Gman4326
Faith in symbolism form part 2
Πνεῦμα ὁ Θεός,
καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ‹αὐτὸν›, ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν. John
4:24
God is
spirit, his worshippers; worship Him in spirit and truth.
A basic form
of worship in Christianity is to know who God and the Father, Jesus Christ and
Holy Spirit. To be part of a group of believers to sing hymns and psalms and to
partake in the Lord’s Supper. Either read the Didache of the apostles or the
Old Testament and or the New Testament. When the reformation came into
existence people could then read and study the Confession and Catechism.
Depending on the era you lived a pastor would either be part of the church
group or traveled between groups in the area. The believers in each community
have always had elders and deacons.
Didache
(Joseph B. Lightfoot translation) wikisource.org/wiki/Didache_(Lightfoot_translation)
Chapter
1[edit]
1There are
two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between
the two ways. 2The way of life is this. 3First of all, thou shalt love the God
that made thee; 4secondly, thy neighbour as thyself. 5And all things whatsoever
thou wouldest not have befal thyself neither do thou unto another. 6Now of
these words the doctrine is this. 7Bless them that curse you, and pray for your
enemies and fast for them that persecute you; 8for what thank is it, if ye love
them that love you? Do not even the Gentiles the same? But do ye love them that
hate you, and ye shall not have an enemy. 9Abstain thou from fleshly and bodily
lusts. 10If any man give thee a blow on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also, and thou shalt be perfect; 11if a man impress thee to go with him, one
mile, go with him twain; 12if a man take away thy cloak, give him thy coat
also; 13if a man take away from thee that which is thine own, ask it not back,
for neither art thou able. 14To every man that asketh of thee give, and ask not
back; 15for the Father desireth that gifts be given to all from His own
bounties. 16Blessed is he that giveth according to the commandment; 17for he is
guiltless. 18Woe to him that receiveth; 19for, if a man receiveth having need,
he is guiltless; 20but he that hath no need shall give satisfaction why and
wherefore he received; 21and being put in confinement he shall be examined
concerning the deeds that he hath done, and he shall not come out thence until
he hath given back the last farthing. 22Yea, as touching this also it is said;
23Let thine alms sweat into thine hands, until thou shalt have learnt to whom
to give.
Chapter
2[edit]
1And this is
the second commandment of the teaching. 2Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt
not commit adultery, thou shalt not corrupt boys, thou shalt not commit
fornication, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not deal in magic, thou shalt do
no sorcery, thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods, thou shalt not perjure thyself,
thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not speak evil, thou shalt not
cherish a grudge, thou shalt not be double-minded nor double-tongued; 3for the
double tongue is a snare of death. 4Thy word shall not be false or empty, but
fulfilled by action. 5Thou shalt not be avaricious nor a plunderer nor a
hypocrite nor ill-tempered nor proud. 6Thou shalt not entertain an evil design
against thy neighbour. 7Thou shalt not hate any man, but some thou shalt
reprove, and for others thou shalt pray, and others thou shalt love more than
thy life.
Chapter
3[edit]
1My child,
flee from every evil and everything that resembleth it. 2Be not angry, for anger
leadeth to murder, nor jealous nor contentious nor wrathful; 3for of all these
things murders are engendered. 4My child, be not lustful, for lust leadeth to
fornication, neither foul-speaking neither with uplifted eyes; 5for of all
these things adulteries are engendered. 6My child, be no dealer in omens, since
it leads to idolatry, nor an enchanter nor an astrologer nor a magician,
neither be willing to look at them; 7for from all these things idolatry is
engendered. 8My child, be not a liar, since lying leads to theft, neither
avaricious neither vainglorious; 9for from all these things thefts are
engendered. 10My child, be not a murmurer, since it leadeth to blasphemy,
neither self-willed neither a thinker of evil thoughts; 11for from all these
things blasphemies are engendered. 12But be meek, since the meek shall inherit
the earth. 13Be long-suffering and pitiful and guileless and quiet and kindly
and always fearing the words which thou hast heard. 14Thou shalt not exalt
thyself, neither shalt thou admit boldness into thy soul. 15Thy soul shall not
cleave together with the lofty, but with the righteous and humble shalt thou
walk. 16The accidents that befal thee thou shalt receive as good, knowing that
nothing is done without God.
Chapter
4[edit]
1My child,
thou shalt remember him that speaketh unto thee the word of God night and day,
and shalt honour him as the Lord; 2for whencesoever the Lordship speaketh,
there is the Lord. 3Moreover thou shalt seek out day by day the persons of the
saints, that thou mayest find rest in their words. 4Thou shalt not make a
schism, but thou shalt pacify them that contend; 5thou shalt judge righteously,
thou shalt not make a difference in a person to reprove him for transgressions.
6Thou shalt not doubt whether a thing shall be or not be. 7Be not thou found
holding out thy hands to receive, but drawing them in as to giving. 8If thou
hast ought passing through thy hands, thou shalt give a ransom for thy sins.
9Thou shalt not hesitate to give, neither shalt thou murmur when giving; 10for
thou shalt know who is the good paymaster of thy reward. 11Thou shalt not turn
away from him that is in want, but shalt make thy brother partaker in all
things, and shalt not say that anything is thine own. 12For if ye are
fellow-partakers in that which is imperishable, how much rather in the things
which are perishable? Thou shalt not withhold thy hand from thy son or from thy
daughter, but from their youth thou shalt teach them the fear of God. 13Thou
shalt not command thy bondservant or thine handmaid in thy bitterness, who
trust in the same God as thyself, lest haply they should cease to fear the God
who is over both of you; 14for He cometh, not to call men with respect of
persons, but He cometh to those whom the Spirit hath prepared. 15But ye,
servants, shall be subject unto your masters, as to a type of God, in shame and
fear. 16Thou shalt hate all hypocrisy, and everything that is not pleasing to
the Lord. 17Thou shalt never forsake the commandments of the Lord; 18but shalt
keep those things which thou hast received, neither adding to them nor taking
away from them. 19In church thou shalt confess thy transgressions, and shalt
not betake thyself to prayer with an evil conscience. 20This is the way of
life.
Chapter
5[edit]
1But the way
of death is this. 2First of all, it is evil and full of a curse murders,
adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, magical arts, witchcrafts,
plunderings, false witnessings, hypocrisies, doubleness of heart, treachery,
pride, malice, stubbornness, covetousness, foul-speaking, jealousy, boldness,
exaltation, boastfulness; 3persecutors of good men, hating truth, loving a lie,
not perceiving the reward of righteousness, not cleaving to the good nor to
righteous judgment, wakeful not for that which is good but for that which is
evil; 4from whom gentleness and forbearance stand aloof; 5loving vain things,
pursuing a recompense, not pitying the poor man, not toiling for him that is
oppressed with toil, not recognizing Him that made them, murderers of children,
corrupters of the creatures of God, turning away from him that is in want,
oppressing him that is afflicted, advocates of the wealthy, unjust judges of
the poor, altogether sinful. 6May ye be delivered, my children, from all these
things.
Chapter
6[edit]
1See lest
any man lead you astray from this way of righteousness, for he teacheth thee
apart from God. 2For if thou art able to bear the whole yoke of the Lord, thou
shalt be perfect; 3but if thou art not able, do that which thou art able. 4But
concerning eating, bear that which thou art able; 5yet abstain by all means
from meat sacrificed to idols; 6for it is the worship of dead gods.
Chapter
7[edit]
1But
concerning baptism, thus shall ye baptize. 2Having first recited all these
things, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
in living (running) water. 3But if thou hast not living water, then baptize in
other water; 4and if thou art not able in cold, then in warm. 5But if thou hast
neither, then pour water on the head thrice in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 6But before the baptism let him that baptizeth
and him that is baptized fast, and any others also who are able; 7and thou
shalt order him that is baptized to fast a day or two before.
Chapter 8[edit]
1And let not
your fastings be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and the fifth
day of the week; 2but do ye keep your fast on the fourth and on the preparation
(the sixth) day. 3Neither pray ye as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded
in His Gospel, thus pray ye. 4Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy
name; 5Thy kingdom come; 6Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth;
7give us this day our daily bread; 8and forgive us our debt, as we also forgive
our debtors; 9and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil
one; 10for Thine is the power and the glory for ever and ever. 11Three times in
the day pray ye so.
Chapter
9[edit]
1But as
touching the eucharistic thanksgiving give ye thanks thus. 2First, as regards
the cup: 3We give Thee thanks, O our Father, for the holy vine of Thy son
David, which Thou madest known unto us through Thy Son Jesus; 4Thine is the
glory for ever and ever. 5Then as regards the broken bread: 6We give Thee
thanks, O our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou didst make known
unto us through Thy Son Jesus; 7Thine is the glory for ever and ever. 8As this
broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together
became one, so may Thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth
into Thy kingdom; 9for Thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ
for ever and ever. 10But let no one eat or drink of this eucharistic
thanksgiving, but they that have been baptized into the name of the Lord; 11for
concerning this also the Lord hath said: 12Give not that which is holy to the
dogs.
Chapter
10[edit]
1And after
ye are satisfied thus give ye thanks: 2We give Thee thanks, Holy Father, for
Thy holy name, which Thou hast made to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the
knowledge and faith and immortality, which Thou hast made known unto us through
Thy Son Jesus; 3Thine is the glory for ever and ever. 4Thou, Almighty Master,
didst create all things for Thy name's sake, and didst give food and drink unto
men for enjoyment, that they might render thanks to Thee; 5but didst bestow
upon us spiritual food and drink and eternal life through Thy Son. 6Before all
things we give Thee thanks that Thou art powerful; 7Thine is the glory for ever
and ever. 8Remember, Lord, Thy Church to deliver it from all evil and to
perfect it in Thy love; 9and gather it together from the four winds—even the
Church which has been sanctified—into Thy kingdom which Thou hast prepared for
it; 10for Thine is the power and the glory for ever and ever. 11May grace come
and may this world pass away. 12Hosanna to the God of David. 13If any man is
holy, let him come; 14if any man is not, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen. 15But
permit the prophets to offer thanksgiving as much as they desire.
Chapter
11[edit]
1Whosoever
therefore shall come and teach you all these things that have been said before,
receive him; 2but if the teacher himself be perverted and teach a different
doctrine to the destruction thereof, hear him not; 3but if to the increase of
righteousness and the knowledge of the Lord, receive him as the Lord. 4But
concerning the apostles and prophets, so do ye according to the ordinance of
the Gospel. 5Let every apostle, when he cometh to you, be received as the Lord;
6but he shall not abide more than a single day, or if there be need, a second
likewise; 7but if he abide three days, he is a false prophet. 8And when he
departeth let the apostle receive nothing save bread, until he findeth shelter;
9but if he ask money, he is a false prophet. 10And any prophet speaking in the
Spirit ye shall not try neither discern; 11for every sin shall be forgiven, but
this sin shall not be forgiven. 12Yet not every one that speaketh in the Spirit
is a prophet, but only if he have the ways of the Lord. 13From his ways therefore
the false prophet and the prophet shall be recognized. 14And no prophet when he
ordereth a table in the Spirit shall eat of it; 15otherwise he is a false
prophet. 16And every prophet teaching the truth, if he doeth not what he
teacheth, is a false prophet. 17And every prophet approved and found true, if
he doeth ought as an outward mystery typical of the Church, and yet teacheth
you not to do all that he himself doeth, shall not be judged before you; 18he
hath his judgment in the presence of God; 19for in like manner also did the
prophets of old time. 20And whosoever shall say in the Spirit, Give me silver
or anything else, ye shall not listen to him; 21but if he tell you to give on
behalf of others that are in want, let no man judge him.
Chapter 12[edit]
1But let
every one that cometh in the name of the Lord be received; 2and then when ye
have tested him ye shall know him, for ye shall have understanding on the right
hand and on the left. 3If the comer is a traveller, assist him, so far as ye
are able; 4but he shall not stay with you more than two or three days, if it be
necessary. 5But if he wishes to settle with you, being a craftsman, let him
work for and eat his bread. 6But if he has no craft, according to your wisdom
provide how he shall live as a Christian among you, but not in idleness. 7If he
will not do this, he is trafficking upon Christ. 8Beware of such men.
Chapter
13[edit]
1But every
true prophet desiring to settle among you is worthy of his food. 2In like
manner a true teacher is also worthy, like the workman, of his food. 3Every
firstfruit then of the produce of the wine-vat and of the threshing-floor, of
thy oxen and of thy sheep, thou shalt take and give as the firstfruit to the
prophets; 4for they are your chief-priests. 5But if ye have not a prophet, give
them to the poor. 6If thou makest bread, take the firstfruit and give according
to the commandment. 7In like manner, when thou openest a jar of wine or of oil,
take the firstfruit and give to the prophets; 8yea and of money and raiment and
every possession take the firstfruit, as shall seem good to thee, and give
according to the commandment.
Chapter
14[edit]
1And on the
Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks,
first confessing your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. 2And let
no man, having his dispute with his fellow, join your assembly until they have
been reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled; 3for this sacrifice it
is that was spoken of by the Lord; 4In every place and at every time offer Me a
pure sacrifice; 5for I am a great king, saith the Lord and My name is wonderful
among the nations.
Chapter
15[edit]
1Appoint for
yourselves therefore bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men who are meek
and not lovers of money, and true and approved; 2for unto you they also perform
the service of the prophets and teachers. 3Therefore despise them not; 4for
they are your honourable men along with the prophets and teachers. 5And reprove
one another, not in anger but in peace, as ye find in the Gospel; 6and let no
one speak to any that has gone wrong towards his neighbour, neither let him
hear a word from you, until he repent. 7But your prayers and your almsgivings
and all your deeds so do ye as ye find it in the Gospel of our Lord.
Chapter
16[edit]
1Be watchful
for your life; 2 let your lamps not be quenched and your loins not ungirded,
but be ye ready; 2 for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. 4And ye
shall gather yourselves together frequently, seeking what is fitting for your
souls; 5for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you, if ye be not
perfected at the last season. 6For in the last days the false prophets and
corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and
love shall be turned into hate. 7 For as lawlessness increaseth, they shall
hate one another and shall persecute and betray. 8 And then the world-deceiver
shall appear as a son of God; 9and shall work signs and wonders, and the earth
shall be delivered into his hands; 10 and he shall do unholy things, which have
never been since the world began. 11 Then all created mankind shall come to the
fire of testing, and many shall be offended and perish; 12 but they that endure
in their faith shall be saved by the Curse Himself. 13 And then shall the signs
of the truth appear; 14first a sign of a rift in the heaven, then a sign of a
voice of a trumpet, and thirdly a resurrection of the dead; 15 yet not of all,
but as it was said: 16 The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. 17 Then
shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven.
The earliest
confession of faith known in the reformational movement can found in 1536 by
John Calvin and it is called Genevan confession of faith. I assume that it has
scripture proofs. Biblestudytools nor
the creed.net versions have the bible verses contain in them. I personally use
the puritan confession. I’m using early sources found in the English
translation as the Didache was originally written in Koine Greek and the
confession of faith found in Swiss French language. Worship service varies from
denomination to denomination.
Didache
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to:
navigation, search
The Didache
(/ˈdɪdəkiː/; Koine Greek: Διδαχή) or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
(Didachē means "Teaching")[1] is a brief early Christian treatise,
dated by most scholars to the mid to late first century. The first line of this
treatise is "Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles (or Nations) by the
Twelve Apostles".[a]
The text,
parts of which constitute the oldest extant written catechism, has three main
sections dealing with Christian ethics, rituals such as baptism and Eucharist,
and Church organization. It is considered the first example of the genre of the
Church Orders.
The Didache
is considered part of the category of second-generation Christian writings
known as the Apostolic Fathers. The work was considered by some Church Fathers
as part of the New Testament,[2][3][4] while being rejected as spurious or
non-canonical by others,[5][6][7] and eventually was not accepted into the New
Testament canon. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church "broader canon"
includes the Didascalia, a work which draws on the Didache.
Lost for
centuries, a Greek manuscript of the Didache was rediscovered in 1873 by
Philotheos Bryennios, Metropolitan of Nicomedia in the Codex Hierosolymitanus.
A Latin version of the first five chapters was discovered in 1900 by J.
Schlecht.[8]
Date,
composition and modern translation[edit]
The title of
the Didache in the manuscript discovered in 1873
Most scholars
place the Didache at some point during the mid to late first century.[9][10] It
is an anonymous work, a pastoral manual "that reveals more about how
Jewish-Christians saw themselves and how they adapted their Judaism for
gentiles than any other book in the Christian Scriptures."[11] Hitchcock
and Brown produced the first English translation in March 1884. Adolf von
Harnack produced the first German translation in 1884, and Sabatier the first
French translation and commentary in 1885.[12]
The Didache
is mentioned by Eusebius (c. 324) as the Teachings of the Apostles following
the books recognized as canonical:[13]
"Let
there be placed among the spurious works the Acts of Paul, the so-called
Shepherd and the Apocalypse of Peter, and besides these the Epistle of
Barnabas, and what are called the Teachings of the Apostles, and also the
Apocalypse of John, if this be thought proper; for as I wrote before, some
reject it, and others place it in the canon."
Athanasius
(367) and Rufinus (c. 380) list the Didache among apocrypha. (Rufinus gives the
curious alternative title Judicium Petri, "Judgment of Peter".) It is
rejected by Nicephorus (c. 810), Pseudo-Anastasius, and Pseudo-Athanasius in
Synopsis and the 60 Books canon. It is accepted by the Apostolic Constitutions
Canon 85, John of Damascus and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Adversus
Aleatores by an imitator of Cyprian quotes it by name. Unacknowledged citations
are very common, if less certain. The section Two Ways shares the same language
with the Epistle of Barnabas, chapters 18–20, sometimes word for word,
sometimes added to, dislocated, or abridged, and Barnabas iv, 9 either derives
from Didache, 16, 2–3, or vice versa. There can also be seen many similarities
to the Epistles of both Polycarp and Ignatius of Antioch.The Shepherd of Hermas
seems to reflect it, and Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria,[b] and Origen of
Alexandria also seem to use the work, and so in the West do Optatus and the
Gesta apud Zenophilum. The Didascalia Apostolorum are founded upon the Didache.
The Apostolic Church-Ordinances has used a part, the Apostolic Constitutions
have embodied the Didascalia. There are echoes in Justin Martyr, Tatian,
Theophilus of Antioch, Cyprian, and Lactantius.
Contents[edit]
The contents
may be divided into four parts, which most scholars agree were combined from
separate sources by a later redactor: the first is the Two Ways, the Way of
Life and the Way of Death (chapters 1–6); the second part is a ritual dealing
with baptism, fasting, and Communion (chapters 7–10); the third speaks of the
ministry and how to deal with traveling prophets (chapters 11–15); and the
final section (chapter 16) is a brief apocalypse.[citation needed]
Part of a
series on
Jewish
Christianity
"The
Sermon on the Mount" by Carl Bloch (1834–1890)
Figures
Jesus ·
John the Baptist ·
Simon Peter ·
Twelve Apostles ·
James, brother of Jesus ·
Simeon of Jerusalem ·
Jude ·
Paul
Ancient
groups
Ebionites ·
Elcesaites ·
Essenes ·
Nazarenes
Pejoratives
Judaizers ·
Legalists ·
Pauline Christianity
Recent groups
Hebrew
Christian movement ·
Messianic Judaism ·
Saint Thomas Christians
Adversity
Split of
Christianity and Judaism ·
Paul and Judaism ·
Marcionism ·
Christian anti-semitism ·
Constantine
Writings
Gospel of
Matthew ·
Epistle of James ·
Clementine ·
Didache ·
Liturgy of St James ·
Book of Elchasai ·
Jewish-Christian gospels ·
Gospel of the Ebionites ·
Gospel of the Hebrews ·
Gospel of the Nazarenes
Issues
Aramaic of
Jesus ·
Yeshua (name) ·
Council of Jerusalem ·
Expounding of the Law ·
Sabbath ·
Quartodecimanism ·
Noahide laws
Title[edit]
The
manuscript is commonly referred to as the Didache. This is short for the header
found on the document and the title used by the Church Fathers, "The
Lord's Teaching of the Twelve Apostles"[c] which Jerome said was the same
as the Gospel according to the Hebrews. A fuller title or subtitle is also
found next in the manuscript, "The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles[d]
by the Twelve Apostles".[e]
Description[edit]
Willy Rordorf
considered the first five chapters as "essentially Jewish, but the
Christian community was able to use it" by adding the "evangelical
section".[16] "Lord" in the Didache is reserved usually for
"Lord God", while Jesus is called "the servant" of the
Father (9:2f.; 10:2f.).[17] Baptism was practised "in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."[18] Scholars generally
agree that 9:5, which speaks of baptism "in the name of the Lord,"
represents an earlier tradition that was gradually replaced by a trinity of
names."[19] A similarity with Acts 3 is noted by Aaron Milavec: both see
Jesus as "the servant (pais)[20] of God".[21] The community is
presented as "awaiting the kingdom from the Father as entirely a future
event".[22]
The Two
Ways[edit]
The first
section (Chapters 1–6) begins: "There are two ways, one of life and one of
death, and there is a great difference between these two ways."[23]
Apostolic
Fathers, 2nd ed., Lightfoot-Harmer-Holmes, 1992, notes:
The Two Ways
material appears to have been intended, in light of 7.1, as a summary of basic
instruction about the Christian life to be taught to those who were preparing
for baptism and church membership. In its present form it represents the
Christianization of a common Jewish form of moral instruction. Similar material
is found in a number of other Christian writings from the first through about
the fifth centuries, including the Epistle of Barnabas, the Didascalia, the
Apostolic Church Ordinances, the Summary of Doctrine, the Apostolic
Constitutions, the Life of Schnudi, and On the Teaching of the Apostles (or
Doctrina), some of which are dependent on the Didache. The interrelationships
between these various documents, however, are quite complex and much remains to
be worked out.
The closest
parallels in the use of the Two Ways doctrine is found among the Essene Jews at
the Dead Sea Scrolls community. The Qumran community included a Two Ways
teaching in its founding Charter, The Community Rule.
Throughout
the Two Ways, there are many Old Testament quotes shared with the Gospels and
many theological similarities, but Jesus is never mentioned by name. The first
chapter opens with the Shema ("you shall love God"), the Great
Commandment ("your neighbor as yourself"), and the Golden Rule in the
negative form. Then comes short extracts in common with the Sermon on the
Mount, together with a curious passage on giving and receiving, which is also
cited with variations in Shepherd of Hermas (Mand., ii, 4–6). The Latin omits
1:3–6 and 2:1, and these sections have no parallel in Epistle of Barnabas;
therefore, they may be a later addition, suggesting Hermas and the present text
of the Didache may have used a common source, or one may have relied on the
other. Chapter 2 contains the commandments against murder, adultery, corrupting
boys, sexual promiscuity, theft, magic, sorcery, abortion, infanticide,
coveting, perjury, false testimony, speaking evil, holding grudges, being
double-minded, not acting as you speak, greed, avarice, hypocrisy,
maliciousness, arrogance, plotting evil against neighbors, hate, narcissism and
expansions on these generally, with references to the words of Jesus. Chapter 3
attempts to explain how one vice leads to another: anger to murder, concupiscence
to adultery, and so forth. The whole chapter is excluded in Barnabas. A number
of precepts are added in chapter 4, which ends: "This is the Way of
Life." Verse 13 states you must not forsake the Lord's commandments,
neither adding nor subtracting (see also Deut 4:2,12:32). The Way of Death
(chapter 5) is a list of vices to be avoided. Chapter 6 exhorts to the keeping
in the Way of this Teaching:
See that no
one causes you to err from this way of the teaching, since apart from God it
teaches you. For if you are able to bear the entire yoke of the Lord, you will
be perfect; but if you are not able to do this, do what you are able. And
concerning food, bear what you are able; but against that which is sacrificed
to idols be exceedingly careful; for it is the service of dead gods. (Roberts)
The Didache,
like 1 Corinthians 10:21, does not give an absolute prohibition on eating meat
which has been offered to idols, but merely advises to be careful.[24]
Comparable to the Didache is the "let him eat herbs" of Paul of
Tarsus as a hyperbolical expression like 1 Cor 8:13: "I will never eat
flesh, lest I should scandalize my brother", thus giving no support to the
notion of vegetarianism in the Early Church. John Chapman in the Catholic
Encyclopedia (1908) states that the Didache is referring to Jewish meats.[8]
The Latin version substitutes for chapter 6 a similar close, omitting all
reference to meats and to idolothyta, and concluding with per Domini nostri
Jesu Christi ... in saecula saeculorum, amen, "by our lord Jesus Christ
... for ever and ever, amen". This is the end of the translation. This
suggests the translator lived at a day when idolatry had disappeared, and when
the remainder of the Didache was out of date. He had no such reason for
omitting chapter 1, 3–6, so that this was presumably not in his copy.[8]
Rituals[edit]
Baptism[edit]
The second
part (chapters 7 to 10) begins with an instruction on baptism, which is to be
conferred "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit"[18] in “living water” (that is, natural flowing water), if it can
be had — if not, in cold or even warm water. The baptized and the baptizer,
and, if possible, anyone else attending the ritual should fast for one or two
days beforehand. If the water is insufficient for immersion, it may be poured
three times on the head. A century ago, this point was used by Dr. C.
Bigg[25][26][27] to demonstrate the document's late date, a position no longer
current among scholars.[citation needed]
Fasting[edit]
Chapter 8
suggests that fasts are not to be on Monday and Thursday "with the
hypocrites" — presumably non-Christian Jews, such as the Pharisees — but
on Wednesday and Friday. Nor must Christians pray with their Judaic brethren,
instead they shall say the Lord's Prayer three times a day. The text of the
prayer is not identical to the version in the Gospel of Matthew, and it is
given with the doxology "for Thine is the power and the glory for
ever." The Didache is the main source for the inclusion of the doxology.
It does not occur within the oldest copies of the texts of Matthew and Luke.
Most biblical scholars agree that it was included as a result of a later
edit.[citation needed]
Eucharist[edit]
Chapter 9
concerns the Eucharist ("thanksgiving"):
"Now
concerning the Eucharist, give thanks this way. First, concerning the cup:We
thank thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David Thy servant, which Thou
madest known to us through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever..
And
concerning the broken bread:
We thank
Thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou madest known to us
through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever. Even as this broken
bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so
let Thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Thy
kingdom; for Thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for
ever..But let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, unless they have been
baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said,
"Give not that which is holy to the dogs." (Roberts)
The Didache
basically describes the same ritual as the one that took place in Corinth.[28]
The order of cup and bread differs both from present-day Christian practice and
from that in the New Testament accounts of the Last Supper,[29] of which, again
unlike almost all present-day Eucharistic celebrations, the Didache makes no
mention.
Revelation
22:17 (KJV), to which the prayer in Didache 10 bears some similarity.
Chapter 10
gives a thanksgiving after a meal. The contents of the meal are not indicated:
chapter 9 does not exclude other elements as well that the cup and bread, which
are the only ones it mentions, and chapter 10, whether it was originally a
separate document or continues immediately the account in chapter 9, mentions
no particular elements, not even wine and bread. Instead it speaks of the
"spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Thy Servant" that
it distinguishes from the "food and drink (given) to men for enjoyment
that they might give thanks to (God)". After a doxology, as before, come
the apocalyptic exclamations: "Let grace come, and let this world pass
away. Hosanna to the God (Son) of David! If any one is holy, let him come; if
any one is not so, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen". The prayer is
reminiscent of Revelation 22:17–20 and 1Corinthians 16:22.[30]
These prayers
make no reference to the redemptive death of Christ, or remembrance, as
formulated by Paul the Apostle in 1Corinthians 11:23–34, see also Atonement in
Christianity. Didache 10 doesn't even use the word "Christ," which
appears only one other time in the whole tract.
Some have
posited that, in spite of the order in the manuscript text, chapter 10 should
precede chapter 9: "Some scholars rearranged the text of chapters 9 &
10 (in comparison with chapter 14) to accommodate their view that the later
Roman Mass is closer to what they understand to be truly Christian" (Wim
van den Dungen). John Dominic Crossan endorses John W. Riggs' 1984 The Second
Century article for the proposition that 'there are two quite separate
eucharistic celebrations given in Didache 9–10, with the earlier one now put in
second place."[31] The section beginning at 10.1 is a reworking of the
Jewish birkat ha-mazon, a three-strophe prayer at the conclusion of a meal,
which includes a blessing of God for sustaining the universe, a blessing of God
who gives the gifts of food, earth, and covenant, and a prayer for the
restoration of Jerusalem; the content is "Christianized", but the
form remains Jewish.[32] It is similar to the Syrian Church eucharist rite of
the Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari, belonging to "a primordial era when
the euchology of the Church had not yet inserted the Institution Narrative in
the text of the Eucharistic Prayer."[33]
Resurrection[edit]
The Didache
makes no mention of Jesus' resurrection, other than thanking for
"immortality, which Thou hast made known unto us through Thy Son
Jesus" in the eucharist,[34] but the Didache makes specific reference to
the resurrection of the just prior to the Lord's coming.[35]
Matthew and
the Didache[edit]
See also:
Gospel of Matthew
Significant
similarities between the Didache and the gospel of Matthew have been found[36]
as these writings share words, phrases, and motifs. There is also an increasing
reluctance of modern scholars to support the thesis that the Didache used
Matthew. This close relationship between these two writings might suggest that
both documents were created in the same historical and geographical setting.
One argument that suggests a common environment is that the community of both
the Didache and the gospel of Matthew was probably composed of Jewish
Christians from the beginning.[36] Also, the Two Ways teaching (Did. 1–6) may
have served as a pre-baptismal instruction within the community of the Didache
and Matthew. Furthermore, the correspondence of the Trinitarian baptismal
formula in the Didache and Matthew (Did. 7 and Matt 28:19) as well as the
similar shape of the Lord's Prayer (Did. 8 and Matt 6:5–13) appear to reflect
the use of similar oral traditions. Finally, both the community of the Didache
(Did. 11–13) and Matthew (Matt 7:15–23; 10:5–15, 40–42; 24:11,24) were visited
by itinerant apostles and prophets, some of whom were heterodox.[36]
See
also[edit]
Portal icon
Christianity portal
Ancient
Church Orders
Brotherly
love (philosophy)
Codex
Hierosolymitanus
Gospel
according to the Hebrews
Notes[edit]
a.Jump up ^
Greek: Διδαχὴ κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν.
b.Jump up ^
Clement quotes the Didache as scripture.[14][page needed]
c.Jump up ^
Greek: Διδαχὴ Κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων, Didachē Kiriou dia tōn dōdeka
apostolōn.
d.Jump up ^
Some translations "Nations".[15]
e.Jump up ^
Greek: Διδαχὴ κυρίου διὰ τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Didachē kyriou dia
tōn dōdeka apostolōn tois ethnesin.
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^
Strong's G1322 Didache: instruction (the act or the matter): – doctrine, hath
been taught.
2.Jump up ^
Rufinus, Commentary on Apostles Creed 37 (as Deuterocanonical) c. 380
3.Jump up ^
John of Damascus Exact Exposition of Orthodox Faith 4.17.
4.Jump up ^
The 81-book canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
5.Jump up ^
Athanasius, Festal Letter 39 (excludes them from the canon, but recommends them
for reading) in 367
6.Jump up ^
60 Books Canon.
7.Jump up ^
Nicephorus in Stichometria
8.^ Jump up
to: a b c Wikisource-logo.svg John Chapman (1913). "Didache".
Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
9.Jump up ^
"Didache", Dictionary of the Christian Church, Oxford University
Press, ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
10.Jump up ^
O'Loughlin, Thomas (2011). The Didache: A window on the earliest Christians.
SPCK. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
11.Jump up ^
Milavec 2003, p. vii.
12.Jump up ^
Aaron Milavec in Jefford 1995, pp. 140–41.
13.Jump up ^
Historia Ecclesiastica III, 25.
14.Jump up ^
Durant, Will (1972), Caesar and Christ, New York: Simon & Schuster.
15.Jump up ^
Strong, 1484, Blue letter Bible.
16.Jump up ^
Milavec 2003, p. 110.
17.Jump up ^
Milavec 2003, p. 271.
18.^ Jump up
to: a b The Didache or Teaching of the Apostles, trans. and ed., J. B.
Lightfoot, 7:2,5
19.Jump up ^
Milavec 2003, p. 271; the Didache verse ("But let no one eat or drink of
this eucharistic thanksgiving, but they that have been baptized into the name
of the Lord", The Didache or Teaching of the Apostles, trans. and ed., J.
B. Lightfoot, 9:10) is erroneously indicated as 9:5.
20.Jump up ^
Luke, "3:13", Acts describes Jesus as παῖς: "a boy (as often
beaten with impunity), or (by analogy) a girl, and (generally) a child;
specifically a slave or servant (especially a minister to a king; and by
eminence to God): – child, maid (-en), (man) servant, son, young man"
Strong's G3817.
21.Jump up ^
Milavec 2003, p. 368.
22.Jump up ^
Milavec 2003, p. 368.
23.Jump up ^
Holmes, Apostolic Fathers
24.Jump up ^
Aaron Milavec The Didache: faith, hope, & life of the earliest Christian
2003 p252 citing Wendell Willis "It is interesting, nonetheless, that both
Paul and the Didache take a flexible approach save when it comes to eating food
sacrificed to idols. Paul makes use of the phrase "table of demons" (
1 Cor 10:21)."
25.Jump up ^
Bigg, C. (1904). "Notes on the Didache. I: On Baptism by Affusion".
The Journal of Theological Studies (20): 579–84. doi:10.1093/jts/os-V.20.579.
26.Jump up ^
Bigg, C. (1904). "Notes on the Didache. II: On Certain Points in the First
Chapter". The Journal of Theological Studies (20): 584–9.
doi:10.1093/jts/os-V.20.584.
27.Jump up ^
Bigg, C. (1905). "Notes on the Didache". The Journal of Theological
Studies (23): 411–5. doi:10.1093/jts/os-VI.23.411.
28.Jump up ^
Valeriy A. Alikin The earliest history of the Christian gathering Brill 2010
ISBN 978-90-04-18309-4 p110 "...practice of a particular community or
group of communities.29 However, the Didache basically describes the same
ritual as the one that took place in Corinth. This is probable for several
reasons. In both cases, the meal was a community supper that took place on
Sunday evening where the participants could eat their fill, rather than purely
a symbolic ritual.30 Also in both cases the meal began with separate
benedictions over the bread and wine (Mark 14:22–25 par.).."
29.Jump up ^
1 Corinthians 11:23–25, Mark 14:22–25, Matthew 26:26–29, Luke 22:14–20
30.Jump up ^
Rev. 22:17–20 reads, "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come,' And let the
one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who
desires take the water of life without price. / I warn everyone who hears the
words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him
the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and
in the holy city, which are described in this book. / He who testifies to these
things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (English
Standard Version). I Cor. 16:22 reads, "If anyone has no love for the
Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! [Greek Maranatha]" (ESV).
31.Jump up ^
Crossan, The Historical Jesus, p 361 (1991)
32.Jump up ^
The Didache: Its Jewish Sources and Its Place in Early Judaism and Christianity
by Hubertus Waltherus Maria van de Sandt, David Flusser pp 311–2; Metaphors of
Sacrifice in the Liturgies of the Early Church by Stephanie Perdew; Jüdische
Wurzel by Franz D. Hubmann
33.Jump up ^
Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, The Anaphora of Addai and Mari: A Study of Structure and
Historical Background
34.Jump up ^
Wade, Nicholas. The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures.
Penguin Press HC. 2009. ISBN 1-59420-228-1
35.Jump up ^
The Didache in context: essays on its text, history, and transmission p151 N.
Jefford – 1995 "According to the end-time scenario of the Didache, the
destruction of the lawless, the purification of the faithful, and the selective
resurrection of the just occur prior to the Lord's coming"
36.^ Jump up
to: a b c H. van de Sandt (ed), Matthew and the Didache, (Assen: Royal van
Gorcum; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 2005).
Bibliography[edit]
Audet, Jean-Paul
(1958), La Didache, Instructions des Apôtres [The Didache, Instructions from
the Apostles] (in French), J. Gabalda & Co.
Draper,
Jonathan A (1996). The Didache in modern research: an overview. Brill. ISBN
978-90-04-10375-7.
——— (2006).
"The Apostolic Fathers: The Didache". The Expository Times 117 (5):
177–81. doi:10.1177/0014524606062770.
Holmes,
Michael W, ed. (2007), The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English
Translations, Baker Academic, ISBN 978-0-8010-3468-8.
Jefford,
Clayton N (1989). The sayings of Jesus in the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.
Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-09127-6.
——— (1995).
The Didache in context: essays on its text, history, and transmission. Brill.
ISBN 978-90-04-10045-9.
Jones, Tony
(2009), The Teaching of the Twelve: Believing & Practicing the Primitive
Christianity of the Ancient Didache Community, Paraclete, ISBN
978-1-55725-590-7.
Lightfoot,
Joseph Barber; et al. (1889), Apostolic Fathers, London: Macmillan & Co .
Milavec,
Aaron (2003). The Didache: text, translation, analysis, and commentary.
Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-5831-4.
——— (2003).
The Didache: faith, hope, & life of the earliest Christian communities,
50–70 CE. Paulist Press. ISBN 978-0-8091-0537-3.
Van de Sandt,
H.W.M (2005). Matthew and the Didache: two documents from the same
Jewish-Christian milieu?. Royal Van Gorcum/Fortress. ISBN 978-90-232-4077-8.
Slee,
Michelle (2003). The church in Antioch in the first century CE: communion and
conflict. Sheffield Academic. ISBN 978-0-567-08382-1.
Del Verme,
Marcello (2004). Didache and Judaism: Jewish roots of an ancient
Christian-Jewish work. T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-02531-9.
This article incorporates text from a
publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic
Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
External
links[edit]
Wikisource has original text related to this
article:
Didache
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Didache
Greek text in
Latin alphabet[dead link] from Universität Bremen
Didache text
in Greek from CCEL
Eight English
translations; Greek text; Nine Commentaries; and Overview of the Didache by
Early Christian Writings – Church Fathers
Didache
translated by Philip Schaff
Didache
translated by Charles H. Hoole. – English translation hosted by About.com
"Didachē, The". Encyclopædia
Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
Didache,
article from the 1901–6 Jewish Encyclopedia.
Annotated
Bibliography of the Didache
earlychurch.org.uk
The Didache: Its Origin And Significance
upenn.edu
Electronic Edition by Robert A. Kraft (updated 28 July 1995)
2012
Translation & Audio Version
Source:
biblestudytools.com/confession
ARTICLE 1 -
The Word of God
First we
affirm that we desire to follow Scripture alone as rule of faith and religion,
without mixing with it any other thing which might be devised by the opinion of
men apart from the Word of God, and without wishing to accept for our spiritual
government any other doctrine than what is conveyed to us by the same Word
without addition or diminution, acccording to the command of our Lord.
ARTICLE 2 -
One Only God
Following,
then, the lines laid down in the Holy Scriptures, we acknowledge that there is
one only God, whom we are both to worship and serve, and in whom we are to put
all our confidence and hope: having this assurance, that in him alone is
contained all wisdom, power, justice, goodness and pity. And since he is
spirit, he is to be served in spirit and in truth. Therefore we think it an
abomination to put our confidence or hope in any created thing, to worship
anything else than him, whether angels or any other creatures, an to recognize
any other Saviour of our souls than him alone, whether saints or men living
upon earth; and likewise to offer the service, which ought to be rendered to
him, in external ceremonies or carnal observances, as if he took pleasure in
such things, or to make an image to represent his divinity or any other image
for adoration.
ARTICLE 3 -
The Law of God Alike for All
Because there
is one only Lord and Master who has dominion over our consciences, and because
his will is the only principle of all justice, we confess all our life ought to
be ruled in accordance with the commandments of his holy law in which is
contained all perfection of justice, and that we ought to have no other rule of
good and just living, nor invent other good works to supplement it than those
which are there contained as follows: Exodus 20: "I am the Lord thy God,
who brought thee," and so on.
ARTICLE 4 -
Natural Man
We
acknowledge man by nature to be blind, darkened in understanding, and full of
corruption and perversity of heart, so that of himself he has no power to be
able to comprehend the true knowledge of God as is proper, nor to apply himself
to good works. But on the contrary, if he is left by God to what he is by
nature, he is only able to live in ignorance and to be abandoned to all
iniquity. Hence he has need to be illumined by Fod, so that he come to the
right knowledge of his salvation, and thus to be redirected in his affections
and reformed to the obedience of the righteousness of God.
ARTICLE 5 -
Man by Himself Lost
Since man is
naturally (as has been said) deprived and destitute in himself of all the light
of God, and of all righteousness, we acknowledge that by himself he can only
expect the wrath and malediction of God, and hence he must look outside himself
for the means of his salvation.
ARTICLE 6 -
Salvation in Jesus
We confess
then that it is Jesus Christ who is given to us by the Father, in order that in
him we should recover all of which in ourselves we are deficient. Now all that
Jesus Christ has done and suffered for our redemption, we veritably hold
without any doubt, as it is contained in the Creed, which is recited in the
Church, that is to say: I believe in God the Father Almighty, and so on.
ARTICLE 7 -
Righteousness in Jesus
Therefore we
acknowledge the things which are consequently given to us by God in Jesus
Christ: first, that being in our own nature enemies of God and subjects of his
wrath and judgment, we are reconciled with him and received again in grace
through the intercession of Jesus Christ, so that by his righteousness and
guiltlessness we have remission of our sins, and by the shedding of his blood
we are cleanse and purified from all our stains.
ARTICLE 8 -
Regeneration in Jesus
Second, we
acknowledge that by his Spirit we are regenerated into a new spiritual nature.
That is to say that the evil desires of our flesh are mortified by grace, so
that they rule us no longer. On the contrary, our will is redered conformable
to God's will, to follow in his way and to seek what is pleasing to him.
Therefore we are by him delivered from the servitude of sin, under whose power
we were of ourselves held captive, and by this deliverance we are made capable
and able to do good works and not otherwise.
ARTICLE 9 -
Remission of Sins Always Necessary for the Faithful
Finally, we
acknowledge that this regeneration is so effected in us that, until we slough
off this mortal body, there remains always in us much imperfection and
infirmity, so that we always remain poor and wretched sinners in the presence
of God. And, however much we ought day by day to increase and grow in God's
righteousness, there will never be plenitude or perfection while we live here.
Thus we always have need of the mercy of God to obtain the remission of our
faults and offences. And so we ought always to look for our righteousness in
Jesus Christ and not at all in ourselves, and in him be confident and assured,
putting no faith in our works.
ARTICLE 10 -
All our Good in the Grace of God
In order that
all glory and praise be rendered to God (as is his due), and that we be able to
have true peace and rest of conscience, we understand and confess that we
receive all benefits from God, as said above, by his clemency and pity, without
any consideration of our worthiness or the merit of our works, to which is due
no other retribution than eternal confusion. None the less our Saviour in his
goodness, having received us into the communion of his son Jesus, regards the
works that we have done in faith as pleasing and agreeable; not that they merit
it at all, but because, not imputing any of the imperfection that is there, he
acknowledges in them nothing but what proceeds from his Spirit.
ARTICLE 11 -
Faith
We confess
that the entrance which we have to the great treasures and riches of the
goodness of God that is vouchsafed to us is by faith; inasmuch as, in certain
confidence and assurance of heart, we believe in the promises of the Gospel,
and receive Jesus Christ as he is offered to us by the Father and described to
us by the Word of God.
ARTICLE 12 -
Invocation of God Only and Intercession of Christ
As we have
declared that we have confidence and hope for salvation and all good only in
God through Jesus Christ, so we confess that we ought to invoke him in all
necessities in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our Mediator and Advocate with
him and has access to him. Likewise we ought to acknowledge that all good
things come from him alone, and to give thanks to him for them. On the other
hand, we reject the intercession of the saints as as a superstition invented by
men contrary to Scripture, for the reason that it proceeds from mistrust of the
sufficiency of the intercession of Jesus Christ.
ARTICLE 13 -
Prayer Intelligible
Moreover
since prayer is nothing but hypocrisy and fantasy unless it proceed from the
interior affections of the heart, we believe that all prayers ought to be made
with clear understanding. And for this reason, we hold the prayer of our Lord
to show fittingly what we ought to ask of him: Our Father which art in heaven,
. . . but deliver us from evil. Amen.
ARTICLE 14 -
Sacraments
We believe
that the sacraments which our Lord has ordained in his Church are to be
regarded as excercises of faith for us, both for fortifying and confirming it
in the promises of God and for witnessing before men. Of them there are in the
Christian Church only two which are instituted by the authority of our Saviour:
Baptism and the Supper of our Lord; for what is held within the realm of the
pope concerning seven sacraments, we condemn as fable and lie.
ARTICLE 15 -
Baptism
Baptism is an
external sign by which our Lord testifies that he desires to receive us for his
children, as members of his Son Jesus. Hence in it there is represented to us
the cleansing from sin which we have in the blood of Jesus Christ, the
mortification of our flesh which we have by his death that we may live in him
by his Spirit. Now since our children belong to such an alliance with our Lord,
we are certain that the external sign is rightly applied to them.
ARTICLE 16 -
The Holy Supper
The Supper of
our Lord is a sign by which under bread and wine he represents the true
spiritual communion which we have in his body and blood. And we acknowledge
that according to his ordinance it ought to be distributed in the company of
the faithful, in order that all those who wish to have Jesus for their life be
partakers of it. In as much as the mass of the pope was a reprobate and
diabolical ordinance subverting the mystery of the Holy Supper, we declare that
it is execrable to us, an idolatry condemned by God; for so much is it itself
regarded as a sacrifice for the redemption of souls that the bread is in it
taken and adored by God. Besides there are other execrable blasphemies and
superstitions implied here, and the abuse of the Word of God which is taken in
vain without profit or edification.
ARTICLE 17 -
Human Traditions
The
ordinances that are necessary for the internal dsicipline of the Church, and
belong solely to the maintenance of peace, honesty and good order in the
assembly of Christians, we do not hold to be human traditions at all, in as
much as they are composed under the general command of Paul, where he desires
that all be done among them decently and in order. But all laws and regulations
made binding on conscience which oblige the faithful to things not commanded by
God, or establish another service of God than that which he demands, thus
tending to destroy Christian liberty, we condemn as perverse doctrines of
Satan, in view of our Lord's declaration that he is honored in vain by
doctrines that are the commandment of men. It is in this estimation that we
hold pilgrimages, monasteries, distinctions of foods, prohibition of marriage,
confessions and other like things.
ARTICLE 18 -
The Church
While there
is one only Church of Jesus Christ, we always acknowledge that necessity
requires companies of the faithful to be distributed in different places. Of
these assemblies each one is called the Church. But in as much as all companies
do not assemble in the name of our Lord, but rather to blaspheme and pollute
him by their sacrilegious deeds, we believe that the proper mark by which we
rightly discern the Church of Jesus Christ is that his holy gospel be purely
and faithfully preached, proclaimed, heard, and kept, that his sacrament be
properly adminisered, even if there be some imperfections and faults, as there
always will be among men. On the other hand, where the Gospel is not declared,
heard, and recieved, there we do not acknowledge the form of the Church. Hence
the churches governed by the ordinances of the pope are rather synagogues of
the devil than Christian churches.
ARTICLE 19 -
Excommunication
Because there
are always some who hold God and his Word in contempt, who take account of neither
injunction, exhortation nor remonstrance, thus requiring greater chastisement,
we hold the discipline of excommunication to be a thing holy and salutary among
the faithful, since truly it was instituted by our Lord with good reason. This
is in order that the wicked would not by their damnable conduct corrupt the
good and dishonor our Lord, and that though proud they may turn to penitence.
Therefore we believe that it is expedient according to the ordinance of God
that all manifest idolaters, blasphemers, murderers, thieves, lewd persons,
false witnesses, sedition-mongers, quarrellers, those guilty of defamation or
assault, drukards, dissolute livers, when they have been duly admonished and if
they do not make amendment, be separated from the communion of the faithful
until their repentance is known.
ARTICLE 20 -
Ministers of the Word
We recognize
no other pastors in the Church than faithful pastors of the Word of God,
feeding the sheep of Jesus Christ on the one hand with instruction, admonition,
consolation, exhortation, deprecation; and on the other resisting all false
doctrines and deceptions of the devil, without mixing with the pure doctrines
of the Scriptures their dreams or their foolish imaginings. To these we accord
no other power or authority but to conduct, rule, and govern the people of God
committed to them by the same Word, in which they have the power to command,
defend, promise, and warn, and without which they neither can nor ought to
attempt anything. As we receive the true ministers of the Word of God as
messengers and ambassadors of God, it is necessary to listen to them as to him
himself, and we hold their ministry to be a commission from God necessary in
the Church. On the other hand we hold that all seductive and false prophets, who
abandon the purity of the Gospel and deviate to their own inventions, ought not
at all to be suffered or maintained, who are not the pastors they pretend, but
rather, like ravening wolves, ought to be hunted and ejected from the people of
God.
ARTICLE 21 -
Magistrates
We hold the supremacy and dominion of kings and
princes as also of other magistrates and officers, to be a holy thing and a
good ordinance of God. And since in performing their office they serve God and
follow a Christian vocation, whether in defending the afflicted and innocent,
or in correcting and punishing the malice of the perverse, we on our part also
ought to accord them honour and reverence, to render respect and subservience,
to execute their commands, to bear the charges they impose on us, so far as we
are able without offence to God. In sum, we ought to regard them as vicars and
lieutenants of God, whom one cannot resist without resisting God himself; and
their office as a sacred commission from God which has been given them so that
they may rule and govern us. Hence we hold that all Christians are bound to
pray God for the prosperity of the superiors and lords of the country where
they live, to obey the statutes and ordinances which do not contravene the
commandments of God, to promote the welfare, peace and public good,
endeavouring to sustain the honour of those over them and the peace of the
people, without contriving or attempting anything to inspire trouble or
dissension.
On the other
hand we declare that all those who conduct themselves unfaithfully towards
their superiors, and have not a right concern for the public good of the
country where they live, demonstrate thereby their infidelity towards God.
