Didache

The Didache is an early Christian text, probably composed in the first or second century, that gives instructions on worship, ethics, and community life.

Two Ways: An ethical framework contrasting the paths of life and death, found in early Jewish and Christian writings. The Didache opens with this framework as its guide to Christian conduct.
Lord's Prayer: A Christian prayer attributed in the Gospels to Jesus as a model for his disciples. The Didache prescribes reciting it three times daily.
Apostolic Fathers: Early Christian writers whose works followed the New Testament period and were later associated with the apostles. The Didache is commonly grouped with these early Christian writings.
Church order: Rules and customary arrangements governing worship, ministry, and discipline in a Christian community. The Didache is an early witness to practical regulation of communal life.
Baptism: A Christian rite of initiation using water to mark entry into the community. The Didache gives practical directions for performing baptism.
Christian liturgy: The forms and words used in Christian public worship. The text records early patterns for prayer, fasting, baptism, and communal meals.
Codex Hierosolymitanus: An eleventh-century Greek manuscript that preserves the complete text of the Didache. This manuscript brought the complete work to scholarly attention in the nineteenth century.
Eucharistic theology: Christian reflection on the meaning and effects of the Eucharist. Its meal prayers emphasize thanksgiving and communal unity without explaining later doctrines.
Eucharist: A Christian ritual meal commemorating Jesus’s final meal with his disciples. Its prayers over the cup and bread offer an early form of Eucharistic practice.
Itinerant preacher: A religious teacher who travels between communities to preach and provide instruction. The Didache sets rules for receiving and evaluating traveling apostles and prophets.

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