Sophia Scriptura

To Diognetus 11.1

Anonymous · To Diognetus · ca. 150–200 (disputed) · place unknown · Read in context

Traditional ascription rejected: The author is unknown. The only manuscript (destroyed in 1870) placed it among works of Justin Martyr, but the style is not Justin's. The name “Mathetes” sometimes used for the author comes from “a disciple of apostles” in 11.1. Chapters 11–12 probably come from a different work.

Summary: A disciple of the apostles becomes a teacher of the Gentiles.

Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.

Greek text · Lake, LCL 25:374

Οὐ ξένα ὁμιλῶ οὐδὲ παραλόγως ζητῶ, ἀλλὰ ἀποστόλων γενόμενος μαθητὴς γίνομαι διδάσκαλος ἐθνῶν· τὰ παραδοθέντα ἀξίως ὑπηρετῶ γινομένοις ἀληθείας μαθηταῖς.

English · Claude translation

I do not speak of strange things, nor do I inquire unreasonably; but having become a disciple of apostles I am becoming a teacher of the Gentiles; I minister worthily the things handed down to those who are becoming disciples of the truth.

About this passage

Source
Lake, LCL 25:374 · Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2, LCL 25 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1913), 350–379 · Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Lake, LCL 25. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; the problem in this passage is discussed in the notes.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 25, 1913); made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)

Notes

Translation notes

  • Chapters 11–12 differ in style and may come from a different work, perhaps a homily, joined to the letter in the manuscript. The phrase “disciple of apostles” gave the unknown author the traditional name “Mathetes” (“disciple”).

Cite this passage

Diogn. 11.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/11/1/).

Plain text
Diogn. 11.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/11/1/).

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