The Epistle to Diognetus
2nd c. · Apologetics · English translation, 2026
Source edition: Πρὸς Διόγνητον
Cover art: Landscape with Saint John on Patmos — Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) (Wikimedia Commons (Art Institute of Chicago), Public domain)
An anonymous early Christian apology probably composed in the second century, the Epistle to Diognetus defends the Christian way of life to a curious pagan inquirer in twelve chapters of polished Greek. Its heart is the celebrated comparison of Christians to a soul hidden within the body of the world — present in every city, yet citizens of another country — followed by an early proclamation that God sent not a servant but the divine Creator himself, and a meditation on the "sweet exchange" of salvation. Its sole medieval manuscript was destroyed when Strasbourg was besieged in 1870.
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Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Preface to Diognetus
- 2. On the Futility of Idols
- 3. Concerning Jewish Religious Observance and Sacrifices
- 4. Concerning the Jewish Laws and Observances
- 5. Concerning the Condition of Christians in the World
- 6. Soul and Body in the Condition of Christians
- 7. God Sent His Word
- 8. The Knowledge of God Through the Word
- 9. The Kindness of God and the Mission of the Son
- 10. An Imitator of God Through Kindness
- 11. The Word is Eternal and Ever New
- 12. Knowledge and Life in Paradise
- Persons
- Illustration Credits