Didache facts for kids

The Didache (say it like "did ah kay") is a very old Christian book, also known as The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. It was written a long time ago, probably between the years 50 and 150 AD. This book was like a guide for early Christians. It taught them how to live, explained important ceremonies like baptism and Eucharist (which is also called communion), and showed how the early Church was organized.

What is the Didache?

The Didache is one of the oldest Christian writings we know about, besides the New Testament. It's not part of the Bible, but it gives us a peek into what early Christians believed and how they practiced their faith. It's like finding an ancient instruction manual!

What's Inside the Didache?

The book is divided into several parts, each covering different topics:

The Two Ways

The first part talks about "The Two Ways": the Way of Life and the Way of Death.

• The Way of Life teaches people to love God and their neighbors. It gives rules for how to be kind, honest, and forgiving. It's all about living a good and moral life.
• The Way of Death describes bad actions and attitudes that people should avoid, like murder, theft, and jealousy.

Christian Ceremonies

The Didache also gives instructions for important Christian ceremonies:

• Baptism: It explains how to perform baptism, which is a ceremony where someone is welcomed into the Christian faith, usually with water. It says that people should be baptized in "living water" (like a river or spring) if possible.
• Eucharist (Communion): It provides prayers and rules for the Eucharist, also known as communion or the Lord's Supper. This is a special meal that Christians share to remember Jesus.

Church Life and Leaders

Another part of the Didache talks about how the early Christian communities should be organized.

• It gives advice on how to treat traveling teachers and prophets.
• It also explains the roles of bishops and deacons, who were leaders in the early Church.
• The book encourages Christians to meet together regularly and to confess their sins.

Why is the Didache Important?

The Didache is very important because it helps us understand what Christianity was like in its earliest days. It shows us how Christians lived, worshipped, and organized themselves long before many of the formal Church structures were in place. It's a valuable historical document that gives us a direct link to the first followers of Jesus.

Images for kids

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  The Twelve Apostles (Pushkin Museum in Moscow)

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  The title of the Didache in the manuscript discovered in 1873

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  Revelation 22:17 (KJV), which has some similarities to a prayer in Didache 10.

See also

In Spanish: Didaché para niños