The Original Didache: The Decree beneath the Scriptures
Paul, James, Matthew and Luke all appear to have known lost sources that they treated as highly authoritative. For example, Paul quotes an unknown Scripture in 1 Cor 2.9, references a mysterious written authority in 1 Cor 4.6, and appeals to an enigmatic 'Word of the Lord' in 1 Thess 4.15. James, on the other hand, directs the reader to an authoritative 'implanted word', that is also a 'mirror', and a 'law of liberty'. And, of course, scholars have long suspected that both Luke and Matthew made use of a highly authoritative written source that included, for example, Jesus' sayings on retaliation and love of enemies. This paper proposes that, in each case, the text these authors had in view was the earliest form of the Didache – a text also recognisable as the full text of the Apostolic Decree (cf. Acts 15).
This paper was presented on 26th June 2025.
This paper was presented on 26th June 2025.