The Didache

An Introduction and Study Guide

The Didache is among the earliest Christian documents outside of the New Testament canon. The word “didache” comes from Greek (διδαχή) and means “teaching.” Our English word “didactic” is derived from it. Though a wide range of dates have been offered for the time of its composition, from as early as 50 A.D. to as late 150 A.D., there seems to be a growing consensus among conservative scholars that a date of c. 100 A.D. is best. The work is formally anonymous, but it is meant to be a summary of apostolic teaching.

The first several centuries of the Christian church produced a massive amount of non-inspired texts concerning the life of Jesus, his teaching, and that of his apostles. We may roughly categorize these various writings into one of three groups: Orthodox, Heterodox, and Heretical. “Orthodox” means “right teaching” and texts that fit under this label are those which are in essential agreement with the teachings of Inspired Scripture. “Heterodox” means “other teaching” and texts which fit this category are those which do not necessarily contradict inspired Scripture but which do present some teaching which are not prescribed by Scripture or which seem to be less in harmony with Scripture. “Heretical” texts are those which contain teachings which directly contradict that which is given by inspired Scripture.

Any given text might, of course, contain elements of all three of these categories, but a text is properly categorized by its purity. That is to say, a text which is mostly orthodox in its teaching but which clearly teaches heresy on one point is still probably best classified as a “heretical text”. Mature Christians (by which I mean serious students of the Bible who know it well enough to discern when a non-biblical text presents an idea contrary to it) can still benefit from reading heterodoxical and heretical texts. The practice of growing in discernment, separating truth from lie (and almost truths from total truths) is an important skill to develop as Christian thinkers. There is also much value in learning about the battles fought over the centuries by faithful Christians for the sake of orthodoxy so that we may draw courage from their example. Additionally, studying old heresies, theological misnomers, and oddities of history is helpful for seeing that these are alive and well in our own day among cultists and liberal “Christians.” 

The Didache is a text which can be rightfully labeled as “orthodox.” To say that it is orthodox is not to say that it is necessarily completely without error. It is, after all, not Scripture. It is important to draw a dividing line in our minds between the canon of Scripture and good and faithful (orthodox) writings from the early church. While there are many texts worth reading because they edify and encourage us towards faithful living before Christ we must also recognize that they may contain some error, no matter how small, and that they only have authority when they draw it from the Scriptures. No writing of the early church fathers has any authority other than that which is granted to it by saying again (confessing) what Scripture says. It is the same authority our pastors have when they preach. Whenever a teacher of the church says what God says in his word his authority is absolute. Whenever a teacher of the church says something that puts one toe past the teaching of Scripture (let alone standing in opposition to it) he loses all authority and right to be heard on that matter. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; James 3:1) Sola Scripura, Latin for “Scripture alone”, one of the battle cries of the Protestant Reformation, must also be our cry when reading the church fathers. Insofar as they help bring light and understanding to the word of God we rejoice. Insofar as they obfuscate truth, make opaque what was clear, or oppose God’s word, let them be anathema. “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4)

Thankfully the Didache is a faithful text. There may be a few points where one could reasonably raise a question as to whether its interpretation of apostolic teaching is perfect (kind of like the debates between Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, etc., today) but that the text as a whole is essentially faithful to the core Christian teachings seems quite obvious. Helpfully, the text sheds some light upon the way in which early Christians understood the teachings of Christ and the apostles on social issues. This is particularly clear in its teaching concerning caring for the poor within the church while insisting that everyone do their best to work for the common good. (Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:9-16) Believers are not simply to rely on handouts when they are capable of being productive. Additionally, the Didache addresses Christian beliefs concerning the value of unborn children and newborns. This position was clearly drawn from the biblical teaching about the value of human life (Gen. 1:26-27; Exodus 21:22-25; Psalm 139:13-16) and it was in opposition to common practice within the Roman Empire where abortions and exposing of infants was relatively frequent.

All things said and done, the Didache is a fascinating window into early Christianity and its understanding of the core Christian doctrines. It does not replace or supersede Scripture, but it is a faithful witness to the fact that there have always been brothers and sisters in Christ who have fought to preserve and pass on the faith “once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) The Christianity we practice today should not, in fact, be substantively different in appearance from the Christianity practiced by our fore-bearers. In fact, in the midst of the great sea of chaos and the ravenous wolves that seem to always threaten the church in every century we can always find texts like this one. Texts that bear the odor of Christian faithfulness, of biblical fidelity, of a desire to hold fast to Christ and not leave the narrow path. We should be quite thankful for this long standing cloud of witnesses and we should pray that we become simply one more wisp of cloud for future generations to look back upon as long as the Lord tarries. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Here is a free PDF copy of The Didache. Below you will find links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available.

Lesson 1: Ch. 1-4

Lesson 2: Ch. 5-10

Lesson 3: Ch. 11-16