Saint Ephrem's Commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron: An English Translation of Chester Beatty Syriac MS 709 with Introduction and Notes

by Carmel McCarthy (Translator)

This is the first English translation of the commentary by fourth century A.D. theologian Ephrem the Syrian on the Diatessaron --a Gospel woven from the text of the four Gospels, which predates our earliest evidence of the official Syriac translation of the New Testament. The translation fills a gap in scholarship and will be appreciated by patristics and biblical scholars, hagiographers, and historians of Christianity.

Hardcover

First published January 6, 1994

Reviews

[JonM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ephrem’s commentary was really unique for its time. It’s also a breath of fresh air in comparison with others by western Fathers of his era.
Tatian’s work was monumental within the Syriac church, so Ephrem’s commentary of it is like having the equivalent of a Calvinist having his single volume harmony of the gospels. If you are calvinist, you’d want Calvin’s commentary. If you’re Middle-Eastern-Byzantine, you will want Ephrem’s commentary.
If you want to understand the Syriac church of old, this exegetical commentary is really important and insightful. It’s a big book too. Whoever put this translation together did the English speaking church a big favor. This commentary is highly accessible. It’s excellent.