Innumerable attempts have been made to identify the author of the so-called Letter to Diognetus. Recently (2006) C. E. Hill developed the theme that Polycarp of Smyrna was the author. In 2008 B. Dehandschutter (Polycarpiana) commented on this theory. In view of these recent developments, my contribution analyses the parallel places of the Ad Diognetum and the Ad Autolycum of Theophilus of Antioch. In II 10 Theophilus – like Ad Diognetum, 10:2 – highlights God’s omnipotence and glorifies him for his benevolence towards man, who was endowed with intelligence by him. II 14 is parallel both with Ad Diognetum 3:5 and 6:7: God needs nothing, but the world would cease to exist without his law and the prophets (Theophilus), or the Christians (Ad Diognetum). II 25 includes an almost verbatim parallelism – investigated by several scholars – with a passage of Chapter 12 of the Ad Diognetum. Both say that it is disobedience that destroys and not knowledge (gnosis). These parallel places demonstrate that both authors were preoccupied with several common themes. I wish to throw light upon some obvious similarities between the contents and the genres of the two works, while not letting the problem of authorship fall into oblivion.
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