Didache
Sign in to savethumb|Didache manuscript The Didache (; ), also known as '''''The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations''''' (), is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise (ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or (less commonly) second century AD.
AI overview
The Didache is a short early Christian instruction manual written in Greek sometime around the first or second century AD, presenting itself as teachings from the twelve apostles to new converts. It matters because it provides one of our earliest glimpses into how early Christian communities actually practiced their faith, including their approaches to baptism, prayer, and community leadership.
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Article
21 sectionsContents
- Date, composition and modern translations
- Early references
- Contents
- Title
- Description
- The two ways
- Vice and virtue lists
- Rituals
- Baptism
- Fasting
- Daily prayer
- Eucharist
- Church organization
- Apocalyptic prophecy
- Gospels and the ''Didache''
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
thumb|Didache manuscript The Didache (; ), also known as '''''The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations''''' (), is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise (ancient church order) written in Koine Greek, dated by modern scholars to the first or (less commonly) second century AD.
The first line of this treatise is: "The teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles (or Nations) by the twelve apostles". The text, parts of which constitute the oldest extant written catechism, has three main sections dealing with Christian ethics, rituals such as baptism and Eucharist, and Church organization. The opening chapters describe the virtuous Way of Life and the wicked Way of Death. The Lord's Prayer is included in full. Baptism is by immersion, or by affusion if immersion is not practical. Fasting is ordered for Wednesdays and Fridays. Two primitive Eucharistic prayers are given. Church organization was at an early stage of development. Itinerant apostles and prophets are important, serving as "chief priests" and possibly celebrating the Eucharist; meanwhile, local bishops and deacons also have authority and seem to be taking the place of the itinerant ministry.