“For Christians, neither by country or language or customs, are distinguished from the rest of humanity.
For they do not dwell somewhere in their own cities, nor do they use some strange language, nor do they practice a peculiar way of life.
This teaching of theirs has not been found by any thought or reflection of inquisitive people, nor do they advocate human doctrine, as some do.
But while living in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each have obtained by lot, and while following the local customs both in clothing and in diet and in the rest of life, they demonstrate the wonderful and most certainly strange character of their own citizenship.
They live in their own countries, but as aliens.
They share in everything as citizens and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their country, and every country is foreign.
They marry like everyone, they bear children, but they do not expose their offspring.
They set a common table, but not a common bed.
They happen to be in the flesh but do not live according to the flesh.
They spend time upon the earth, but have their citizenship in heaven.
They obey the appointed laws, and in their own lives they surpass the law.
They love all people and by all people are persecuted.
They are unknown and they are condemned.
They are put to death and they are made alive.
They are poor and make many rich.
They lack everything and they have abundance in everything.
They are dishonored and in the dishonor glorified.
They are slandered and they are vindicated.
They are reviled and they give blessing.
They are insulted and they give honor.
When doing good, they are punished as evildoers, when punished they rejoice as having received life.
They are warred upon by the Jews as foreigners and they are persecuted by the Greeks, and those who hate are not able to state the reason for their enmity.
But to put it simply, what the soul is in the body, this is what the Christians are in the world.”
–Rick Brannan, Letter to Diognetus, trans., The Apostolic Fathers in English (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), 65. (5.1-6.1)
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