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The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

Chapter 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.

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ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΠΡΟΣ ΔΙΟΓΝΗΤΟΝ

VIII

1. Τίς γὰρ ὅλως ἀνθρώπων ἠπίστατο, τί ποτ’ ἐστὶ θεὸς πρὶν αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν; 2. ἢ τοῦς κενοὺς καὶ ληρώδεις ἐκείνων λόγους ἀποδέχῃ τῶν ἀξιοπίστων φιλοσόφων, ὧν οἱ μέν τινες πῦρ ἔφασαν εἶναι τὸν θεὸν (οὖ μέλλουσι χωρήσειν αὐτοί, τοῦτο καλοῦσι θεόν), οἱ δὲ ὕδωρ, οἱ δ’ ἄλλο τι τῶν στοιχείων τῶν ἐκτισμένων ὑπὸ θεοῦ; 3. καίτοί γε, εἴ τις τούτων τῶν λόγων ἀποδεκτός ἐστι, δύανιτ’ ἂν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν κτισμάτων ἓν ἓν ἕκαστον ὁμοίως ἀπροφαίνεσθαι θεό. 4. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τερατεία καὶ πλάνη τῶν γοήτων ἐστίν· 5. ἀνθρώπων δὲ οὐδεὶς οὔτε εἶδεν οὔτε ἐγνώρισεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἐπέδειξεν. 6. ἐπέδειξε δὲ διὰ πίστεως, ᾗ μόνῃ θεὸν ἰδεῖν συγκεχώρηται. 7. ὁ γὰρ δεσπότης καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν ὅλων θεός, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ πάντα καὶ κατὰ τάξιν διακρίνας, οὐ μόνον φιλάνθρπος ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ μακρόθυμος. 8. ἀλλ’ οὗτος ἧν μὲν ἀεὶ τοιοῦτος καὶ ἔστι, χρηστὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἀόργητος καὶ ἀληθής, καὶ μόνος ἀγαθός ἐστιν· 9. ἐννοήσας δὲ μεγάλην καὶ ἄφραστον ἔννοιαν οὖν κατεῖχεν ἐν μυστηρίῳ καὶ διετηρει τὴν σοφὴν αὐτοῦ βουλήν, ἀμελεῖν ἡμῶν κὰ ἀφροντιστεῖν ἐδόκει· 11. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπεκάλυψε διὰ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ παιδὸς καὶ ἐφανέρωσε τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡτοιμασμένα, πάνθ’ ἅμα παρέσχεν ἡμῖν καὶ μετασχεῖν τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδεῖν καὶ νοῆσαι, ἃ τίς ἂν πώποτε προσεδόκησεν ἡμῶν;