Didache

Also called Teaching of the Twelve Apostles

An early Christian manual on the ways of life and death, baptism, prayer and ministry.^{6 sources}6 sources1. Chapman 2. Riddle 3. Matthew 6:9–13 4. Riddle 5. Riddle 6. Chapman

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Read M. B. Riddle’s translation ↗

At a glance

Written: Late first or early second century in its final form (Joshua Schachterle).^{7 8 9}
Contents: Manual on the Two Ways, baptism, fasting, Holy Communion and ministry (Chapman).^{1 2}
Manuscript: A complete Greek copy dated AD 1056.¹⁰
Rediscovered: Found by Philotheos Bryennios in 1873; published in 1883.^{11 1 12}

Summary

How should Christians baptize, pray, share meals and test visiting teachers? The Didache offers practical instructions, beginning with the ways of life and death before turning to worship and ministry. Its Jewish character raises questions about its beginnings. Jewish scholar Kaufmann Kohler saw an older Jewish manual behind the Two Ways; Catholic scholar John Chapman argued instead for one early writer. Joshua Schachterle, writing on a critical-scholarship site, places the final form in the late first or early second century.^{11 sources}11 sources1. Chapman 2. Riddle 13. Matthew 28:19 14. Riddle 15. Riddle 16. Riddle 11. Kohler 17. Chapman 7. Schachterle 8. Schachterle 9. Draper

Choose between two ways
Chapters 1–6
The opening sets out the ways of life and death. Related teaching appears in Barnabas 18–20, with passages repeated, rearranged or shortened.^{4 sources}4 sources1. Chapman 2. Riddle 18. Chapman 19. Roberts-Donaldson
Baptize, fast, pray and give thanks
Chapters 7–10
The community receives rules for baptism, Wednesday and Friday fasting, daily prayer and thanksgiving over cup and bread.^{11 sources}11 sources13. Matthew 28:19 14. Riddle 20. Matthew 6:16 21. Riddle 6. Chapman 3. Matthew 6:9–13 4. Riddle 5. Riddle 22. Matthew 7:6 23. Riddle 24. Riddle
Receive teachers and prepare for the end
Chapters 11–16
A visiting apostle may stay one day, or two if necessary; asking for money at departure marks him as false. Instructions on ministry lead to a final chapter on the last days.^{4 sources}4 sources15. Riddle 16. Riddle 1. Chapman 2. Riddle

Stories

When running water is unavailable
Chapter 7
Running water comes first, with other water and cold or warm water as alternatives. The text also permits three pourings over the head; Chapman understands this as a concession when immersion is impractical.^{13 14}
A visitor stays too long
Chapter 11
A visiting apostle may stay one day, or two when necessary. Staying three days or asking for departure money instead of travel bread identifies him as a false prophet.^{15 16}
Cup before bread
Chapter 9
Thanksgiving begins with the cup and then the broken bread. The bread prayer asks for the Church’s gathering, and the meal is reserved for the baptized.^{22 23 24}

Connections to the Bible

Quotations

Matthew 6:9–13 · Chapter 8
The Didache gives the Lord’s Prayer as a Gospel instruction and asks for it three times daily. Chapman notes differences from Matthew’s wording.^{4 sources}4 sources3. Matthew 6:9–13 4. Riddle 5. Riddle 6. Chapman

Echoes and allusions

Matthew 28:19 · Chapter 7
The baptismal instruction uses the same threefold naming of Father, Son and Holy Spirit found in Matthew.^{13 14}
Matthew 6:16 · Chapter 8medium confidence
The instruction about fasting echoes Matthew’s language about hypocrites. Chapman reads the people distinguished by their fasting days as Jews.^{20 21 6}

Why was it read, and why did it stay outside?

Greek church writers preserved a place for the Didache without including it in their canon. Eusebius lists it among rejected writings, in a category distinct from heretical forgeries. Athanasius in 367 recommends it for new converts, outside Scripture. His three categories make the distinction clear: a book could teach Christians without belonging to the canonical collection.^{4 sources}4 sources25. McGiffert 26. McGiffert 27. 4)28. Payne-Smith) 1892

Why readers valued it

Early church: Greek

Athanasius places the Teaching of the Apostles among books appointed for new converts to read for instruction.²⁷

Evidence and proposed reasons

Early church: Greek

Eusebius includes the Teachings of the Apostles among rejected writings, separately from his category of heretical forgeries.^{25 26}

Academic (critical)

Joshua Schachterle suggests overlap with Matthew and possible objections to its Jewish character. He acknowledges that definitive reasons are unavailable; these are modern proposals.²⁹

Sources

29 sources from 15 works

John Chapman, Didache, The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 4 (1908)
- 1
  opening paragraph↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
- 6
  Second Part↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 17
  Sources↩
- 18
  second paragraph↩
Didache (tr. M. B. Riddle, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 7, 1886), The Didache
- 2
  1.1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 4
  8.2-3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 5
  8.3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 14
  7.1-3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 15
  11.4-6↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 16
  11.6↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 21
  8.1↩^a ↩^b
- 23
  9.1-5↩^a ↩^b
- 24
  9.5↩^a ↩^b
3
Matthew 6:9–13↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
Joshua Schachterle, “The Didache: Author, Dates, and Why it's Not in the Bible (bartehrman.com, 2023)”
- 7
  Dating↩^a ↩^b
- 8
  Conclusion↩^a ↩^b
- 29
  Why Is the Didache Not in the Bible?↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
9
Jonathan A. Draper, “The moral economy of the Didache, HTS Teologiese Studies 67(1), art. 907 (2011)”, p. 2↩^a ↩^b
10
Philip Schaff, The Oldest Church Manual, called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (New York, 1886 ed.), ch. 2-3, pp. 5-8, A Precious Volume↩
11
Kaufmann Kohler, Didache, Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), opening paragraph↩^a ↩^b
12
Philip Schaff, The Oldest Church Manual, called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (New York, 1885), p. 290, Communication from Metropolitan Bryennios, list of his publications↩
13
Matthew 28:19↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
19
Epistle of Barnabas (tr. Roberts-Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1), The Epistle of Barnabas, 18.1↩
20
Matthew 6:16↩^a ↩^b
22
Matthew 7:6↩^a ↩^b
Eusebius of Caesarea (tr. A. C. McGiffert, NPNF 2nd series vol. 1), Church History
- 25
  3.25.4↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 26
  3.25.7↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
27
Athanasius of Alexandria (NPNF 2nd series vol. 4), Festal Letter 39 (367), section 7↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
28
Athanasius of Alexandria (tr. R. Payne-Smith), Festal Letter 39 (NPNF2 vol. 4), via New Advent (1892), 39.7↩^a ↩^b

Didache

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Choose between two ways

Baptize, fast, pray and give thanks

Receive teachers and prepare for the end

Stories

When running water is unavailable

A visitor stays too long

Cup before bread

Connections to the Bible

Quotations

Echoes and allusions

Why was it read, and why did it stay outside?

Why readers valued it

Early church: Greek

Evidence and proposed reasons

Early church: Greek

Academic (critical)

Further reading

Sources

Report a problem

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Choose between two ways

Baptize, fast, pray and give thanks

Receive teachers and prepare for the end

Stories

When running water is unavailable

A visitor stays too long

Cup before bread

Connections to the Bible

Quotations

Echoes and allusions

Why was it read, and why did it stay outside?

Why readers valued it

Early church: Greek

Evidence and proposed reasons

Early church: Greek

Academic (critical)

Related books

Further reading

Sources

Report a problem