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Abstract

Tatian, Christian apologist and author of the most famous gospel harmony, was a disciple of Justin Martyr. His single complete surviving work, Oratio ad Graecos, is an example of the apologetic genre, which sought to offer a robust defence of the Christian faith. By contrast, his gospel harmony, the Diatessaron, survives only in fragmentary form, or embedded in later gospel harmonies, as well as being partially recoverable via Ephrem's Commentary on the text. What can be reconstructed of this work is potentially important for more fully understanding the textual form of the gospels in the second century. Later writers charge Tatian with heresy due to his association with Encratite Christianity. Such a perspective reflects the concerns of subsequent generations, and for this reason there appears to be no clear `error' attributed to Tatian.

Keywords

Tatian Oratio ad Graecos Diatessaron Encratite Christianity Gospel Traditions

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References

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