Christian Mission and Poverty

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Christian Mission and Poverty

Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations . It is distinctively Jewish in tone, presenting the path of following Jesus as “the way of life” and contrasting it with “the way of death” (echoing Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30). It claims apostolic authority and is a good representation of Jewish Christian teaching. It is addressed to “the nations” (the ethnos ), which shows that it is intended for a Gentile audience. The Didache belongs to a group of early Christian writings that have been called the apostolic fathers . These writings are from the first generation of the church after the apostles died. This means they are important works but are not canonical (not included in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments). Although the Didache would not be included in the Bible, several church fathers thought of it very highly alongside the New Testament. The Didache has four sections: Christian ethics (how to live), the sacraments (baptism and communion), church order (organization and leadership), and the Lord’s return. We will be drawing from the first section (way of life vs. way of death), which includes instruction on giving and supporting the poor. Text The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations 1. The Two Ways; The First Commandment There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this: First, you shall love God who made you; second, your neighbor as yourself; and all things whatever