Didachē

Lost for centuries, the Koine Greek Manuscript of the Didache was rediscovered by 'Philotheos Bryennios,' a Greek Orthodox Bishop of metropolitan Nicomedia, at a Monastery in 'Asia Minor' (modern-day Turkey) in 1873 CE, and later published in 1883 CE.

The Manuscript, a composite document was located inside of the Codex Hierosolymitanus; has no date itself, no prescribed author(s), and lacks any mention of external events that could indicate a timeframe.

External references to the Didache however were made as early as the Jewish historian 'Eusebius of Caesarea,' as well as some of the 'Church Fathers' by such as 'Athanasius I of Alexandria,' also known as '... the Great,' '... the Confessor,' or, among Coptic Christians, '... the Apostolic,' a Christian theologian and the 20th Pope of Alexandria; 'Origen of Alexandria,' also known as '... Adamantius,' an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian; and 'Flavius Rufinus' (consul), a 4th-century Eastern Roman statesman of Aquitanian extraction, who served as Praetorian prefect of the East for the Emperor Theodosius I.

The ‘Didachē’ (Greek, Teaching), also known as “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” is an enigmatic Church document dating roughly from the 1st or 2nd century CE, describing early Jewish Christian ethics, practices, and order.

It is an early handbook likely written before some of the New Testament books were written. The Didache spells out a way of life for Jesus-followers that includes instruction on how to treat one another, how to practice the Eucharist, and how to take in wandering Prophets.

It is considered to be a work of patristic literature from an unknown Apostolic Father. Some early Christian writers treated the Didache as canonical, and Egyptian authors and compilers quoted it extensively in the 4th and 5th centuries. Scholars generally agree that the text is authentic and must be considered very early.

The Didache is a relatively short text with only some 2,300 words. The contents may be divided into four parts, which most scholars agree were combined from separate sources by a later redactor:

• The first is the Two Ways, the Way of Life and the Way of Death, (chapters 1–6) are moral instructions for the Christian life in order to prepare converts to receive the initial rite of baptism, and as the precursor to the continual rite of the Eucharist. Its stylistic approach reflect both ancient Greek philosophical literature and a classical Jewish wisdom-literature fashion.
• The second part is a ritual dealing with baptism, fasting, and Communion, (chapters 7–10) are the teachings about the appropriate days to fast, how to conduct a proper baptism, and the prayer of thanksgiving are some of the earliest—if not the first—recorded liturgical manuals.
• The third speaks of the ministry and how to treat Apostles, Prophets, Bishops, and Deacons (chapters 11–15) give instructions regarding leaders in the early Christian Community. This section represents a particular protocol for accepting authorities in an assumed pre-existing Christian community.
• The fourth section is a prophecy of the Antichrist and the Second Coming, (chapter 16) is eschatological in nature, containing exhortations of perseverance, warnings of end times and tribulation, as well as to the “Second Coming” of Jesus Christ. These apocalyptic overtones parallel similar language found in the Gospels of Matthew; Mark; 1 Thessalonians, and Revelation.

It didn't adhere to 4th-century Orthodoxy as outlined by the 'Council of Nicaea.' This may be one reason why the Didache was left out of the New Testament canon.

In addition, the material it shares with Matthew may have made it redundant, and it may have seemed more Jewish than some 4th-century Christians wanted.

The Didache is a refreshing reminder that the practices of the Catholic Church today are in remarkable continuity with that of the earliest Christians, including those who were taught directly from the Twelve, themselves…

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Food for thought!