The letter to Diognetus is an unusual document within the apostolic fathers. It is a different literary genre than most of the other documents. The original source text is missing. There is no indication of the identity of the author. The presentation of content and imagery are in a unique way compared to other Apostolic Father documents. The difference brings up many significant issues with the letter to Diognetus. This paper provides an overview of the content of the letter to Diognetus It is important to know from which source documents the written work originated as a vital part of understanding ancient writings. A reader is more certain about the authenticity of the written work when there is a high number of source documents and the …show more content…
The Epistle to Diognetus resembles an early apology in the Christian Church. Quadratus is a scholar in the apostolic era who was known for his apology which is lost today (Homes 688). The belief is the Epistle to Diognetus is part of the lost Apology of Quadratus. Thus supported by pairing the Epistle of Diognetus with the Fragment of Quadratus. There is a gap in 7.6 and 7.7 in the Epistle to Diognetus where the Fragment of Quadratus would fit (Holmes 688). It is hard to support the claim of this gap theory because most of the modern text has edits to its current format and there is no definite way to tell if the Fragment of Quadratus fits within the Epistle to …show more content…
Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine the setting of the origin of the Epistle to Diognetus. Furthermore, the author is not positively determined. Knowing the author allows us cities to speculate where the document was written. It is hard to determine an author when the document has the possibility of being written in anytime during the span of a century. The document being addressed to Diognetus is the only point of reference in the Epistle to Diognetus. However, there is no evidence to the identity of Diognetus. In addition, there is no known figure in antiquity to connect to Diognetus. Based on the respect and apology format of the Epistle to Diognetus, the recipient is possibly a government official. Depending on the belief of the author and the date of the document, Diognetus may be a tutor to Marcus Aurelius, Claudius Diogenes of Alexandria, or a government official named Diognetus (Jefford 170). This places the documents setting in two different places or an undetermined setting which is unhelpful in understanding the context of the document. Scholars conject the author intended for the Epistle to Diognetus to be circulated throughout the empire, surmising Diognetus is a made up person to help set up the apologetic argument (Jefford 170). Unfortunately, this doesn’t help clarify the setting of the document. Looking at the style and language of the Epistle
Plato, being an admirer and student of Socrates, wrote his version of Socrates’ speech as he defended himself in court against his charges of corrupting the youth, and impiety called The Apology. In comparison, Xenophon also wrote his version of the speech. Seeing as though each author has many supporting details that support their view as far as the outcome of the trial, Plato’s version of his apology may have been somewhat biased. Xenophon, on the other hand, was more at peace with the outcome of the trial. Considering this trial took place in 399 BC, there were no Greek court reporters, audio or video tapings, news records, so on and so forth.
In conclusion, Xenophon’s Apology successfully vindicates the Socrates’ defense of his piety in so far as it shows that Socrates holds a belief in that is no different than the one
Through examining these texts, it is evident that the advantages historians have when drawing on evidence such as this is that they can easily reveal certain social and cultural values of the society from which the authors came from, just as easily as it shows social and cultural values of the society of which it was written about. The limitations for historians when collecting written evidence is that some key features of the complex civilizations written about were often left out or could be easily misinterpreted or
Plato. "The Apology of Socrates." West, Thomas G. and West, Grace Starry, eds. Plato and Aristophanes: Four Texts on Socrates. Itacha, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997
I invite you to consider the life of an interesting human being with me in this paper. Let us investigate together the man known as Irenaeus of Lyons. We will endeavor to gain an overall verbal portrait of the man who is considered the most significant ecclesiastical witness before Eusebius and the leading theologian in the second century A. D. The Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church both consider Irenaeus to be one of their “holy saints“. The name Irenaeus means a “‘man of peace,’ and the early Christian historian Eusebius honored Irenaeus as a peacemaker in keeping with his name.”
Plato, . The Trial and Death of Socrates, "The Apology". Trans. G.M.A. Grube. Third ed. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2000. 34. Print.
Stead, G. Christopher. The Easter Sermons of Gregory of Nyssa. Edited by Andreas Spira and Christoph Klock. Patristic Monograph Series No. 9. Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Patristic Foundation, Ltd., 1981.
Plato. "Apology." The Longman Anthology of World Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and David L. Pike. Compact ed. New York: Pearson, 2008. 559-75. Print.
(9) Plato, The Apology, in: The Works of Plato, The Nottingham Society, New York, vol. III, p. 91. (the year of publication unknown).
Imagine the time just after the death of Socrates. The people of Athens were filled with questions about the final judgment of this well-known, long-time citizen of Athens. Socrates was accused at the end of his life of impiety and corruption of youth. Rumors, prejudices, and questions flew about the town. Plato experienced this situation when Socrates, his teacher and friend, accepted the ruling of death from an Athenian court. In The Last Days of Socrates, Plato uses Socrates’ own voice to explain the reasons that Socrates, though innocent in Plato’s view, was convicted and why Socrates did not escape his punishment as offered by the court. The writings, “Euthyphro,” “The Apology,” “Crito,” and “Pheado” not only helped the general population of Athens and the friends and followers of Socrates understand his death, but also showed Socrates in the best possible light. They are connected by their common theme of a memoriam to Socrates and the discussion of virtues. By studying these texts, researchers can see into the culture of Athens, but most important are the discussions about relationships in the book. The relationships between the religion and state and individual and society have impacted the past and are still concerns that are with us today.
The main idea of deSilva’s work is to “recover the ideology of the early Christians.” His ultimately goal for recovering the ideology of the early church is improve the contemporary Church. deSilva carefully analyzes the Scriptures through the four core values, stated in the title of his book: honor, patronage, kinship and purity. Each of these values deSeilva devotes chapters to. deSilva gives cultural structure to the New Testament analysis and seeks the ancient Judaic and Greco-Roman cultural contexts.
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
10 Wests, Thomas G and Grace Starr. Plato's Apology of Socrates. Taken from Texts on Socrates. P. 83
The massacre at El Mozote was a tragic event that occurred at the beginning of the Salvadoran Civil War and it remains one of the most brutal moments in Latin American history. This essay seeks to explain the incidence of the massacre, the egregious level of violence involved, and the varied interpretations and uses of the story by different parties in its aftermath. By examining the historical contexts in the Modern Latin America (8th edition) textbook, primary accounts from Mark Danner’s The Massacre at El Mozote: A Parable of the Cold War, and the film Innocent Voices, this essay provides a comprehensive understanding of the massacre and its broader implications. The Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992) was a conflict rooted in deep social,
“Plato, Apologia” is a primary source that is a story written by Plato, it is a written account of Socrates, a Greek philosopher, who was being tried for immorality towards the gods and for “corrupting the youth” (Strayer). In this primary source, Socrates is trying to plead his case so he won 't be charged; unfortunately, Socrates does get charged with the crimes he was convicted of and is sentenced to be put to death. Through his Socrates’ plea, his discusses what he believes is “the good life,” what “wisdom” is, and what “virtue” is.