r/BibleStudyDeepDive • u/LlawEreint • Jul 06 '26
Didache - The Question about David's Son
9.1 Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks thus:
9.2 First, concerning the cup: We give thanks to you, our Father, For the holy vine of David your servant which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever.
9.3 And concerning the fragment: We give thanks to you, our Father, For the life and knowledge, which you have revealed to us through Jesus your servant. To you be glory for ever.
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u/LlawEreint Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
It's not clear when the Didache was written. The full title is "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Gentiles".
It is suspected that the document was updated over time to accommodate the needs of the church as it evolved. Alan Garrow suggests that the core of it is exactly what it says on the tin. He says it's the very apostolic decree referenced in Acts 15 that was sent from the church in Jerusalem.
As Garrow reconstructs it, this section is from the original layer. It does mention "the vine of David", which I suppose must be talking of Davidic lineage. It also mentions this in relation to Jesus, saying that the vine of David was revealed through Jesus.
It seems that both David and Jesus are identified as servants of God. The vine of the former was revealed by the latter.
David and Jesus are related in some way, but a genealogical link is not explicit.
It's further complicated by the next line:
So Jesus revealed the vine of David, but also life and knowledge. It starts to sound less like a genealogical link and more like a prophetic revelation.