MIXING UP THE HOLY WORD. TATIAN’S MAGNIFICENT FAILURE AS A “HARMONIC EVANGELIST” IN TERMS OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATION
MIXING UP THE HOLY WORD. TATIAN’S MAGNIFICENT FAILURE AS A “HARMONIC EVANGELIST” IN TERMS OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATION

Summary/Abstract: In most of the recent studies dealing with the same subject, focus has been on what makes up the intrinsic heretical content of the Diatessaron and on how Tatian’s heterodox ideas had an impact on both method and structure of it. In order to surpass the delicate but meanwhile redundant issue of Tatian’s doctrinal lapse, which is difficult to commensurate with today’s knowledge of what might have been orthodoxy in the second century, it is argued here that the very attempt to harmonize the Gospels reveals in itself the misunderstanding of the immanent plurality and fragmentariness of the εὐαγγέλιον, thus disregarding one fundamental aspect of religious communication. The present paper aims not to challenge already acquired knowledge in the technical study of the Diatessaron – regarding the original language, the provenance, the examination of the witnesses, and so on –, but to slightly refocus the interpretive strategy and enrich it with aspects so far ignored despite their generality.

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