The First Christian Centuries: Didache

One hundred twenty-five years ago, Philotheos Bryennios discovered the text of the Didache in an eleventh-century manuscript version. In 1883 he edited the manuscript for publication, and its special fascination for scholars remains undiminished. One of the oldest extracanonical Christian documents, the Didache's origins can be traced to the first century. It is apparently a catechism, intended to provide basic instruction in the Christian lifestyle and worship for persons preparing for baptism.The Didache exhibits fascinating echoes of Jesus' teaching in its Matthean form, along with rare glimpses into the life of an early Christian community -- its values, its observance of the Eucharist, its leaders, and the character of its hope.Niederwimmer's wonderful commentary is a model of clarity and learning and a splendid addition to this premier commentary series.

In the field of liturgical studies,a significant contribution is made to the discussion of Didache 7-10.It improves our understanding of the Jewish provenance and historical development of Baptism and the Eucharist.The book also presents an intriguing look into the redactional stages behind the materials about church discipline(11-15).The ministry of itinerant apostles and prophets moving from town to town,and their settling down in the community,is considered in the perspective of the larger environment of Jewish religious and cultural history.

There are significant agreements between the Didache and the Gospel of Matthew as these writings share words, phrases and motifs. In modern scholarship, there seems to be an increasing reluctance, however, to support the thesis that the Didache used Matthew. And, indeed, such a close relationship might equally suggest that both documents were created in the same historical and geographical setting, for example in the Greek-speaking part of Syria.

Reading the Early Church Fathers introduces the reader to the primary sources of Church History,with commentary that will help the reader make sense of the theological/Christological trajectory that led the Church from the New Testament era,through the apologists,to the development of the major doctrines of the Church.Papandrea's treatment of the early Church fathers is unique in that he situates his discussion against the social and cultural context of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the Church,especially with regard to the effect of the persecutions on the Church. Instead of providing actual excerpts of the works under discussion,Reading the Early Church Fathers directs the reader to the primary sources available on the internet,resources that will be updated regularly.The result ,for all students of the early Church,is a unique and unprecedented "big picture" of early Christian literature.