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About this book

Didache

About this book

Rules for Living Together

Chapter 4

1 My child, remember day and night the one who teaches you God's word, and honor him as you would the Lord, for wherever the Lord's nature is spoken of, the Lord is present.⁠ 2 Seek the company of holy people every day so you may find comfort in their words. 3 Don't seek division but reconcile those in conflict. Make fair judgments; don't show favoritism when correcting wrongs. 4 Don't be double-minded about whether something should be or not.⁠ 5 Don't be someone who is eager to receive but reluctant to give.⁠ 6 Give a portion of what you've earned with your hands as a ransom for your sins.⁠ 7 Don't hesitate to give, and don't complain when you do, for you'll know who rewards you well. 8 Don't turn away those in need, but share everything with your family, and don't claim it as your own. If you share in what is eternal, how much more should you share in what is perishable?⁠ 9 Don't withhold correction from your son or daughter, but teach them to respect God from a young age.⁠ 10 Don't treat your slaves harshly out of anger,⁠ especially if they believe in the same God, or they may stop fearing the God who oversees you both. God doesn't show favoritism, but calls those prepared by the Spirit. 11 If you are a slave, obey your master as you would God's representative, with respect and fear. 12 Hate all hypocrisy and everything displeasing to the Lord. 13 Don't abandon God's commandments, but keep what you've received, without adding to it or taking anything away.⁠ 14 Confess your sins in the congregation, and don't pray with a guilty conscience.⁠ This is the way of life.

Texts in conversation

Compare Didache 4:6 and Bava Batra 10a

Early Christian · Rabbinic

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Summary

The Didache teaches to give to the poor as a ransom for sins, an idea also found in Rabbinic tradition in tractate Bava Batra, where giving to the poor is described as redemptive. Both incorporate Israel’s wisdom tradition into their teaching.

Passages

Didache 4:6

Early Christian
3 Don't seek division but reconcile those in conflict. Make fair judgments; don't show favoritism when correcting wrongs. 4 Don't be double-minded about whether something should be or not. 5 Don't be someone who is eager to receive but reluctant to give. 6 Give a portion of what you've earned with your hands as a ransom for your sins. 7 Don't hesitate to give, and don't complain when you do, for you'll know who rewards you well. 8 Don't turn away those in need, but share everything with your family, and don't claim it as your own. If you share in what is eternal, how much more should you share in what is perishable?
90–120 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Didache

Bava Batra 10a

Rabbinic · Babylonian Talmud
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda says: Great is charity in that it advances the redemption, as it is stated: “So said the Lord, uphold justice and do charity, for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed” (Isaiah 56:1). He would say: Ten strong entities were created in the world, one stronger than the other. A mountain is strong, but iron, which is stronger, cleaves it. Iron is strong, but fire melts it. Fire is strong, but water extinguishes it. Water is strong, but clouds bear it. Clouds are strong, but wind disperses them. Wind is strong, but the human body withstands it. The human body is strong, but fear breaks it. Fear is strong, but wine dispels it. Wine is strong, but sleep drives it off. And death is stronger than them all, but charity saves a person from death, as it is written: “And charity delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2, 11:4).
450–550 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Bava Batra

References

"... the Didache is a paraenetic document that addresses personal ethical formation, communal life, and the development of authority in the early church. The text begins with instruction about “two ways, one of life and one of death” (1.1), and this “Two Ways” section covers Did. 1.1–6.2. Part of the instruction of the way of life includes teaching about the value of sharing generously ... The passage employs themes of divine recompense (4.7), common ownership of possessions (4.8b), and mutual solidarity in spiritual and material matters (4.8c) in order to encourage among baptismal candidates unhesitant giving to and welcoming of those in need ... Particularly striking is the Didachist’s exhortation— “If you have [something] through [the work of] your hands, give a redemption for your sins” (4.6)— for this statement reflects an early expression of the concept of atoning almsgiving. In this case, the term “redemptive almsgiving” would be appropriate because the metaphor suggests that sins are redeemed through giving away the fruit of one’s manual labor. The verb δίδωμι (“give”) is used four times in Did. 4.5–8, and the participle τὸν ἐνδεόμενον (“the one who has need”) in verse 8 indicates that the object of one’s giving is a brother or sister in material need. Thus, according to the logic of 4.6, the act of giving to a disadvantaged brother or sister is “a redemption for your sins.” ..."
David J. Downs, Alms: Charity, Reward, and Atonement in Early Christianity (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2016), 235–236.

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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Didache 4:6 and Bava Batra 10a

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