1-7:7
Ἀλλά, φήσει τις, ἤδη τινὲς ληφθέντες ἠλέγχθησαν κακοῦργοι. Καὶ γὰρ πολλοὺς πολλάκις, ὅταν ἑκάστοτε τῶν κατηγορουμένων τὸν βίον ἐξετάζητε, ἀλλ οὐ διὰ τοὺς προελεγχθέντας καταδικάζετε. Καθόλου μὲν οὖν κἀκεῖνο ὁμολογοῦμεν, ὅτι ὅτι ὃν τρόπον οἱ ἐν Ἕλλησι τὰ αὐτοῖς ἀρεστὰ δογματίσαντες ἐκ παντὸς τῷ ἑνὶ ὀνόματι φιλοσοφίας προσαγορεύονται, καίπερ τῶν δογμάτων ἐναντίων ὄντων, οὕτως καὶ τῶν ἐν βαρβάροις γενομένων καὶ δοξάντων σοφῶν τὸ ἐπικατηγορούμενον ὄνομα κοινόν ἐστι· Χριστιανοὶ γὰρ πάντες προσαγορεύονται. Ὅθεν πάντων τῶν καταγγελλομένων ὑμῖν τὰς πράξεις κρίνεσθαι ἀξιοῦμεν, ἵνα ὁ ἐλεγχθεὶς ὡς ἄδικος κολάζηται, ἀλλὰ μὴ ὡς Χριστιανός· ἐὰν δέ τις ἀνέλεγκτος φάνηται, ἀπολύηται ὡς Χριστιανὸς οὐδὲν ἀδικῶν. Οὐ γὰρ τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας κολάζειν ὑμᾶς ἀξιώσομεν· ἀρκοῦνται γὰρ τῇ προσούσῃ πονηρίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῶν καλῶν ἀγνοίᾳ
But someone will say, 'Some who have already been arrested were convicted as evildoers.' Indeed, many on many occasions you condemn, whenever you examine in each case the life of the accused, but not on account of those previously convicted. In general, then, we acknowledge this also: that just as among the Greeks those who taught what pleased them are all called by the one name 'philosophy,' though their doctrines are contrary, so too among the barbarians the name brought as a charge against those who arose and were reputed wise is common: for they are all called Christians. Wherefore we ask that the deeds of all who are denounced to you be judged, so that he who is convicted as a wrongdoer may be punished as a wrongdoer, but not as a Christian; and if anyone is shown to be without fault, he may be acquitted as a Christian who does no wrong. For we will not ask you to punish the accusers; they are content with the wickedness within them and with their ignorance of what is good.
但有人要說：「已經有些被捕的人被證實是作惡的人。」誠然，你們屢次定許多人的罪，乃是每次查驗了被控者的生活；但這並非因著先前被定罪的人。總而言之，我們也承認這一點：正如在希臘人中，凡教導自己所喜悅之事的人，雖各人的學說彼此相反，卻都同被稱為一個名「哲學」；照樣，在化外人中，那些興起並被視為智者的人，所被加上的名也是共通的：因為他們都被稱為基督徒。所以我們請求：凡被告到你們面前之人的行為，都應受審判，好使那被定為作惡者的人按作惡受罰，而非按基督徒受罰；倘若有人被顯明為無過，便當作一個毫無不義的基督徒而得開釋。因為我們不會請求你們懲罰那些控告者；他們既懷著裏面的邪惡、又對美善無知，這已足夠了。