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The Didache

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The Teaching of the Twelve- an early Christian compilation. Traditionally ascribed to the Twelve Apostles.

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 70

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Anonymous

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
Profile Image for فؤاد.
1,082 reviews2,054 followers
May 13, 2021
آن گاه که خداوند از پیامبران پیمان گرفت که هرگاه به شما کتاب و حکمتی دادم، سپس پیامبری نزدتان آمد و آن چه با شماست را تصدیق کرد، به او ایمان بیاورید و یاری‌اش کنید.
آل عمران:‌ ۸۱

پیامبرشناسی قرآن برای کسی که با آموزه‌های کلاسیک اسلامی بزرگ شده باشد، عجیب و غیرقابل فهم می‌نماید. بر خلاف سازوکار سرراست پیامبرشناسی کلاسیک اسلامی (وحی، معجزه) پیامبر قرآن مکرراً از معجزه آوردن اجتناب می‌کند، با این توضیح گیج‌کننده که «مگر من غیر از یک انسانم؟» (اسراء: ۹۳)
در عوض از مخاطبان می‌خواهد به پیامبر ایمان بیاورند صرفاً چون گفتار او با گفتار پیامبران قبلی مطابقت دارد، و این را به پیمانی نسبت می‌دهد که نه در تورات و نه در انجیل یافت نمی‌شود. همچنین بارها در قرآن تأکید شده که پیامبر از مردم مزدی نمی‌طلبد و هر چه خواسته به خودشان داده (سبأ: ۴۷)، و همین به عنوان دلیل صدق او به شمار آمده و در مقابل کسانی که در مقابل وحی ادعایی خود پولی طلب می‌کنند، به عنوان پیامبران دروغین نفرین شده‌اند. (بقره: ۷۹)

و اگر این پیامبرشناسی تا اینجا عجیب نیست، باید این را هم اضافه کرد که در نهایت پیامبر می‌گوید اگر من پیامبری دروغین باشم، گناهش به گردن خود من است و شما حق محکوم کردن مرا ندارید. (هود: ۳۵)

تمام این سازوکار در نظر ما که پیامبرشناسی‌مان تحت تأثیر آموزه‌های کلاسیک اسلامی شکل گرفته، نامفهوم و غریب می‌نماید و جز با توجیهات فراوان با تعالیم کلاسیک اسلامی سازگار نمی‌شود. اما دیشب در کمال شگفتی فهمیدم این پیامبرشناسی تا حد زیادی منطبق بر آموزه‌های دیداخه، دستورالعمل اخلاقی و آیینی کلیسا در قرن‌های نخست مسیحی است.
فصل یازدهم دیداخه تماماً به دستورالعمل مواجهه با پیامبران اختصاص یافته و شرط پذیرش پیامبر، نه آوردن معجزه، بلکه مطابقت آموزه‌هایش با تعالیم مسیحیت عنوان شده. برعکس معجزه آوردن از دید دیداخه نشانهٔ دجال است که با کارهای عجیب و خارق‌العاده می‌خواهد خود را پسر خدا و در نتیجه فراتر از انسان بنماید. مهم‌ترین نشانهٔ پیامبر راستین، آن است که از مردم مزدی طلب نمی‌کند یا هر چه می‌طلبد به نیازمندان می‌دهد. در نهایت مسئولیت مردم آزمودن پیامبر نیست، بلکه باید بی آزمایش به او ایمان بیاورند. اگر پیامبر در واقع دروغگو باشد، مسئولیتی متوجه مردم نیست و خدا خود طرف حساب پیامبران دروغین است.

گزیدهٔ فصل یازدهم دیداخه:
اگر کسی آمد و همه چیزهایی را که در بالا گفته شد به شما تعلیم داد‌ وی را بپذیرید. اما اگر آن معلم برگشت و تعلیمی دیگر برای باطل کردن این‌ها داد به او گوش ندهید. هر رسولی را که نزدتان می‌آید مانند خداوند بپذیرید. و هیچ نبی‌ای را که در روح سخن می‌گوید آزمایش نکنید و محکوم ننمایید. زیرا همهٔ گناهان آمرزیده می‌شود اما این گناه آمرزیده نمی‌شود. هر نبی که آنچه را تعلیم می‌دهد بدان عمل می‌کند، او را محکوم ننمایید، زیرا قضاوت وی با خداست، زیرا انبیای پیشین نیز چنین می‌کردند. اگر کسی بگوید به من پول و چیز دیگری بده، به او گوش ندهید. ��ما اگر بگوید که به نیازمندان دیگر داده شود، کسی او را محکوم نکند.

از فصل شانزدهم:
در روزهای آخر انبیای دروغین و مفسدان زیاد خواهند شد. در آن زمان فریبندهٔ جهان [دجال] به عنوان پسر خدا ظاهر خواهد شد و آیات و معجزاتی انجام خواهد داد و زمین به دست او داده خواهد شد.
Profile Image for Michael O'Brien.
344 reviews110 followers
July 24, 2020
This book is probably our earliest writing, outside of the New Testament itself, of the teachings and tradition of the Early Christian Church.

In many ways --- in my opinion --- it reads almost as a summary of much of what is discussed by the Apostles in the New Testament. And, if so, I think that this makes sense. In the first and second centuries AD, the Church was very small and often operated underground due to the persecution and discrimination of the Roman authorities. As such, very few churches had a complete New Testament, much less a complete Bible. A book like "The Didache" --- brief, concise, comparatively easy to reproduce and publish in comparison with an entire Bible --- would make a good reference for ensuring that Christendom would largely remain similar and standardized in belief and practice, despite being scattered from Britain to Parthia and beyond and despite not having a complete set of scriptures to study and reference.

I'd heard anecdotally that The Didache contained specific guidance on how early Christians did worship and handled sacraments of baptism, Eucharist, weddings, and funerals. Unfortunately, I found none on either weddings or funerals. Regarding baptism, there is nothing in The Didache to suggest either that infant baptisms were or were not performed.

While this book was informative and did give me useful information on early Christian beliefs and worship, I can only give this edition 4 stars. Given its place in Christian history, I really think that work of this importance must have either have a preface in the beginning --- or some commentary within it to give readers a better understanding of it. Unfortunately, this edition has neither -- which would have been very helpful to readers.

I recommend this book for anyone desiring to learn more about Early Christianity and theology.
Profile Image for Jonathan Clark.
16 reviews21 followers
March 3, 2017
A must read. Writings of the early church are often ignored but highly needed for perspective on the solid doctrines of the faith that we often forget in our modern denominational squabbles. If doctrine is a tree, the modern church is in the leaves too often. We need to get back to the trunk and build from there.
Profile Image for Adam.
663 reviews
April 4, 2012
Like Clement’s epistle to the church at Corinth, The Didache is something everyone even slightly interested in Christian history ought to read. It takes only 20-30 minutes, though it’s not a bad idea to get a book with multiple translations and go through it a few times. It’s very likely this catechism-like document was written by either the first or second generation of Christians. It was well known in the early church but only rediscovered again in 1873. The early parts read like a fragmentary reconstruction of the Sermon on the Mount and other of Christ’s teachings in the Gospels. Later chapters deal with the proper observance of the sacraments and attitudes toward true and false ministers. Perhaps one of the most striking features of the document is the evidence here that a full-blown doctrine of the Trinity was already being applied in the earliest days of the church.

Note: read it online here:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/richardson/f...
Profile Image for Stan.
Author 3 books9 followers
September 12, 2017
Early Christian writings giving instructions to followers of Jesus. Very insightful to see how the earliest, probably first generation, followers of Jesus thought about following the Way of Christ.
January 18, 2024
Required reading for any Christian. Super short—shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. There is a great free PDF online.
Profile Image for J. Hord.
Author 4 books2 followers
August 4, 2011
From Amazon.com review:
This is a wonderful approach to delivering a text of this type. It begins with the original language text (Greek) and is followed by 4 different English translations. The original and translations are all organized into chapter/verse in order to quickly cross reference one to another. This makes it ideal for the Greek student wishing to see how various scholars have translated a given text. Thus making this a solid text for the scholar or the student of Greek and provides keen insights as a snapshot of the early Church. The Didache has been dated in the range of 50-120CE making it one of the earliest documents surviving from the early Church. Some believe The Didache stemmed from an earlier Jewish catechetical work with additions from the earliest Christian tradition, quite possibly originating with the Apostles. All of this makes this an ideal work for understanding the early Church as it really was from a primary source - a systematic teaching tool of the first century. A must have for anyone interested in the early Church or koine Greek.
Profile Image for Greg Dill.
786 reviews21 followers
September 19, 2015
Nothing provocative or life-changing. In fact, it seems the authors of the Didache simply cut and paste snippets taken from the New Testament and pasted them into this collection of customs, rules, and regulations. Perhaps this was intentionally done since most of the early church didn't have the full canon of Scripture in their possession at this time (2nd century AD). Nevertheless, I am glad I read this historical document that the early church utilized. A document that gave me a brief glimpse into how the early church operated and worshipped during a time of great persecution and upheaval.
135 reviews6 followers
April 23, 2018
Best book from the early church that I have ever read.

Every Christian should read this book at least once in their lives for a well-listed set of Christian ethics. Covers everything from everyday guidelines to the method of baptism to the Eucharist to many of the heresies that we still see around us today (Jesus Onlyism, Prosperity Gospel, etc)
Profile Image for Scott Meadows.
242 reviews14 followers
June 21, 2024
A beautiful early compilation of Christian belief and practice. This is a favorite resource for reflection and meditation. Perhaps we should go back?
75 reviews
March 29, 2024
Fascinating. I took many, many notes on this as this letter touches on so many important areas of theology. This letter should be discussed more and its contents considered heavily in any church's statement of faith or Systematic Theology course in seminary.
Profile Image for Brian.
33 reviews2 followers
July 29, 2023
Concise, practical guide on the Christian Life. Written really early in the life of the Church (1st century). Includes the teachings of Jesus consolidated into one short document. Affirms the importance of Mass on Sundays and the Eucharist, as well as fasting and hospitality. My edition had some cool early hymns at the end.

Still holds up today. I was really interested in how there was a specific directive to pray the Our Father thrice a day. Then I thought about the way the Church prays the Liturgy of the hours, with an Our Father at Morning Prayer and at Evening Prayer. Add the one you might say at Daily Mass, and you’ve got all three!
Profile Image for Joseph.
1,431 reviews41 followers
June 25, 2020
Early Christian Classic

This is an early example of Christian teachings and probably (not sure) the first text that explicitly prohibited abortion. Although this book is revered in Churches in the ancient traditions, it offers even to Free Church Protestants an example of Christian teaching in the time after the Twelve. Very short, readable in under 30 mins, recommended for Christians of all stripes.
Profile Image for booklady.
2,508 reviews64 followers
January 8, 2024
I read this many years ago, probably in the 1990s when I first heard about it and was told that it offered proof that the earliest church believed in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is quick, easy read and should be a part of every Christian's required reading. Excellent!
Profile Image for Aaron.
496 reviews4 followers
February 16, 2024
I don't know why I'm reading 1st Century Christian literature at 3:00 am but there ya go. Also this translation is pretty wack.
Profile Image for Sam.
20 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2024
The early Church was Catholic.
Profile Image for Walter.
339 reviews25 followers
August 22, 2016
The English translation of this treatise is "The Teachings of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations." It is a First Century document whose author is unknown. In Acts 15, we read that the Apostles met at Jerusalem to discuss the issue of allowing Gentiles into the Church, and under what conditions that they can be admitted. In that text it states that the Apostles came to a decision and issued a letter with instructions to the Gentile converts. It would be wonderful to think that this work is that very letter. If so it would be very appropriate. It is a dramatic document that vividly portrays the challenges that Gentile Christians would face in the First Century Roman world.

The document begins dramatically with the admonition that there are two ways in life, the way of life and the way of death. Indeed, in the Roman world, the morality of the pagan world was in stark contrast to the way of Christ. To avoid the pitfalls of life in Roman cities, the Gentile converts are warned not to kill their children, neither before they are born nor afterward, and that they are to love their neighbor and honor the elders placed above them in the Church. In those days, the Christian stood out in stark contrast to his neighbors. And this, at a time when the Roman Empire actively persecuted Christians, meant that the convert would most likely be faced with the prospect of choosing between their Christian faith and their friends, their family, their business clients or even their lives. This document lays all of that out clearly.

Although this document was relatively unknown to the Western church before the Bishop of Constantinople made a gift of a copy of it to the British ambassador in the 1890s, its authenticity as a first century document is unmistakeable. This document is available for free in various places on the Internet in both Greek and English. I would highly recommend that Christians who want to know what life was like for Gentile Christians in the Apostolic Church should read this document.
Profile Image for Gabriel Barry.
9 reviews
February 24, 2020
I think I finished this book, I was pretty familiar with the teaching so it kind of was underwhelming to me a bit, but there was a phrase in it I loved, “Count all things that happen to you as good, knowing that nothing comes except by God.”
Profile Image for Kevin.
431 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2012
Phenomenal reading the writings of the Apostles. I wish more fragments remained.
Profile Image for John.
892 reviews58 followers
September 2, 2023
One of the earliest extra-biblical books we have, the Didache is a biblically saturated book written as a discipleship manual for the early church.
Profile Image for Jun.
209 reviews14 followers
May 15, 2020
A concise and glimmering theology of the Lord's commandments and Great Commission.
Profile Image for Kelly.
34 reviews
November 24, 2018
Teachings of Jesus's apostles to the first Christians

The New Testamemt is necessarily an incomplete record of the words, actions, and teachings of Jesus Christ (see John 21:25). That's why Jesus commissioned his apostles, who walked alongside him for virtually the entirety of his public ministry, to spread the good news and build the Church. The Didache, of which three translations are presented here, gives us a look at what the apostles taught in the absence of a New Testament. Some parts will be familiar, echoing almost verbatim verses of the later-written gospels; other parts might seem new. "Sola scriptura" Christians might be tempted to dismiss this document, and indeed the Church does not recognize it as inspired scripture. But it is an accurate historical record of how the apostles spread the faith in a way that only eye-witnesses could.
Profile Image for Ron.
32 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2020
The Didache, or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is an early Christian treatise dated by most scholars to the late first or early second century. The text, parts of which constitute the oldest surviving written catechism, has three main sections dealing with Christian morality, rituals such as baptism and Eucharist, and church organization.

It is interesting to note that from the earliest days of Christianity, abortion was clearly against the moral law. In chapter two, the Didache states:

“… you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.”

The work was considered by some of the Church Fathers as part of the New Testament, but rejected as spurious by others and eventually not accepted into the New Testament canon.


Profile Image for Paul.
9 reviews
September 28, 2019
A must-read for Christians who are seeking to know the teachings and practices of our early christian family. However there are some passages that contradicts with the bible, especially on the practice of baptism where fasting is to be done a few days before the day of baptism, however baptism in the bible was done immediately after when one repents and receives Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Nevertheless, the didache is an important document for us today to have an understand of the early church practices.
Profile Image for Dianne Owens.
98 reviews9 followers
September 9, 2015
Sam Stinson's reading of this English translation is beautiful to listen to. One that is versed in the Bible can recognise many of the New Testament readings being brought together in this work. There is a poetry to it that makes the work accessible, allowing this atheist to appreciate the artistry of The Didache. I marked the work down one star as some folks may not find the older writing style pleasing to the ear.
Profile Image for Jacob London.
160 reviews7 followers
January 5, 2019
I read this because Hughes Oliphant Old told me to in his book 'Guides to the Reformed Tradition.' In the Didache I found quite a few things interesting. First, that the Catholics are two office. Second, the manner in which they took the eucharist, which shows us how the early church likely would have taken the sacrament.

Although there is a lot of good in these few pages, there is quite a bit I disagree with.
Profile Image for Jeff Turnbough.
48 reviews
March 24, 2020
The Didache is the oldest creed of the Church outside the canon, dating from 60-150. It is known as the Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations (Διδαχὴ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν). It is a brief anonymous early Christian treatise written in Koine Greek. The Didache reveals how Jewish Christians saw themselves and how they adapted their practice for Gentile Christians. For all these reasons, it is important for Christians to read.
12 reviews
October 30, 2023
All believers should read

No, it’s not Scripture, buts invaluable to know our heritage as disciples of Christ. Great translation that’s easy to read and become familiar with.
Profile Image for Christine.
6,966 reviews535 followers
December 12, 2012
I hated reviewing religious books. I always feel like I am doing something wrong with giving it less than five stars.

This book is extremely short, but very interesting because of the early Christian thought and teachings. There is connection to the Bible, but in some ways, this feels more open.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews

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