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Christians
of the Early Church
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This is a description of the Christians of the
early church, as found in a
letter called the "Epistle to Diognetus", by an unknown
author of the 2nd
Century.
"The Christians are not distinguished from other men by country,
by
language, nor by civil institutions. For they neither dwell in cities
by
themselves, nor use a peculiar tongue, no lead a singular mode of
life. They
dwell in the Grecian or barbarian cities, as the case may be; they
follow
the usage of the country in dress, food, and the other affairs of
life. Yet
they present a wonderful and confessedly paradoxical conduct. They
dwell in
their own native lands, but as strangers.
"They take part in all things, as citizens; and they suffer all
things, as
foreigners. Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and every
native
land is a foreign. They marry, like all others; they have children;
but they
do not cast away their offspring. They have the table in common, but
not
wives. They are in the flesh, but do not live after the flesh. They
live
upon the earth but are citizens of heaven. They obey the existing
laws, and
excel the laws by their lives.
"They love all, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown, and
yet they
are condemned. They are killed and are made alive. They are poor and
make
many rich. They lack all things, and in all things abound. They are
reproached, and glory in their reproaches. They are calumniated, and
are
justified. They are cursed, and they bless. They receive scorn, and
they
give honor. They do good, and are punished as evil-doers. When
punished,
they rejoice, as being made alive. By the Jews they are attacked as
aliens,
and by the Greeks persecuted; and the cause of the enmity their
enemies
cannot tell.
"In short, what the soul is in the body, the Christians are in
the world.
The soul is diffused through all the members of the body, and the
Christians
are spread through the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the
body, but
it is not of the body; so the Christians dwell in the world, but are
not of
the world. The soul, invisible, keeps watch in the visible body; so
also the
Christians are seen to live in the world, but their piety is
invisible. The
flesh hates and wars against the soul, suffering no wrong from it, but
because it resists fleshly pleasures; and the world hates the
Christians
with no reason, but that they resist its pleasures. The soul loves the
flesh
and members, by which it is hated; so the Christians love their
haters. The
soul is inclosed in the body, but holds the body together; so the
Christians
are detained in the world as in a prison; but they contain the world.
Immortal, the soul dwells in the mortal body; so the Christians dwell
in the
corruptible, but look for incorruption in heaven. The soul is the
better for
restriction in food and drink; and the Christians increase, though
daily
punished. This lot God has assigned to the Christians in the world;
and it
cannot be taken from them.
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