Epistle to Diognetus 6

1In a word, what the soul is in a body, Christians are in the world. The soul is spread throughout all the members of the body, and Christians throughout the various cities of the world. The soul lives in the body, yet it is not of the body. In the same way, Christians live in the world, yet they are not of the world. The soul, which is invisible, is guarded within the visible body. In the same way, Christians are recognized as being in the world, yet their religion remains invisible. The flesh hates the soul and wages war against it, though it has suffered no wrong, because it is forbidden to indulge in pleasures. In the same way, the world hates Christians, though it has suffered no wrong from them, because they oppose its pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and loves the body's members. In the same way, Christians love those who hate them. The soul is enclosed in the body, yet it holds the body together. In the same way, Christians are kept in the world as in a prison, yet they themselves hold the world together. The soul, though itself immortal, lives in a mortal tent. In the same way, Christians live as strangers among perishable things while they await the imperishability that is in the heavens. The soul improves when treated harshly with respect to food and drink. In the same way, when Christians are punished, they increase more and more each day. So great is the role to which God has appointed them, and they are not permitted to refuse it.