(NOTE: The electronic text obtained from The Electronic Bible Society was
not completely corrected. EWTN has corrected all discovered errors.)

THE EPISTLE OF MATHETES (i.e. THE DISCIPLE) TO DIOGNETUS

CHAP. I.--OCCASION OF THE EPISTLE.

   SINCE I see thee, most excellent Diognetus, exceedingly desirous to
learn the mode of worshipping God prevalent among the Christians, and
inquiring very carefully and earnestly concerning them, what God they trust
in, and what form of religion they observe,[1] so as all to look down upon
the world itself, and despise death, while they neither esteem those to be
gods that are reckoned such by the Greeks, nor hold to the superstition of
the Jews; and what is the affection which they cherish among themselves;
and why, in fine, this new kind or practice [of piety] has only now entered
into the world,[2] and not long ago; I cordially welcome this thy desire,
and I implore God, who enables us both to speak and to hear, to grant to me
so to speak, that, above all, I may hear you have been edified,[3] and to
you so to hear, that I who speak may have no cause of regret for having
done so.

CHAP. II.--THE VANITY OF IDOLS.

   Come, then, after you have freed[4] yourself from all prejudices
possessing your mind, and laid aside what you have been accustomed to, as
something apt to deceive[5] you, and being made, as if from the beginning,
a new man, inasmuch as, according to your own confession, you are to be the
hearer of a new [system of] doctrine; come and contemplate, not with your
eyes only, but with your understanding, the substance and the form[6] of
those whom ye declare and deem to be gods. Is not one of them a stone
similar to that on which we tread? Is[7] not a second brass, in no way
superior to those vessels which are constructed for our ordinary use? Is
not a third wood, and that already rotten? Is not a fourth silver, which
needs a man to watch it, lest it be stolen? Is not a fifth iron, consumed
by rust? Is not a sixth earthenware, in no degree more valuable than that
which is formed for the humblest purposes? Are not all these of corruptible
matter? Are they not fabricated by means of iron and fire? Did not the
sculptor fashion one of them, the brazier a second, the silversmith a
third, and the potter a fourth? Was not every one of them, before they were
formed by the arts of these [workmen] into the shape of these [gods], each
in its[8] own way subject to change? Would not those things which are now
vessels, formed of the same materials, become like to such, if they met
with the same artificers? Might not these, which are now worshipped by you,
again be made by men vessels similar to others? Are they not all deaf? Are
they not blind? Are they not without life? Are they not destitute of
feeling? Are they not incapable of motion? Are they not all liable to rot?
Are they not all corruptible? These things ye call gods; these ye serve;
these ye worship; and ye become altogether like to them. For this reason ye
hate the Christians, because they do not deem these to be gods. But do not
ye yourselves, who now think and suppose [such to be gods], much more cast
contempt upon them than they [the Christians do]? Do ye not much more mock
and insult them, when ye worship those that are made of stone and
earthenware, without appointing any persons to guard them; but those made
of silver and gold ye shut up by night, and appoint watchers to look after
them by day, lest they be stolen? And by those gifts which ye mean to
present to them, do ye not, if they are possessed of sense, rather punish
[than honour] them? But if, on the other hand, they are destitute of sense,
ye convict them of this fact, while ye worship them with blood and the
smoke of sacrifices. Let any one of you suffer such indignities![9] Let any
one of you endure to have such things done to himself! But not a single
human being will, unless compelled to it, endure such treatment, since he
is endowed with sense and reason. A stone, however, readily bears it,
seeing it is insensible. Certainly you do not show [by your[1] conduct]
that he [your God] is possessed of sense. And as to the fact that
Christians are not accustomed to serve such gods, I might easily find many
other things to say; but if even what has been said does not seem to any
one sufficient, I deem it idle to say anything further.

CHAP. III.--SUPERSTITIONS OF THE JEWS.

   And next, I imagine that you are most desirous of hearing something on
this point, that the Christians do not observe the same forms of divine
worship as do the Jews. The Jews, then, if they abstain from the kind of
service above described, and deem it proper to worship one God as being
Lord of all, [are right]; but if they offer Him worship in the way which we
have described, they greatly err. For while the Gentiles, by offering such
things to those that are destitute of sense and hearing, furnish an example
of madness; they, on the other hand by thinking to offer these things to
God as if He needed them, might justly reckon it rather an act of folly
than of divine worship. For He that made heaven and earth, and all that is
therein, and gives to us all the things of which we stand in need,
certainly requires none of those things which He Himself bestows on such as
think of furnishing them to Him. But those who imagine that, by means of
blood, and the smoke of sacrifices and burnt-offerings, they offer
sacrifices [acceptable] to Him, and that by such honours they show Him
respect,--these, by[2] supposing that they can give anything to Him who
stands in need of nothing, appear to me in no respect to differ from those
who studiously confer the same honour on things destitute of sense, and
which therefore are unable to enjoy such honours.

CHAP. IV.--THE OTHER OBSERVANCES OF THE JEWS.

   But as to their scrupulosity concerning meats, and their superstition
as respects the Sabbaths, and their boasting about circumcision, and their
fancies about fasting and the new moons, which are utterly ridiculous and
unworthy of notice,--I do not[3] think that you require to learn anything
from me. For, to accept some of those things which have been formed by God
for the use of men as properly formed, and to reject others as useless and
redundant,--how can this be lawful? And to speak falsely of God, as if He
forbade us to do what is good on the Sabbath-days,--how is not this
impious? And to glory in the circumcision[4] of the flesh as a proof of
election, and as if, on account of it, they were specially beloved by God,-
-how is it not a subject of ridicule? And as to their observing months and
days,[5] as if waiting upon[6] the stars and the moon, and their
distributing,[7] according to their own tendencies, the appointments of
God, and the vicissitudes of the seasons, some for festivities,[8] and
others for mourning,--who would deem this a part of divine worship, and not
much rather a manifestation of folly? I suppose, then, you are sufficiently
convinced that the ChriStians properly abstain from the vanity and error
common [to both Jews and Gentiles], and from the busy-body spirit and vain
boasting of the Jews; but you must not hope to learn the mystery of their
peculiar mode of worshipping God from any mortal.

CHAP. V.--THE MANNERS OF THE CHRISTIANS.

   For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country,
nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit
cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life
which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they
follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of
inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates
of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian
cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following
the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of
their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly
striking[9] method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply
as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet
endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their
native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They
marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy
their offspring.[10] They have a common table, but not a common bed.[1]
They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh.[2] They pass
their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven.[3] They obey the
prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They
love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned;
they are put to death, and restored to life.[4] They are poor, yet make
many rich;[5] they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they
are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are
evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless;[6] they
are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are
punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into
life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by
the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for
their hatred.

CHAP. VI.--THE RELATION OF CHRISTIANS TO THE WORLD.

   To sum up all in one word--what the soul is in the body, that are
Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of
the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world.
The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell
in the world, yet are not of the world.[7] The invisible soul is guarded by
the visible body, and Christians are known indeed to be in the world, but
their godliness remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul, and wars
against it,[8] though itself suffering no injury, because it is prevented
from enjoying pleasures; the world also hates the Christians, though in
nowise injured, because they abjure pleasures. The soul loves the flesh
that hates it, and [loves also] the members; Christians likewise love those
that hate them. The soul is imprisoned in the body, yet preserves[9] that
very body; and Christians are confined in the world as in a prison, and yet
they are the preservers[9] of the world. The immortal soul dwells in a
mortal tabernacle; and Christians dwell as sojourners in corruptible
[bodies], looking for an incorruptible dwelling[10] in the heavens. The
soul, when but ill-provided with food and drink, becomes better; in like
manner, the Christians, though subjected day by day to punishment, increase
the more in number.[11] God has assigned them this illustrious position,
which it were unlawful for them to forsake.

CHAP. VII.--THE MANIFESTATION OF CHRIST.

   For, as I said, this was no mere earthly invention which was delivered
to them, nor is it a mere human system of opinion, which they judge it
right to preserve so carefully, nor has a dispensation of mere human
mysteries been committed to them, but truly God Himself, who is almighty,
the Creator of all things, and invisible, has sent from heaven, and placed
among men, [Him who is] the truth, and the holy and incomprehensible Word,
and has firmly established Him in their hearts. He did not, as one might
have imagined, send to men any servant, or angel, or ruler, or any one of
those who bear sway over earthly things, or one of those to whom the
government of things in the heavens has been entrusted, but the very
Creator and Fashioner of all things--by whom He made the heavens--by whom
he enclosed the sea within its proper bounds--whose ordinances[12] all the
stars[13] faithfully observe--from whom the sun[14] has received the
measure of his daily course to be observed[15]--whom the moon obeys, being
commanded to shine in the night, and whom the stars also obey, following
the moon in her course; by whom all things have been arranged, and placed
within their proper limits, and to whom all are subject--the heavens and
the things that are therein, the earth and the things that are therein, the
sea and the things that are therein--fire, air, and the abyss--the things
which are in the heights, the things which are in the depths, and the
things which lie between. This [messenger] He sent to them. Was it then, as
one[16] might conceive, for the purpose of exercising tyranny, or of
inspiring fear and terror? By no means, but under the influence of clemency
and meekness. As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him;
as God[17] He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him,
and as seeking to persuade, not to compel us; for violence has no place in
the character of God. As calling us He sent Him, not as vengefully pursuing
us; as loving us He sent Him, not as judging us. For He will yet send Him
to judge us, and who shall endure His appearing?[18] ... Do you not see
them exposed to wild beasts, that they may be persuaded to deny the Lord,
and yet not overcome? Do you not see that the more of them are punished,
the greater becomes the number of the rest? This does not seem to be the
work of man: this is the power of God; these are the evidences of His
manifestation.

CHAP. VIII.--THE MISERABLE STATE OF MEN BEFORE THE COMING OF THE WORD.

   For, who of men at all understood before His coming what God is? Do you
accept of the vain and silly doctrines of those who are deemed trustworthy
philosophers? of whom some said that fire was God, calling that God to
which they themselves were by and by to come; and some water; and others
some other of the elements formed by God. But if any one of these theories
be worthy of approbation, every one of the rest of created things might
also be declared to be God. But such declarations are simply the startling
and erroneous utterances of deceivers;[1] and no man has either seen Him,
or made Him known,[2] but He has revealed Himself. And He has manifested
Himself through faith, to which alone it is given to behold God. For God,
the Lord and Fashioner of all things, who made all things, and assigned
them their several positions, proved Himself not merely a friend of
mankind, but also long-suffering [in His dealings with them.] Yea, He was
always of such a character, and still is, and will ever be, kind and good,
and free from wrath, and true, and the only one who is [absolutely]
good;[3] and He formed in His mind a great and unspeakable conception,
which He communicated to His Son alone. As long, then, as He held and
preserved His own wise counsel in concealment,[4] He appeared to neglect
us, and to have no care over us. But after He revealed and laid open,
through His beloved Son, the things which had been prepared from the
beginning, He conferred every blessing[5] all at once upon us, so that we
should both share in His benefits, and see and be active[6] [in His
service]. Who of us would ever have expected these things? He was aware,
then, of all things  in His own mind, along with His Son, according  to the
relation[7] subsisting between them.

CHAP. IX.--WHY THE SON WAS SENT SO LATE.

   As long then as the former time[8] endured, He permitted us to be borne
along by unruly impulses, being drawn away by the desire of pleasure and
various lusts. This was not that He at all delighted in our sins, but that
He simply endured them; nor that He approved the time of working iniquity
which then was, but that He sought to form a mind conscious of
righteousness,[9] so that being convinced in that time of our unworthiness
of attaining life through our own works, it should now, through the
kindness of God, be vouchsafed to us; and having made it manifest that in
ourselves we were unable to enter into the kingdom of God, we might through
the power of God be made able. But when our wickedness had reached its
height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward,[10] punishment and
death, was impending over us; and when the time had come which God had
before appointed for manifesting His own kindness and power, how[11] the
one love of God, through exceeding regard for men, did not regard us with
hatred, nor thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us, but
showed great long-suffering, and bore with us,[12] He Himself took on Him
the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the
holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous
One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the
immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of
covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible
that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son
of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing
all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single
righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many
transgressors![13] Having therefore convinced us in the former time[14]
that our nature was unable to attain to life, and having now revealed the
Saviour who is able to save even those things which it was [formerly]
impossible to save, by both these facts He desired to lead us to trust in
His kindness, to esteem Him our Nourisher, Father, Teacher, Counsellor,
Healer, our Wisdom, Light, Honour, Glory, Power, and Life, so that we
should not be anxious[15] concerning clothing and food.

CHAP. X.--THE BLESSINGS THAT WILL FLOW FROM FAITH.

   If you also desire [to possess] this faith, you likewise shall receive
first of all the knowledge of the Father.[1] For God has loved mankind, on
whose account He made the world, to whom He rendered subject all the things
that are in it,[2] to whom He gave reason and understanding, to whom alone
He imparted the privilege of looking upwards to Himself, whom He formed
after His own image, to whom He sent His only-begotten Son, to whom He has
promised a kingdom in heaven, and will give it to those who have loved Him.
And when you have attained this knowledge, with what joy do you think you
will be filled? Or, how will you love Him who has first so loved you? And
if you love Him, you will be an imitator of His kindness. And do not wonder
that a man may become an imitator of God. He can, if he is willing. For it
is not by ruling over his neighbours, or by seeking to hold the supremacy
over those that are weaker, or by being rich, and showing violence towards
those that are inferior, that happiness is found; nor can any one by these
things become an imitator of God. But these things do not at all constitute
His majesty. On the contrary he who takes upon himself the burden of his
neighbour; he who, in whatsoever respect he may be superior, is ready to
benefit another who is deficient; he who, whatsoever things he has received
from God, by distributing these to the needy, becomes a god to those who
receive [his benefits]: he is an imitator of God. Then thou shalt see,
while still on earth, that God in the heavens rules over [the universe];
then thou shall begin to speak the mysteries of God; then shalt thou both
love and admire those that suffer punishment because  they will not deny
God; then shall thou condemn the deceit and error of the world when thou
shall know what it is to live truly in heaven, when thou shalt despise that
which is here esteemed to be death, when thou shalt fear what is truly
death, which is reserved for those who shall be condemned to the eternal
fire, which shall afflict those even to the end that are committed to it.
Then shalt thou admire those who for righteousness' sake endure the fire
that is but for a moment, and shalt count them happy  when thou shalt know
[the nature of] that fire.

CHAP. XI.--THESE THINGS ARE WORTHY TO BE KNOWN AND BELIEVED.

   I do not speak of things strange to me, nor do I aim at anything
inconsistent with right reason;[3] but having been a disciple of the
Apostles, I am become a teacher of the Gentiles. I minister the things
delivered to me to those that are disciples worthy of the truth. For who
that is rightly taught and begotten by the loving[4] Word, would not seek
to learn accurately the things which have been clearly shown by the Word to
His disciples, to whom the Word being manifested has revealed them,
speaking plainly [to them], not understood indeed by the unbelieving, but
conversing with the disciples, who, being esteemed faithful by Him,
acquired a knowledge of the mysteries of the Father? For which s reason He
sent the Word, that He might be manifested to the world; and He, being
despised by the people [of the Jews], was, when preached by the Apostles,
believed on by the Gentiles.[6] This is He who was from the beginning, who
appeared as if new, and was found old, and yet who is ever born afresh in
the hearts of the saints. This is He who, being from everlasting, is to-day
called[7] the Son; through whom the Church is enriched, and grace, widely
spread, increases in the saints. furnishing understanding, revealing
mysteries, announcing times, rejoicing over the faithful. giving[8] to
those that seek, by whom the limits of faith are not broken through, nor
the boundaries set by the fathers passed over. Then the fear of the law is
chanted, and the grace of the prophets is known, and the faith of the
gospels is established, and the tradition of the Apostles is preserved, and
the grace of the Church exults; which grace if you grieve not, you shall
know those things which the Word teaches, by whom He wills, and when He
pleases. For whatever things we are moved to utter by the will of the Word
commanding us, we communicate to you with pains, and from a love of the
things that have been revealed to us.

CHAP. XII.--THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE TO TRUE SPIRITUAL LIFE.

   When you have read and carefully listened to these things, you shall
know what God bestows on such as rightly love Him, being made [as ye are] a
paradise of delight, presenting[9] in yourselves a tree bearing all kinds
of produce and flourishing well, being adorned with various fruits. For in
this place[10] the tree of knowledge and the tree of life have been
planted; but it is not the tree of knowledge that destroys--it is
disobedience that proves destructive. Nor truly are those words without
significance which are written, how God from the beginning planted the tree
of life in the midst of paradise, revealing through knowledge the way to
life,[1] and when those who were first formed did not use this [knowledge]
properly, they were, through the fraud of the Serpent, stripped naked.[2]
For neither can life exist without knowledge, nor is knowledge secure
without life. Wherefore both were planted close together. The Apostle,
perceiving the force [of this conjunction], and blaming that knowledge
which, without true doctrine, is admitted to influence life,[3] declares,
"Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth." For he who thinks he knows
anything without true knowledge, and such as is witnessed to by life, knows
nothing, but is deceived by the Serpent, as not[4] loving life. But he who
combines knowledge with fear, and seeks after life, plants in hope, looking
for fruit. Let your heart be your wisdom; and let your life be true
knowledge[5] inwardly received. Bearing this tree and displaying its fruit,
thou shalt always gather[6] in those things which are desired by God, which
the Serpent cannot reach, and to which deception does not approach; nor is
Eve then corrupted,[7] but is trusted as a virgin; and salvation is
manifested, and the Apostles are filled with understanding, and the
Passover[8] of the Lord advances, and the choirs[9] are gathered together,
and are arranged in proper order, and the Word rejoices in teaching the
saints,--by whom the Father is glorified: to whom be glory for ever.
Amen.[10]


Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published
by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland beginning in
1867. (ANF 1, Roberts and Donaldson). The digital version is by The
Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.

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