# To Diognetus 7.4

- Author: Anonymous
- Work: [To Diognetus](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/) (*Epistula ad Diognetum*)
- Date: ca. 150–200 (disputed) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 25:364; 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/7/4/

Summary: God sent his Son as God and as man, in gentleness, to save.

## Greek text

οὐ μὲν οὖν· ἀλλʼ ἐν ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ πραΰτητι ὡς βασιλεὺς πέμπων υἱὸν βασιλέα ἔπεμψεν, ὡς θεὸν ἔπεμψεν, ὡς ἄνθρωπον πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἔπεμψεν, ὡς σώζων ἔπεμψεν, ὡς πείθων, οὐ βιαζόμενος· βία γὰρ οὐ πρόσεστι τῷ θεῷ.

## English translation (Claude)

Not at all; but in gentleness and meekness, as a king sending his son who is a king, he sent him; as God he sent him; as man to men he sent him; as saving he sent him, as persuading, not compelling; for compulsion is not an attribute of God.

## Scripture references

- John 3:17: echo, medium confidence
- Matt 11:29: echo, low confidence

## Translation notes

- “As God… as man”: an early statement of Christ as both divine and human.

## Citation (SBL)

Diogn. 7.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/diognetus/7/4/).