Christian Political Engagement in the 2nd Century

Last updated on: September 5, 2016 at 5:01 am by Jonathan Storment

Christian Political Engagement in the 2nd Century 2016-09-04T13:48:52-05:00 Jonathan Storment

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In a letter from the 2nd century, Mathetes (Greek for disciple) wrote the earliest know apologetic letter describing the Christian faith to an outsider. For more on this letter’s context go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_Diognetus

But for today, I just wanted you to share what I consider the highlight of the letter as an example of how the early church thought of itself in a political climate much more hostile toward them and anxiety provoking than today’s:

Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity either in locality or in speech or in customs. But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and barbarians… yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives… To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world.

*–*Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus from the 2nd century

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