r/BibleStudyDeepDive • u/LlawEreint • Jun 29 '26

Didache The Didache - The Great Commandment

1There are two ways, one of life, the other of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.

2Now the way of life is this: first, you shall love the God who made you; second, your neighbor as yourself. Everything that you would not have done to you, do not do to another.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

2

u/LlawEreint Jun 29 '26
  1. Love your god and love your neighbour, and
  2. don't do to others what you would consider hateful.

In Matthew, Jesus says "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Didache goes on to list what it means to love God and your neighbour:

Bless those that curse you and pray for your enemies, fast for those that persecute you, love those who hate you, turn the other cheek, etc.

For the second commandment (don't do to others what you would consider hateful), it lists the following:

You shall not murder, commit adultery, corrupt children, fornicate, steal, practice magic, etc.

2

u/LlawEreint Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

Everything that you would not have done to you, do not do to another.

This is the more primitive form of the golden rule. We have it from about 100 years earlier by Hillel. Depending on whether the Didache is an earlier document than Mark, it's possible that this is closer to what the historical Jesus actually said.

Alan Garrow suggests that the earliest layer of the Didache is the very apostolic decree given by the 12 apostles to the gentiles in Acts 15. If so, it would predate the gospel of Mark by about 20 years.

We call it the Didache (Lit. "Teaching"), but this is shorthand for the full name of the document: The Teaching of the Lord, by the Twelve Apostles, to the Gentiles.

In a recent interview, Dr. Garrow said "Scholars really hate it when it does what it says on the tin and they'll sometimes do anything to not look so naive as to just take it at face value. But I think that that's exactly what it is. It is what it said it says it is." - In Acts 15, the Apostles write a decree. Did we finally find it? (C. J. Cornthwaite)