The document’s name is Greek, διδαχη (didakhē), meaning “teachings.” Its own title as found in its extant form is rather bombastic, if not absurd: “Teachings of the Lord (from or through) the Twelve Apostles (to or for) the Nations.” It’s a member of a class of early Christian writing known as “church orders.” It also contains liturgical text.
There are two main reasons modern Christians (and in fact, the vast majority of all Christians who’ve ever lived) don’t know about this document. The main one is that, by the 4th century, “literalist” Christians had decided it was not sacred scripture. The second is that, while documents of its genre were written early in Christianity’s history, they fell out of favor within a couple centuries. In the wake of Christianity becoming a hierarchical, even bureaucratic institution, there was little need for such documents any longer.
Something evident in Didache is that it assumes each congregation is self-regulating, since it is at least in part a set of instructions explaining how the congregation should operate. We know that the very first two, three, or even four generations of Christians were members of largely-independent congregations, each run by (very likely) a group of elders (in Greek, πρεσβυτερους or presbuterous) assisted by one or more deacons (διακονους or diakonous, “servants”).
Didache also mentions bishops (in Greek, επισκοπους or episkopous) which meant “overseer.” In the late 1st century through the early 2nd, there’s some ambiguity as to these roles. Eventually — as in, through the middle decades of the 2nd century — they would break out as follows: Deacons at the bottom, with presbyters (aka “elders”) or priests above them, both attached to individual congregations. Bishops were placed over them, and covered a number of congregations.
In Didache, that later breakout doesn’t seem to be in effect yet. It includes an instruction to the congregation about how to elect bishops and deacons. Clearly, both of these offices are conceived of as local to the congregation. Elders are not mentioned. It may represent something of an evolutionary organizational scenario, in between the original elders-&-deacons structure and prior to the later deacons-presbyters (priests)-bishops framework.
As mentioned, Didache has some liturgical text. It includes a eucharistic prayer that would be alien to most Christians (historical or contemporary). Perhaps most important about it, is what this prayer doesn’t mention: Jesus’ death or sacrifice. It also doesn’t state it’s being done in his memory.
What it does say, is:
We thank thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David Thy servant, which You madest known to us through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever. (ch. 9 v. 2)
The focus is on David and his “holy vine” here, with Jesus having somehow revealed it. This is a Jewish-leaning eucharistic prayer. Bolstering that, is this:
Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered 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. (ch. 9 v. 4)
Instead of “breaking bread” in memory of Jesus’ sacrifice and “broken body,” this eucharist instead memorializes the manna on which the Hebrews lived while wandering the Sinai after escaping Egypt. Also, it ends with the doxology, which is found in some later scribal streams of Matthew 6:13 (specifically, the Byzantine text-type).
This is only one of a number of segments of text that are also found in the gospel according to Matthew. It’s thought that the same Christian community may have produced both documents.
At any rate, focusing on David and mana in the Eucharist is one of several features of Didache that point to it having originated perhaps within a Jewish Christian sect, and it may very well have been a Christianized revision of one or more early Jewish texts, compiled by its author into one list. As such, it reflects a longer pre-Christian document found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, called the Manual of Discipline or Community Rule.
Another possible point of commonality between Didache and the Community Rule is Didache’s opening:
There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but a great difference between the two ways. (ch. 1 v. 1)
And in Community Rule, we find this:
Now, this God created man to rule the world, and appointed for him two spirits after whose direction he was to walk until the final Inquisition. They are the spirits of truth and perversity.
The wording isn’t precisely the same, but the underlying philosophy is. Also, the post-communion prayer is very much like similar traditional Jewish prayers, and specifically mentions the “tabernacle.”
The opening of Didache is similar to, and has some text segments that match, the opening of the (apocryphal) Epistle of Barnabas. While this is a Christian document, its central argument is that traditional Jewish scripture had, in reality been “Christian” from the moment they’d been written. The Jews had simply interpreted them incorrectly and veered off from what God had intended.
For example, according to the Epistle of Barnabas, the Mosaic Law was not a list of rules to be followed; it was a metaphorical reflection-in-advance of the work of Jesus of Nazareth.
Gentiles are mentioned only once in Didache, and they’re all implied to be outsiders or in some other way alien to the community. This again is evidence that Didache envisions Christianity as a Jewish phenomenon.
Notably, a much more “Christian” document (as opposed to “Jewish”) also refers to “two ways” or “two paths,” and that’ the Epistle of Barnabas, about which I have a little to say as well. This language isn’t unique to Didache, Judaism, or Jewish Christianity. Still, the influence from Judaism can’t be mistaken.
In addition to describing how to conduct the eucharistic rite, Didache describes how to perform baptisms. It also proscribes a number of vices: Anger, jealousy, argumentativeness, lust and fornication, lying, and so on. It further enjoins the believer to be meek, show pity, be guileless, etc.
It also provides instructions on how to handle wandering teachers, “prophets,” and “apostles.” One assumes the “apostles” referred to aren’t the actual companions of Jesus, but some other class of Christian preacher. The instructions included show that such wanderers could sometimes impose themselves on congregations and be burdensome.
Essentially, the instructions about them amount to an injunction against being taken advantage of. They are, generally, to be welcomed; but not if they ask for money or stay too long. Any who do stay more than a few days are expected to earn their keep; otherwise, they should be sent on their way.
Notably, though, Didache doesn’t shed much light on exactly what these wandering preachers did, or what separated teachers from “prophets” or “apostles.” There are a few other early documents that refer to traveling Christians who came to teach their fellow believers; and it’s possible that missionaries such as the apostle Paul, and his assistants that he dispatched to other churches, might have played similar roles.
The Church Fathers did not have much to say about Didache. They largely didn’t quote it, and only a few (Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, and St Athanasius among them) mention it. Of these, only Clement classifies it as sacred scripture. Eusebius describes it as specious and states it had been rejected as heretical. Athanasius includes it in a short list of documents that he states aren’t to be accepted as canon, yet offer some useful instruction (a kind of middle-ground position).
Aside from these mentions, we know of it because it was found as part of a medieval codex (the Jerusalem Codex, or Codex Hierosolymitanus) discovered in 1873 by a Greek Orthodox hierarch, in Constantinople, from among a collection of documents that had previously been in Jerusalem (hence, its name).
One can say, then, that Didache didn’t directly affect the development of Christianity. But what it shows us is a step in the evolution of the early Church. It shows that guidance documents of its type were needed, precisely because there doesn’t appear to have been any overarching organization providing this kind of instruction to the various congregations. It also shows some of the problems these congregations faced.
Another point illuminated by Didache is that there was still dependence on Jewish scripture, in the latter half of the 1st century and the first decades of the 2nd. Based solely on its text, one would never know that the early Church had Gentiles among its number.
You can read Didache in several places on the Internet.
Quotations from Didache are from the Roberts-Donaldson translation, courtesy of Early Christian Writings. Quotation from Community Rule is courtesy of the Nazarenes of Mount Carmel.
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