Community Traditions and the New Testament in Ad Diognetum

For several decades the debate over whether the text of the Epistle to Diognetus is in fact a single, unified work or, instead, the compilation of two independent sources has raged among scholars of the early patristic period. Among the various factors that have been culled into this debate have been the question of the fragmented nature of the manuscript tradition and the manner by which the author(s) has/have made use of scripture. Excellent arguments, if not ultimately decisive, have been offered both on behalf of the position for unity and on behalf of the argument for diversity. The current paper seeks to advance this debate further along two separate avenues. In the first instance, the paper identifies two separate hermeneutical approaches to use of scripture within the Epistle arising with a loosely-organized approach to Pauline theology and thought within chapters 1-9 and a significantly more structured focus around Johannine themes in chapters 10-12. Secondly, the paper turns to the matter of ritual texts that appear throughout the work, indicating what may be implied by the presence of such traditions for any understanding of the tradition history behind the text. Ultimately, it is the position of the paper that, while the manuscript tradition as it currently is known by scholars represents the compilation of more than one document, that process was early codified as a unified community tradition as is indicated by the work’s ritual passages.