This Person Is an Imitator of God: Wealth, Philanthropia, and the Addressee of Ad Diognetum

Ad Diognetum includes exhortations to become an imitator of God by acting generously toward neighbors in positions of economic need (10.4–6). This mimesis is not a general Christian ethic, but rather involves a “philanthropic” form of generosity in which wealthier people (like Diognetus) imitate God’s royal benevolence in benefitting less wealthy people. This is supported by the presence in Diogn. 7–10 of elements of Hellenistic kingship ideology, in which a king imitates divine generosity. Further, the material that appears just before the paraenetic passage about generosity (10.4–6) involves a recognition of God’s provision through creation (10.2) and the material that immediately follows the passage on generosity indicates that the imitation of divine benefaction will make Christian persecution intelligible to Diognetus (10.7–8), and both of these themes appear in a number of other early Christian texts in connection with a “philanthropic” notion of generosity. So, Diogn. 10.2–8 as a whole deals with the implications of Christianity for people of means. Unlike typical Greco-Roman discourse on generosity, Ad Diognetum does not call upon benefactors to assess potential recipients’ worthiness of charity and help. Unlike typical “philanthropic” Christian writings, the payoff for generosity does not involve redemptive rewards, but rather confers benefits intelligible to a secular audience. Thus, our analysis of Ad Diognetum contributes to our understanding of the diversity of early Christian discourse about pious giving.