Editing Tatian (section)

== Life ==
Concerning the date and place of his birth, little is known beyond what Tatian tells about himself in his ''Oratio ad Graecos'', chap. xlii (''[[Ante-Nicene Fathers (book)|Ante-Nicene Fathers]]'', ii. 81–82): that he was born in "the land of the Assyrians", scholarly consensus is that he died {{circa|AD 185}}, perhaps in [[Adiabene]].

He travelled to [[Rome]], where he first encountered Christianity. During his prolonged stay in Rome, according to his own representation, his abhorrence of the pagan cults sparked deep reflections on religious problems. Through the [[Old Testament]], he wrote, he grew convinced of the unreasonableness of paganism. He adopted the Christian religion and became the pupil of [[Justin Martyr]]. During this period [[Christian philosophy|Christian philosophers]] competed with Greek sophists. Like Justin, Tatian opened a Christian school in Rome.

Knowledge of Tatian's life following the death of Justin in AD 165 is to some extent obscure. [[Irenaeus]] remarks (''Haer.'', I., xxviii. 1, ''Ante-Nicene Fathers,'' i. 353) that after the death of Justin, he was expelled from the church for his [[Encratites|Encratitic]] ([[asceticism|ascetic]]) views, as well as for being a follower of the [[gnostic]] leader [[Valentinius]]. [[Eusebius]] refers to a belief that Tatian had founded the Encratitic sect.<ref>Eusebius, [https://archive.org/details/eusebiusecclesia0000euse_v9k8/page/141 Eusebius' ecclesiastical history : complete and unabridged: iv. 28, 29], page 141, accessed 27 February 2023</ref> It is clear that Tatian left Rome, perhaps to reside for a while in either Greece or [[Alexandria, Egypt|Alexandria]], where he may have taught [[Clement of Alexandria]].<ref>Ferguson, John (1974). ''Clement of Alexandria''. New York: Ardent Media, p. 14.</ref> [[Epiphanius of Salamis|Epiphanius]] relates that Tatian established a school in Mesopotamia, the influence of which extended to [[Antioch]] in Assyria, and was felt in Cilicia and especially in Pisidia.

The early development of the Assyrian church furnishes a commentary on the attitude of Tatian in practical life. Thus for [[Aphrahat]] baptism conditions the taking of a [[vow]] in which the catechumen promises celibacy. This shows how firmly the views of Tatian were established in Assyria, and it supports the supposition that Tatian was the missionary of the countries around the [[Euphrates]].