Texts in Conversation
The Didache echoes a common theme in Jewish wisdom traditions, such as in Sirach, by warning to not participate in gossip and double speech, emphasizing how destructive words can ruin peace and divide communities.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 28:13
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
11 A contention begun in haste kindles a fire; and hasty fighting sheds blood. 12 If you blow on a spark, it will burn; and if you spit upon it, it will be quenched. Both of these come out of your mouth. 13 Curse the whisperer and double-tongued, for he has destroyed many who were at peace. 14 A slanderer has shaken many, and dispersed them from nation to nation. It has pulled down strong cities and overthrown the houses of great men. 15 A slanderer has cast out brave women and deprived them of their labors.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Didache 2:4
Early Christian
2 You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not corrupt boys; you shall not commit fornication; you shall not steal; you shall not practice magic; you shall not use love potions; you shall not cause abortion, nor kill newborns; you shall not desire your neighbor's possessions. 3 You shall not commit perjury; you shall not lie; you shall not speak ill; you shall not bear grudges. 4 You shall not be double-minded or double-tongued, because that leads to death. 5 Your words shall not be false or meaningless but followed by actions. 6 You shall not be greedy or exploitative, nor a hypocrite, nor evil-minded, nor arrogant; you shall not plan evil against your neighbor.
Date: 90–120 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Didache 2:4 ... This text seems dualistic at first, however, there is ample precedent in the Old Testament, especially the Wisdom tradition. Thus, Proverbs 21:6 comes quite close to the sense of this text. See also Proverbs 13:14; 14:27; Psalms 18:5; Tobit 14:10; Sirach 28:13-26. James 3:8 also contains the idea that the unruly tongue bears death ..."
Jonathan Alfred Draper, “A Commentary on the Didache in the Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Documents” (PhD diss., University of Cambridge, 1983), 53.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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