Christians as resident aliens in every land
The author is answering Diognetus's question about the Christians' way of life by describing how they are distinguished from other people.
Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by land, language, or customs. They do not live in their own cities, use a peculiar dialect, or practice a marked-out way of life. Their teaching has not been discovered by the contrivance and thought of busy people, nor do they champion a human doctrine, as some do.
They live in both Greek and non-Greek cities, as each has been allotted, and they follow the local customs in dress, food, and the rest of life. Yet they display the constitution of their own way of life, which is wonderful and admittedly paradoxical. They live in their own homelands, but as resident aliens. They share in everything as citizens, and they endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign land is their homeland, and every homeland is foreign to them.
They marry like everyone else and have children, but they do not cast out their offspring. They share a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live according to the flesh. They spend time on earth, but they hold citizenship in heaven.
They obey the established laws, and in their own lives they surpass the laws. They love everyone, and they are persecuted by everyone. They are unknown, and they are condemned. They are put to death, and they are made alive. They are poor, and they make many rich. They lack everything, and they abound in everything.
They are dishonored, and in their dishonors they are glorified. They are slandered, and they are justified. They are insulted, and they bless. They are mistreated, and they show honor. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers. When they are punished, they rejoice as those being made alive.
They are attacked by Jews as foreigners and persecuted by Greeks, and those who hate them cannot state the reason for their hostility.
Greek
Χριστιανοὶ γὰρ οὔτε γῇ οὔτε φωνῇ οὔτε ἔθεσι διακεκριμένοι τῶν λοιπῶν εἰσιν ἀνθρώπων.
οὔτε γάρ που πόλεις ἰδίας κατοικοῦσιν οὔτε διαλέκτῳ τινὶ παρηλλαγμένῃ χρῶνται οὔτε βίον παράσημον ἀσκοῦσιν.
οὐ μὴν ἐπινοίᾳ τινὶ καὶ φροντίδι πολυπραγμόνων ἀνθρώπων μάθημα τοῦτ̓ αὐτοῖς ἐστιν εὑρημένον, οὐδὲ δόγματος ἀνθρωπίνου προεστᾶσιν, ὥσπερ ἔνιοι.
κατοικοῦντες δὲ πόλεις ἑλληνίδας τε καὶ βαρβάρους, ὡς ἕκαστος ἐκληρώθη, καὶ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἔθεσιν ἀκολουθοῦντες ἔν τε ἐσθῆτι καὶ διαίτῃ καὶ τῷ λοιπῷ βίῳ θαυμαστὴν καὶ ὁμολογουμένως παράδοξον ἐνδείκνυνται τὴν κατάστασιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν πολιτείας.
πατρίδας οἰκοῦσιν ἰδίας, ἀλλ’ ὡς πάροικοι: μετέχουσι πάντων ὡς πολῖται, καὶ πάνθ̓ ὑπομένουσιν ὡς ξένοι: πᾶσα ξένη πατρίς ἐστιν αὐτῶν, καὶ πᾶσα πατρὶς ξένη.
γαμοῦσιν ὡς πάντες, τεκνογονοῦσιν: ἀλλ’ οὐ ῥίπτουσι τὰ γεννώμενα.
τράπεζαν κοινὴν παρατίθενται, ἀλλ’ οὐ κοίτην.
ἐν σαρκὶ τυγχάνουσιν, ἀλλ’ οὐ κατὰ σάρκα ζῶσιν.
ἐπὶ γῆς διατρίβουσιν, ἀλλ’ ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτεύονται.
πείθονται τοῖς ὡρισμένοις νόμοις, καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις βίοις νικῶσι τοὺς νόμους.
ἀγαπῶσι πάντας, καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων διώκονται.
ἀγνοοῦνται, καὶ κατακρίνονται: θανατοῦνται, καὶ ζωοποιοῦνται.
πτωχεύουσι, καὶ πλουτίζουσι πολλούς: πάντων ὑστεροῦνται, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι περισσεύουσιν.
ἀτιμοῦνται, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀτιμίαις δοξάζονται. βλασφημοῦνται, καὶ δικαιοῦνται.
λοιδοροῦνται, καὶ εὐλογοῦσιν: ὑβρίζονται, καὶ τιμῶσιν.
ἀγαθοποιοῦντες ὡς κακοὶ κολάζονται: κολαζόμενοι χαίρουσιν ὡς ζωοποιούμενοι.
ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ὡς ἀλλόφυλοι πολεμοῦνται καὶ ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων διώκονται: καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἔχθρας εἰπεῖν οἱ μισοῦντες οὐκ ἔχουσιν.