On the Greek Version of the Diatessaron

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before. There is an early fragment of a Greek version of the Diatessaron, consisting (as I remember) of fourteen lines. I haven’t seen it, but it seems to be accepted that it is a translation from Syriac. This judgment is based on the fact that it bristles with expressions and constructions that are not natural Greek and are over-literal or mechanical translations from Syriac.

The consequence is that I was wrong in assuming parallel original editions of the Diatessaron in Syriac and Greek. The usual argument is that if there had been an original Greek text, no-one would have needed a new and not very good Greek translation from Syriac. Peters and others argue, conclusively in my view, that the Diatessaron was composed (or edited if it was essentially a re-casting of the Gospel of the Hebrews into a different dialect) while Tatian was in Rome. It was translated immediately into Latin, and vigorously promulgated by the Church for use in general preaching and teaching. This means that if Tatian was rejected by the self-named Catholic Church, it was only shortly before he left Rome, which I think was in 172 A.D.