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About this book

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 5:14 and Didache 2:4

Deuterocanon · Early Christian

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Summary

Early Christian tradition in the Didache incorporates Jewish wisdom traditions, such as in Sirach, by teaching that you should not be double-tongued, highlighting the destructive power of deceptive speech.

Passages

Sirach 5:14

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
12 If you have understanding, answer your neighbor; but if not, put your hand over your mouth. 13 Glory and dishonor is in talk. A man’s tongue may be his downfall. 14 Don’t be called a whisperer. Don’t lie in wait with your tongue; for shame is on the thief, and an evil condemnation is on him who has a double tongue. 15 Don’t be ignorant in a great or small matter.
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

"... It is specifically this duality of speech that biblical tradition rejects. This rejection was carried on in later Judaism (the apocryphal work Sirach 5:14 speaks of the 'double-tongued sinner') and Christianity (e.g., Didache 2:4, 'Do not be double-minded nor double-tongued, for the double tongue is a snare of death') ..."
Peter H. Davids, James (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011), 90.

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 5:14 and Didache 2:4

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