The Didache
What is the Didache:
The Didache (pronounced 'Didarkay') is a Christian manual giving unique details
regarding baptism, eucharist and church leadership
from an early period of Christian development.. Its name comes from the title, 'The
Teaching (Didache) of the Lord, by the Twelve Apostles, to the Gentiles'. A
rough table of its contents runs as follows:
Didache 1-6 - a
collection of Jewish moral instructions to be adopted by Gentiles who want to
be baptised.
* 1:6 is possibly from Sirach 12:1
* 3:1-7 is wisdom sayings based
on Ps. 36 in the Septuagint.
Didache 7 - brief instructions
for the baptism service itself.
* 7:1-4 is the core of the
baptism section
Didache 8 - instructions for
fasting and prayer, including a version of the Lord's Prayer that is very
similar, but not identical, to that in Matthew's Gospel.
* 8:2 is the Lord’s Prayer
Didache 9 and 10 - two sets of eucharistic prayers.
*10:1-7 is the section on
‘Prophets’
Didache 11-15 -
various instructions regarding church leaders and visitors.
* 13:3-7 is the ‘First-fruits’
section
* 14:3 is a from Malachi 1:11
Didache 16 - a
warning about the events of the last days.
* 16:3-9 is the core of the ‘End
times’ section
Overview of the Didache:
The work shown by several
scholars to have been expanded up to three times generally is thought of as a
starting (as a Christian document) around 49 AD and the final form showing up
around 90 AD shows a strong nature for guiding Christians into the faith. The
work as many scholars have pointed out that the Didache is a work starting out
as a work for those coming into the jewish faith, and
has been dated around 100 BC, yet it is obvious of the strong Christian nature
that even if the scholars are right (about the jewish
beginnings) the work is definitely a Christian work.
The title of the Didache proves
to be the launching pad for insight into the distinctly jewish beginnings of the Didache. The composite
character of the "Didache" is shown by the double title or heading.
The first words, "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," form the general
title, and therefore need not now be considered. But of the second heading,
which refers to the original book, ch. i.-vi., only the words "Teaching of the Lord to the
Gentiles" (Διδαχὴ Κυρίου τοῖς Εθνεσιν) are genuinely
Jewish; the words "through the Twelve Apostles," which assume that
the word "Lord" refers to Jesus, are a Christian interpolation. The
book known to Christians as the "Teaching of the Two Ways"
corresponded probably with the "Hilkot Gerim" (Rules Regarding Proselytes) referred to in
Ruth R. 1:7 and 16 as having been studied by Ruth under the direction of Naomi,
the words ("way") and ("walk") in both verses being taken
as indications that the necessary instruction in the "Two Ways" had
been duly given to Ruth (compare Baraita Yeb. 47a, and Massek. Gerim, the
abrupt beginning of which gives evidence of the existence of other rules
concerning the admission of proselytes during the
The ‘dual’ nature of the work
shows a strong comparison to those of
The ‘Two Ways’ is a truly Jewish
idea that goes thru much of the OT and other jewish
works, as seen here from the Jewish encyclopedia. The fundamental
ideas of the "Didache" are indisputably Jewish. The teaching of the
"
Early Church fathers,
particularly around
The work itself has been found in
several different languages, and of the languages seen, the ones found in
Ethiopian, Latin, and Coptic are considered the best.
The Didache and the Gospel of Matthew:
The two documents share a LOT of
similarities. In fact, scholars within the last 10 years have worked papers and
thesis which state that Matthew used the early ‘base document’ of the didache
for his gospel, which makes the document used for Christians very early indeed.
There is very little of the Didache used in Luke or Mark, which are both the
first gospels written, so dating the Christian usage of the didache a fairly
precise thing.
A short list of verses from the
Didache and those corresponding verses in Matthew can be seen below.
Commandments, Love and the Law
Didache 1:1 – 6
Commandments
Did 1:2 & 1:4 vs. Mt.
19:17-21
Did 2:2-3 vs. Mt. 5:21, 5:27
& 5:33
The meek and the merciful:
Didache 3.7-8 and Matthew 5.5,7
and Psalm 37:11
Fencing the Law:
Didache 3.2-3 and Matthew
5.22,28
The two ways saying & the golden rule:
Did. 1.1,2d
& Mt. 7.12,13-14, Deut. 30:19 and in Jer. 21:8
The “Golden Rule” is used
‘negatively’ as per traditional jewish interpretation
by the early Rabbis Hillel and Akiba when instructing
early jewish proselytes regarding the chief
commandment of the Law. (Lev. 19:18; Tobit 4:15)
The double love command:
Did. 1.2b and Mt. 22.37-40, Mark
12:29-31, Luke 10:25-28
Lex talionis and love for
enemies:
Did. 1.3b-5a and Mt 5.38-48
Did. 1:3 vs. Matthew 5:43-47,
Luke 6:27-35, Romans 12:14
Abstain:
Did. 1:4a vs. Mt. 5:27-30, Eph
4:22, I Thess 4:3-5, I John 2:16-17
Turn the other cheek:
Did. 1:4b and Mt. 5:39b and Lk. 6:29
Give:
Did. 1:5a vs. Mt. 5:42 and Lk. 6:30
The last penny:
Didache
1.5c and Matthew 5.
Christian Life
Vice list:
Did. 5:1 and Mt. 15:19
The vice list is a series of forbidden
acts and no-no’s
The unforgivable sin:
* (see notes below)
Matthew 12.31 and Didache 11.7
Be reconciled:
Matthew 5.24 and Didache 14.2
Fast and pray:
Matthew 6.5-16 and Didache 8.1-2a,2c-3
Preservation of teaching:
Matthew 5.17-20 and Didache 11.1-2
Giving what is holy to dogs:
Matthew 7.6 and Didache 9.5b
The worker's food:
Matthew 10.10 and Didache 13.1-2
Baptism
Didache chapter 7
Threefold baptism:
Did. 7:1c,d,e
vs. Mt. 28:19
Note: This three way baptism is considered
a later addition whereas the ‘in the name of the lord’ is considered to be the
original form of baptism during the early ante-Nicene church.
End Times similarities in Matthew and
Mark:
Didache chapter 16
Similarities to Mark
Did. Chapter 16 vs. Mk. chapter
13
Similarities to Matthew
Did.
16.3-5 vs. Mt. 24:10-12
Did.
16.6,8 vs. Mt. 24:30-31
Did.
16.8-9 vs. Mt. 16:27
Did.
16.8-9 vs. Mt. 25:31-46
Other tidbits and connections:
Didache chapter 8
Matthew 6.1-16 combines Mk.
12:40-44 and Did. 8:1-3
Didache chapter 8 is directly
dependent on Matthew 6:5-16
Note: the Eucharistic prayer is
not identical, as most scholars will accept both as true forms of the original
prayer. Scholars will note that the prayer in the Didache added this part after
Matthews Gospel, so it can be argued that Matthew himself added the prayer into
the didache.
Things to note:
The main things we as ‘modern’
Christians is that we have a fully developed doctrine, set of guidelines, and
theology to look upon, while the didache community is definitely during the
‘primitive christian’ era of the 1st
century. So, the doctrines that we see and take for granted haven’t even yet
been developed during this stage. So as we talk about the document and see the
verses, note that what people ‘think’ should be talked about isn’t.
One thing also to look at is that
this work, first possible way is being a set of guidelines is for ‘baby’
Christians when they first come into the Christian community, and once inside,
then the ‘real’ teaching begins for the ‘meat’ of the gospel. The second way is
for teachers and ‘deacons’ who lead small communities and receive the itinerant
prophets and teachers, and so must be aware of false teachers & false
prophets, and be able to lead the ‘eucharist/Agape’.
So either way, this work is narrow and specific in focus, very much talking
about the things that needed to be stressed.
Since the time period deals with
very early Christians, and in reality are just
considered a sect of Judaism, the jewish religious laws
still held sway. The term ‘perfection’ in regard to the didache deals with the
gentiles upholding the Torah and living generally as jews. Note that Didache 6:2-3 which deals with this,
Jesus is still the messiah of the Jews, and so therefore with gentiles becoming
part of Christianity, it is looked at that it is right around the time of the
‘Apostolic Decree’, which was about 49 AD., so only 14 to 15 years after Jesus
died. The issue rubs if these gentiles had to deal with the whole of Torah, and
therefore the idea of circumcision, since remember Paul in Galations
fought against the judaizers which said that gentiles
must become circumcised, while Paul said they didn’t have to be, so the issue
in the Didache is still murky.
As noted in the Jewish encyclopedia,
the issue of the ‘Yoke’ of course deals with the Torah and jewish laws, and is expanded here to see.
The Jewish Thanksgiving is a strong jewish custom that became a Christian custom as well.
In the Didache, we see the heart of the thanksgiving ‘formula’ that jewish believers used, and upon
researching, I found the ‘formulas’ are nearly identical. One thing to note is
in the thanksgiving prayer is the part where God ‘dwells in the heart’; this
refers to the Shekinah, which in Christian usage is
the presence of God, and upon later (3rd century usage) had a name,
that of the Holy Spirit. But in this early stage, the presence of God, is still just the presence of God and not a separate
person named the ‘Holy Spirit’. The reference is seen in chapters 9 and 10.
The Didache as seen above is seen
easily in the Gospel of Matthew, and also in the Epistle of Barnabas. The
Epistle as spoken of by a few scholars shows similar writing styles, grammar
and vocabulary, where a somewhat strained view was proposed that the didache
and the author of the epistle could be the same person. The view is rarely
seen, and so isn’t really considered until more of the theory is looked into.
But when one looks at both documents, the similarities can be seen in sections
of the Epistle, especially chapter 19.
In the Didache 11:7, one
seemingly strange term seen in the Didache that is also in the Gospels and
epistles is the term ‘unforgivable sin’. Many have been confused by the term,
yet when looking at the context and the time period, we can see where the
Didache and the NT show the same thing. The unforgivable sin is to see the work
of God and say, "That is the work of the Devil" (Matthew 12:31-32,
Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10). "By their fruits you shall know them" refers
to discernment of true and false prophets in Matthew (7:15-20), but the
parallel in Luke (6:43-45) refers to a good man rather than a prophet.
The term Christian is a very old
term, and most people think of Paul first coming up with the term, and wonder
if there are any other references of that term. In the Didache 12:3, the term
does indeed come up. The word "Christian" appears only three times in
the Bible. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch of Syria about
AD 43 (Acts 11:26); King Herod Agrippa II said to Paul, "In a short time
you think to make me a Christian!" about AD 59 (Acts 26:28); and Simon
Peter wrote, "If one suffers as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed..." no later than AD 64 or 65 (I Peter 4:16).
What the Didache talks about.
The ‘Way of Life’ and the ‘Way of
Death’ are immediate signals toward the
The Doctrines seen in
the didache:
End Times:
Chapter 16 is an interesting one,
since it shows a very simple and straight-forward view of what the people are
to expect. It doesn’t contain all the symbols of Revelations, and it isn’t
specific like Matt 24, but the one thing that sticks out is the need to
persevere until Christ returns. The following verses also talk about the trials
and tribulations that wait, so that the didache could be considered ‘post-trib’ as the ‘church’ will struggle to survive thru the
entire 7 years until Jesus returns. As we can see, there is no mention of the
millennial reign which is from Johns Revelations which won’t even be written
for another 15 to 20 years after the didache. Note also that nothing in the
didache even seemingly mentions the great famine in Judea in 47 AD, the
rebellion in 66 AD or the
When one studies the Jewish prophetic and apocalyptic
literature, one makes three discoveries: (1) The older
expectations of God's salvation generally look to God as being the sole and
exclusive savior of
we
can see that the Didache occupies the early phase wherein God is the sole
Redeemer of Israel. Jesus is his servant and only the future will make clear
what roles will be assigned to Jesus when God comes. Such a modest proposal
could hardly be construed as a challenge to the absolute monotheism that has
always been a pillar of Judaism.
Reactions due to end time thought during this early base
layer of the Didache.
The End time thinking during the 30’s and 40’s were
extremely high, and with the incoming gentiles toward the ‘Living God” and fell
away from their idols, the jewish believers and
gentiles had 3 main points to tackle.
Gentiles get destroyed according to OT, or saved according
to OT
The vast majority of the prophetic and apocalyptic texts
of Judaism portray God's arrival as bringing blessings for faithful Jews but
terrible punishments for the Gentiles. As E.P. Sanders (1985:212-216) correctly
notes, a large number of prophetic texts look forward to the utter destruction of
the Gentiles along with their idols (e.g., Isa 54:3;
Mi 5:9, 15). Some more moderate texts allow that some Gentiles would survive in
the age to come but only after bringing their treasures to Jerusalem and becoming
the servants of Israel (e.g., Zech 14:14, Isa 14:2,
60:12). Only a very few texts hold out the prospect that some Gentiles would be
invited to share in the glory of
Do they observe the Torah or not?
Jews preparing for the coming of their Lord were expected
to return to a heartfelt observance of the Torah; Gentiles, on the other hand,
"turn from idolatry (and the sins associated with it) and turn
to the living God". Thus, circumcision, Sabbath keeping, and kosher
foods were required of Jews but not of Gentiles since, as Fredriksen
explains, "Gentiles are saved as Gentiles: they do not, eschatologically, become Jews".
Where is the return?
This situation prevailed during the 30s and 40s and
allowed Jews and Gentiles to be bound together in the same hope. Then a
critical stress point emerged:
By mid-century, surely all these Christians must have
realized that their expectations [of the imminent coming of the Lord] had not
been fulfilled. . . . Gentiles continued to join the movement in numbers; the
mission to
* I think that the ‘crisis’ that occurred is the formation
of the judaizer party led by James and seen at the Council
of Jerusalem in 49/50 AD, and the judaizers were
fought against by Paul in his epistles, and 4 decades later, by Ignatius as
well.
Against living in Idleness:
In Didache 12:1-3, A seemingly simple commandment was to often ignored by
people in the jewish-christian days soon after Jesus
died. The itinerant traveling teachers and prophets preached the gospel and
took advantage of people and their circumstances, enough so that the didache
mentions it, and Paul does so too. Paul mentioned it in II Thess
3:6-12. The idea was for Christians to have a ‘real’ job and not abuse their
fellow believers and to have a real career to live a solid life while still
doing what Jesus commanded them to do. Peter being a fisherman, Paul being a
leather tanner, and the other Apostles indeed held jobs all must of agreed on this, yet it must of not been too much of a
problem since it was mentioned so rarely.
Salvation:
Another thing to point out is
16:7 where Christ will return with not all the dead, but only his saints, which
brings the point that salvation is not universal, but only for the ‘saints’. The verse though
short deals with a significant heresy in the church that has returned. The idea
of God being so loving that he would save everybody and not send anybody to the
lake of fire. This false belief is called universalism and is been dissected
and proven false many times. But this verse shows simply that Jesus will come
back but only with the saints, while the rest of the read, are ‘somewhere
else’. The Didache remains silent on that, but thru the NT, it can be seen as
Reproof:
In chapter 15, the method
seemingly simple is also an effective one. It is silence. This form of
excommunication is not a mean spirited shunning, but done so that the person
can easily repent of their sins and be welcomed back into the community.
The Way of Death:
Chapter 5 is known as ‘The way of
death’ which is a simple set of things that Christians must stay away from.
Sometimes these things aren’t easy to do, but to keep the right mindset, lifestyle and fellowship with Poppa, the guidelines
set in this important chapter must be carried out.
Bishops and Deacons:
In chapter 15, as we see also in
the NT, these positions are for men, and given the properties that are required
of them, the issue of money comes up quickly. Money is a big problem then, and
now, as sinful activities spawn from the lust of money. The other traits such
as truthfulness and being ‘approved’ means that the person MUST live as a
Christian, and not be a fraud that only ‘talks the talk’.
In 15:1, an important thing is
seen. The community is supposed to elect their own Bishops out of their own,
which means that the ‘church’ is a democratically led one and the people will
know who is approved, truthful and worthy of the position. Because of this
issue (people electing their own Bishop), the Roman Catholic Church didn’t
support the didache and suppressed it.
Prophets:
Chapter 11 is a big section and
generally important to the primitive church. Since the 1st century,
prophecy was very high on the list and the immanent return of Christ was seen,
the people saw prophets on a regular basis. The gift of discernment was also
high, much higher than it is today, as everybody, even common lay-people was
thought of seeing the differences between true and false prophets. People also
we assumed to ‘test the spirits’ and see if things were according to ‘the
gospel’, and so chapter 11 must be looked at as a look into 1st
century Christian thought. Things that stuck out for me was when the prophets
were speaking ‘in the spirit’ and what people were to watch out for. For
instance, did they eat the meal they ordered, or did they tell you to give
money to the needy, and other things. The didache
seemingly is a guide and a good one for people to watch out and discern the
many false prophets that traveled the region. One thing I did have an issue
with was 11:7 which dealt with not testing the prophet ‘in the spirit’ and that
it is an unforgiven sin if one does. I test the
spirits, to make sure if the person is for real of a fraud, so this one verse I
grumble about.
Agape fellowship
In chapter 14, the fellowship
amongst the church is easy to see and understand, where the people are to
repent, and forgive one another so that they are blameless before enjoying the
agape feast (eucharist). Also,
if a person doesn’t repent, that they must not share in the eucharist, since the sacrifice would be impure.
In 9:5, one thing to note is that
no one should be welcomed unless they have been baptized in the name of the
lord, [which we know as Jesus Christ]. This is most likely the original saying
as the above sayings in chapter 8 show the later addition (name of the Father,
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit)
Baptism:
The chapter 7 is a short one, but
presents a few things which make scholars wonder. First is the three-fold name
which for such a ‘jewish-like’ document such as the
didache, the ‘Father, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit’ name along with the
sprinkling of water on the head present it as a later addition, and makes the
verse 9:5 as most likely the original (in the name of our lord), which is also
seen in the NT. One important consideration is the need to baptize in living
water which is a cool running stream /river, like the
Tithing
In 13:3 – 13:7, one interesting
continuation is the idea of the tithe. Since the temple was just destroyed
about 15 to 20 years before the didache was written, the Levite priesthood is
gone, so the Christians held up the prophets as the ‘high priest’. So in the
community, if a prophet was there, the people would give ‘first-fruits’ to the
prophet, while if there wasn’t a prophet in town, then the people would give
their ‘first-fruits’ to the poor. Also a difference between the Christian tithe
and the tithe in the OT, was for the didache, money was
added to the things one could give towards the tithe.
Prayers:
In chapters 8, 9 and 10, prayers
and thanksgivings are common during fellowship, fasts and other meeting times.
One interesting thing to see is in 8:1 where the hypocrites are mentioned. In
this verse, the hypocrites are jewish
believers who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and due to this, the didache
states to use differing days as ‘fast days’. The jewish fast days mentioned are the Ma’amadot fasts on Monday and Thursday. The didache using
the gospel, shows the ‘Our Father’ prayer which is
nearly exactly how we say it today. I the gospels, Matthew
uses the word ‘hypocrites’ eleven times, which strongly points to him
writing Didache 8:1-3
Welcoming strangers in Christ:
Chapter 12, though small, shows
how to bring in those for Christ. One thing to note is that a person is to be
studied to see if they ‘are for real’. If they have a craft (job), then they
must work to earn their keep. If they don’t have a craft, they must be shown
one (earn a trade). So that anybody who visits you must work and not be a
‘couch potato’. Also if the person refuses to work, and just ‘eat you out of
house & home’, then they are to be shown the door so to speak, since they
are only pretending to be ‘of Christ’.
THE DIDACHE
Note: stuff in Italics represent later
additions according to some scholars
Note: Using translation by Alan Garrow(2004)
CHAPTER 1 :
the way of life puts the two ways in evidence
1:1 There are two ways : one of life and one of death. There are great
differences between these two ways.
1:2 The way of life is this : first, you must love God
who made you. Second, you must love your neighbor as yourself. Whatsoever you
would not want someone to do to you, do not do that to another.
1:3 Now, these are our teachings : Bless those that
curse you, pray for your enemies, and fast for those that persecute you. For
what credit is it to you if you love those that love you ?
Do not even the heathen do the same ? But, for your
part, love those that hate you, and you will have no enemy.
1:4 Abstain from carnal and bodily lusts. If any man strikes you on the right
cheek, turn to him the other cheek also, and you will be perfect. If any man
impress you to go with him one mile, go with him two. If any man takes your
coat, give him your shirt also. If any man will take from your
what is yours, refuse it not.
1:5 Give to everyone that asks you, and do not refuse,
for the Father's will is that we give to all from the gifts we have received.
Blessed is he that gives according to the mandate ;
for he is guiltless. Woe to him who receives without need. For
if any man receive alms under pressure of need he is innocent. But he
who receives it without need shall be tried as to why he took and for what, and
being in prison he shall be examined as to his deeds, and he shall not come out
until everything owed is paid.
1:6 But concerning this it was also said to let your alms sweat into your hands
until your know to who you should give.
CHAPTER 2 : list of forbidden activities
2:1 The second commandment of the teaching is this :
2:2 You must not murder ; you must not commit adultery ; your must not molest
children ; you must not commit fornication ; you must not steal ; you must not
use magic ; you must not use poisonous philtres ; you
must not procure abortion nor commit infanticide ; you must not covet your
neighbor’s goods.
2:3 You must not commit perjury; you must not bear false witness; you must not
speak evil ; you must not hold grudges.
2:4 You must not be double-minded nor double-tongued,
for to be double-tongued is the snare of death.
2:5 Your speech must not be false nor vain, but
completed in action.
2:6 You must never be greedy, nor accumulate riches,
be a hypocrite, malignant, or proud. You must make no evil plan against your
neighbor.
2:7 You must hate no man. But some you must reprove,
and for some you must pray, and some you must love more than your own life.
CHAPTER 3 : list of forbidden and
prescribed attitudes
3:1 My child, flee from everything evil and from all that resembles it.
3:2 Be not proud, for pride leads to murder, nor
jealous, nor contentious, nor passionate, for all these lead to murder.
3:3 My child, be not lustful, for lust leads to fornication, nor a speaker of
base words, nor a lifter up of the eyes, for all these lead to adultery.
3:4 My child, regard not omens, for this leads to
idolatry. Neither be an enchanter, nor an astrologer, nor a magician, neither
wish to see these things, for all these lead to idolatry.
3:5 My child, be not a liar, for lying leads to theft,
nor a lover of money, nor vain-glorious, for all these lead to theft.
3:6 My child, be not a grumbler, for this leads to
blasphemy, nor stubborn, nor a thinker of evil, for all these lead to
blasphemies.
3:7 But be meek, for the meek shall inherit the earth.
3:8 Be long-suffering, and merciful and guileless, and
quiet, and good, and ever fearing the words which you have heard.
3:9 Never seek to exalt yourself, nor let your soul be
presumptuous. Your soul must not consort with the lofty, but you must walk with
righteous and humble men.
3:10 Receive the accidents that befall you as good,
knowing that nothing happens apart from God.
CHAPTER 4 : various precepts
4:1 My child, you must remember, day and night, him who speaks the word of God
to you, and you must honor him as the Lord, for where the Kingdom is spoken of
the Lord is present.
4:2 And you must daily seek the presence of the
saints, so that you may find rest in their words.
4:3 You must not desire a schism, but must reconcile
those that strive. You must give righteous judgment. You must favor no man in
reproving transgression.
4:4 You must not be of two minds, undecided.
4:5 Be not one with hands to receive, but shutting
them when it comes to giving.
4:6 Whatever you have gained by your hands shall be
given as a ransom for your sins.
4:7 You must not hesitate to give, nor grumble when
you give, for you shall know who is the good Paymaster of the reward.
4:8 You must not turn away the needy, but share everything with your brother,
and never say that your goods are your own, for if you share in the
imperishable, how much more in the things which perish ?
4:9 You must never neglect your son or daughter, but
you must teach them from their youth up the fear of God.
4:10 You must not command in anger your slave or maid
if they hope in the same God, lest they cease to fear God who is over you both.
For He comes not to call men with respect of persons, but
those whom the Spirit has prepared.
4:11 But you who are slaves must be subject to your master, in reverence and
fear, as if your master represented God.
4:12 You must hate all hypocrisy, and everything that
is not pleasing to the Lord.
4:13 You must never forsake the commandments of the
Lord, but keep what you have received, adding nothing to it and taking nothing
away.
4:14 In the congregation you must confess your
transgressions, and you must never approach your prayer with an evil
conscience. This is the way of life.
CHAPTER 5 : the way of death
5:1 But the way of death is this : first of all, it is evil and full of
maledictions : murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries,
magic arts, charms, robberies, false testimonies, hypocrisy, a double heart,
fraud, pride, malice, arrogance, greed, foul speech, jealousy, impudence,
disdain, boastfulness.
5:2 Persecutors of the good, haters of truth, lovers of lies, knowing not the
reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgment,
awake not for good but for evil, from whom gentleness and patience is far,
lovers of vanity, chasing reward, unmerciful to the poor, not working for the
afflicted, without knowledge of their Creator, murderers of children,
corrupters of God's creation, turning their backs to the needy, oppressing the
distressed, advocates of the rich, unjust judges of the poor, altogether
utterly sinful. Children, flee from these people!
CHAPTER 6 : the false teachers
worship dead gods
6:1 See that no one leads you away from the way of this teaching, for they
teach you without God.
6:2 If then you are able to bear the Lord's yoke
fully, you will be perfect, but if you can not, then do your best.
6:3 And concerning food, bear what you can, but never eat from that which is
offered to idols, for that is seen as worship of the dead gods.
CHAPTER 7 : reborn as a Christian : baptism
7:1 Concerning baptism, baptize in this
way : having first rehearsed all these things, baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
in living water.
7:2 But, if you have no running water,
baptize in other water, and if you can not in cold, then in warm.
7:3 But if you have neither, pour water three times on the head in the Name of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
7:4 And before the baptism, let the baptizer and him
who is to be baptized fast, and any others who are able. And you must bid him who is to be baptized to fast one or two days
before.
CHAPTER 8 : fasting & the Lord's
prayer
8:1 Do not fast when the hypocrites fast, for they fast on Mondays and
Thursdays, so fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.
8:2 And do not pray as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel,
pray thus :
"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your Name,
Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our bread for later,
and forgive us our debt
in the manner that we forgive our debtors,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for Yours is the power and the glory for ever."
8:3 Pray in this way three times a day.
CHAPTER 9 : eucharistic consecration
9:1 Now regarding the eucharist, give thanks in this
way :
9:2 First concerning the cup :
"We thank You, our Father,
for the holy vine of David Your servant,
which You made known to us through Jesus Your servant.
To You belongs the glory for ever."
9:3 And concerning the broken bread :
We thank You, our Father,
for the life and knowledge which You made
known to us through Jesus Your servant.
To You belongs the glory for ever."
9:4 As this broken bread was scattered over the mountains, and was brought
together to become one, so let Your church be gathered together from the ends
of the earth into Your Kingdom, for the glory and the power are Yours through
Jesus Christ forever.
9:5 But let none eat or drink of your eucharist except those who have been
baptized in the Name of the Lord. For
concerning this did the Lord say : “Give not what is holy to dogs.”
CHAPTER 10 : thanksgiving after communion
10:1 But after you are satisfied with food, give thanks in this way :
10:2 We give thanks to You, O Holy Father, for Your Holy Name which You made to
live in our hearts, and for the knowledge, the faith and the immortality which
You did made known to us through Jesus Your servant. To You belongs the glory
for ever.
10:3 You, Lord Almighty, did create all things through Your Name, and did give
food and drink to men for their enjoyment, that they might give thanks to You,
but us have You blessed with spiritual food, drink and eternal light through
Your servant.
10:4 Above all we give thanks to You because You are mighty. Yours is the glory
for ever.
10:5 Remember, Lord, to deliver Your church from all evil and to make it
perfect in Your love, and gather it together from the four winds, holy in Your
kingdom which You have prepared for it. For Yours are the power and the glory
for ever.
10:6 Let grace come and let this world pass away. Hosannah to the God of David.
If any man be holy, let him come ! If any man be not, let him repent. Marana
tha ! Amen.
10:7 But permit the prophets to hold the eucharist as they see fit.
CHAPTER 11 : reception of
teachers, apostles, prophets true & false
11:1 Whoever comes to teach you all
these things aforesaid, receive him.
11:2 But if the teacher himself goes astray and teaches another doctrine
destroying these things, do not listen to him, but if his teaching increased
your righteousness and knowledge of the Lord, then receive him as the Lord.
11:3 And concerning the apostles and the
prophets, act according to the decree of the Gospel.
11:4 Let every apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord.
11:5 But he must not remain longer than one day, or if need be, a second as
well. But if he stays three days, he is a false prophet.
11:6 And when the apostle leaves let him accept nothing but bread to sustain
him to his next shelter. But if he ask for money, he is a false prophet.
11:7 Do not test or judge any prophet who
is speaking in the Spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but not this sin.
11:8 But not everyone who speaks in the Spirit is a prophet, but only those who
walk in the ways of the Lord. By his conduct, then, is the true prophet known
from the false.
11:9 Never does a prophet who orders a meal in the Spirit eat of it, except if
he is a false prophet.
11:10 Every prophet teaches the truth, but if he does not do what he teaches,
he is a false prophet.
11:11 But no prophet who has been tried and is genuine, acting according to the
worldly mystery of the church, but does not teach others to do what he himself
does, shall not be judged by you for his judgment is with God. The prophets of
old are examples of this.
11:12 But if somebody in the Spirit says to you : “Give me money." or
something similar, do not listen to him. But nobody should judge him if he
tells you to give to the needy.
CHAPTER 12 : reception of new Christians, rule of work
12:1 Everyone who comes in the Name of the Lord should be received. Then,
examine him. You shall know him by understanding right & left.
12:2 If he is a traveller, help him as much as you can, but he must not remain
with you for more than two days, or, if need be, three.
12:3 And if he wishes to settle among you and has a craft, let him work for his
bread.
12:4 But if he has no skills, provide for him according to your understanding,
so that no man shall live among you in idleness because he is a Christian.
12:5 But if he will not cooperate, he is making traffic of Christ. Beware of
such.
CHAPTER 13 : the prophets as high priests among us
13:1 But every true prophet who wishes to settle among you is worthy of his
food.
13:2 Likewise a true teacher is himself worthy, like the workman, of his food.
13:3 Therefore you must take the first-fruit of the winepress and of the
threshing-floor and of oxen and sheep, and give them as the first-fruits to the
prophets, for they are your high priests.
13:4 But no prophet is among you, then give it to the poor.
13:5 If you make bread, take the first-fruits, and give it according to the
commandment.
13:6 Likewise when you open a jar of wine or oil, give the first-fruits to the
prophets.
13:7 Of money also and clothes, and of all your possessions, take the
first-fruits, as it seem best to you, and give according to the commandment.
CHAPTER 14 : the communal
sacrament
14:1 Gather together on the Lord's day, break bread and hold eucharist, after
first having confessed your transgressions, so that your offering may be pure.
14:2 But let none who has a quarrel with his fellow join you until they be
reconciled, so that your sacrifice may be undefiled.
14:3 For this is the sacrifice spoken of by the Lord : “In every place and time
offer me a pure sacrifice, for I am a great King, says the Lord, and My Name is
wonderful among the nations.".
CHAPTER 15 : communal
hierarchy & method of reproof
15:1 Therefore, appoint for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord,
meek men, disinterested in money, truthful and approved, for they too will
fulfill among you the services of prophets and teachers.
15:2 Do not despise them, for they are your honourable men, together with the
prophets and the teachers.
15:3 Do not reprove one another in wrath but in peace, as set forth in the Gospel.
Let nobody speak with anyone who has wronged his neighbour, nor let him be
heard, until he repents.
15:4 Perform your prayers, alms and all your deeds as found in the Gospel
of our Lord.
CHAPTER 16 : gather to persevere until the coming of the
Lord
16:1 Watch over your life. Keep your lamps burning and do not ungirdle your
loins, but be ready. For you do not know the hour when our Lord returns.
16:2 Gather frequently together, seeking the things which benefit your souls.
For the whole span of your faith will not profit you if you do not persevere
until the end.
16:3 For in the last days the false prophets and the corrupters will be
multiplied, and the sheep will be turned into wolves, and love will change into
hate.
16:4 As lawlessness increases they will hate, persecute and betray one another.
Then the deceiver of the world will appear as son of God, and he will do signs
and wonders and the earth will be given over into his hands and he will do
terrible abominations surpassing all evil done since the beginning of the
world.
16:5 Then all of humanity will be tried by fire and many succumb and perish.
But those who endure in their faith will be saved from the cursed one.
16:6 Then appear the signs of truth. With the first sign, heaven opens, then
the sign of the sounding trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead.
16:7 Yet, not of all the dead, but as it
is said : “The Lord will come and all his saints with him”.
16:8 Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of heaven.
[Bryennios’s MS breaks off here,
the following is reconstructed on the basis of other texts.]
... and
all the holy ones with him, on his royal throne, to judge the world-deceiver
and to reward each according to his deeds. 16.9 Then the evil shall go away
into eternal punishment but the righteous shall enter into life eternal,
inheriting those things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which
has not arisen in the heart of man. Those things which God
has prepared for those who love him.