Epistle to Diognetus 11

1I do not speak of things strange to me, nor do I aim at anything inconsistent with right reason; 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 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 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. 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 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 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.

ΧΙ. Οὐ ξένα ὁμιλῶ οὐδὲ παραλόγως ζητῶ, a) στόλων γενόμενος μαθητὴς γίνομαι διδάσκαλος ¢ παραδοθέντα ἀξίως ὑπηρετῶν γινομένοις ἀληθείας | τίς γὰρ ὀρθῶς διδαχθεὶς καὶ Λόγῳ προσφιλὴς γεν ἐπιζητεῖ σαφῶς μαθεῖν τὰ διὰ Λόγου δειχθέντα φανερ ᾿ παῖς ; οἷς ἐφανέρωσεν ὁ Λόγος φανείς, παρρησίᾳ λα ἀπίστων μὴ »οὐύμενος, μαθηταῖς δὲ διηγούμενος, ol 1 γισθέντες ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἔγνωσαν πατρὸς μυστήρια. χάριν ἀπέστειλε Δόγον, ἵ ἵνα κόσμῳ φανῇ, ὃς ὑπὸ λαοῦ ἀτιμασθείς, διὰ ἀποστόλων κηρυχθείς, ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν ἐπιστεύθη. οὗτος εἴ. ὁ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς, ὁ καινὸς φανεὶς καὶ παλαιὸς οὐροθεὶν καὶ πάντοτε ἢ νέος ἐν dylav καρδίαις γεννώμενος" οὗτος ὁ ἀεί, [ὁ] σήμερον υἱὸς λογισθείς, δι οὗ πλουτίζεται ἡ ἐκκλησία καὶ χάρις ἀπλουμένη ἐν ἁγίοις πληθύνεται, παρέχουσα νοῦν, φανεροῦσα μυστήρια, διωγγέλλουσα καιρούς, χαίρουσα ἐπὶ πιστοῖς, ἐπιζητοῦσι δωρουμένη, οἷς ὅρκια πίστεως οὐ θραύεται οὐδὲ ὅρια πατέρων παρορίζεται. εἶτα φόβος νόμου ἄδεται καὶ προφητῶν χάρις γινώσκεται καὶ εὐαγγελίων πίστις ἵδρυται καὶ ἀποστόλων παράδοσις φυλάσσεται καὶ ἐκκλησίας χαρὰ σκιρτᾷ. ἣν χάριν μὴ λυπῶν ἐπυγνώσῃ ἃ Λόγος ὁμιλεῖ δ᾽ ὧν βούλεται, ὅτε θέλει. ὅσα γὰρ θελήματι τοῦ κελεύοντος Λόγου ἐκινήθημεν ἐξειπεῖν μετὰ πόνου, ἐξ ἀγάπης τῶν ἀποκαλυφθέντων ἡμῖν γινόμεθα ὑμῖν κοινωνοί,