Tatian, a student of Justin Martyr, flourished in the second half of the 2nd century CE, and so was a contemporary of Irenaeus of Lyon. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he must have come from the East, given that he calls himself an “Assyrian” (Tat. Orat. 42). Similarly, Clement of Alexandria and Epiphanius of Salamis refer to him as a “Syrian” (Clem. Strom. 3.12.81.1; Epiph. Pan. 46.1.6). Epiphanius, along with some mo…