© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���5 | doi � �. ��6�/ �57007 �0- � ��4��9� vigiliae christianae 69 (�0 �5) 70-95 brill.com/vc Vigiliae Christianae Reading the Diatessaron with Ephrem: The Word and the Light, the Voice and the Star Matthew R. Crawford Durham University Abstract Through a consideration of the reception history of the so-called “Diatessaron,” Tatian’s second-century gospel compilation, we can learn much about the nature of this pecu- liar text. Of paramount importance here is the Syriac Commentary on the Gospel attrib- uted to Ephrem of Nisibis. In this article I argue that the ordering of pericopae in the opening section of Tatian’s gospel, which interweaves Matthean and Lukan passages within a broadly Johannine incluisio, prompts the Syriac exegete to an unexpected interpretation of these narratives. By reading these pericopae as a single, continuous narrative, he creatively combines the divine “Word” and “Light” of the Johannine pro- logue with the Synoptic traditions about John the Baptist as the “voice” and about the star that shone to guide the magi, presenting the star and the voice as extensions of the Son’s own agency. This remarkably original interpretation of the nativity of Jesus illus- trates the degree of artistry that went into the making of Tatian’s text and the novel interpretations it elicited from its readers. Keywords Diatessaron – Ephrem – nativity stories – Tatian Although the so-called “Diatessaron” of Tatian has long been regarded as merely a gospel harmony or gospel synopsis, recent scholarship has suggested that it be taken seriously as a legitimate gospel in its own right. In fact, there is good reason to think that Tatian never gave the name “Diatessaron” to his composition, but instead called it simply the “Gospel,” in a manner akin to the product of Marcion’s earlier radical editing of the Jesus tradition. This title sug- gests that Tatian envisioned his project as the creation of a new, authoritative, and singular written instantiation of the Jesus tradition to replace the diversity