Epistle to Diognetus 5

1For 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 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. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. 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. They are poor, yet make many rich; 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; 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.

Χριστιανοὶ γὰρ οὔτε γῇ οὔτε φωνῇ οὔτε ἔθεσι δια- κεκριμένοι τῶν λοιπῶν εἰσὶν ἀνθρώπων. οὔτε γάρ που πόλεις ἰδίας κατοικοῦσιν οὔτε διαλέκτῳ τινὶ παρηλλαγμένῃη χρῶνται οὔτε βίον παράσημον ἀσκοῦσιν. οὐ μὴν ἐπινοί, τινὶ καὶ φροντίδι πολυπραγμόνων ἀνθρώπων μάθημα τοιοῦ αὐτοῖς ἐστὶν εὑρημένον, οὐδὲ δόγματος ἀνθρωπίνου προεσ- τᾶσιν ὥσπερ ἔνιοι, κατοικοῦντες δὲ πόλεις Ελληνίδας τε καὶ βαρβάρους ὡς ἕκαστος ἐκληρώθη, καὶ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἔθεσιν ἀκολουθοῦντες ἕν τε ἐσθῆτι καὶ διαίτῃ καὶ τῷ λοιπῷ βίῳ, θαυμαστὴν καὶ ὁμολογουμένως παράδοξον ἐνδείκνυνται τὴν κατάστασιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν πολιτείας. πατρίδας οἰκοῦσιν ἰδίας, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς πάροικοι᾽ μετέχουσι πάντων ὡς πολῖται, καὶ πάνθ᾽ ὑπομένουσιν ὡς ξένοι" πᾶσα ξένη πατρίς ἐστιν αὐτῶν, καὶ πᾶσα πατρὶς ξένη. γαμοῦσιν ὡς πάντες, τεκνογο- νοῦσιν' ἀλλ᾽ οὐ ῥίπτουσι τὰ γεννώμενα. τράπεζαν κοινὴν παρατίθενται, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κοιτήν. ἐν σαρκὶ τυγχάνουσιν, 494 THE EPISTLE ΤῸ DIOGNETUS. [v ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κατὰ σάρκα ζῶσιν. ἐπὶ γῆς διατρίβουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ dy οὐρανῷ πολιτεύονται. πείθονταε τοῖς ὡρισμένοις νόμοις, καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις βίοις νικῶσε τοὺς νόμους. ὧγο- πῶσι πάντας, καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων διοίκονται. ὠγνοοῦνται, καὶ κατακρίνονται᾽ θανατοῦνται, καὶ ζωοποιοῦνται. 13 “τωχεύουσι, καὶ πλουτίζουσε πολλούς πάντων ὑστεροῦνται, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι περισσεύουσισ. ἀτιμοῦνται, καὶ ὧν ταῖς ἀτιμίαις δοξάζονται" βλασφημοῦνται, καὶ δικαιοῦνταε. 15 λοιδοροῦνται, καὶ εὐλογοῦσιν᾽" ὑβρίξονται, καὶ τιμῶσιν. ὠγαθοποιοῦντες ὡς κακοὶ κολάζονται" κολαζόμενος χαίρουσιν ὡς ζωοποιούμενοι. ὑπὸ ᾿Ιουδαίων ὡς ἁλλόφυλοε πολε- μοῦνται καὶ ὑπὸ ᾿Ελλήνων διώκονται, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἔχθρας εἰπεῖν οἱ μισοῦντες οὐκ ἔχουσιν.