4.29.1
XXIX. ἧς παρεκτροπῆς ἀρχηγὸν καταστῆναι Τατιανὸν λόγος ἔχει, οὗ μικρῷ πρόσθεν τὰς περὶ τοῦ θαυμασίου Ἰουστίνου παρατεθείμεθα λέξεις, μαθητὴν αὐτὸν ἱστοροῦντες τοῦ μάρτυρος. δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο Εἰρήναιος ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν Πρὸς τὰς αἱρέσεις, ὁμοῦ τά τε περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς κατ’ αὐτὸν αἱρέσεως οὕτω γράφων· “ ἀπὸ Σατορνίνου καὶ Μαρκίωνος οἱ καλούμενοι Ἐγκρατεῖς ἀγαμίαν ἐκήρυξαν, ἀθετοῦντες τὴν ἀρχαίαν πλάσιν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἠρέμα κατηγοροῦντες τοῦ ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ εἰς γένεσιν ἀνθρώπων πεποιηκότος, καὶ τῶν λεγομένων παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἐμψύχων ἀποχὴν εἰσηγήσαντο, ἀχαριστοῦντες τῷ πάντα πεποιηκότι θεῷ, ἀντιλέγουσί τε τῆ τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου σωτηρίᾳ. καὶ τοῦτο νῦν ἐξευρέθη παρ’ αὐτοῖς Τατιανοῦ τινος πρώτως ταύτην εἰσενέγκαντος τὴν βλασφημίαν· ὃς Ἰουστίνου ἀκροατὴς γεγονώς, ἐφ’ ὅσον μὲν συνῆν ἐκείνῳ, οὐδὲν ἐξ. ἔφηνεν τοιοῦτον, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκείνου μαρτυρίαν ἀποστὰς τῆς ἐκκλησίας, οἰήματι διδασκάλου ἐπαρθεὶς καὶ τυφωθεὶς ὡς διαφέρων τῶν λοιπῶν, ἴδιον χαρακτῆρα διδασκαλείου συνεστήσατο, αἰῶνάς τινας ἀοράτους ὁμοίως τοῖς ἀπὸ Οὐαλεντίνου μυθολογήσας γάμον τε φθορὰν καὶ πορνείαν μυθολογήσας Μαρκίωνι καὶ Σατορνίνῳ ἀναγορεύσας, τῆ δὲ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ σωτηρίᾳ παρ’ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀντιλογίαν ποιησάμενος.” ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Εἰρήναιος τότε· σμικρῷ δὲ ὕστερον Σευῆρός τις τοὔνομα κρατύνας τὴν προδεδηλωμένην αἵρεσιν, αἴτιος τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς ὡρμημένοις τῆς ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ παρηγμένης Σευηριανῶν προσηγορίας γέγονεν. χρῶνται μὲν οὗν οὗτοι νόμῳ καὶ προφήταις καὶ εὐαγγελίοις, ἰδίως ἑρμηνεύοντες τῶν ἱερῶν τὰ νοήματα γραφῶν· βλασφημοῦντες δὲ Παῦλον τὸν ἀπόστολον, ἀθετοῦσιν αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐπιστολάς, μηδὲ τὰς Πραξεῖς τῶν ἀποστόλων καταδεχόμενοι. ὁ μέντοι γε πρό. αὐτῶν ἀρχηγὸς ὁ Τατιανὸς συνάφειάν τινα καὶ συναγωγὴν οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπως τῶν εὐαγγελίων συνθείς, Τὸ διὰ τεσσάρων τοῦτο προσωνόμασεν, ὃ καὶ παρά τισιν εἰς ἔτι νῦν φέρεται· τοῦ δ’ ἀποστόλου φασὶ τολμῆσαί τινας αὐτὸν μεταφράσαι φωνάς, ὡς ἐπιδιορθούμενον αὐτῶν τὴν τῆς φράσεως σύνταξιν. καταλέλοιπεν δὲ οὗτος πολύ τι πλῆθος συγγραμμάτων, ὧν μάλιστα παρὰ πολλοῖς μνημονεύεται διαβόητος αὐτοῦ λόγος ὁ Πρὸς Ἕλληνας, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν χρόνων μνημονεύσας, τῶν παρ’ Ἕλλησιν εὐδοκίμων ἁπάντων προγενέστερον Μωυσέα τε καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίων προφήτας ἀπέ- φηνεν· ὃς δὴ καὶ δοκεῖ τῶν συγγραμμάτων ἁπάντων αὐτοῦ κάλλιστός τε καὶ ὠφελιμώτατος ὑπάρχειν. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τούσδε τοιαῦτα ἢν.
XXIX. The story goes that Tatian was the author of this error, whose words we quoted a little above concerning the marvellous Justin, and related that he was a disciple of the martyr. Irenaeus states this in his first book, Against the Heresies, and in the same place writes thus concerning him and his heresy: “The so-called Encratites, proceeding from Saturninus and Marcion, preached against marriage, annulling the original creation of God, and tacitly condemning him who made male and female. They also introduced abstention from what they called ‘animate’ things, in ingratitude to the God who has made all things, and they deny the salvation of the first-created man. This innovation was recently made by them, when a certain Tatian first introduced this blasphemy. He had been a hearer of Justin, but so long as he was with him, he produced nothing of this kind; but after the martyrdom of Justin he left the church, being exalted by the idea of becoming a teacher and puffed up as superior to others. He established his own type of doctrine, telling stories of invisible Aeons, like the followers of Valentinus, and rejecting marriage as corruption and fornication similarly to Marcion and Saturninus. And as his own contribution he denied the salvation of Adam.” Irenaeus wrote thus at that time. But a little later a certain man named Severus strengthened the above-mentioned heresy, and is the reason why those who have sprung from it obtained the name of Severiani from him. These indeed use the Law and the Prophets and the Gospels, though they interpret the facts of the sacred scriptures in their own way, but they blaspheme the Apostle Paul, and reject his epistles and do not receive the Acts of the Apostles. Their former leader Tatian composed in some way a combination and collection of the gospels, and gave this the name of The Diatessaron, and this is still extant in some places. And they say that he ventured to paraphrase some words of the apostle, as though correcting their style. He has left a great number of writings, of which the most famous, quoted by many, is his discourse Against the Greeks. In it he deals with primitive history, and shows that Moses and the prophets of the Hebrews preceded all those who are celebrated among the Greeks. This seems to be the best and most helpful of all his writings. Such are the facts of this period.