Christian Love and the Imitation of Christ in the Epistle to Diognetus: A Second-Century Example of Christian Discipleship

Abstract

ABSTRACT

CHRISTIAN LOVE AND THE IMITATION OF CHRIST IN

THE EPISTLE TO DIOGNETUS: A SECOND-CENTURY

EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

Charles Theodore Mielke IV, Ed.D.

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017

Chair: Dr. Timothy Paul Jones

The Epistle to Diognetus is an early church writing that offers an excellent

picture of the Christian life, as well as deficiencies of other religions. In the text, the

author illustrates the nature of God’s love. As he comes to the climactic point in the text,

he also offers a call for action on the recipient of the letter. This call is to imitate God; but

not just a generalized concept of God, specifically God’s love. This invitation to imitate

God, along with the detailed expression of his love offers a clear image of a true

committed disciple in the middle second century. Along with expounding upon the nature

of God’s love and how to imitate this characteristic, strong connections are drawn

between the text of Diognetus and the writings of the New Testament. These connections

provide support for continuity of thought between the unknown author of Diognetus, and

the New Testament writers.