Neither the Diatessaron nor the commentary of Ephraem has been preserved to us in the original Syriac. There are, however, Latin and Arabic versions of the Diatessaron, and two distinct Armenian versions of Ephraem's commentary. For the reconstruction of the text of the Diates- saron, Ephraem's commentary is of the highest value, and the work has been brilliantly executed by Zahn {Forschungen, i.). Unfortunately, while the Latin and Arabic versions keep Tatian's ar- rangement of the narrative, they are of no value for the restoration of the text. The Latin Har- mony (Codex Fuldensis), which belongs to about the beginning of the 6th cent., gives throughout the text of the Vulgate ; while the Arabic version, which was originally made in the lltli cent., is evidently a translation from a text of the Dia- tessaron which had been accommodated to the Peshitta. In the 9th cent, an epic poem entitled HSliand was written, based on a translation of the Codex Fuldensis. It became widely known, and to it our Anglo-Saxon forefathers were largely indebted for their knowledge of the life of Christ (Hamlyn Hill, op. cit. 20, 38).
In accordance with Tatian's peculiar views, the Diatessaron reveals a slight Encratite tendency. According to Theodoret (Ucer. Fab. i. 20), it omitted the genealogies of Christ and everything dealing with Christ's birth ( ' all things that show our Lord to have been born of the seed of David according to the flesh '). The Birth-nanatives of Luke and Matthew are, however, found in the Arabic and Latin re- censions, as well as in Ephraem's commentary.
Literature. — Zahn, Forschungen, \. ii. iv. vii.; Ciasca, Taliani Evangeliorum Hamwnia: Araliicr ; Harnack, Altehr. Lilt. i. 485 if., Chron. i. 28411.; JT i. i. loij ff., art. in Encyc. Brit.'J; Burkitt, S. Ephraim's Quotations from the Gospel (cf. also his Evangelion da-Mepharreshc) ; Kendel Harris, The Diatessaron of Tatian ; Hamlyn Hill, Earliest Life of Christ ; Hemphill, The Diatessaron, etc. ; Stenning in Hastings' DB, Ext. Vol. 461 flF. A. F. FINDLAY.
GOYEENOR.— The word 'governor' (T;7eA'ii>', Lat. praeses, dux) is a comprehensive term, being the only Greek word which includes every class of provincial governor under the Roman empire. The following officials, for instance, are included under this title:— (1) Governors of Senatorial Pro- vinces, namely, pro consulibus who are ex -consuls, and pro consulibus who are ex-praetors. The former class ruled the governmental spheres of
* To distinguish it from the fourfold form of the Gonpel (Evangelion da-Mepharreshe, 'the Gospel of the Separated'). • ■ ■ ■ Eoangelion da-Mel^aUete,
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duty, Asia and Africa ; the latter all other pro- vinces which by the arrangement between Augustus and the Senate in 27 B.C. were put under the authority of that body, such as Sicily, Macedonia, Achaia. (2) Governors of Imperial Provinces, namely, legati Augusti jiro praetoribus who are ex- consuls; legati Augusti pro praetoribus who are ex-praetors ; procuratores ; praefecti Aegypti, etc. Examples of Imperial provinces are Syria, the Gauls (except Narbouensis), Judaea, and Egypt. These governors were all accountable to the Emperor, being put in charge of his provinces, but were by no means of equal rank. The legati were always members of the Senate, but the others were of the lower rank of cquites. It was to this class that Pilate belonged (Mt 27. 28 ; see under Procurator, Pilate). Every senator, being a member of the same class as the Emjieror himself, was a possible rival to him ; those of inferior rank were practically in the position of his servants.
Governors of provinces had certain powers of jurisdiction delegated to them, which it is now impossible accurately to define. These were em- bodied in numdata given to them before setting out. They were also, of course, influenced by the traditions of the province to which they were going. They administered the law with a com- petence and a justice which have never been surpassed. As the provinces had an appeal from their decisions to the Senate in the case of Senatorial provinces, and to the Emperor in the case of Imperial, it was dangerous for a governor to go against the strongly expressed Avish of the subieots of Rome. A procurator, for example, could be cast aside bv the Emperor and ruined for life, without the slightest chance of redress.
Governors were commonly changed annually. The emperor Tiberius, however, retained many governors for a number of years in one position, and he also instituted the custom of payment of definite salaries to such, thus doing away \vith the necessity for plunder in order to recoup themselves. The Koraan system was sufficiontly elastic to permit the appointment of otti- .r-' f,ir speiiul service and the suspension of tin' iv-nlar onlcr of things. It was probably uniler an arnuiLjeinent of this kind that P. Sulpicius yuirinius was 'governor of SjTia' (Lk 2=) in A.D. 6-9 (Ramsay, IVas Christ Born at Bethlehem ? ch. xi.), in order to can-y on a campaign against the Horaonadenses, and leave the ordinary governor free for civil duties. See art. Birth of Christ.
In Mt lO's, Mk 13', and Lk 21i= 'kings' are coupled with 'governors.' The reference here is to 'client-kings' of the Roman empire (such as Herod) as well as the ordinary governors. The territory ruled by such kings was part of the imperium Romamim in the fullest sense of that term. In other words, the Romans had suzerainty over these kingdoms ; but they left them under the rule of their kings until they were sufficiently civilized to become ordinary provinces under ordinary governors. Then they were taken over. In Lk 21^ the 'kings' are mentioned before the 'governors.' If this change is not accidental, it would appear that St. Luke wished paaCKiX, to be understood in the sense of 'emperors,' a sense quite in accordance with the Greek. The plural need be no difficulty, as it was the common practice for emperors to have their successors invested with the imperatorial powers, while they themselves were still alive and active.