One of the earliest Christian writings outside of Scripture is The Didache ton Apostolon, the Teachings of the Twelve Apostles. It is worth reading for the wealth of information about how the Early Christians actually looked at life. It can be a very important corrective to so many of the ideas that we have nowadays. No matter what your background is, whether Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, or other, you will find phrases and ways of thinking that make you stop and consider. I am not necessarily saying that those who wrote the chapters of the Didache had everything correct, but it should make us pause.
First, these writings were read by many other Early Christians as a guide to their church practice. Some Early Church Fathers believed that it merited being considered Scripture. While other Church Fathers disagreed and these writings never made it into Scripture, yet the fact that it got so close to being considered Scripture should tell you how accurate a reflection of Early Christian thinking this short writing is. In fact, if you look at the first few sentences, you might even think that the later Saint Augustine of Hippo must have read this writing, because he talks about the City of God and the City of Man while The Didache says, “There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways.” Does that not sound like Saint Augustine?
Second, we have ourselves twisted in knots over so many issues as Christians that we have trouble telling what is truly important anymore. We go from Christian culture warriors, to Christian escapists, to Christian health and wealth preachers, to … . Each part tries to say that their piece is the most important piece. In reading The Didache, one sees what those very early Christians thought was important. This is a corrective for each and every one of us, to calls us to a truly Christian set of priorities. “The way of life is this: ‘First, you shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another.’” The Didache goes on to give teachings on what the way of life means. However, then its sight is turned upon the way of death. “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. 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, 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.” The Didache, like The City of God by Saint Augustine, helps center us in the right way to conceive of being Christian. I can see why many of the Early Church Fathers commended the writings.
The Didache also had guidance on how to hold an Eucharist, and how to test whether a wandering preacher or prophet or apostle was a true one or not. I do not know what to do with some of the ways they give for telling a true from a false prophet, frankly one or two of them make me giggle. “Let every Apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord, but let him not stay more than one day, or if need be a second as well; but if he stay three days, he is a false prophet. And when an Apostle goes forth let him accept nothing but bread till he reach his night’s lodging; but if he ask for money, he is a false prophet.” I know some church boards that would agree! “What, the pastor wants a living wage? He is a false prophet!” I am fairly sure that this is not what the writers of The Didache were trying to communicate.
And, though The Didache records that the Christian habit of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays dates all the way back to the beginnings of the Church, yet their reason for why it is on Wednesdays and Fridays has me giggling somewhat. “Let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays, but do you fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.” It is interesting to note that there are various Muslim web sites that advocate fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, but this is not that to which they refer. “It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was keen to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.” The writers of The Didache were referring to a Jewish fasting practice. “Some pious Jews also fast every Monday and Thursday in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, of the burning of the Torah, and of the desecration of God’s name (comp. Luke xviii. 12) (found in the Jewish Encyclopedia).” Notice that the verse cited in the Jewish Encyclopedia is part of the story of the Pharisee and the Publican, where the Pharisee says, “… I fast twice a week … .” But, I do find it interesting that Islam adopted the fasting practices of the Pharisees rather than of the Church.
I recommend that you read The Didache. It is a very short document and can be found free online. See how our early Christian forefathers and mothers thought!
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