Texts in Conversation
In Matthew, Jesus tells anyone bringing a gift to the altar to be reconciled with a brother first. In the Didache, an early church manual, the same rule applies to the Sunday meal, and anyone in a quarrel stays away until reconciled.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 5:23
New Testament
21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says ‘Fool’ will be sent to fiery hell. 23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift.
Didache 14:2
Early Christian
1 On the Lord's Day, gather together, break bread, and hold the Eucharist, after confessing your sins, so that your offering may be pure. 2 But let no one who is in conflict with another person join your gathering until they are reconciled, so that your sacrifice is not tainted. 3 For this is what the Lord said: 'In every place and time, offer me a pure sacrifice, for I am a great king, and my name is held in awe among the nations.'
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Notes and References
“... The timing is for Sunday (although some have wanted to make the rather strange turn of phrase refer only to Easter). The requirement for prior confession of sin may derive from Leviticus 5:5–6, while the requirement for reconciliation within the fellowship certainly comes from the saying of Jesus recorded at Matthew 5:23–24 (a text frequently evoked later in connection with the Eucharist, e.g. by Irenaeus Haer. 4.18.1, and by Cyril of Jerusalem Myst. Cat. 5.3). The application of Malachi 1:11 concerning the “pure sacrifice” will be repeated in Justin (Dial. Tryph. 41; cf. 117) and Irenaeus (Haer. 4.17.5), and it will become a commonplace that the Eucharist is to be offered “always and everywhere” (semper et ubique). ...”
Martin, Ralph P.
Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments
(p. 1010) InterVarsity Press, 1997
* 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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