Importance
Importance
The most important feature of the Didache is its venerable age. It is both the oldest extant Christian catechism and the oldest of the Church Orders. It is also one of the oldest Christian documents outside the New Testament. At the time of its publication in 1883, it generated a great deal of excitement among scholars for the light it could shed upon the early Church. A large number of books and articles followed.
The problem, however, is that the Jerusalem Codex is a medieval manuscript, and the version of the Didache contained within it may have experienced scribal changes over the course of time. It is not uncommon for scribes to have added or emended material to make it conform more nearly to the practice or beliefs of their own time.
Additionally, since the Didache was compiled from different documents, it is also possible that each section had its own course of development prior to being incorporated into the current text. Nevertheless, a number of scholars believe the 11th century Jerusalem manuscript authentically represents an early 4th or 5th century version. One reason for their belief is that this version of the Didache includes some inconvenient features, like the Eucharist starting with the cup instead of the bread. Another is that the Jerusalem Codex as a whole includes many similarly old texts.
The Didache is not a systematic exposition of Christian belief, but rather presents only a sampling of core ideas and behaviors, with some ideas notably absent. For example, the Eucharistic prayer does not discuss the death, sacrifice, or resurrection of Christ. There is, in fact, little mention of Christ in the document at all. (9:4 is an exception.) There is, instead, frequent use of the designation “Lord.”
Within the Didache, attention is paid to continuity with biblical institutions. The idea of sacrifice appears several times, indicating a probable concern with continuity of the sacrificial rites. Prayer is to take place three times daily, as occurs in Judaism as a replacement for the rites of the Temple. In the case of the Didache, of course, it is the Lord’s Prayer that is recited. First fruits are to go to the prophets of the Church, in place of the priests. Kingship is also a concern. David receives two mentions, and God’s kingship is also referenced. God is called the God of David.
By the 5th century, the Didache was falling out of favor as the Church moved on. Its archaic approach to the sacraments and Church leadership were no longer relevant. While Clement and Augustine are among the important figures who appear to have quoted it, Augustine from a Latin version, others began questioning its validity. Eusebius refers to the “Teachings of the Apostles” (Didachai), which he classified as apocryphal (Eusebius, Church History 3:25:4), along with the Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabus. Athanasius (Festal Letter 39) declared a work by the same name to be non-canonical, but he recommended it as a book of instruction in piety for those newly come to Christianity.
Yet the Didache did become part of a continuum of teaching, at least for a time. The compiler shaped earlier teachings to craft his own message, and his teaching, in turn, was used by subsequent authors. The Didache served either as a model or a source for later Christian works, including the Didascalia Apostolorum and Book 7 of the Apostolic Constitutions. In this way, both genre and teachings became a part of tradition.