Texts in Conversation
In the Community Rule from the Dead Sea Scrolls, those entering the covenant confess their sins together. In the Didache, an early church manual, readers also confess their sins in the congregation, a public confession that later versions dropped.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1QS 1:24
Community Rule
Dead Sea Scrolls, Sectarian and Community Texts
22 and proclaim all his merciful kindnesses toward Israel. And the Levites shall recount 23 the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their guilty transgressions and their sins in the dominion of 24 Belial. [And all] who pass over into the covenant shall confess after them, saying, “We have done wrong, 25 we have transgressed, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly, we and our fathers before us, by walking 26 [contrary to the statutes of] truth and righteousness. [God has carried out] his judgment on us and on our fathers,
Didache 4:14
Early Christian
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.
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Notes and References
“... The deletion of [...] is probably the result of an embarrassment at the idea of such public confession of sins. A large part of the early Church refused to accept the idea of the forgiveness of post-Baptismal sin. In any case, confession came to be a more private affair. Ba., Ca and Da have lost contact with the original locus of the confession mentioned here, which was, it would seem, a public confession of sins at the Covenant Renewal ceremony, at which new members were probably admitted, and which was part of the original Two Ways tradition. Thus in 1QS 1:22-26: [...] [...] It is not clear how [...] in Did. fits into this context. Possibly it is a reference to the prayer of Covenant renewal, or to the confession of sins itself. ...”
Draper, Jonathan Alfred
A Commentary on the Didache in the Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Documents
(pp. 111-112) St. John's College, 1983
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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