Didache, Didache, 1

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[1] There are two Ways, one of Life and one of¹ Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways.

[2] The Way of Life is this: First, thou shalt² love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbour as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another.³

[3] Now, the teaching of these words is this:⁴ Bless those that curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those that persecute you. For what credit is it to you if you love those that love you? Do not even the heathen do the same? But, for your part, love those that hate you, and you will have no enemy.

[4] Abstain from carnal and bodily lusts. If any man smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also, and thou wilt be perfect. If any man impress thee to go with him one mile, go with him two. If any man take thy coat, give him thy shirt also. If any man will take from thee what is thine, refuse it not—not even if thou canst.⁵

[5] Give to everyone⁶ that asks thee, and do not refuse, for the Father’s will is that we give to all from the gifts we have received. Blessed is he that gives according to the mandate; for he is innocent. Woe to him who receives; for if any man receive alms under pressure of need he is innocent; but he who receives it without need shall be tried as to why he took and for what, and being in prison he shall be examined as to his deeds, and he shall not come out thence until he pay the last farthing.

[6] But concerning this it was also said, Let thine alms sweat into thine hands until thou knowest to whom thou art giving.

Didache. Didache. . 1912.

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Current edition Perseus

The Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (English) (Didache. The Apostolic Fathers with an English translation In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Lake, Kirsopp, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1912.)

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Διδαχή των Δώδεκα Ἀποστόλων First1KGreek (Didache. The Apostolic Fathers with an English Translation In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1912.) — 1 focus

[1] Ὁδοὶ δύο εἰσί, μία τῆς ζωῆς καὶ μια τοῦ θανάτου, διαφορὰ δὲ πολλὴ μεταξὺ τῶν δύο ὁδῶν. ¹

[2] Ἡ μὲν οὖν ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς ἐστιν αὕτη: πρῶτον ἀγαπήσεις τὸν θεὸν τὸν ποιήσαντά σε, δεύτερον τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν: πάντα δὲ ὅσα ἐὰν θελήσῃς μὴ γίνεσθαί σοι, καὶ σὺ ἄλλῳ μὴ ποίει. ²

[3] Τούτων δὲ τῶν λόγων ἡ διδαχή ἐστιν αὕτη: ³εὐλογεῖτε τοῦς καταρωμένους ὑμῖν καὶ προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑμῶν, νηστεύετε δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς: ποία γὰρ χάρις, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς; οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν; ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς μισοῦντας ⁴ ὑμᾶς, καὶ οὐχ ἕξετε ἐχθρόν.

[4] ἀπέχου τῶν σαρκικῶν καὶ σωματικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν: ἐάν τίς ⁵ σοι δῷ ῥάπισμα εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, στρέψον ⁶ αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην, καὶ ἔσῃ τέλειος: ἐὰν ἀγγαρεύσῃ σέ τις μίλιον ἕν, ὕπαγε μετ̓ αὐτοῦ δύο: ἐὰν ⁷ ἄρῃ τις τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου, δὸς αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα: ἐὰν λάβῃ τις ἀπὸ σοῦ τὸ σόν, μὴ ἀπαίτει: οὐδὲ ⁸ γὰρ δύνασαι.

[5] παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου καὶ μὴ ἀπαίτει: πᾶσι γὰρ θέλει δίδοσθαι ὁ πατὴρ ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων χαρισμάτων. μακάριος ὁ διδοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἐντολήν: ⁹ ἀθῷος γάρ ἐστιν. οὐαὶ τῷ λαμβάνονται: εἰ μὲν γὰρ χρείαν ἔχων λαμβάνει τις, ἀθῷος ἔσται: ὁ δὲ μὴ χρείαν ἔχων δώσει δίκην, ἱνατί ἔλαβε καὶ εἰς τί: ἐν συνοχῇ δὲ γενόμενος ἐξετασθήσεται ¹⁰ περὶ ὧν ἔπραξε, καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσεται ἐκεῖθεν, μέχρις οὗ ἀποδῷ τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην.

[6] ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τούτου δὲ εἴρηται: Ἱδρωσάτω ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη σου εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, μέχρις ἂν γνῷς, τίνι δῷς.

Notes on the current edition

Didache

1. The two Ways

2. The Way of Life

3. This is the so-called negative form of the Golden Rule. It is found in some MSS. in the Apostolic decrees in Acts xv. 28, and is, in various forms, met with in Jewish and Early Christian literature.

4. The explanation

5. The Greek is literally for thou art not even able; but this makes no sense, and though an emendation is difficult the sense must be something like that given by the translation—unless, indeed, the whole phrase be merely a flippant gloss, which has been erroneously taken into the text.

6. Alms-giving

Didache Didache 1

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