Biography
Tatian (c. 120 – c. 180) was born, by his own account, "in the land of the Assyrians" and received a thorough Greek education. Having travelled widely and been disappointed with pagan philosophy and religion, he came to Christianity through reading the Holy Scriptures. In Rome he became a disciple of St. Justin the Philosopher and wrote his apology, the "Address to the Greeks", a sharp polemic against Greek culture.
After the martyrdom of Justin, Tatian left Rome for the East, where he founded the ascetic sect of the Encratites, who rejected marriage, meat and wine. For this St. Irenaeus of Lyon and other Church writers counted him among the heretics.
Tatian is also the author of the "Diatessaron", a harmony of the four Gospels woven into one continuous narrative, which was used for a long time in the Syriac-speaking churches.