Born to a pagan family in second-century Syria, and well educated in rhetoric and philosophy, Tatian embraced the “barbarian philosophy” of Christianity and wrote numerous works after his conversion. He traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean, making it as far west as Rome, where, according to his slightly later contemporary Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 1.28.1), he came into contact with the various teachings of Justin Martyr,1 Marcion of Sinope, Saturninus,2 and Valentinus. He would later return to eastern Syria and set up a school that would influence Christianity in the region for the next several centuries. He initially crafted the Diatessaron (a harmony of the gospels) for students in his school, but it became the standard “version” of the gospels in Syriac liturgy well into the fifth century. He also wrote a series of treatises on the ascetic life, reflecting a regional emphasis on sexual and dietary renunciation that would endure throughout late antiquity.