The (Basic) Order in Ephraem's Diatessaron

I tried to get this article published in the Journal of Early Christianity which demonstrated that Secret Mark was related to the Diatessaron. Good luck with that in America! David Brakke is an extremely bright man. He figured out a way of diffusing my enthusiasm by passing my unfinished paper over to Bart Ehrman to do the rejecting. I went along with it. What am I going to say? I have always believed that if something is true it will be made manifest at some point down the line. There are all these monkeys with all these keyboards. Eventually someone is going to make it happen.

In any event enough about me. Let's deal with the idea.

For some reason scholars feel satisfied with Irenaeus pulling the idea of four gospels out of the air and christening them 'Matthew,' 'Mark,' 'Luke' and 'John.' Oh it's tradition! So is the idea of four winds 'breathing' the truth into those four guys. Where do you stop with tradition? Oh yeah, 'scholarship' is supposed to be about taking those stupid, silly, unrealistic, unbelievable ideas from people like Irenaeus and making them sound believable by applying all sorts of pseudo-scientific terminology to them.

So what you are left with is an industry which actually takes Irenaeus' original claims and works diligently to make them sound believable or plausible.

This is science?

Oh but it's not science ... it's faith. Or maybe it's 'scientific faith.' In the end who knows with these people. They are really something.

So let's offer an alternative hypothesis.

Maybe Irenaeus was a liar. After all he admits to being part of a Church that was very powerfully connected in the court of one of the worst Emperors in history (after 235 'worst' gets much worse but at the very least let's say that Commodus was the worst up until that time.

Yet the Catholic Church was having its golden age and the idea of the gospels being four was first being introduced to the world ... oh, coincidence. Of course.

So around the same time as Irenaeus is selling this BS about THE gospel being four Clement of Alexandria writes about this fuller gospel written by Mark (I am sorry Birger, Steve and all the rest of the gay-bashers the text is real). Now all modern scholars who examine and write about 'Secret Mark' (as the text is called) believe in this four gospel bullshit invented by Irenaeus (Irenaeus' teacher Polycarp used a Diatessaron - just look at the gospel citations from that text for once!). So even those who defend the text (like Scott Brown) do so based on its 'Markan' character while those who dismiss it say Smith was so brilliant that he made it 'more Markan than Mark.' Sheesh!

Scholars are not trained to think out of the box. They're plumbers rather than architects.

The way that Secret Mark fits into the development of the gospel is that it is related to the Diatessaron, a single long gospel text that was used in the Middle East into the Islamic period (Mohammed likely used a Diatessaron).

In any event I will develop this understanding over the course of the next few months (I am currently writing a paper for another journal). For the moment let me just say that in order to connect Secret Mark to the Diatessaron tradition you have to go beyond the surviving 'gospel harmonies' out there to the text cited in Ephraim of Edessa's Commentary on the Diatessaron.

This text is older and actually has less 'added' material that the surviving texts (which date from a much later period and went from Baghdad to Egypt montly).

So before we compare Secret Mark to the single long gospel tradition (hereafter referred to as SLG) let's breakdown the order in Ephraim's text:

Jesus and the Rich Fool
Jesus and the Rich Youth
Warning Against Riches
Raising of Lazarus
Parable of the Laborers
Zaccheus
The Blind Man

Now I know everyone is going to ask - why should I care about any of this? The answer is that it will all lead us back to the Marcionite gospel which was as Schmidt notes - a single long gospel (forget what Irenaeus says about it; he's working to advance his four gospels gospel).

Here's the basic structure for those who can figure things out on your own. More instruction later

Peace


And while Jesus was going in the way, there came near to him a young man of the rulers, and fell on his knees, and asked him, and said, Good Teacher, what is it that I must do that I may have eternal life? Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good, while there is none good but the one, even God? Thou knowest the com- mandments. If thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. The young Arabic. man said unto him, Which of the commandments? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shall not do injury, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Love thy neighbour as thyself. That young man said unto him, All these have I kept from my youth: what then is it that I lack? And Jesus looked intently at him, and loved him, and said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, what thou lackest is one thing: go away and sell everything that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and take thy cross, and follow me. And that young man frowned at this word, and went away feeling sad; for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw his sadness, he looked towards his disciples, and said unto them, How hard it is for them that have possessions to enter the kingdom of God!

Verily I say unto you, It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And I say unto you also, that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And the disciples were wondering at these sayings. And Jesus answered and said unto them again, My children, how hard it is for those that rely on their possessions to enter the kingdom of God! And those that were listening wondered more, and said amongst themselves, being agitated, Who, thinkest thou, can be saved? And Jesus looked at them intently, and said unto them, With men this is not possible, but with God it is possible for God to do everything. Simon Cephas said unto him, Lo, we have left everything, and followed thee; what is it, thinkest thou, that we 7 shall have? Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, Ye that have followed me, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit on twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Verily I say unto you, No man leaveth houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or kinsfolk, or lands, because of the kingdom of God, or for my sake, and the sake of my gospel, who shall not obtain many times as much in this time, and in the world to come inherit eternal life: and now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecution; 11 and in the world to come everlasting life. Many that are first shall be last, and that are last shall be first.

And he began to say, A certain man was rich, and wore silk and purple, and en- joyed himself every day in splendour: and there was a poor man named Lazarus, and he was cast down at the door of the rich man, afflicted with sores, and he longed to fill Arabic, his belly with the crumbs that fell from the table of that rich man; yea, even the dogs used to come and lick his sores. And it happened that that poor man died, and the angels conveyed him into the bosom of Abraham: and the rich man also died, and was buried. And while he was being tormented in Hades, he lifted up his eyes from afar, and saw Abraham with Lazarus in his bosom. And he called with a loud voice, and said, My father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to wet the tip of his finger with water, and moisten my tongue for me; for, behold, I am burned in this flame. Abraham said unto him, My son, remember that thou receivedst thy good things in thy life, and Lazarus his afflictions: but now, behold, he is at rest here, and thou art tormented. And in addition to all this, there is between us and you a great abyss placed, so that they that would cross unto you from hence cannot, nor yet from thence do they cross unto us. He said unto him, Then I beseech thee, my father, to send him to my father's house; for I have five brethren; let him go, that they also sin not, and come to the abode of this torment. Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. He said unto him, Nay, my father Abraham: but let a man from the dead go unto them, and they will repent. Abraham said unto him, If they listen neither to Moses nor to the prophets, neither if a man from the dead rose would they believe him.

The kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. And he agreed with the labourers on one penny a day for each labourer, and he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out in three hours, and saw others standing in the market idle. He said unto them, Go ye also into my vineyard, and what is right I will pay you. And they went. And he went out also at the sixth and the ninth hour, and did like- wise, and sent them. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said unto them, Why are ye standing the whole day idle? They said unto him, Because no one hath hired us. He said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and what is right ye shall receive. So when evening came, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the labourers, and pay them their wages; and begin with the later ones, and end with the former ones. And those of eleven hours came, and received each a penny. When therefore the first came, they supposed that they should receive something more; and they also received each a penny. And when they received it, they spake angrily against the householder, and said, These last worked one hour, and thou hast made them equal with us, who have suffered the heat of the day, and its burden. He answered and said unto one of them, My friend, I do thee no wrong: was it not for a penny that thou didst bargain with me? Take what is thine, and go thy way; for I wish to give this last as I have given thee. Or am I not entitled to do with what is mine what I choose? Or is thine eye perchance evil, because I am good? Thus shall the last ones be first, and the first last. The called are many, and the chosen are few.

And while they were going up in the way to Jerusalem, Jesus went in front of them; and they wondered, and followed him fearing. And he took his twelve disciples apart, and began to tell them privately what was about to befall him. And he said unto Arabic, them, We are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things shall be fulfilled that are written in the prophets concerning the Son of man. He shall be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and deliver him to the peoples; and they shall treat him shamefully, and scourge him, and spit in his face, and humble him, and crucify him, and slay him: and on the third day he shall rise.


And they come into Bethany. And a certain woman whose brother had died was there. And, coming, she prostrated herself before Jesus and says to him, 'Son of David, have mercy on me.' But the disciples rebuked her. And Jesus, being angered, went off with her into the garden where the tomb was, and straightway a great cry was heard from the tomb. And going near Jesus rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb. And straightway, going in where the youth was, he stretched forth his hand and raised him, seizing his hand. But the youth, looking upon him, loved him and began to beseech him that he might be with him. And going out of the tomb they came into the house of the youth, for he was rich. And after six days Jesus told him what to do and in the evening the youth comes to him, wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the kingdom of God. And thence, arising, he returned to the other side of the Jordan

Then came near to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, she and her sons, and worshipped him, and asked of him a certain thing. And he said unto her, What wouldest thou? And James and John, her two sons, came forward, and said unto him, Teacher, we would that all that we ask thou wouldest do unto us. He said unto them, What would ye that I should do unto you? They said unto him, Grant us that we may sit, the one on thy right, and the other So on thy left, in thy kingdom and thy glory. And Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am to drink? and with the baptism that I am to be baptized with, will ye be baptized? And they said unto him, We are able. Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism wherewith I am baptized ye shall be baptized: but that ye should sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give; but it is for him for whom my Father hath prepared it.

And when Jesus entered and passed through Jericho, and the sister of the youth whom Jesus loved and his mother and Salome were there, and Jesus did not receive them. And there was a man named Zac- chaeus, rich, and chief of the publicans. And he desired to see Jesus who he was; and he was not able for the pressure of the crowd, because Zacchaeus was little of stature. Arabic, And he hastened, and went before Jesus, and went up into an unripe fig tree to see Jesus: for he was to pass thus. And when Jesus came to that place, he saw him, and said unto him, Make haste, and come down, Zacchaeus: to-day I must be in thy house. And he hastened, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they all saw, they murmured, and said, He hath gone in and lodged with a man that is a sinner. So Zacchaeus stood, and said unto Jesus, My Lord, now half of my possessions I give to the poor, and what I have unjustly taken from every man I give him fourfold. Jesus said unto him, To-day is salva- tion come to this house, because this man also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and save the thing that was lost.

25 And when Jesus went out of Jericho, he and his disciples, there came after him a great multitude. And there was a blind man sitting by the way side begging. And his name was Timaeus, the son of Timaeus. And he heard the sound of the multitude passing, and asked, Who is this? They said unto him, Jesus the Naza- rene passeth by. And when he heard that it was Jesus, he called out with a loud voice, and said, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And those that went before Jesus were rebuking him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more, and said, Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded that they should call him. And they called the blind man, and said unto him, Be of good courage, and rise; for, behold, he calleth thee. And the blind 33 man threw away his garment, and rose, and came to Jesus. Jesus said unto him, What dost thou wish that I should do unto thee? And that blind man said unto him, My Lord and Master, that my eyes may be opened, so that I may see thee. Arabic, And Jesus had compassion on him, and touched his eyes, and said unto him, See; for thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and came after him, and praised God; and all the people that saw praised God.