# To Diognetus 12.3

- Author: Anonymous
- Work: [To Diognetus](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/) (*Epistula ad Diognetum*)
- Date: ca. 150–200 (disputed) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 25:376; Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2, LCL 25 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1913), 350–379 (Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/12/3/

Summary: God planted both trees; misuse of knowledge through the serpent's deceit led to the fall.

## Greek text

οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄσημα τὰ γεγραμμένα, ὡς θεὸς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ξύλον γνώσεως καὶ ξύλον ζωῆς ἐν μέσῳ παραδείσου ἐφύτευσε, διὰ γνώσεως ζωὴν ἐπιδεικνύς· ᾗ μὴ καθαρῶς χρησάμενοι οἱ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς πλάνῃ τοῦ ὄφεως γεγύμνωνται.

## English translation (Claude)

For what is written is not without meaning: that God from the beginning planted a tree of knowledge and a tree of life in the midst of paradise, showing life through knowledge; because the first people did not use it purely, they were stripped naked by the deceit of the serpent.

## Scripture references

- Gen 2:9: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 3:7: echo, medium confidence

## Citation (SBL)

Diogn. 12.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/12/3/).