The Epistle to Diognetus

For what man at all had any knowledge what God was, before He came?

Or dost thou accept the empty and nonsensical statements of those pretentious philosophers: of whom some said that God was fire (they call that God, where-unto they themselves shall go), and others water, and others some other of the elements which were created by God?

And yet if any of these statements is worthy of acceptance, any one other created thing might just as well be made out to be God.

Nay, all this is the quackery and deceit of the magicians;

and no man has either seen or recognized Him, but He revealed Himself.

And He revealed (Himself) by faith, whereby alone it is given to see God.

For God, the Master and Creator of the Universe, Who made all things and arranged them in order, was found to be not only friendly to men, but also long-suffering.

And such indeed He was always, and is, and will be, kindly and good and dispassionate and true, and He alone is good.

And having conceived a great and unutterable scheme He communicated it to His Son alone.

For so long as He kept and guarded His wise design as a mystery, He seemed to neglect us and to be careless about us.

But when He revealed it through His beloved Son, and manifested the purpose which He had prepared from the beginning, He gave us all these gifts at once, participation in His benefits, and sight and understanding of (mysteries) which none of us ever would have expected.