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Didache

About this book
Teaching in the Didache and the Dead Sea Scrolls Probable

Baptism

Chapter 7

1 Regarding baptism, perform it like this: After explaining all these things, baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,⁠ using running water.⁠ 2 If you don't have running water, use any other water, and if you can't use cold water, then use warm. 3 If you don't have either, pour water three times over the head in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 4 Before the baptism, both the person conducting the baptism and the one being baptized should fast, along with anyone else who can.⁠ Also, instruct the person being baptized to fast for one or two days beforehand.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Didache 7:4 and Justin Martyr, First Apology 61.2

Early Christian

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Summary

In the Didache, an early church manual, the baptizer, the new believer and any others who can all fast before a baptism. The Christian theologian Justin Martyr similarly describes candidates praying and fasting while the church fasts with them.

Passages

Didache 7:4

Early Christian
1 Regarding baptism, perform it like this: After explaining all these things, baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, using running water. 2 If you don't have running water, use any other water, and if you can't use cold water, then use warm. 3 If you don't have either, pour water three times over the head in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 4 Before the baptism, both the person conducting the baptism and the one being baptized should fast, along with anyone else who can. Also, instruct the person being baptized to fast for one or two days beforehand.
90–120 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Didache

Justin Martyr, First Apology 61.2

Early Christian
I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated.
155–160 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Justin Martyr, First Apology

References

“... The next verse adds a rule about fasting, which is to precede baptism as support and preparation. In my view v. 4a again comes from the liturgy that served as source for the Didachist. [...] ("fast beforehand") is a rare word, found only here in early Christian literature. Those who are to fast include (1) the one who baptizes, (2) the one to be baptized, and (3) [...] ("others if they are able"). "The baptizer and baptizand must fast, and others may" (Knopf, Lehre, 22). For the fasting of the one to be baptized, cf. Justin 1 Apol. 61.2 (Goodspeed, 70): [...] ("They are taught to pray and ask from God forgiveness for their previous sins, while they fast"). ...”
Kurt Niederwimmer, The Didache: A Commentary, ed. Harold W. Attridge (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998), 129.

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 7:4 and Justin Martyr, First Apology 61.2

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