Texts in Conversation
In Luke, Jesus tells his listeners to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who mistreat them. The Didache, an early church manual, contains the same commands and the same question about loving only those who return it.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Didache 1:3
Early Christian
2 The way of life is as follows: First, you should love the God who created you; secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. Treat others as you would want to be treated. 3 Now, the teaching behind these words is this: Bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. What credit is it to you if you love only those who love you back? Don't even the non-believers do the same? Instead, love those who hate you, and you will have no enemies. 4 Refrain from indulging in carnal and bodily desires. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to them as well, and you will be perfect. If someone compels you to go one mile, go two. If someone takes your coat, offer them your shirt as well. If someone takes from you what belongs to you, do not ask for it back, since you cannot.
Luke 6:28
New Testament
27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the person who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well, and from the person who takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away. 31 Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.
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Notes and References
“... The ‘love of enemies’ saying in the Didache is perhaps closer to Luke 6. 27–8 than to Matt. 5. 44: the Didache has an exact parallel to the ‘bless those who curse you’ clause of Luke 6. 28a, which has no parallel in (at least the ‘best’ MSS of) Matthew. Although there is no explicit parallel to the command to ‘love one’s enemies’, the rhetorical question which follows in the next section (‘if you love those who love you . . .’) seems to presuppose a command here to ‘love’ those who are not well disposed to one. Moreover, the Didache has a clause at the end of the next section (‘love those who hate you’) which is parallel to both halves of Luke 6. 27 (‘love your enemies and do good to those who hate you’). ...”
Gregory, Andrew F.
The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers
(p. 120) 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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