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About this book

Didache

About this book

Choosing Bishops and Deacons

Chapter 15

1 Choose for yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord. Look for humble men who are not greedy, but truthful and proven,⁠ for they also carry out the duties of the prophets and teachers. 2 Do not look down on them, for they are honorable men, alongside the prophets and teachers. 3 Correct one another, not in anger but in peace, as you find in the Gospel. Do not speak with anyone who has wronged his neighbor, and do not let him hear a word from you until he repents.⁠ 4 Carry out your prayers, charitable giving, and all your actions as instructed in the Gospel of our Lord.

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 18:15 and Didache 15:3

New Testament · Early Christian

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Summary

The Didache, an early church manual, teaches to confront one another as the Gospel teaches. That gospel may have been Matthew, where Jesus says to deal with a fellow believer's sin first in private, then with witnesses and finally the community.

Passages

Matthew 18:15

New Testament
15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Didache 15:3

Early Christian
1 Choose for yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord. Look for humble men who are not greedy, but truthful and proven, for they also carry out the duties of the prophets and teachers. 2 Do not look down on them, for they are honorable men, alongside the prophets and teachers. 3 Correct one another, not in anger but in peace, as you find in the Gospel. Do not speak with anyone who has wronged his neighbor, and do not let him hear a word from you until he repents. 4 Carry out your prayers, charitable giving, and all your actions as instructed in the Gospel of our Lord.
90–120 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Didache

References

“... If the references here are to a written gospel, once again Matthew seems to be the likeliest candidate. The (general) reference to ‘prayers and alms[giving]’ links closely with the teaching which appears in Matthew 6 concerning prayers and almsgiving (much of which may have already been picked up earlier in Did. 8). Further, the instruction not to speak with an unrepentant brother is clearly close in general terms (but by no means a precise verbal ‘citation’) of the teaching appearing in Matt. 18. 15–17. As before, the nature of any possible ‘dependence’ should be noted: the ‘allusion’ is quite unspecific, referring the hearer or reader in general terms to the teaching on these broad topics to be found elsewhere. At least, then, this part of the Didache seems to know of a written text known as a ‘gospel’, and probably (but not absolutely certainly) knew the gospel of Matthew in this connection. ...”
Andrew Gregory and Christopher Tuckett, eds., The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 110.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Matthew 18:15 and Didache 15:3

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