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In Diognetus, the Jewish people are mocked for watching the stars and the moon and observing festivals, which may be based on an interpretation of Paul's language in Galatians.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Galatians 4:10
New Testament
8 Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. 9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? 10 You are observing religious days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain. 12 I beg you, brothers and sisters, become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!
Epistle to Diognetus 4:5
Early Christian
3 And again to lie against God, as if He forbade us to do any good thing on the sabbath day, is not this profane? 4 Again, to boast of the mutilation of the flesh as a token of election as though for this reason they were particularly beloved by God, is not this ridiculous? 5 And to watch the stars and the moon and to keep the observance of months and of days, and to distinguish the arrangements of God and the changes of the seasons according to their own impulses, making some into festivals and others into times of mourning, who would regard this as an exhibition of godliness and not much more of folly?
Date: 150-250 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... Because they turn back again to preconversion practices (4:9), and because they are turning toward circumcision (5:2), it seems clear that Paul is (perhaps hyperbolically) virtually equating the contemporary Jewish festival calendar with their former pagan calendar. [...] Paul’s term for observing the days was also used by other Jews for observing the sabbath and festival days. [...] Diogn. 4.5 probably echoes Gal 4:10. ...”
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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