Didache Puns

I was wondering if someone could speak to “mainstream” scholarly views of the “Didache” community as reflected by the Didache document and other historical sources:

a) What did the Didache community view the Eucharist as and it’s function? Atonement doesn’t seem to factor into the view of the Eucharist as described in the Didache.

b) What if any Christology is reflected in the Didache? What is their view of Jesus?

c) As per the Didache, did the relevant community hold Trinitarian beliefs or something different? If something different could you elaborate.

d) What do scholars generally see as the likely sources for the Didache if not from Matthew’s Gospel?

e) Does scholarship generally view the Didache as reflecting an early strand of Christianity that may be closer in practice to what the first generation of Jesus followers were practicing?

I’m trying to understand the meaning of the word “παιδοφθορήσεις” in the Didache.

To my unlearned eye, it looks like it should have something to do with children (the prefix being paido-). It looks like older translations of the Didache seem to interpret it this way — it gets translated (in context) as something like:

> You shall not “molest children” /“seduce boys”

But in other translations, especially more modern ones, it seems the phrase is translated as something more like:

> You shall not “commit sodomy”

Are there any other contemporaneous uses of this word? What did they refer to?

Thanks!

The Didache, or the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is an early Christian document, which may date to the AD 50's. It's believed to have been a church manual of sorts that was used to instruct Gentile converts, and is divided up into several sections: The Way of Life, the Way of Death, Baptism, Fasting and Prayer, the Lord's Supper, Discerning true Apostles and Prophets from False Ones, Church Leadership, etc.

It's a good work to study and mediate upon — in my opinion, at least. Below is part of the "Way of Life" section, and the whole thing can be read online here.

My child, flee from every evil thing, and from every likeness of it. Be not prone to anger, for anger leads the way to murder; neither jealous, nor quarrelsome, nor of hot temper; for out of all these murders are engendered. My child, be not a lustful one; for lust leads the way to fornication; neither a filthy talker, nor of lofty eye; for out of all these adulteries are engendered. My child, be not an observer of omens, since it leads the way to idolatry; neither an enchanter, nor an astrologer, nor a purifier, nor be willing to look at these things; for out of all these idolatry is engendered.

My child, be not a liar, since a lie leads the way to theft; neither money-loving, nor vainglorious, for out of all these thefts are engendered. My child, be not a murmurer, since it leads the way to blasphemy; neither self-willed nor evil-minded, for out of all these blasphemies are engendered. But be meek, since the meek shall inherit the earth. Be long-suffering and pitiful and guileless and gentle and good and always trembling at the words which you have heard. You shall not exalt yourself, nor give over-confidence to your soul. Your soul shall not be joined with lofty ones, but with just and lowly ones shall it have its intercourse.

The workings that befall you receive as good, knowing that apart from God nothing comes to pass.

God willing, we all may flee from every evil thing, and from every likeness of it. In other words, let us run the good race, as St. Paul did. 1 Cor. 9:25-27, 2 Tim. 4:7. Amen.

"The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didache

The gospel of twelve https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_the_Twelve

Translation to english courtesy of Kirsopp Lake, from book one of his collection "The Apostolic Fathers"

1. But the Way of Death is this: First of all, it is wicked and full of cursing, murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, charms, robberies, false witness, hypocrisies, a double heart, fraud, pride, malice, stubbornness, covetousness, foul speech, jealousy, impudence, haughtiness, boastfulness.
2. Persecutors of the good, haters of truth, lovers of lies, knowing not the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgement, spending wakeful nights not for good but for wickedness, from whom meekness and patience is far, lovers of vanity, following after reward, unmerciful to the poor, not working for him who is oppressed with toil, without knowledge of him who made them, murderers of children, corrupters of God's creatures, turning away the needy, oppressing the distressed, advocates of the rich, unjust judges of the poor, altogether sinful; may ye be delivered, my children, from all these.

Matthew 5:25-26:

>Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

The Didache has the same pretty much word for word:

>Woe to him who receives; for if one receives who has need, he is guiltless; but he who receives not having need shall pay the penalty, why he received and for what. And coming into confinement, he shall be examined concerning the things which he has done, and he shall not escape from there until he pays back the last penny.

Does this imply some early Christians believed people would be released from punishment once they had "paid the last penny"?

There's often a bit of confusion on this sub when some people, asking about this or that and whether it is in the Bible or what the Bible says, are told that the Bible isn't actually the rulebook for Christians. Certainly it contains teachings, but it was never intended to be a comprehensive rulebook and that's not why the particular books that make up the Bible were chosen.

However the early Christians actually did have a rulebook - the Didache, or 'The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations'. This is possibly the earliest specifically Christian writing apart from the letters and maybe gospels, and given it was written and read by the earliest generations of Christianity it is well worth reading, especially if you believe in Apostolic Succession and Tradition. Its also really not very long.

There's numerous different translations and commentaries, here's one: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0714.htm

What are the possible dates of the Didache? I’m aware of some who associate it with the Council of Jerusalem. Who are the maximalist scholars, like Bauckham and Wright, who have books on it? Who are the minimalist scholars, like Ehrman and Crossan, who have books on it?

Could you provide a basic outline and differing views, both about dating and sourcing of it?

In one of my college classes we were talking about the Didache. Obviously it did not become canon but for how long did the Didache remain a primary influence in churches? What were/are arguments for and against its inclusion in canon?

"This is the second commandment of the Teaching:

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not violate boys/minors.

You shall not be promiscuous.

You shall not steal.

You shall not practice magic.

You shall not practice sorcery.

You shall not murder a child by abortion or infanticide.

You shall not covet your neighbor's things.

You shall not bear false witness.

You shall not speak evil.

You shall not bear a grudge.

You shall not be double-minded or double-tongued, for the double tongue is a snare of death.

Your words shall not be false or empty, but fulfilled in actions.

You shall not be greedy, nor a swindler, nor a hypocrite, nor ill-tempered, nor proud.

You shall not plot/conspire against your neighbor.

You shall not hate any man, but you shall reprove some, and pray for others, and others you shall love more than your own life."

>Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Thine is the power and the glory for ever." [Didache 8:2-10, trans. by Roberts-Donaldson]

What is in view with reference to the commands of the Lord "in His Gospel"? As I understand it, the Didache is dated quite early, to between c. 50-120 AD. Furthermore, the content of the Lord's Prayer here closely mirrors its counterparts in Matthew and Luke's Gospels (cf. Matt 6:9-13, Lk 11:2-4).

So, is the Didache citing to Matthew and/or Luke? Or alternatively, are Matthew, Luke, and the Didache commonly citing a third source (and if so, what source is this)?

Thank you for your time and attention. God bless you.

The path of life leadeth unto God.
The path of life leadeth unto sin and death.
The enmity between these two paths is great.

Cleave to love of thy Maker in Heaven,
And love of thy neighbor as thyself;
For these two agree in one: it is the path of life.

Love is the only weapon which can ensure victory over death.
Set thyself apart from warring hatred against hatred;
But seek the peace of God through the blessing of thine enemy.

The spirit of earthly lust is death:
The cure for this affliction is trust in God, which is love of neighbor.
Therefore, be thou a servant of mankind.

Blessed be the one who giveth to them who hath need;
For the needful one to receive a gift is a good thing in the eye of the Lord.
He who hath, who also receiveth a gift, shall repent of his crime.

Grasp hold on that which thou hast,
Lest thou findest some person who hath greater need of thy possession than thou;
For God shall reveal who hath the greater need.

Hi,

1. Is there any evidence for associating Didache with church/elders in Jerusalem ?
2. I read about similarity between Gospel of Matthew and Didache. How much is the overlap in their contents ? Does this bolster existence of a common source (if yes, can we be sure it's not Gospel of Mark) or did one of the two use other as reference ?
3. Do you think Didache didn't receive the attention which it deserved ? (This could be my ignorance) What are similar texts which I should know about ? [just to be clear, I was referring to attention by academics, not theologians]

Thanks in advance.

Edits enclosed in []

So I’ve recently read about the Didache. From what I’ve gathered, it’s a book on practices for Christians, involving things about Baptism, Eucharist and other things. It’s also been dated to the 1st century AD, so why is it not in the Bible Canon?

Why was the Didache ultimately not considered an inspired work and put in the New Testament?

It claims to be "The Teachings ("Didache") of Christ According To The 12 Apostles to The Nations (Gentiles)".

Paul knows of "The Twelve" and says that Christ first appeared to Peter and "The Twelve" (1 Corinthians 15:5).

The Didache sounds very Jewish and was written for Gentile believers, which means that it probably has close connection to The Jerusalem Church.

It doesn't have Pauline influence (which suggests that it could have been written at a time before Paul's popularity in the early church).

It doesn't speak of Jesus walking around Galilee or Jerusalem or walking around doing miracles. These things don't appear in Paul's letters either but appears later on in The Gospels.

The Epistle of James seems to be an Early epistle and seems to be a response to Paul's Letter to The Romans because James criticizes Paul's belief that Abraham was justified as righteous through faith alone. James also seems to know sayings which came from The Didache.

The Church Fathers believed that The Gospel of Matthew was the earliest Gospel because it was interpreted from an earlier Hebrew source. Jerome claimed that The Didache is the same as The Gospel of The Hebrews. There are also many sayings from The Didache which share commonalities with James and Matthew.

How likely is it that The Didache is the earliest (or one of the earliest) writings about The Teachings of The (Spirit of) Christ?

I just read the Didache and honestly I came out of it with more questions than coming in. It was an edifying piece but I found it odd how little attention was given to the liturgy itself.

Perhaps my biggest concern comes from their treatment of the Eucharist. Oddly enough there is no mention of the last supper or the real presence. Judging by the prayer prescribed alone I would have reckoned it was a blessing of a regular meal. Seems so odd that the most important theological moment of the whole service could be forgotten about.

Curious to hear your thoughts

Peace everyone

I invite you all to check out the didache online, it is Greek book dating 2000 years ago written by the apostles of Jesus... probably the most accurate depiction of Jesus. You will be blown away

Here is a verse from it : Chapter 9 begins:

Now concerning the Eucharist, give thanks this way. First, concerning the cup: We thank thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David Thy servant, which Thou madest known to us through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever....

As you can see the depiction of Jesus is the same depiction of the Quran. Here is a quote from the Quran of Jesus. “Verily i am a servant of God, He has given me the scripture and made me a prophet”. Surah maryam

Quran [17:81]And say, “Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is surely bound to vanish.”

Feel free to share with Christians :) God showed me in this video : https://youtu.be/bQeDQ8dPxNU

I've read somewhere that the didache used Matthew as a source material( or both used the same source) Those two have jewish-christian roots if I understood correctly. So if they argee with each other traditions why does the didache contradict sermon on the mount( which actually is thought to be in Q source , so some sayings from it probably go back to historical Jesus) If they do then didache is contradicting the words of person,whom it claims to follow.

" if anyone would sue you and take your tunic,let him have your cloak as well. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you"

Chapter 12 of didache "If he who comes is a traveller, help him as much as you can, but he shall not remain with you more than two days, or, if need be, three." "And if he wishes to settle among you and has a craft, let him work for his bread." " But if he has no craft provide for him according to your understanding, so that no man shall live among you in idleness because he is a Christian."

The didache author sets conditions that the traveller can stay only 3 days and a person who wants to stay longer must work and earn his/her bread. But if someone wants to stay , eat their food for free and do nothing can they really throw this person out without contradicting sermon on the mount ?Doesn't Jesus advocate that they should give this person everything this person wants, and even more? If the person takes something as a robber( or some quasi robber who just doesn't want to work) ,they should offer everything they have. No conditions.

Also they should not worry about earning their bread , they should give it away. "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"

Am I not getting something or the Didache actually uses some traditions that contradict Matthew and Q?

I operate under the belief the God protects His Word and has guided it's formation from the very beginning. That would include guiding the church leaders as they decided which books to include in the Canon. Admittedly the reason I believe this is because if it isn't true we can't really trust the Bible nor can we be sure that another writing isn't scripture. I suspect that if my belief is incorrect God will judge my heart and see that I was only trying to be faithful to Him.

Having said all of that, I believe it can be very helpful to see what the early Christians believed in order to guide my own practice. The scriptures do indicate that in the last days many will depart from the faith and we'll pile up teachers to tell us what our itching ears want to hear. I feel like that describes the church in the internet age. I doubt there has ever been more teachers than there are today simply because it is so easy to amass an audience no matter what you teach. Because of that I'm always uneasy about preachers and I've long wondered if I'm guilty of piling teachers for myself who just say what I want to hear.

To combat this I've been reading early Christian writings to see what people were saying about the faith when it was new. I came across the Didache which appears to be a first century writing, so very early and it is loaded with the words of Christ which we still have today. What it also does is describe how Christians ought to live and practice faith, even how to pray. For some time it was considered scripture before the Canon was decided but even afterward it seems to have been considered an important work.

As I was reading it I felt the Holy Spirit in the same way I do when I read Scripture. I feel like it gave me a much better idea of what God wants from me day to day.

There are some things in it that seem strange to me, such as if an apostle asks for money or stays at the church for more than one or two days he is a false teacher. Paul says that as an apostle he had the right to demand payment, but he chose not to. Perhaps this is why it was not considered scripture.

But what it does emphasize a lot more than modern Christianity is abstaining from sin. I find this in the scripture as well but I find many Christians believe that if you're taught to abstain from sin then you have a legalistic religion. It seems the early church did not see grace the same way we do, which for nearly all Christians I know personally is as a get out of jail free card t

The Didache, also called The Teaching (or Doctrine) of the Twelve Apostles, is a short treatise that dates back to the early Christian Church and was accounted by some of the Fathers as next to Holy Scripture.

The Didache was discovered in 1873 by Philotheos Bryennios, Metropolitan of Nicomedia, in a small eleventh century codex of 120 pages. He astonished the world by publishing a text towards the end of 1883.

Text:
http://www.saintjohnorthodox.org/The%20Didache.pdf

Audio:
https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/churchfathers/the_didache

1 And concerning the Eucharist, hold Eucharist thus: 2 First concerning the Cup, "We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the Holy Vine of David thy child, which, thou didst make known to us through Jesus thy child; to thee be glory for ever." 3 And concerning the broken Bread: "We give thee thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge which thou didst make known to us through Jesus thy Child. To thee be glory for ever.

4 As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains, but was brought together and became one, so let thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into thy Kingdom, for thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever."

I have heard about the Didache, It briefly came up in the early church history class I'm in. I didn't know much about it. It's been mentioned on the channel once but I'd super enjoy one of those deeper dives Matt occasionally does on something. This might even be one of those really cool conversations to explain it to Destin over on the NDQ show...