Texts in Conversation
In the Didache, an early church manual, readers are told that lying leads to theft. Clement of Alexandria, a Christian teacher writing around 200, quotes the same saying and introduces it as Scripture, without naming any book as its source.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Didache 3:5
Early Christian
3 My child, don't be driven by lust, as lust leads to fornication. Avoid using vulgar language or suggestive glances, as these actions can lead to adultery. 4 My child, don't believe in omens, as this can lead to idol worship. Don't be a spell caster, astrologer, or magician, and don't seek to witness these acts, as they can lead to idolatry. 5 My child, don't lie, as lying leads to theft. Don't be obsessed with money or seek empty glory, as these things can lead to stealing. 6 My child, don't complain, as this can lead to disrespecting what is sacred. Don't be stubborn or think evil thoughts, as these can lead to blasphemy.
Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 1.20.100
Early Christian
It is such an one that is by Scripture called a "thief." It is therefore said, "Son, be not a liar; for falsehood leads to theft." Nevertheless the thief possesses really, what he has possessed himself of dishonestly, whether it be gold, or silver, or speech, or dogma.
Date: 195-205 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... It is often claimed that Clement of Alexandria already knew (a version of) Didache, but he quotes Did. 3:5 as γραϕή without naming a specific title (Strom. 1 [20] 100.4). Strictly speaking, Clement only attests that the authority of the tradition he refers to was regarded as highly as that of Scripture itself, but it remains entirely hypothetical that Clement actually quotes from a work similar to what we now know as Didache. ...”
Zangenberg, Jürgen K.
"Reconstructing the Social and Religious Milieu of the Didache: Observations and Possible Results" in van de Sandt, Huub; Zangenberg, Jürgen K. (ed.) Matthew, James, and Didache: Three Related Documents in Their Jewish and Christian Settings
(p. 47) Society of Biblical Literature, 2008
* 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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