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

Section XXXVII.

[1] And Jesus said, To judge the world am I come, so that they that see not may [2] see, and they that see may become blind.&#160; And some of the Pharisees which were [3] with him heard that, and they said unto him, Can it be that we are blind?&#160; Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin:&#160; but now ye say, We see:&#160; and because of this your sin remaineth.

[4] [Arabic, p. 140] Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever entereth not into the fold of the sheep by the door, but goeth up from another place, that man is a thief and a [5, 6] stealer.&#160; But he that entereth by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.&#160; And therefore the keeper of the door openeth for him the door; and the sheep hear his voice:&#160; and [7] he calleth his sheep by their names, and they go forth unto him.&#160; And when he putteth forth his sheep, he goeth before them, and his sheep follow him:&#160; because [8] they know his voice.&#160; And after a stranger will the sheep not go, but they flee from [9] him:&#160; because they hear not the voice of a stranger.&#160; This parable spake Jesus unto them:&#160; but they knew not what he was saying unto them.

[10] Jesus said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the [11] sheep.&#160; And all that came are thieves and stealers:&#160; but the sheep heard them not.&#160; [12] I am the door:&#160; and if a man enter by me, he shall live, and shall go in and go out, [13] and shall find pasture.&#160; And the stealer cometh not, save that he may steal, and kill, and destroy:&#160; but I came that they might have life, and that they might have [14] the thing that is better. &#160; I am the good shepherd; and the good shepherd giveth [15] himself for his sheep.&#160; But the hireling, who is not a shepherd, and whose the sheep are not, when he seeth the wolf as it cometh, leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, [16] and the wolf cometh, and snatcheth away the sheep, and scattereth them:&#160; and the [17] hireling fleeth because he is an hireling, and hath no care for the sheep.&#160; I am the [18] good shepherd; and I know what is mine, and what is mine knoweth me, as my Father knoweth me, and I know my Father; and I give myself for the sheep.&#160; [19] And I have other sheep also, that are not of this flock:&#160; them also I must invite, and they shall hear my voice; and all the sheep shall be one, and the shepherd one.&#160; [20] [Arabic, p. 141] And therefore doth my Father love me, because I give my life, that I may [21] take it again.&#160; No man taketh it from me, but I leave it of my own choice.&#160; And I have the right to leave it, and have the right also to take it.&#160; And this commandment did I receive of my Father.

[22] And there occurred a disagreement among the Jews because of these sayings.&#160; [23] And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is afflicted with madness; why listen [24] ye to him?&#160; And others said, These sayings are not those of men possessed with demons.&#160; Can a demon haply open the eyes of a blind man?

[25, 26] And the feast of the dedication came on at Jerusalem:&#160; and it was winter.&#160; And [27] Jesus was walking in the temple in the porch of Solomon.&#160; The Jews therefore surrounded him, and said unto him, Until when dost thou make our hearts anxious?&#160; [28] If thou art the Messiah, tell us plainly.&#160; He answered and said unto them, I told you, and ye believe not:&#160; and the deeds that I do in my Father&#8217;s name bear witness [29, 30] to me.&#160; But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.&#160; [31] And my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they come after me:&#160; and I give them eternal life; and they shall not perish for ever, nor shall any man snatch [32] them out of my hands. &#160; For the Father, who hath given them unto me, is greater [33] than all; and no man is able to take them from the hand of my Father.&#160; I and [34, 35] my Father are one.&#160; And the Jews took stones to stone him.&#160; Jesus said unto them, Many good deeds from my Father have I shewed you; because of which of them, [36] then, do ye stone me?&#160; The Jews said unto him, Not for the good deeds do we stone thee, but because thou blasphemest; and, whilst thou art a man, makest thyself [37] God.&#160; Jesus said unto them, Is it not thus written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?&#160; [38] [Arabic, p. 142] And if he called those gods&#8212;for to them came the word of God (and it is [39] not possible in the scripture that anything should be undone)&#8212; he then, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, do ye say that he blasphemeth; [40] because I said unto you, I am the Son of God?&#160; If then I do not the deeds of my [41] Father, ye believe me not. &#160; But if I do, even if ye believe not me, believe the deeds:&#160; that ye may know and believe that my Father is in me, and I in my Father.&#160; [42] And they sought again to take him:&#160; and he went forth out of their hands.

[43] And he went beyond Jordan to the place where John was baptizing formerly; [44] and abode there.&#160; And many people came unto him; and they said, John did not [45] work even one sign:&#160; but all that John said of this man is truth.&#160; And many believed in him.

[46] And there was a sick man, named Lazarus, of the village of Bethany, the brother [47] of Mary and Martha.&#160; And Mary was she that anointed with sweet ointment the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair; and Lazarus, who was sick, was the [48] brother of this woman. &#160; And his sisters sent unto Jesus, and said unto him, Our [49] Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.&#160; But Jesus said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glorifying of God, that the Son of God may be glorified [50, 51] because of it.&#160; And Jesus loved Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus.&#160; And when he [52] heard that he was sick, he abode in the place where he was two days.&#160; And after that, [53] he said unto his disciples, Come, let us go into Jud&#230;a.&#160; His disciples said unto him, Our [Arabic, p. 143] Master, now the Jews desire to stone thee; and goest thou again thither?&#160; [54, 55] Jesus said unto them, Is not the day of twelve hours?&#160; If then a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of the world.&#160; But if [56] a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no lamp in him.&#160; This said Jesus:&#160; and after that, he said unto them, Lazarus our friend hath fallen asleep; but [57] I am going to awaken him.&#160; His disciples said unto him, Our Lord, if he hath [58] fallen asleep, he will recover.&#160; But Jesus said that concerning his death:&#160; while they [59] supposed that he spake of lying down to sleep.&#160; Then Jesus said unto them plainly, [60] Lazarus is dead.&#160; And I am glad that I was not there for your sakes, that ye may [61] believe; but let us go thither.&#160; Thomas, who is called Thama, said to the disciples, his companions, Let us also go, and die with him.