Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume IX/The Diatessaron of Tatian/The Diatessaron/Section XVI

Section XVI.

[1] Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, that they might tempt him, [2] and said, Teacher, we desire to see a sign from thee.&#160; He answered and said, This evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign; and it shall not be given a sign, [3] except the sign of Jonah the prophet.&#160; And as Jonah was a sign to the inhabitants [4] of Nineveh, so shall the Son of man also be to this generation.&#160; And as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man [5] be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.&#160; The queen of the south shall rise in the judgement with the people of this generation, and condemn them:&#160; for she came from the ends of the earth that she might hear the wisdom of Solomon; [6] [Arabic, p. 62] and behold, here is a better than Solomon.&#160; The men of Nineveh shall stand in the judgement with this generation, and condemn it:&#160; for they repented at [7] the preaching of Jonah; and behold, here is a greater than Jonah.&#160; The unclean spirit, when he goeth out of the man, departeth, and goeth about through places wherein are no waters, that he may find rest for himself; and when he findeth it not, he [8] saith, I will return to my house whence I came out.&#160; And if he come and find it [9] adorned and set in order, then he goeth, and associateth with himself seven other spirits worse than himself; and they enter and dwell in it:&#160; and the end of that man [10] shall be worse than his beginning.&#160; Thus shall it be unto this evil generation.

[11] And while he was saying that, a woman from the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts that nursed [12] thee.&#160; But he said unto her, Blessed is he that heareth the word of God, and keepeth it.

[13] And while he was speaking unto the multitude, there came unto him his mother [14] and his brethren, and sought to speak with him; and they were not able, because of [15] the multitude; and they stood without and sent, calling him unto them.&#160; A man said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren are standing without, and seek to [16] speak with thee.&#160; But he answered unto him that spake unto him, Who is my [17] mother? and who are my brethren?&#160; And he beckoned with his hand, stretching it out towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother! and behold, my brethren!&#160; [18] And every man that shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.

[19] And after that, Jesus was going about in the cities and in the villages, and proclaiming [Arabic, p. 63] and preaching the kingdom of God, and his twelve with him, [20] and the women which had been healed of diseases and of evil spirits, Mary [21] that was called Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod&#8217;s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to them of their substance.

[22] And after that, Jesus went out of the house, and sat on the sea shore.&#160; And there [23] gathered unto him great multitudes.&#160; And when the press of the people was great upon him, he went up and sat in the boat; and all the multitude was standing on the [24] shore of the sea.&#160; And he spake to them much in parables, and said, The sower [25] went forth to sow:&#160; and when he sowed, some fell on the beaten highway; and it was [26] trodden upon, and the birds ate it.&#160; And other fell on the rocks:&#160; and some, where there was not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no depth in [27] the earth:&#160; and when the sun rose, it withered; and because it had no root, it dried [28] up.&#160; And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it; [29] and it yielded no fruit.&#160; And other fell into excellent and good ground; and it came up, and grew, and brought forth fruit, some thirty, and some sixty, and some [30] a hundred. &#160; And when he said that, he cried, He that hath ears that hear, let him [31] hear.&#160; And when they were alone, his disciples came, and asked him, and said unto [32] him, What is this parable? and why spakest thou unto them in parables?&#160; He [Arabic, p. 64] answered and said unto them, Unto you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God; but it is not given unto them that are [33] without.&#160; He that hath shall be given unto, and there shall be added; and he that [34] hath not, that which he hath shall be taken from him also.&#160; For this cause therefore I speak unto them in parables; because they see, and see not; and hear, and hear [35] not, nor understand.&#160; And in them is being fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said,

Hearing they shall hear, and shall not understand;

And seeing they shall see, and shall not perceive:

[36] The heart of this people is waxed gross,

And their hearing with their ears is become heavy,

And they have closed their eyes;

Lest they should see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears,

And understand with their hearts,

And should return,

And I should heal them.

[37, 38] But ye, blessed are your eyes, which see; and your ears, which hear.&#160; Blessed [39] are the eyes which see what ye see.&#160; Verily I say unto you, Many of the prophets and the righteous longed to see what ye see, and saw not; and to hear what ye [40] hear, and heard not.&#160; When ye know not this parable, how shall ye know all parables?&#160; [41, 42] Hear ye the parable of the sower.&#160; The sower which sowed, sowed the word [43] of God.&#160; Every one who heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, the evil one cometh and snatcheth away the word that hath been sown in his [44] heart:&#160; and this is that which was sown on the middle of the highway.&#160; But that which was sown on the rocks is he that heareth the word, and straightway receiveth [45, 46] [Arabic, p. 65] it with joy; only, it hath no root in his soul, but his belief in it is for a time; and whenever there is distress or persecution because of a word, he [47] stumbleth quickly.&#160; And that which was sown among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the error of riches, and the rest of the [48] other lusts enter, and choke the word, and it becometh without fruit.&#160; And that which was sown in good ground is he that heareth my word in a pure and good heart, and understandeth it, and holdeth to it, and bringeth forth fruit with patience, and produceth either a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirty.

[49] And he said, So is the kingdom of God, like a man who casteth seed into the [50] earth, and sleepeth and riseth by night and day, and the seed groweth and cometh [51] up, whence he knoweth not.&#160; And the earth bringeth it to the fruit; and first it [52] will be blade, and after it ear, and at last perfect wheat in the ear:&#160; and whenever the fruit ripeneth, he bringeth immediately the sickle, for the harvest hath come.