Epistle to Diognetus
E478504
The Epistle to Diognetus is an early Christian apologetic work, traditionally associated with the Apostolic Fathers, that explains and defends the distinctiveness of Christian belief and life to a pagan audience.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Epistle to Diognetus canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Apostolic Fathers writing
ⓘ
Christian text ⓘ Greek patristic text ⓘ early Christian apologetic work ⓘ |
| affirms |
God as invisible and incomprehensible by human senses
ⓘ
God as revealed through the Logos ⓘ |
| approximateDate | c. 130–200 CE ⓘ |
| audience |
Diognetus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
pagan reader ⓘ |
| authorshipStatus | anonymous ⓘ |
| circulation | early Christian communities in the Roman Empire ⓘ |
| criticizes |
Jewish observance of circumcision
ⓘ
Jewish observance of dietary laws ⓘ Jewish observance of sabbaths and festivals ⓘ worship of idols made by human hands ⓘ |
| describes |
Christians as living in their own countries but as sojourners
ⓘ
Christians as sharing all things as citizens yet suffering as foreigners ⓘ Christians as the soul of the world ⓘ |
| emphasizes |
heavenly citizenship of Christians
ⓘ
moral excellence of Christians ⓘ non-retaliation and love of enemies ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
contrast between Christian and pagan religious practices
ⓘ
rational defense of Christian faith to educated pagans ⓘ |
| genre |
apologetics
ⓘ
epistle ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
Hellenistic rhetorical style
ⓘ
early Christian apologetic tradition ⓘ |
| language | Koine Greek ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
critique of Jewish ritualism
ⓘ
critique of pagan idolatry ⓘ defense of Christian belief ⓘ distinctiveness of Christian life ⓘ divine philanthropy ⓘ incarnation of the Logos ⓘ relationship between Christians and the world ⓘ salvation through Christ ⓘ |
| modernClassification | patristic literature ⓘ |
| originalManuscriptStatus | lost ⓘ |
| preservedIn | later medieval manuscript tradition ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Christianity ⓘ |
| structure |
apologetic argument
ⓘ
epistolary address ⓘ paranetic exhortation ⓘ |
| survival | known from later manuscript copies ⓘ |
| teaches |
Christ sent by God out of love, not as a tyrant or judge
ⓘ
salvation as transformation of human nature ⓘ |
| timePeriod | 2nd century ⓘ |
| traditionalCorpus | Apostolic Fathers NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.