Le retour à Diognète signifie alors, dans l’Orient d’aujourd’hui, que la présence chrétienne est avant tout un message courageux du bon sens, d’une culture de paix et du « vivre-ensemble » comme individus, citoyens de différentes patries, et non comme groupes identitaires. La Lettre à Diognète est probablement aujourd’hui le meilleur texte que les chrétientés orientales pourraient méditer.
SOURCE : http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/813712/retour-a-diognete.html
The Epistle of
Mathetes to Diognetus
Chapter 1. Occasion of the epistle
Most excellent Diognetus: I can see that you deeply
desire to learn how Christians worship their God. You
have so carefully and earnestly asked your questions about them: What is it
about the God they
believe in, and the form of religion they
observe, that lets them look down upon the world and despise death? Why do they
reject the Greek gods
and the Jewish superstitions alike?
What about the affection they all have for each other? And why has this new
group and their practices come to life only now, and not long ago?
I cordially welcome this desire of yours, and I
implore God,
who enables us both to speak and to hear, to grant to me so to speak, that,
above all, I may hear you have been edified, and to you so to hear, that I who
speak may have no cause of
regret for having done so.
Chapter 2. The vanity of idols
Come, then, after you have freed yourself from all
prejudices possessing your mind, and
laid aside what you have been accustomed to, as something apt to deceive you,
and being made, as if from the beginning, a new man, inasmuch as, according to
your own confession, you are to be the hearer of a new [system of] doctrine;
come and contemplate, not with your eyes only, but with your understanding, the
substance and the form of those whom you declare and deem to be gods.
Is not one of them a stone similar to that on which we
tread? Is not a second brass, in no way superior to those vessels which are
constructed for our ordinary use? Is not a third wood, and that already rotten?
Is not a fourth silver, which needs a man to watch it, lest it be stolen? Is
not a fifth iron, consumed by rust? Is not a sixth earthenware, in no degree
more valuable than that which is formed for the humblest purposes?
Are not all these of corruptible matter? Are they not
fabricated by means of iron and fire? Did not the sculptor fashion one of them,
the brazier a second, the silversmith a third, and the potter a fourth? Was not
every one of them, before they were formed by the arts of these [workmen] into
the shape of these [gods], each in its own way subject to change? Would not
those things which are now vessels, formed of the same materials, become like
to such, if they met with the same artificers? Might not these, which are now
worshipped by you, again be made by men vessels similar to others? Are they not
all deaf? Are they not blind? Are they not without life? Are they not destitute
of feeling? Are they not incapable of motion? Are they not all prone to decay?
Are they not all corruptible?
These things you call gods; these you serve; these you
worship; and you become altogether like them. For this reason you hate the Christians,
because they do not deem these to be gods. But do not you yourselves,
who now think and suppose [such to be gods], much more cast contempt upon them
than they [the Christians do]?
Do you not much more mock and insult them, when you worship those that are made
of stone and earthenware, without appointing any persons to
guard them; but those made of silver and gold you shut up by night, and appoint
watchers to look after them by day, lest they be stolen? And by those gifts
which you mean to present to them, do you not, if they are possessed of sense,
rather punish [than honour]
them? But if, on the other hand, they are destitute of sense, you convict them
of this fact, while you worship them with blood and the smoke of sacrifices.
Let any one of you suffer such indignities! Let any one of you endure to have
such things done to himself! But not a single human being
will, unless compelled to it, endure such treatment, since he is endowed with
sense and reason. A stone, however, readily bears it, seeing it is insensible.
Certainly you do not show [by your conduct] that he [your God] is possessed of
sense. And as to the fact that Christians are
not accustomed to serve such gods, I might easily find many other things to
say; but if even what has been said does not seem to any one sufficient, I deem
it idle to say anything further.
Chapter 3. Superstitions of the Jews
And next, I imagine that you are most desirous of
hearing something on this point, that the Christians do
not observe the same forms of divine worship as do the Jews.
The Jews,
then, if they abstain from the kind of service above described, and deem it
proper to worship one God as being Lord of all, [are right]; but if they offer
Him worship in the way which we have described, they greatly err. For
while the Gentiles,
by offering such things to those that are destitute of sense and hearing,
furnish an example of madness;
they, on the other hand by thinking to offer these things to God as if He
needed them, might justly reckon
it rather an act of folly than of divine worship. For He that made heaven and
earth, and all that is therein, and gives to us all the things of which we
stand in need, certainly requires none of those things which He Himself bestows
on such as think of furnishing them to Him. But those who imagine that, by
means of blood, and the smoke of sacrifices and
burnt-offerings, they offer sacrifices [acceptable]
to Him, and that by such honours they show Him respect, — these, by supposing
that they can give anything to Him who needs nothing, appear to me in no
respect to differ from those who studiously confer the same honour on
things destitute of sense, and which therefore are unable to enjoy such
honours.
Chapter 4. The other observances of the Jews
But as to their scrupulosity concerning food, and
their superstition as
respects the Sabbaths,
and their boasting about circumcision,
and their fancies about fasting and
the new moons, which are utterly ridiculous and unworthy of notice — I do not
think that you require to learn anything from me. For, to accept some of those
things which have been formed by God for
the use of men as properly formed, and to reject others as useless and
redundant — how can this be lawful? And to speak falsely of God, as if
He forbade us to do what is good on
the Sabbath-days — how is not this impious? And to glory in
the circumcision of
the flesh as a proof of
election, and as if, on account of it, they were specially beloved by God —
how is it not a subject of ridicule? And as to their observing months and
days, Galatians 4:10 as
if waiting upon the stars and the moon, and their distributing, according to
their own tendencies, the appointments of God, and the
vicissitudes of the seasons, some for festivities, and others for mourning —
who would deem this a part of divine worship, and not much rather a
manifestation of folly? I suppose, then, you are sufficiently convinced that
the Christians properly
abstain from the vanity and error common
[to both Jews and Gentiles],
and from the busybody spirit and vain boasting of the Jews; but
you must not hope to learn the mystery of
their peculiar mode of worshipping God from
any mortal.
Chapter 5. The manners of the Christians
For 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. 2 Corinthians 10:3 They
pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Philippians 3:20 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. 2 Corinthians 6:9 They
are poor, yet make many rich; 2 Corinthians 6:10 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; 2 Corinthians 4:12 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.
Chapter 6. The relation of Christians to the world
To sum up all in one word — what the soul is
in the body, Christians are
in the world. The soul is
dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are
scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells
in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell
in the world, yet are not of the world. The invisible soul is
guarded by the visible body, and Christians are known indeed
to be in the world, but their godliness remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul,
and wars against
it, 1 Peter 2:11 though
itself suffering no injury, because it is prevented from enjoying pleasures;
the world also hates the Christians,
though in nowise injured, because they abjure pleasures. The soul loves
the flesh that hates it,
and [loves also] the members; Christians likewise love those
that hate them.
The soul is
imprisoned in the body, yet keeps together that very body; and Christians are
confined in the world as in a prison, and
yet they keep together the world. The immortal soul dwells
in a mortal tabernacle; and Christians dwell
as sojourners in corruptible [bodies], looking for an incorruptible dwelling in
the heavens. The soul,
when but ill-provided with food and drink, becomes better; in like manner,
the Christians,
though subjected day by day to punishment, increase the more in number. God has
assigned them this illustrious position, which it were unlawful for them to
forsake.
Chapter 7. The manifestation of Christ
For, as I said, this was no mere earthly invention
which was delivered to them, nor is it a mere human system
of opinion, which they judge it right to preserve so carefully, nor has a
dispensation of mere human mysteries been
committed to them, but truly God
Himself, who is almighty, the Creator of all things, and invisible, has sent
from heaven, and placed among men, [Him
who is] the truth,
and the holy and
incomprehensible Word, and has firmly established Him in their hearts. He did
not, as one might have imagined, send to men any servant, or angel, or
ruler, or any one of those who bear sway over earthly things, or one of those
to whom the government of things in the heavens has been entrusted, but the very
Creator and Fashioner of all things — by whom He made the heavens — by whom he
enclosed the sea within its proper bounds — whose ordinances all the stars
faithfully observe — from whom the sun has received the measure of his daily
course to be observed — whom the moon obeys, being commanded to shine in the
night, and whom the stars also obey,
following the moon in her course; by whom all things have been arranged, and
placed within their proper limits, and to whom all are subject — the heavens
and the things that are therein, the earth and the things that are therein, the
sea and the things that are therein — fire, air, and the abyss — the things
which are in the heights, the things which are in the depths, and the things
which lie between. This [messenger] He sent to them. Was it then, as one might
conceive, for the purpose of exercising tyranny, or of inspiring fear and
terror? By no means, but under the influence of clemency and meekness. As a
king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as
to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him, and as seeking to persuade, not
to compel us; for violence has
no place in the character of God. As
calling us He sent Him, not as vengefully pursuing us; as loving us He sent
Him, not as judging us. For He will yet send Him to judge us, and who shall
endure His appearing? Malachi 3:2
A considerable gap here occurs in the manuscripts.
Do you not see them exposed to wild beasts, that they
may be persuaded to deny the Lord, and yet not overcome? Do you not see that
the more of them are punished, the greater becomes the number of the rest? This
does not seem to be the work of man: this is the power of God; these
are the evidences of His manifestation.
Chapter 8. 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; and no man has either seen
Him, or made Him known,
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; Matthew 19:17 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, 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
all at once upon us, so that we should both share in His benefits, and see and
be active [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 subsisting between them.
Chapter 9. Why the Son was sent so late
As long then as the former time endured, He permitted
us to be borne along by unruly impulses, being drawn away by the desire of
pleasure and various lusts.
This was not that He at all delighted in our sins, but
that He simply endured them; nor that He approved the time of working iniquity
which then was, but that He sought to form a mind conscious
of righteousness, so that being convinced in that time of our unworthiness of
attaining life through our own works, it should now, through the kindness
of God,
be vouchsafed to us; and having made it manifest that in ourselves we were
unable to enter into the kingdom of God,
we might through the power of God be made able. But when our wickedness had
reached its height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward, punishment
and death, was impending over us; and when the time had come which God had
before appointed for manifesting His own kindness and power, how the one love of God, through
exceeding regard for men, did not regard us with hatred, nor
thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us, but showed great
long-suffering, and bore with us, He Himself took on Him the burden of our
iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One
for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the
righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible,
the immortal One
for those who are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering
our sins than
His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and
ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God?
O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation!
That the wickedness of
many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One
should justify many transgressors! Having therefore convinced us in the former
time that our nature was unable to attain to life, and having now revealed the
Saviour who is able to save even those things which it was [formerly]
impossible to save, by both these facts He desired to lead us to trust in His
kindness, to esteem Him our Nourisher, Father, Teacher, Counsellor, Healer, our
Wisdom, Light, Honour, Glory, Power, and Life, so that we should not be anxious
concerning clothing and food.
Chapter 10. The blessings that will flow from faith
If you also desire [to possess] this faith, you
likewise shall receive first of all the knowledge of
the Father. For God has loved mankind, on
whose account He made the world, to whom He rendered subject all the things
that are in it, to whom He gave reason and understanding, to whom alone He
imparted the privilege of looking upwards to Himself, whom He formed after His
own image, to whom He sent His only-begotten Son, to whom He has promised a
kingdom in heaven, and will give it to those who have loved Him. And when you
have attained this knowledge,
with what joy do
you think you will be filled? Or, how will you love Him
who has first so loved you? And if you love Him,
you will be an imitator of His kindness. And do not wonder that a man may
become an imitator of God.
He can, if he is willing. For it is not by ruling over his neighbours, or by
seeking to hold the supremacy over those that are weaker, or by being rich, and
showing violence towards
those that are inferior, that happiness is
found; nor can any one by these things become an imitator of God. But
these things do not at all constitute His majesty. On the contrary he who takes
upon himself the burden of his neighbour; he who, in whatsoever respect he may
be superior, is ready to benefit another who is deficient; he who, whatsoever
things he has received from God, by
distributing these to the needy, becomes a god to those who receive [his
benefits]: he is an imitator of God. Then
you shall see, while still on earth, that God in the heavens rules over
[the universe];
then you shall begin to speak the mysteries of God; then
shall you both love and
admire those that suffer punishment because they will not deny God; then
shall you condemn the deceit and error of
the world when you shall know what
it is to live truly in
heaven, when you shall despise that which is here esteemed to be death, when
you shall fear what
is truly death,
which is reserved for those who shall be condemned to the eternal fire,
which shall afflict those even to the end that are committed to it. Then shall
you admire those who for righteousness' sake endure the fire that is but for a
moment, and shall count them happy when
you shall know [the nature of]
that fire.
Chapter 11. These things are worthy to be known and
believed
I do not speak of things strange to me, nor do I aim
at anything inconsistent with right reason; but having been a disciple of
the Apostles, I have become a teacher of the Gentiles. I
minister the things delivered to me to those that are disciples worthy
of the truth.
For who that is rightly taught and begotten by the loving Word, would not seek
to learn accurately the things which have been clearly shown by the Word to
His disciples,
to whom the Word being manifested has revealed them, speaking plainly [to
them], not understood indeed by the unbelieving, but conversing with the disciples,
who, being esteemed faithful by Him, acquired a knowledge of
the mysteries of
the Father? For which reason He sent the Word, that He might be manifested to
the world; and He, being despised by the people [of the Jews], was,
when preached by the Apostles, believed on
by the Gentiles.
This is He who was from the beginning, who appeared as if new, and was found
old, and yet who is ever born afresh in the hearts of the saints. This
is He who, being from everlasting, is today called the Son; through whom
the Church is
enriched, and grace,
widely spread, increases in the saints,
furnishing understanding, revealing mysteries,
announcing times, rejoicing over the faithful,
giving to those that seek, by whom the limits of faith are
not broken through, nor the boundaries set by the fathers passed over. Then
the fear of
the law is chanted, and the grace of
the prophets is known, and
the faith of
the gospels is
established, and the tradition of the Apostles is preserved, and the grace of
the Church exults;
which grace if
you grieve not, you shall know those
things which the Word teaches, by whom He wills, and when He pleases. For
whatever things we are moved to utter by the will of
the Word commanding us, we communicate to you with pains, and from a love of
the things that have been revealed to us.
Chapter 12. The importance of knowledge to true
spiritual life
When you have read and carefully listened to these
things, you shall know what
God bestows on such as rightly love Him,
being made [as you are] a paradise of delight, presenting in yourselves a tree
bearing all kinds of produce and flourishing well, being adorned with various
fruits. For in this place the tree of knowledge and
the tree of life have been planted; but it is not the tree of knowledge that
destroys — it is disobedience that proves destructive. Nor truly are
those words without significance which are written, how God from the beginning
planted the tree of life in the midst of paradise, revealing through knowledge the
way to life, and when those who were first formed did not use this [knowledge]
properly, they were, through the fraud of the Serpent, stripped naked. For
neither can life exist without knowledge,
nor is knowledge secure
without life. Wherefore both were planted close together. The Apostle,
perceiving the force [of this conjunction], and blaming that knowledge which,
without true doctrine,
is admitted to influence life, declares, Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. For
he who thinks he knows anything
without true knowledge,
and such as is witnessed to by life, knows nothing,
but is deceived by the Serpent, as not loving life. But he who combines knowledge with fear, and
seeks after life, plants in hope, looking for fruit. Let your heart be your
wisdom; and let your life be true knowledge inwardly
received. Bearing this tree and displaying its fruit, you shall always gather
in those things which are desired by God, which
the Serpent cannot reach, and to which deception does not approach; nor is Eve
then corrupted, but is trusted as a virgin;
and salvation is
manifested, and the Apostles are filled with understanding, and the Passover of
the Lord advances, and the choirs are gathered together, and are arranged in
proper order, and the Word rejoices in teaching the saints —
by whom the Father is glorified:
to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Source. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm>.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm
Epistle to Diognetus
(EPISTOLA AD
DIOGNETUM).
This beautiful little apology for Christianity is
cited by no ancient or medieval writer,
and came down to us in a single manuscript which
perished in the siege of Strasburg (1870).
The identification of Diognetus with the teacher of Marcus Aurelius, who
bore the same name, is at most plausible. The author's name is unknown, and the
date is anywhere between the Apostles and the age of Constantine. It was
clearly composed during a severe persecution. The manuscript attributed
it with other writings to Justin Martyr; but that
earnest philosopher and
hasty writer was quite incapable of the restrained eloquence, the smooth flow
of thought, the limpid clearness of expression, which mark this epistle as one
of the most perfect compositions of antiquity. The last two chapters (xi, xii)
are florid and obscure, and bear no relation to the rest of the letter. They
seem to be a fragment of a homily of later
date. The writer of this addition describes himself as a "disciple of
the Apostles",
and through a misunderstanding of these words the epistle has, since the
eighteenth century, been classed with the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. The
letter breaks off at the end of chapter x; it may have originally been much
longer.
The writer addresses the "most excellent
Diognetus", a well-disposed pagan, who desires
to know what
is the religion of Christians.
Idol-worship is ridiculed, and it is shown that Jewish sacrifices and
ceremonies cannot cause any pleasure to the only God and creator of
all. Christians are
not a nation nor a sect,
but are diffused throughout the world, though they are not of the world but
citizens of heaven;
yet they are the soul of
the world. God,
the invisible Creator, has sent His Child, by whom He made all things, to save
man, after He has allowed man to find out his own weakness and proneness
to sin and
his incapacity to save himself. The last chapter is an exposition,
"first" of the love of the Father,
evidently to be followed "secondly" by another on the Son, but this
is lost. The style is harmonious and simple. The writer is a practiced master
of classical eloquence, and a fervent Christian. There is no
resemblance to the public apologies of the second century. A closer affinity is
with the "Ad Donatum" of St. Cyprian, which is
similarly addressed to an inquiring pagan. The writer does
not refer to Holy Scripture,
but he uses the Gospels, I Peter, and I John, and is saturated with the Epistles of St. Paul. Harnack seems
to be right in refusing to place the author earlier than Irenaeus. One might well
look for him much later, in the persecutions of Valerian or
of Diocletian.
He cannot be an obscure person, but must be a
writer otherwise illustrious; and yet he is certainly not one of those writers
whose works have come down to us from the second or third centuries. The name
of Lucian the Martyr would perhaps satisfy the conditions of the problem; and
the loss of that part of the letter where it spoke more in detail of the Son of God would be
explained, as it would have been suspected or convicted of the Arianism of which
Lucian is the reputed father. The so-called letter may be in reality the
apology presented to a Judge.
The editio princeps is that of Stephanus
(Paris, 1592), and the epistle was included among the works of St. Justin by
Sylburg (Heidelberg, 1593) and subsequent editors, the best of such editions is
in Otto, "Corpus Apologetarum Christ." (3d ed., Jena, 1879),
III. Tillemont followed
a friend's suggestion in attributing it to an earlier date, and Gallandi included
it in his "Bibl. Vett. PP.", I, as the work of an anonymous Apostolic
Father. It has been given since then in the editions of the Apostolic Fathers,
especially those of Hefele, Funk (2d ed., 1901), Gebhardt, Harnack, and Zahn
(1878), Lightfoot and Harmer (London, 1891, with English tr.). Many separate
editions have appeared in Germany. There is an
English translation in the Ante-Nicene Library (London, 1892), I. The
dissertations on this treatise are too numerous to catalogue; they are not as a
rule of much value. Baratier and Gallandi attributed
the letter to Clement
of Rome, Bohl to an Apostolic Father, and he was followed by the Catholic editors or
critics, Möhler, Hefele, Permaneder, Alzog; whereas
Grossheim, Tzsehirner, Semisch, placed it in the time of Justin; Dorner referred
it to Marcion;
Zeller to the end of the second century, while Ceillier, Hoffmann,
Otto, defended the manuscript attribution
to Justin; Fessler held for
the first or second century. These definite views are now abandoned, likewise
the suggestions of Kruger that Aristides was the author, of Draseke that it is
by Apelles, of
Overbeck that it is post-Constantinian, and of Donaldson that it is a
fifteenth-century rhetorical exercise (the manuscript was
thirteenth- or fourteenth-century). Zahn has sensibly suggested 250-310.
Harnack gives 170-300.
Chapman, John. "Epistle to
Diognetus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York:
Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 20 Feb.
2021 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05008b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for
New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. May
1, 1909. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop
of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05008b.htm
A DIOGNETO
LETTERA A DIOGNETO
estratto da "Didachè-Prima lettera di Clemente ai
Corinzi-A Diogneto" - Città Nuova - 2008
Esordio
I. 1. Vedo, ottimo Diogneto, che tu ti accingi ad apprendere la religione dei cristiani e con molta saggezza e cura cerchi di sapere di loro. A quale Dio essi credono e come lo venerano, perché tutti disdegnano il mondo e disprezzano la morte, non considerano quelli che i greci ritengono dèi, non osservano la superstizione degli ebrei, quale amore si portano tra loro, e perché questa nuova stirpe e maniera di vivere siano comparsi al mondo ora e non prima. 2. Comprendo questo tuo desiderio e chiedo a Dio, che ci fa parlare e ascoltare, che sia concesso a me di parlarti perché tu ascoltando divenga migliore, e a te di ascoltare perché chi ti parla non abbia a pentirsi.
L'idolatria
II. 1. Purìficati da ogni pregiudizio che ha ingombrato la tua mente e spògliati dell'abitudine ingannatrice e fatti come un uomo nuovo da principio, per essere discepolo di una dottrina anche nuova come tu stesso hai ammesso. Non solo con gli occhi, ma anche con la mente considera di quale sostanza e di quale forma siano quelli che voi chiamate e ritenete dèi. 2. Non (sono essi) pietra come quella che si calpesta, bronzo non migliore degli utensili fusi per l'uso, legno già marcio, argento che ha bisogno di un uomo che lo guardi perché non venga rubato, ferro consunto dalla ruggine, argilla non più scelta di quella preparata a vile servizio? 3. Non (sono) tutti questi (idoli) di materia corruttibile? Non sono fatti con il ferro e con il fuoco? Non li foggiò lo scalpellino, il fabbro, l'argentiere o il vasaio? Prima che con le loro arti li foggiassero, ciascuno di questi (idoli) non era trasformabile, e non lo può (essere) anche ora? E quelli che ora sono gli utensili della stessa materia non potrebbero forse diventare simili ad essi se trovassero gli stessi artigiani? 4. E per l'opposto, questi da voi adorati non potrebbero diventare, ad opera degli uomini, suppellettili uguali alle altre? Non sono cose sorde, cieche, inanimate, insensibili, immobili? Non tutte corruttibili? Non tutte distruttibili? 5. Queste cose chiamate dèi, a queste servite, a queste supplicate, infine ad esse vi assimilate. 6. Perciò odiate i cristiani perché non le credono dèi. 7. Ma voi che li pensate e li immaginate tali non li disprezzate più di loro? Non li deridete e li oltraggiate più voi che venerate quelli di pietra e di creta senza custodi, mentre chiudete a chiave di notte quelli di argento e di oro, e di giorno mettete le guardie perché non vengano rubati? 8. Con gli onori che credete di rendere loro, se hanno sensibilità, siete piuttosto a punirli. Se non hanno i sensi siete voi a svergognarli con sacrificio di sangue e di grassi fumanti. 9. Provi qualcuno di voi queste cose, permetta che gli vengano fatte. Ma l'uomo di propria volontà non sopporterebbe tale supplizio perché ha sensibilità e intelligenza; ma la pietra lo tollera perché non sente. 10. Molte altre cose potrei dirti perché i cristiani non servono questi dèi. Se a qualcuno ciò non sembra sufficiente, credo inutile parlare anche di più.
Il culto giudaico
III. 1. Inoltre, credo che tu piuttosto desideri sapere perché essi non adorano Dio secondo gli ebrei. 2. Gli ebrei hanno ragione quando rigettano l'idolatria, di cui abbiamo parlato, e venerano un solo Dio e lo ritengono padrone di tutte le cose. Ma sbagliano se gli tributano un culto simile a quello dei pagani. 3. Come i greci, sacrificando a cose insensibili e sorde dimostrano stoltezza, così essi, pensando di offrire a Dio come ne avesse bisogno, compiono qualche cosa che è simile alla follia, non un atto di culto. 4. «Chi ha fatto il cielo e la terra e tutto ciò che è in essi», e provvede tutti noi delle cose che occorrono, non ha bisogno di quei beni. Egli stesso li fornisce a coloro che credono di offrirli a lui. 5. Quelli che con sangue, grasso e olocausti credono di fargli sacrifici e con questi atti venerarlo, non mi pare che differiscano da coloro che tributano riverenza ad oggetti sordi che non possono partecipare al culto. Immaginarsi poi di fare le offerte a chi non ha bisogno di nulla!
Il ritualismo giudaico
IV. 1. Non penso che tu abbia bisogno di sapere da me intorno ai loro scrupoli per certi cibi, alla superstizione per il sabato, al vanto per la circoncisione, e alla osservanza del digiuno e del novilunio: tutte cose ridicole, non meritevoli di discorso alcuno. 2. Non è ingiusto accettare alcuna delle cose create da Dio ad uso degli uomini, come bellamente create e ricusarne altre come inutili e superflue? 3. Non è empietà mentire intorno a Dio come di chi impedisce di fare il bene di sabato? 4. Non è degno di scherno vantarsi della mutilazione del corpo, come si fosse particolarmente amati da Dio? 5. Chi non crederebbe prova di follia e non di devozione inseguire le stelle e la luna per calcolare i mesi e gli anni, per distinguere le disposizioni divine e dividere i cambiamenti delle stagioni secondo i desideri, alcuni per le feste, altri per il dolore? 6. Penso che ora tu abbia abbastanza capito perché i cristiani a ragione si astengono dalla vanità, dall'impostura, dal formalismo e dalla vanteria dei giudei. Non credere di poter imparare dall'uomo il mistero della loro particolare religione.
Il mistero cristiano
V. 1. I cristiani né per regione, né per voce, né per costumi sono da distinguere dagli altri uomini. 2. Infatti, non abitano città proprie, né usano un gergo che si differenzia, né conducono un genere di vita speciale. 3. La loro dottrina non è nella scoperta del pensiero di uomini multiformi, né essi aderiscono ad una corrente filosofica umana, come fanno gli altri. 4. Vivendo in città greche e barbare, come a ciascuno è capitato, e adeguandosi ai costumi del luogo nel vestito, nel cibo e nel resto, testimoniano un metodo di vita sociale mirabile e indubbiamente paradossale. 5. Vivono nella loro patria, ma come forestieri; partecipano a tutto come cittadini e da tutto sono distaccati come stranieri. Ogni patria straniera è patria loro, e ogni patria è straniera. 6. Si sposano come tutti e generano figli, ma non gettano i neonati. 7. Mettono in comune la mensa, ma non il letto. 8. Sono nella carne, ma non vivono secondo la carne. 9. Dimorano nella terra, ma hanno la loro cittadinanza nel cielo. 10. Obbediscono alle leggi stabilite, e con la loro vita superano le leggi. 11. Amano tutti, e da tutti vengono perseguitati. 12. Non sono conosciuti, e vengono condannati. Sono uccisi, e riprendono a vivere. 13. Sono poveri, e fanno ricchi molti; mancano di tutto, e di tutto abbondano. 14. Sono disprezzati, e nei disprezzi hanno gloria. Sono oltraggiati e proclamati giusti. 15. Sono ingiuriati e benedicono; sono maltrattati ed onorano. 16. Facendo del bene vengono puniti come malfattori; condannati gioiscono come se ricevessero la vita. 17. Dai giudei sono combattuti come stranieri, e dai greci perseguitati, e coloro che li odiano non saprebbero dire il motivo dell'odio.
L'anima del mondo
VI. 1. A dirla in breve, come è l'anima nel corpo, così nel mondo sono i cristiani. 2. L'anima è diffusa in tutte le parti del corpo e i cristiani nelle città della terra. 3. L'anima abita nel corpo, ma non è del corpo; i cristiani abitano nel mondo, ma non sono del mondo. L'anima invisibile è racchiusa in un corpo visibile; i cristiani si vedono nel mondo, ma la loro religione è invisibile. 5. La carne odia l'anima e la combatte pur non avendo ricevuto ingiuria, perché impedisce di prendersi dei piaceri; il mondo che pur non ha avuto ingiustizia dai cristiani li odia perché si oppongono ai piaceri. 6. L'anima ama la carne che la odia e le membra; anche i cristiani amano coloro che li odiano. 7. L'anima è racchiusa nel corpo, ma essa sostiene il corpo; anche i cristiani sono nel mondo come in una prigione, ma essi sostengono il mondo. 8. L'anima immortale abita in una dimora mortale; anche i cristiani vivono come stranieri tra le cose che si corrompono, aspettando l'incorruttibilità nei cieli. 9. Maltrattata nei cibi e nelle bevande l'anima si raffina; anche i cristiani maltrattati, ogni giorno più si moltiplicano. 10. Dio li ha messi in un posto tale che ad essi non è lecito abbandonare.
Dio e il Verbo
VII. 1. Infatti, come ebbi a dire, non è una scoperta terrena da loro tramandata, né stimano di custodire con tanta cura un pensiero terreno né credono all'economia dei misteri umani. 2. Ma quello che è veramente signore e creatore di tutto e Dio invisibile, egli stesso fece scendere dal cielo, tra gli uomini, la verità, la parola santa e incomprensibile e l'ha riposta nei loro cuori. Non già mandando, come qualcuno potrebbe pensare, qualche suo servo o angelo o principe o uno di coloro che sono preposti alle cose terrene o abitano nei cieli, ma mandando lo stesso artefice e fattore di tutte le cose, per cui creò i cieli e chiuse il mare nelle sue sponde e per cui tutti gli elementi fedelmente custodiscono i misteri. Da lui il sole ebbe da osservare la misura del suo corso quotidiano, a lui obbediscono la luna che splende nella notte e le stelle che seguono il giro della luna; da lui tutto fu ordinato, delimitato e disposto, i cieli e le cose nei cieli, la terra e le cose nella terra, il mare e le cose nel mare, il fuoco, l'aria, l'abisso, quello che sta in alto, quello che sta nel profondo, quello che sta nel mezzo; lui Dio mandò ad essi. 3. Forse, come qualcuno potrebbe pensare, lo inviò per la tirannide, il timore e la prostrazione? 4. No certo. Ma nella mitezza e nella bontà come un re manda suo figlio, lo inviò come Dio e come uomo per gli uomini; lo mandò come chi salva, per persuadere, non per far violenza. A Dio non si addice la violenza. 5. Lo mandò per chiamare non per perseguitare; lo mandò per amore non per giudicare. 6. Lo manderà a giudicare, e chi potrà sostenere la sua presenza? 7. Non vedi (i cristiani) che gettati alle fiere perché rinneghino il Signore, non si lasciano vincere? 8. Non vedi, quanto più sono puniti, tanto più crescono gli altri? 9. Questo non pare opera dell'uomo, ma è potenza di Dio, prova della sua presenza.
L'incarnazione
VIII. 1. Chi fra tutti gli uomini sapeva perfettamente che cosa è Dio, prima che egli venisse? 2. Vorrai accettare i discorsi vuoti e sciocchi dei filosofi degni di fede? Alcuni affermavano che Dio è il fuoco, ove andranno essi chiamandolo Dio, altri dicevano che è l'acqua, altri che è uno degli elementi da Dio creati. 3. Certo, se qualche loro affermazione è da accettare si potrebbe anche asserire che ciascuna di tutte le creature ugualmente manifesta Dio. 4. Ma tutte queste cose sono ciarle e favole da ciarlatani. 5. Nessun uomo lo vide e lo conobbe, ma egli stesso si rivelò a noi. 6. Si rivelò mediante la fede, con la quale solo è concesso vedere Dio. 7. Dio, signore e creatore dell'universo, che ha fatto tutte le cose e le ha stabilite in ordine, non solo si mostrò amico degli uomini, ma anche magnanimo. 8. Tale fu sempre, è e sarà: eccellente, buono, mite e veritiero, il solo buono. 9. Avendo pensato un piano grande e ineffabile lo comunicò solo al Figlio. 10. Finché lo teneva nel mistero e custodiva il suo saggio volere, pareva che non si curasse e non pensasse a noi. 11. Dopo che per mezzo del suo Figlio diletto rivelò e manifestò ciò che aveva stabilito sin dall'inizio, ci concesse insieme ogni cosa, cioè di partecipare ai suoi benefici, di vederli e di comprenderli. Chi di noi se lo sarebbe aspettato?
L'economia divina
IX. 1. (Dio) dunque avendo da sé tutto disposto con il Figlio, permise che noi fino all'ultimo, trascinati dai piaceri e dalle brame come volevamo, fossimo travolti dai piaceri e dalle passioni. Non si compiaceva affatto dei nostri peccati, ma ci sopportava e non approvava quel tempo di ingiustizia. Invece, preparava il tempo della giustizia perché noi fossimo convinti che in quel periodo, per le nostre opere, eravamo indegni della vita, e ora solo per bontà di Dio ne siamo degni, e dimostrassimo, per quanto fosse in noi, che era impossibile entrare nel regno di Dio e che solo per sua potenza ne diventiamo capaci. 2. Dopo che la nostra ingiustizia giunse al colmo e fu dimostrato chiaramente che come suo guadagno spettava il castigo e la morte, venne il tempo che Dio aveva stabilito per manifestare la sua bontà e la sua potenza. O immensa bontà e amore di Dio. Non ci odiò, non ci respinse e non si vendicò, ma fu magnanimo e ci sopportò e con misericordia si addossò i nostri peccati e mandò suo Figlio per il nostro riscatto; il santo per gli empi, l'innocente per i malvagi, il giusto per gli ingiusti, l'incorruttibile per i corrotti, l'immortale per i mortali. 3. Quale altra cosa poteva coprire i nostri peccati se non la sua giustizia? 4. In chi avremmo potuto essere giustificati noi, ingiusti ed empi, se non nel solo Figlio di Dio? 5. Dolce sostituzione, opera inscrutabile, benefici insospettati! L'ingiustizia di molti viene riparata da un solo giusto e la giustizia di uno solo rende giusti molti. 6. Egli, che prima ci convinse dell'impotenza della nostra natura per avere la vita, ora ci mostra il salvatore capace di salvare anche l'impossibile. Con queste due cose ha voluto che ci fidiamo della sua bontà e lo consideriamo nostro sostentatore, padre, maestro, consigliere, medico, mente, luce, onore, gloria, forza, vita, senza preoccuparsi del vestito e del cibo.
La carità
1. Se anche tu desideri questa fede, per prima otterrai la conoscenza del Padre. 2. Dio, infatti, ha amato gli uomini. Per loro creò il mondo, a loro sottomise tutte le cose che sono sulla terra, a loro diede la parola e la ragione, solo a loro concesse di guardarlo, lo plasmò secondo la sua immagine, per loro mandò suo figlio unigenito, loro annunziò il Regno nel cielo e lo darà a quelli che l'hanno amato. 3. Una volta conosciutolo, hai idea di qual gioia sarai colmato? Come non amerai colui che tanto ti ha amato? 4. Ad amarlo diventerai imitatore della sua bontà, e non ti meravigliare se un uomo può diventare imitatore di Dio: lo può volendolo lui (l'uomo). 5. Non si è felici nell'opprimere il prossimo, nel voler ottenere più dei deboli, arricchirsi e tiranneggiare gli inferiori. In questo nessuno può imitare Dio, sono cose lontane dalla Sua grandezza! 6. Ma chi prende su di sé il peso del prossimo e in ciò che è superiore cerca di beneficare l'inferiore; chi, dando ai bisognosi ciò che ha ricevuto da Dio, è come un Dio per i beneficati, egli è imitatore di Dio. 7. Allora stando sulla terra contemplerai perché Dio regna nei cieli, allora incomincerai a parlare dei misteri di Dio, allora amerai e ammirerai quelli che sono puniti per non voler rinnegare Dio. Condannerai l'inganno e l'errore del mondo quando conoscerai veramente la vita nel cielo, quando disprezzerai quella che qui pare morte e temerai la morte vera, riservata ai dannati al fuoco eterno che tormenta sino alla fine coloro che gli saranno consegnati. 8. Se conoscerai quel fuoco ammirerai e chiamerai beati quelli che sopportarono per la giustizia il fuoco temporaneo.
Il loro maestro
XI. 1. Non dico stranezze né cerco il falso, ma, divenuto discepolo degli apostoli, divento maestro delle genti e trasmetto in maniera degna le cose tramandate a quelli che si son fatti discepoli della verità. 2. Chi infatti, rettamente istruito e fattosi amico del Verbo, non cerca di imparare saggiamente le cose che dal Verbo furono chiaramente mostrate ai discepoli? Non apparve ad essi il Verbo, manifestandosi e parlando liberamente, quando dagli increduli non fu compreso, ma guidando i discepoli che, da lui ritenuti fedeli, conobbero i misteri del Padre? 3. Egli mandò il Verbo come sua grazia, perché si manifestasse al mondo. Disprezzato dal popolo, annunziato dagli apostoli, fu creduto dai pagani. 4. Egli fin dal principio apparve nuovo ed era antico, e ognora diviene nuovo nei cuori dei fedeli. 5. Egli eterno, in eterno viene considerato figlio. Per mezzo suo la Chiesa si arricchisce e la grazia diffondendosi nei fedeli si moltiplica. Essa ispira saggezza, svela i misteri, preannuncia i tempi, si rallegra per i fedeli, si dona a quelli che la cercano, senza infrangere i giuramenti della fede né oltrepassare i limiti dei padri. 6. Si celebra poi il timore della legge, si riconosce la grazia dei profeti, si conserva la fede dei Vangeli, si conserva la tradizione degli apostoli e la grazia della Chiesa esulta. 7. Non contristando tale grazia, saprai ciò che il Verbo dice per mezzo di quelli che vuole, quando vuole. 8. Per amore delle cose rivelateci vi facciamo partecipi di tutto quanto; per la volontà del Verbo che lo ordina, fummo spinti a parlare con zelo.
La vera scienza
XII. 1. Attendendo e ascoltando con cura, conoscerete quali cose Dio prepara a quelli che lo amano rettamente. Diventano un paradiso di delizie e producono in se stessi, ornati di frutti vari, un albero fruttuoso e rigoglioso. 2. In questo luogo, infatti, fu piantato l'albero della scienza e l'albero della vita; non l'albero della scienza, ma la disubbidienza uccide. 3. Non è oscuro ciò che fu scritto: che Dio da principio piantò in mezzo al paradiso l'albero della scienza e l'albero della vita, indicando la vita con la scienza. Quelli che da principio non la usarono con chiarezza, per l'inganno del serpente furono denudati. 4. Non si ha vita senza scienza, né scienza sicura senza vita vera, perciò i due alberi furono piantati vicino. 5. L'apostolo, comprendendo questa forza e biasimando la scienza che si esercita sulla vita senza la norma della verità, dice: «La scienza gonfia, la carità, invece, edifica». 6. Chi crede di sapere qualche cosa, senza la vera scienza testimoniata dalla vita, non sa: viene ingannato dal serpente, non avendo amato la vita. Lui, invece, con timore conosce e cerca la vita, pianta nella speranza aspettando il frutto. 7. La scienza sia il tuo cuore e la vita la parola vera recepita. 8. Portandone l'albero e cogliendone il frutto abbonderai sempre delle cose che si desiderano davanti a Dio, che il serpente non tocca e l'inganno non avvince; Eva non è corrotta ma è riconosciuta vergine. Si addita la salvezza, gli apostoli sono compresi, la Pasqua del Signore si avvicina, si compiono i tempi e si dispongono in ordine, e il Verbo che ammaestra i santi si rallegra. Per lui il Padre è glorificato; a lui la gloria nei secoli. Amen.
Ritorno alla pagina
iniziale sulla "Lettera a Diogneto"
| Ora, lege et labora | San Benedetto | Santa Regola | Attualità di San Benedetto |
| Storia del
Monachesimo | A Diogneto | Imitazione di Cristo | Sacra Bibbia |
21 giugno 2014
a cura di Alberto "da Cormano"
alberto@ora-et-labora.net
SOURCE : https://www.ora-et-labora.net/diogneto.html
Jacques Schwartz. « L'Épître à
Diognète ». Revue
d'Histoire et de Philosophie religieuses Année 1968 48-1 pp.
46-53 : https://www.persee.fr/doc/rhpr_0035-2403_1968_num_48_1_3907
