[1] For before he came what man had any knowledge
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at all of what God is?
[2] Or do you accept the vain and foolish statements of those pretentious philosophers, of whom some said that God is fire (they give the name of God to that to which they shall go) and some water, and some one of the other elements which were created by God.
[3] And yet if any of these arguments is acceptable it would be possible for each one of the other created things to be declared God.
[4] Now these things are the miracle mongering and deceit of the magicians;
[5] but of men there is none who has either seen him or known him, but he himself manifested himself.
[6] Now he manifested himself through faith, by which alone it is given to see God.
[7] For God the Master and Creator of the universe, who made all things and arranged them in order was not only kind to man, but also long-suffering.
[8] Nay, he was ever so and is and will be, kindly and good and free from wrath and true, and he alone is good.
[9] And having formed a great and unspeakable design he communicated it to his Child alone.
[10] And so long as he kept it in a mystery and guarded his wise counsel, he seemed to neglect us and to be careless;
[11] but when he revealed it through his beloved Child, and manifested the things prepared from the beginning, he gave us all things at once, both to share in his benefits and to see and understand, and which of us would ever have expected these things?
The Epistle to Diogentus. . . 1913.
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