A Call to the Faithful: The Didache and Human Life

Breakpoint with Chuck Colson ^ | 6/16/2006 | Chuck Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

If I were to tell you about an ancient document that sheds fresh light on Christianity, your first reaction might be to run for the hills. Most of us have had just about all we can handle of the spurious “Gospel of Judas” and The Da Vinci Code, right?

Well, I’m not talking about The Da Vinci Code. Unlike the Gnostic gospels that inspired the novel, the ancient document I’m talking about sheds some real light on Christianity. It’s called the Didache, and it’s one of the earliest non-scriptural Christian writings, written toward the end of the first century. As Christianity Today explains in an excellent article last month, “While no one believes that any of the twelve apostles wrote it, scholars agree that the work is a faithful transmission of the apostles’ teaching, intended primarily for the training of Gentile believers.”

So this is no mysterious subject of an ancient conspiracy, just a practical guide to discipleship and obedience—maybe not as thrilling to many readers and moviegoers, but a lot more important.

The Didache came to my attention at the last meeting of the group Evangelicals and Catholics Together. As some of you know, I am one of the founders of the group, which is dedicated to finding common ground in our Christian faith and mission, and standing together in the culture war. Specifically, I came across the following passage:

“There are two ways, a way of life and a way of death; there is a great difference between them . . . in accordance with the precept of the teaching ‘You shall not kill,’ you shall not put a child to death by abortion nor kill it once it is born. . . . The way of death is this; they show no compassion for the poor. They do not suffer with the suffering. They do not acknowledge their Creator, they kill their children and by abortion cause God’s creatures to perish; they drive away the needy, oppress the suffering; they are advocates of the rich and unjust judges of the poor; they are filled with every sin. May you be ever guiltless of all these sins!”

That’s pretty powerful language, condemning the brutal practices of the Romans and of the pagan societies. But what really caught my attention is that this demonstrates so clearly that the sanctity of all human life is an issue that goes back to the very beginnings of the Church. That ought to be news to those who slam the so-called “religious right” as if abortion were some issue we just recently latched onto for political power. To the contrary, this struggle against the culture of death is an ancient one, going back two thousand years. The Didache wisely identifies the unborn with the poor, and condemns the rich and unjust judges who oppress them.

Fascinating, isn’t it? All the hoopla over the “Gospel of Judas,” which was discredited in the second century. The world, you see, wants to believe all kinds of deep dark secrets that might shake the foundations of the faith. But here comes a genuine document—no attention paid to it—but what it proves is the validity of the biblical account.

The Didache, the Church’s first written guide for discipleship, may not contain ear-tingling, earth-shattering revelations like all the other recent sensational disclosures, but it contains something much more important: a reminder of the Church’s great heritage and a call to our generation to be as faithful as our ancestors were in protecting life and the weak and the defenseless.

[Mr. Silverback]

Quick, somebody send the Didache to the UMC and UCC!

There are links to further information at the source document.

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[Mr. Silverback]

BreakPoint/Chuck Colson Ping!

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[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

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[RobbyS]

This should be read from the pulpit of every Christian Church every Sunday.

[topher]

Didache - The teaching of the Twelve Apostles, as it is sometimes referred to. It also has the title of teaching to the Gentiles - as people who were not familiar with the Law of Moses needed to be aware of it.

It is also referred to as the Two Ways: The way of light and the way of darkness.

The first version was written about the time of the first gospels. However, it was not until about 1880s that a complete copy of the Didache was recovered.

Basically, the Didache was combined with church teaching after the one of the early church councils.

It basically stated that Homosexuality, Infanticide, and abortion were all wrong - which had to be clarified for the cultures of pagan peoples entering the church (abortion, homosexuality, and infanticide was always an evil and a sin according to the Law of Moses).

[JamesP81]

A baptist list ping may be in order.

[topher]

A good web link on the Didache is:

The Didache (from Religion Facts) - http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/texts/didache.htm

Text of the Didache (in English) is available online at other links. This article has a link to the original Greek text of the Didache...

[silverleaf]

didache ping

[khnyny]

I guess we'll be seeing coverage of this "important religious document" on cBS,nbc,abc, time, newsweek, etc...

/sarc

[pgyanke]

You Can Purchase the Didache Series from the Midwest Theological Forum

[Mr. Silverback]

You forgot all the documentaries on it that will air on the History Channel, where they will surely have a number of conservative scholara comment on its contents and importance, and on how important orthodoxy is to Christian practice.

[NYer]

DIDACHE
Estimated Range of Dating: 50-120 C.E.

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[khnyny]

LOL, touche.

I look forward to the History Channel broadcast!

[sageb1]

Thanks for the info and links.

[topher]

See Post #12 for another link (posted by NYer).

From what I understand of the early Church, some Christians learned the Apostles Creed as a way of teaching (writing was scarce).

So the Didache was a way to instruct the new Christians (who were generally not always Jewish by background) in the faith - a teaching tool...

That is my understanding...

[bereanway]

Gee, and I thought the Religious Right's condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and infanticide was nothing more than a product of sloppy hermeneutics and a desire to interject the Church into politics!!!!

As Colson so aptly points out, the Didache provides a bird's eye view into the thinking and doctrine of the early church and shows that if anything we have back pedaled on many of these issues so clearly defined in Scripture. However, since it isn't some recycled form of gnosticism National Geographic will no doubt find it to be of little historical importance.

[Antoninus]

The Didache came to my attention at the last meeting of the group Evangelicals and Catholics Together. As some of you know, I am one of the founders of the group, which is dedicated to finding common ground in our Christian faith and mission, and standing together in the culture war.

I always liked Mr. Colson. Now, I like him even more.

[Antoninus]

Didache.

FYI, for those not familiar, it's properly pronounced "Did'-ah-kay".

[sageb1]

Thanks...not how I was pronouncing it in my head. :)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

I can think of 2 other early Church documents that specifically state that abortion is wrong; "The apology of Anathagoras" and "The Shepard of Hermeas".

The "Apology" was written by a Greek Christian philosopher about 390 AD. One purpose of the work was to defend Christians to the Emperor from the charge that Christians were murderers and cannibals. At one point the author states something like: "We are not cannibals, we do not murder. We do not believe or condone murder, we even believe that a woman who aborts her child has committed a murder".

The "Shepard" says pretty much the same thing as the Didache, and commands "Do not abort your child".