"There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways. The way of life is this: First, you shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another." The Didache 1:1-2
"But the Way of Death is this: First of all, it is wicked and full of cursing, murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, charms, robberies, false witness, hypocrisies, a double heart, fraud, pride, malice, stubbornness, covetousness, foul speech, jealousy, impudence, haughtiness, boastfulness. Persecutors of the good, haters of truth, lovers of lies, knowing not the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to righteous judgment, spending wakeful nights not for good but for wickedness, from whom meekness and patience is far, lovers of vanity, following after reward, unmerciful to the poor, not working for him who is oppressed with toil, without knowledge of him who made them, murderers of children, corrupters of God's creatures, turning away the needy, oppressing the distressed, advocates of the rich, unjust judges of the poor, altogether sinful; may ye be delivered, my children, from all these." The Didache 5:1-2
This early Christian teaching known as The Didache (or The Lord's teaching to the heathen by the Twelve Apostles) nicely summarizes the teachings of Jesus Christ and concisely teaches us what it means to be a Christian. In addition to discussing the foundational principles of the religion by contrasting the ways of life and death, the book also contains a great deal of practical information regarding Christian morality and practices. The Didache outlines Christian practice relative to baptism, worship, prayer, fasting, the Eucharist, and Church governance. Hence, it is little wonder that many early Christians felt that this book should be included in the canon of the New Testament.
For those interested in further exploring this early Christian catechism, you may do so here:
The Didache (pronounced did-a-key or did-a-kay)
As this post relates to the one which follows it, we should note that most scholars believe that this book (The Didache) was penned at about the same time as the book of Revelation (the end of the First Century).
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