Texts in Conversation
In Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples that whoever receives them receives him. In the Didache, an early church manual, readers are told to receive every visiting apostle as though receiving the one who sent him, a parallel in ideas more than in language.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 10:40
New Testament
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.”
Didache 11:4
Early Christian
1 If anyone comes and teaches you everything mentioned above, accept him. 2 But if the teacher himself is corrupt and teaches a different doctrine that undermines these truths, do not listen to him. However, if his teaching promotes righteousness and knowledge of the Lord, receive him as you would the Lord. 3 Regarding the Apostles and Prophets, act in accordance with the guidelines of the Gospel. 4 Receive every Apostle who comes to you as if he were the Lord. 5 But do not let him stay more than one day, or two if necessary. If he stays three days, he is a false prophet. 6 When an Apostle departs, let him take only bread until he reaches his lodging for the night. If he asks for money, he is a false prophet.
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Notes and References
“... The parallel noted here between Did. 11. 2–4 and Matt. 10. 40–1 is at best a parallel in ideas: the verbal agreement between the two passages is slight. ...”
Gregory, Andrew F.
The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers
(p. 107) Oxford University Press, 2005
* 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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