them a sign from heaven, tempting him.¹⁴¹⁶²² And Jesus sighed within himself, and said, What sign seeketh this evil and adulterous generation? It seeketh a sign, and it shall not be given a sign, except the sign¹⁵ of Jonah the prophet.¹⁶²³ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not be given a¹⁶ sign.¹⁶²⁴ And he left¹⁶²⁵ them, and went up into the boat, and went away to that side.

¹⁷¹⁶²⁶ And his disciples forgot to take with them bread, and there was not with them¹⁸ in the boat, not even¹⁶²⁷ one loaf.¹⁶²⁸ And Jesus charged them, and said, Take heed, and guard yourselves from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and from the¹⁹ leaven of Herod.¹⁶²⁹ And they reflected within themselves that they had taken with them²⁰ no bread.¹⁶³⁰ And Jesus knew, and said unto them, Why¹⁶³¹ think ye within yourselves, O ye of little faith, and are anxious, because ye have no bread?¹⁶³² until now do ye not perceive,²¹ neither understand? is your heart yet hard?¹⁶³³ And have ye eyes, and yet see not?²² [Arabic, p. 90] and have ye ears, and yet hear not?¹⁶³⁴ and do ye not remember when I brake those five loaves for five thousand? and how many baskets full of broken²³ pieces took ye¹⁶³⁵ up? They said, Twelve.¹⁶³⁶ He said unto them, And the seven also for four thousand: how many baskets full of broken pieces took ye¹⁶³⁷ up? They²⁴ said, Seven.¹⁶³⁸ He said unto them, How have ye not understood that I spake not to you because of¹⁶³⁹ the bread, but that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees²⁵ and Sadducees?¹⁶⁴⁰ Then they understood that he spake, not that they should beware of the leaven of the bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which he called leaven.

²⁶¹⁶⁴¹ And after that, he came to Bethsaida. And they brought to him a certain¹⁶⁴² blind²⁷ man, and besought him that he would touch him.¹⁶⁴³ And he took the hand of that blind man, and led him out without the village, and spat in his eyes, and laid his²⁸ hand on him,¹⁶⁴⁴ and asked him, What seest thou?¹⁶⁴⁵ And that blind man looked intently,²⁹ and said unto him, I see men as trees walking.¹⁶⁴⁶ And he placed his hand³⁰ again on his eyes; and they were restored,¹⁶⁴⁷ and he saw everything clearly.¹⁶⁴⁸ And he sent him to his house, and said, Do not enter even into the village, nor tell any man in the village.

³¹¹⁶⁴⁹ And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, to the villages of Cæsarea Philippi.³²¹⁶⁵⁰ And while he was going in the way, and his disciples alone,¹⁶⁵¹ he asked his disciples,³³ and said, What do men say of me that I am, the Son of man?¹⁶⁵²¹⁶⁵³ They said unto him, Some say, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the [34, 35] prophets.¹⁶⁵⁴ He said unto them, And ye, what say ye that I am?¹⁶⁵⁵ Simon Cephas answered³⁶ [Arabic, p. 91] and said, Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.¹⁶⁵⁶ Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah: flesh and³⁷ blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.¹⁶⁵⁷ And I say unto thee also, that thou art Cephas,¹⁶⁵⁸ and on this rock will I build my church; and the³⁸ gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.¹⁶⁵⁹ To thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and³⁹ whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.¹⁶⁶⁰ And he sternly charged his disciples, and warned them that they should not tell any man concerning him,⁴⁰ that he was the Messiah.¹⁶⁶¹ And henceforth began Jesus to shew to his disciples⁴¹ that he was determined¹⁶⁶² to go to Jerusalem,¹⁶⁶³ and suffer much, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and of the scribes, and be killed, and on the⁴² third day rise.¹⁶⁶⁴ And he was speaking¹⁶⁶⁵ plainly.¹⁶⁶⁶ And Simon Cephas, as one grieved⁴³ for him, said, Far be thou, my Lord, from that.¹⁶⁶⁷ And he turned, and looked upon⁴⁴ his disciples, and rebuked Simon, and said,¹⁶⁶⁸ Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou art a stumblingblock unto me: for thou thinkest not of what pertains to God, but of what pertains to men.

⁴⁵¹⁶⁶⁹ And Jesus called the multitudes with his disciples, and said unto them, Whosoever would come after me, let him deny himself, and take his cross every day, and⁴⁶ come after me.¹⁶⁷⁰ And whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever⁴⁷ loseth his life for my sake, and for the sake of my gospel, shall save it.¹⁶⁷¹ What shall⁴⁸ a man profit, if he gain all the world, and destroy¹⁶⁷² his own life,¹⁶⁷³ or lose it?¹⁶⁷⁴ or what⁴⁹ [Arabic, p. 92] will a man give in ransom for his life?¹⁶⁷⁵¹⁶⁷⁶ Whosoever shall deny me and my sayings in this sinful and adulterous generation, the Son of man also will⁵⁰ deny him, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with his holy angels.¹⁶⁷⁷ For the Son of man is about to¹⁶⁷⁸ come in the glory of his Father with his holy angels; and then shall he reward each man according to his works.

Notes

1
Parechein mikropsuchian, perhaps "causes you ill-feeling." The translation of Serapion's letter with this note is taken from Mr. Armitage Robinson's edition of the gospel.
1606
.
2
This translation is based on that which I published in The Gospel and Apocalypse of Peter: Two Lectures, etc. (Camb., 1892). It is now carefully revised in accordance with the photographic facsimile. A corrected Greek text will be found in Dr. Swete's edition (1893).
1607
a.
3
Par[alem]phthenai is perhaps supported by paralabontes, .
1608
b.
4
I know no other instance of stauriskein.
1609
b.
1610
.
5
cf. , where Syr. Pesch. reads: "They say, These bodies shall not remain on the cross, because the sabbath dawneth."
1611
.
1612
b.
6
The text here is corrupt: for epesanto I have provisionally read epesan te.
1613
.
7
For autos horas we must read autes horas (cf. Clem., Hom., xx., 16); aute is the equivalent in later Greek literature of ekeine, as in the modern tongue (cf. Lc. x. 7, 21, and xii. 12; || ekeine, Mt., Mc.)
1614
.
8
I have ventured to substitute meta, "together with" (cf. ), for kata, "down upon." Dr. Swete, however, keeps kata, and interprets it as "against," i.e., to guard the sepulchre against.
1615
.
9
The form of the question in the Greek suggests a negative answer.
1616
.
10
[cf. John passim.]
1617
.
11
[cf. .]
1618
.
12
[cf. ; .]
1619
.
1620
Arabic Magadu, as in Peshitta.
13
[cf. .]
1621
a; b.
14
[cf. ; .]
1622
a; .
15
[cf. .]
1623
b.
16
[cf. .]
1624
.
1625
cf. § 11, 32, note.
17
For further explanation of the method followed see 20.
1626
.
18
See notes to § 7, 47, and § 52, 36, of the present translation.
1627
The change of a single letter in the Arabic would turn not even into except; but Ibn-at-Tayyib's Commentary (Brit. Mus. text) also has not even.
1628
.
19
See below, 12, (2).
1629
.
20
See also below, 6, and 20.
1630
.
1631
Lit. What. See note to § 7, 38.
1632
b.
21
Bibl. Or., i., 619.
1633
.
22
Mai, Vet. script. nova. collect., iv., 14.
1634
.
23
cf. Zahn, Forschungen, i., 294 ff.
1635
Or, ye took.
1636
.
1637
Or, ye took.
24
See below, § 7, 47, note, and § 52, 36, note.
1638
a; .
1639
Or, concerning.
25
See below, § 28, 43, note.
1640
.
26
See below, foot-notes, passim.
1641
.
1642
Lit. one, probably representing Syriac idiom (cf. Sinaitic?).
27
The first leaf bears a more pretentious Latin inscription, quoted by Ciasca, p. vi.
1643
.
28
Can this be a misprint for 95?
1644
The Peshitta also omits on him.
1645
.
29
See below, 13.
1646
.
30
He does not state, in so many words, that the list is absolutely exhaustive.
1647
An intransitive word.
1648
.
31
See, e.g., below, § 13, 42, note, and § 14, 43, note.
1649
a.
32
See the valuable article of Guidi, "Le traduzioni degli Evangelii in arabo e in etiopico" (Atti della R. Accademia dei Lincei; Classe di Scienze Morali, Storiche e filologiche. Serie Quarta, 1888, Parte Prima—Memorie, pp. 5-38). Some of his results are briefly stated in Scrivener, A Plain Introd. to the Crit. of the N.T., 4th ed., ii., 162.
1650
b.
1651
Or, his disciples being alone. There is no such clause in the Syriac versions (Pesh., Sin.).
33
cf.the foot-notes passim, e.g., § 13, 14, § 14, 24.
1652
The Arabic, which reappears in Ibn-at-Tayyib's Commentary (Brit. Mus. text), and seems to represent the consonantal text of the Peshitta, is awkward. § 23, 34 (Arabic), shows, however, that the rendering given in the text is the meaning intended by the translator.
1653
.
1654
.
1655
.
36
The references to the readings of the Diatessaron in Ibn-at-Tayyib's own commentary on the gospels (see next note) are remarkably impersonal for one who had made or was to make a translation of it.
1656
.
37
A specially important part of the general question is this, What are the mutual relations of the following: (1) a supposed version of at least Matthew and John made from the Syriac by Ibn-at-Tayyib, mentioned by Ibn-al-Assal in the Preface to his scholarly recension of the gospels (ms. numbered Or. 3382 in Brit. Mus., folio 384b) and used by him in determining his text; (2) the gospel text interwoven with the commentary of Ibn-at-Tayyib on the gospels, a commentary which De Slane says the author wrote in Syriac and then translated into Arabic; (3) our present work. Of mss. testifying to No. 1 we have some dating from the time of Ibn-al-Assal himself; of No. 2 we have, in addition to others, an eleventh-century ms. in Paris, described by De Slane (catalogue No. 85) as being "un volume dépareillé du ms. original de l'ouvrage"; of No. 3 we have of course the Vatican and Borgian mss. What is the mutual relation of these texts; were any two of them identical? The Brit. Mus. ms. of the second has many points of contact with the third, but is dated 1805 a.d. Does the older Paris ms. stand more or less closely related? Did Ibn-at-Tayyib himself really translate any or all of these texts, or did he simply select or edit them? Space does not permit us to point out, far less to discuss, the various possibilities.
1657
.
1658
Same Arabic word in both places. See note to § 5, 11.
38
The text is given below in full at its proper place.
1659
.
39
Prof. Gottheil, indeed, announced in 1892 in the Journal of Biblical Literature (vol. xi., pt. i., p. 71) that he had been privately informed of the existence of a complete copy of the Syriac Diatessaron. Unfortunately, however, as he has kindly informed me, he has reluctantly come to the conclusion that the ms. in question, which is not yet accessible, is "nothing more than the commentary of Ishodad" mentioned in the text. A similar rumor lately circulated probably originated simply in the pamphlet of Goussen mentioned in the next note. S. Bäumer, on the other hand, in his article, "Tatians Diatessaron, seine bisher. Lit. u. die Reconstruction des Textes nach einer neuentdeckten Handschrift" (Literarischer Handweiser, 1890, 153-169) which the present writer has not been able to see, perhaps refers simply to the Borgian ms.
1660
.
40
Attention was called to these by Profs. Isaac H. Hall and R. J. H. Gottheil (Journ. of Bibl. Lit., x., 153 ff.; xi., 68 ff.); then by Prof. J. R. Harris (Contemp. Rev., Aug., 1895, p. 271 ff., and, more fully, Fragments of the Com. of Ephr. Syr. on the Diatess., London, 1895) and by Goussen (Studia Theologica, fasc. i., Lips., 1895).
1661
a.
41
Prof. Harris promises an edition of this commentary.
1662
The word is freely used in this work in the post-classical sense of about to.
1663
b.
42
Harris, Fragments, p. 14, where the Syriac text is quoted.
1664
a.
1665
The Arabic might perhaps be construed and to speak, depending on began in § 23, 40; but the clause agrees with the Sinaitic of Mark, as does the following.
1666
.
43
Bib. Or., ii., 159 f. Most of them are repeated again by Bar Hebræus (d. 1286), although some confusion is produced by his interweaving some phrases from Eusebius of Cæsarea. (Bib. Or., i., 57 f., and a longer quotation in English in Contemp. Rev., Aug., 1895, p. 274 f.)
1667
a.
44
Lagarde's statement (Nachrichten von der Königl. Gesellsch. der Wiss., etc., zu Göttingen, 1891, No. 4, p. 153) that a ms. had been discovered, appears to have been unfounded. Prof. Rahlfs of Göttingen kindly tells me that he believes this is so.
1668
b.
45
Migne, Patrol. græc., tom. lxxxiii., col. 369, 372.
1669
a; b.
46
Published at Venice in 1836.
1670
.
47
The two Armenian mss. are dated a.d. 1195.
1671
.
48
Evangelii Concordantis Expositio, facta a S. Ephraemo (Ven., 1876).
1672
Or, lose.
1673
Or, self; or, soul.
1674
.
49
Forschungen zur Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Kanons, I. Theil.
1675
Or, self; or, soul.
1676
.
50
Edited by Ernestus Ranke, Marb. and Lips., 1868.
1677
.
1678
See § 23, 40, note.

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 9, ed. Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson and A. Cleveland Coxe (1885–96). Public domain. Text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.