Did Wikipedia remove the word "martyr" from the Epistle to Diognetus article?

Yes. "martyr" appeared 2 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 2. We saved the article's opening paragraph at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and the counts come from those saved copies.

When did the Epistle to Diognetus article stop using the word "martyr"?

The word appeared 2 times in the opening at its peak in 2005. It is absent from today's opening, the part search engines quote and AI systems train on, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

How can I verify what Wikipedia's Epistle to Diognetus article used to say?

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What did Wikipedia remove from the Epistle to Diognetus article?

The opening as it read in 2005

Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus is probably the earliest example of Christian apologetics , writings defending Christianity from its accusers.¹ The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known, but the language and other textual evidence dates the work to the late 2nd century; some assume an even earlier date and count it among the Apostolic Fathers .² "Mathetes" is not a proper name; it simply means "a disciple." A Diognetus was a tutor of the emperor Marcus Aurelius , who admired him for his freedom from superstition and sound educational advice ( Meditations 1.6), but he is not likely to be the recipient, or even the assumed recipient, of this apology. The writer is a Johannine Christian who does not use the name "Jesus" or the expression the "Christ" but prefers the use of "the Word." The Epistle survives in two manuscripts. A third, that survived until 1870, was in a 13th century codex that included writings ascribed to Justin Martyr . The other two are probably copied from this. It was at Strasbourg but was burned there during the Franco-Prussian War . Fortunately it had already been printed, the first time in 1592, when it was generally ascribed to Justin Martyr because of the context of its manuscript. In all manuscripts, about two lines of the text are missing in the middle. The 13th century manuscript was obviously damaged in that place and the copies were made only after that damage had already been done. The Epistle is in twelve chapters. The 10th chapter breaks off in mid thought, and so the following two chapters, a kind of peroration that abandons the (fictive ?) epistolary formula, are often considered to be later additions, for characteristically 3rd-century contentions appear in them: "This Word, Who was from the beginning...". Some have ascribed these additions to Hippolytus , based on similarities of thought and style. In the 11th chapter "Mathetes" presents himself as "having been a disciple of Apostles I come forward as a teacher of the Gentiles, ministering worthily to them" placing himself in a class with authoritative figures like John the Presbyter .³

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16701481.

The opening as it stood in 2010 12 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus ( ) is probably the earliest example of Christian apologetics , writings defending Christianity from its accusers. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known, but the language and other textual evidence dates the work to the late 2nd century; some assume an even earlier date and count it among the Apostolic Fathers .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 369858750.

The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus ( ) is an example of Christian apologetics , writings defending Christianity from its accusers. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known; estimates of dating based on the language and other textual evidence have ranged from AD130 (which would make it one of the earliest examples of apologetic literature), to the late 2nd century, with the latter often preferred in modern scholarship.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667970609.

The opening as it stood in 2020

The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus ( ) is an example of Christian apologetics , writings defending Christianity against the charges of its critics. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known. Estimates of dating based on the language and other textual evidence have ranged from AD 130 (which would make it one of the earliest examples of apologetic literature), to the late 2nd century, with the latter often preferred in modern scholarship.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 957532380.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023

2nd century Christian apologetic text The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus ( ) is an example of Christian apologetics , writings defending Christianity against the charges of its critics. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known. Estimates of dating based on the language and other textual evidence have ranged from AD 130 (which would make it one of the earliest examples of apologetic literature), to the general era of Melito of Sardis , Athenagoras of Athens , and Tatian .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176075017.

The opening as it stood in 2025

2nd century Christian apologetic text The Epistle to Diognetus ( Greek : Πρὸς Διόγνητον Ἐπιστολή ) is an example of Christian apologetics , writings defending Christianity against the charges of its critics. The Greek writer and recipient are not otherwise known. Estimates of dating based on the language and other textual evidence have ranged from AD 130 (which would make it one of the earliest examples of apologetic literature), to the general era of Melito of Sardis , Athenagoras of Athens , and Tatian .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1292242798. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

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