Is the Didache in the Bible?
No. The Didache is not part of the Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox biblical canon. It was treated by the early church as a respected but non-canonical manual of Christian instruction.
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The Didache — Free PDF Study Guide
A concise, scholarly introduction to the Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) — the earliest surviving Christian church manual, rediscovered in a Constantinople monastery library in 1873. This free PDF guide walks through its four-part structure, its baptism and Eucharist practices, and what it reveals about life in the apostolic-era church.
An original Bible Sundays study companion. The Roberts–Donaldson 1886 translation of the full Didache text is in the public domain and is freely available; this guide provides the historical and theological context for reading it.
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Inside this PDF
- Length
- 8 pages
- File size
- 0.1 MB
- Format
- Searchable PDF
- Access
- Free, no account
- Four-part structure walkthrough (Two Ways, Worship, Order, End)
- The Lord's Prayer, Eucharist, and baptism in the earliest church
- Date, discovery, and why it was excluded from the canon
- Five striking passages every reader should know
- How to read the Didache alongside the Sermon on the Mount
What you get
Four-part structure walkthrough (Two Ways, Worship, Order, End)
The Lord's Prayer, Eucharist, and baptism in the earliest church
Date, discovery, and why it was excluded from the canon
Five striking passages every reader should know
How to read the Didache alongside the Sermon on the Mount
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What is the Didache?
The Didache ('Teaching' in Greek) — full title The Teaching of the Lord Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations — is a short Christian manual of about sixteen chapters. It was almost completely lost for centuries until Philotheos Bryennios, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Nicomedia, found a complete Greek copy in the Codex Hierosolymitanus in 1873 and published it in 1883. Most scholars date the Didache between AD 50 and AD 120, placing its earliest layers within a generation of the apostles themselves.
What's inside the Didache?
The book has four parts. Chapters 1–6 are the 'Two Ways' — a moral catechism organised around 'two ways, one of life and one of death,' apparently the basic instruction given to converts before baptism. Chapters 7–10 cover worship and sacraments: baptism (preferring running water but allowing pouring), fasting (Wednesdays and Fridays), the Lord's Prayer prayed three times daily, and the earliest surviving Christian Eucharistic prayers. Chapters 11–15 cover church order — receiving travelling apostles, appointing bishops and deacons, the Lord's Day gathering. Chapter 16 is a short apocalyptic exhortation echoing Matthew 24.
Why isn't the Didache in the New Testament?
Several early Christian writers (Eusebius, Athanasius) knew of the Didache and held it in respect, with Athanasius commending it for reading by new believers. But it was not received as Scripture for two main reasons: it is plainly a derivative work — a digest of teaching from the apostles, not a writing by an apostle or apostolic companion — and its content is practical and procedural rather than gospel proclamation. The early church valued it the way later generations have valued catechisms and prayer-books, not on the same plane as the inspired writings.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Didache written?
Most scholars place it between AD 50 and AD 120, with at least its earliest layers belonging to the first century. That makes it roughly contemporary with the later New Testament writings.
Who wrote the Didache?
The author is unknown. The title attributes the teaching to the Twelve Apostles, but the document itself is plainly a community handbook compiled from apostolic teaching, not written by an apostle.
Where was the Didache discovered?
A complete Greek copy was found in the Codex Hierosolymitanus in a monastery library in Constantinople by Philotheos Bryennios in 1873, and first published in 1883.
What does the Didache say about baptism?
Chapter 7 instructs baptism 'in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit' in running water if possible, but explicitly permits pouring water on the head three times if running water is not available.
Does the Didache contain the Lord's Prayer?
Yes — chapter 8 gives the Lord's Prayer almost word for word from Matthew 6, including the closing doxology ('For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen') that the KJV also preserves. It instructs Christians to pray it three times a day.
What does the Didache say about communion?
Chapters 9 and 10 contain the earliest surviving Christian table prayers, thanking God for 'the holy vine of David thy servant, which thou hast made known to us through Jesus thy servant.' Only the baptised are admitted.
Can I share this PDF?
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Word Meaning
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Teaching or instruction — the systematic training of believers.
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Biblical names and their meanings
Every name below appears in the King James Bible. Each page gives the meaning, the verse it appears in, and who carried it in Scripture.
- ZionHighest point; Fortification
- ZionHighest point; Fortress; Monument
- ZionHighest point; Fortress; Holy city
- AbigailFather of joy
- AbrahamFather of many nations
- AdamMan; Earth; Red earth
- AndrewManly or brave
- AnnaGrace or favor
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