Apostolic Fathers
The Didache
Anonymous (community of disciples) · c. 70 – 110
Historical Context
A short church manual likely composed in a Syrian or Palestinian Christian community, lost for centuries and rediscovered in 1873 at Constantinople.
Summary
Subtitled 'The Lord's Teaching to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles,' the Didache opens with the 'Two Ways' (life and death) and then gives concrete instructions for baptism, fasting, prayer, the Eucharist, the reception of travelling prophets and teachers, and the appointment of bishops and deacons.
Major Themes
- The Two Ways
- Baptism by triple immersion
- Eucharistic prayer
- Sunday assembly
- Church order
Important Quotations
“Baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in living water.”— Didache 7
“On the Lord's own day gather together and break bread and give thanks.”— Didache 14
Related Timeline Events
Related Church Fathers
Primary Sources
Further Reading
- Aaron Milavec, The Didache: Faith, Hope, and Life of the Earliest Christian Communities
- Thomas O'Loughlin, The Didache: A Window on the Earliest Christians