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Didache

About this book

What the Way of Life Forbids

Chapter 2

1 But the second commandment of the teaching is: 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. 7 You shall not hate anyone; some you will correct, some you will pray for, and some you will love more than your own life.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Sirach 28:13 and Didache 2:4

Deuterocanon · Early Christian

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Summary

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.

Passages

Sirach 28:13

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
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.
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

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.
90–120 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Didache

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.

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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Sirach 28:13 and Didache 2:4

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