وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى ٱلْحَوَارِيِّـۧنَ أَنْ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِى وَبِرَسُولِى قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَٱشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ

And ˹remember˺ when I inspired to al-Hawariyyun [the disciples], “Believe in Me and in My messenger.” They said, “We believe and bear witness that indeed we are Muslims.”

In 1873, the bishop of Nicaea discovered a strange text in the library of a monastery in Constantinople. The short writing introduced itself as “The Didache” (The Teaching), an early church manual that had been lost for over a thousand years.

Many of the earliest Christian writers mention the Didache in their commentaries, testifying that this text was commonly attributed to the disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him). Numerous others quote or refer to some of the passages found in the Didache. Yet, Roman Church authorities were suspicious of its contents, and it was ultimately rejected as being spurious. This certainly contributed to the gradual disappearance of the text, and it was practically impossible to locate a copy of it when Bible scholars first began to systematically examine the Christian religion in the 18^th century.

It was therefore an extraordinary event when bishop Philotheos Bryennios published the Greek text of the Didache in 1883, and this amazing discovery was celebrated by Bible scholars all around the world. There was a slight problem, however. The Didache did not contain anything about crucifixion, trinity, or God having children.

Christian priest Alan Garrow laments:

“Initial excitement turned to frustration and then disinterest. In the second half of the twentieth century the Didache became a text often referred to in passing but very seldom considered in detail. The discovery that promised so much could not be made to deliver on that promise because it proved all but impossible to determine its geographical, historical and literary context”. [1]

After several decades of confused discussion, most Western scholars and Christian commentators silently decided to abandon the Didache. It had almost nothing in common with the rest of their research material. They could not make any sense of it. It was different from the New Testament and all the Christian works originating from it. The convoluted and nonsensical doctrines of Paul had no influence on the author of this document. The main body of the text did not contain the current forms of Christianity that we know in our present day, or even the earliest Trinitarian Christianity first enforced by the Roman Empire three centuries after Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ).

Western researcher James D. Tabor describes the situation well:

“The most amazing thing about the Didache in terms of the two types of Christian faith—that of Paul and that of Jesus—is that there is nothing in this document that corresponds to Paul’s “Gospel”—no divinity of Jesus, no atonement through his body and blood, and not even any direct reference to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. In the Didache, Jesus is the one who has brought the knowledge of life and faith, but there is no emphasis whatsoever upon the figure of Jesus apart from his message. Sacrifice and forgiveness of sins in the Didache come through good deeds and a consecrated life. What we have surviving in the Didache is an abiding witness to a form of the Christian faith that traces directly back to Jesus and was carried on and perpetuated by James, and the rest of the twelve apostles.” [2]

The Didache currently remains ignored by most Christians [3], other than a few honest scholars trying to investigate the early origins of Christianity. However, the text has never been properly analyzed by Muslim researchers.

Indeed, even the most superficial reading of the Didache makes it obvious that it was originally written by a community on the Straight Way. The core text clearly contains the echoes of a revelation from the Almighty. And although it has been clumsily translated from the Aramaic original into Greek and heavily redacted by unknown Trinitarian Christians of the Roman Empire, its strong tawhid and correct understanding of religion still manage to shine through to those who know what they are looking for.

Text of the Didache

The most complete textual witness available to us, that Greek version scribed in 1056 and discovered by bishop Bryennios in the Jerusalem Codex in 1873, was recorded perhaps a thousand years after the original text and shows numerous signs of tampering and insertions. Known inconsistencies within the textual tradition of the Didache suggest that other writings were later incorporated into the original text, and there are several passages that disagree with the Religion of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) that we know through revelation. Since this article is only meant to be a quick introduction, we will suffice with the most superficial and straightforward readings of the manuscript. The detailed textual analysis and full exposition of all the unique material in this document is left to future Muslim scholarship, which will certainly arise by the grace of God and prove worthy of this important task.

The following text relies mostly on the translations of B.D. Ehrman [4] and A. Harrington [5]. Known corruptions to the text were removed wherever possible.

The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles

There are two ways: one of the life and one of the death. But there is great difference between the two ways. Therefore, this is the way of the life:

First, love the God who made you, and second, your neighbor as yourself. And whatever you do not want to happen to you, do not do to another.

Now this is the teaching regarding these matters:

Do not murder.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not corrupt boys.

Do not commit sexual immorality.

Do not steal.

Do not practice magic.

Do not use enchanted potions.

Do not murder a child in corruption, or kill it after it is born.

Do not desire what belongs to your neighbor.

Do not break an oath.

Do not give false testimony.

Do not speak insults.

Do not bear grudges.

Do not be of two minds or speak from both sides of your mouth, for speaking from both sides of your mouth is a snare of death.

Your word must not be empty or false.

Do not be greedy, rapacious, hypocritical, spiteful, or haughty.

Do not entertain a wicked plot against your neighbor.

Do not hate anyone — but reprove some, pray for others, and love still others more than yourself.

The Jerusalem Codex includes a second title in smaller letters below the main title: “The teaching of the Lord through the twelve apostles to the gentiles”. As is common with most Greek writings, the word ‘Lord’ can either mean ‘our master (Jesus)’ or ‘God’, and Trinitarian Christians generally did not preserve the distinctions between these meanings when copying texts. This same manuscript also records an additional paragraph about turning the other cheek, but this is not present in all versions of the document and breaks both the flow and the grammar of the introduction. Most researchers are of the opinion that it was inserted later, and not part of the original text.

The document continues with fatherly advice:

My child, flee from every wicked thing and everything like it. Do not be prone to anger, for anger leads to murder; nor be zealous, contentious, or irascible. For from all these are born acts of murder.

My child, do not be filled with passion, for passion leads to sexual immorality; nor be foul-mouthed or lecherous. For from all these are born acts of adultery.

My child, do not practice divination since this leads to idolatry; nor use incantations or astrology or rites of purging, nor even wish to see or hear these things. For from all these is born idolatry.

My child, do not be a liar, since lying leads to robbery; nor be fond of money or vain. For from all these are born acts of robbery.

My child, do not be a complainer, since this leads to blasphemy; nor be insolent or evil-minded. For from all these are born blasphemies.

But be meek, since the meek will inherit the earth. Be patient, merciful, innocent, gentle, and good, trembling at the words you have heard.

Do not exalt yourself or become impertinent. You should not join forces with the high and mighty, but should associate with the upright and humble.

Welcome whatever happens to you as good, knowing that nothing occurs apart from God.

My child, night and day remember the one who speaks the word of God to you; honor him as the Lord. For where his lordship is discussed, there the Lord himself is. Every day seek out the company of the holy ones, that you may find comfort in their words.

Do not create division, but bring peace to those who are at fighting. Give a fair judgment; do not show favoritism when you reproach others for their trespasses.

Do not be of two minds [when you pray], whether it will be granted or not.

Do not be one who reaches out your hands to receive but draws them back from giving. If you acquire something with your hands, give it as a ransom for your sins. Do not doubt whether to give, nor grumble while giving. For you should recognize the Good-Repayer of the reward.

Do not shun a person in need, but share all things with your brother and do not say that anything is your own. For if you are partners in what is eternal, how much more in what is mortal?

This last passage seems to discourage private property; however, it must be kept in mind that this was a small community that was being outcast, persecuted and perhaps boycotted like the Believers in Mecca.

Do not lift your hand from your son or daughter, but from their youth teach them the fear of God.

Do not give orders to your servant or servant-girl —who hope in the same God— out of bitterness, lest they do not fear the God who is over you both. For He does not come to call those of high status, but those who have been prepared in the spirit. And you who are servants must be subject to your masters as to an example of God, with respect and reverential fear.

Hate all hypocrisy and everything that is not pleasing to the Lord.

Do not abandon the commandments of the Lord, but guard what you have received, neither adding to them nor taking away. Confess your trespasses, and do not come to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life.

And the way of death is this:

First of all it is evil and filled with a curse: murders, adulteries, desires, sexual immoralities, robberies, idolatries, feats of magic, sorceries, rapacious acts, false testimonies, hypocrisies, double-heartedness, deceit, arrogance, malice, insolence, greed, obscenity, jealousy, impertinence, pride, haughtiness, irreverence. It is filled with persecutors of the good, haters of the truth, lovers of lies, who do not know the reward of righteousness, nor cling to the good nor to a fair judgment, who are alert not to do good but to do evil; from whom meekness and patience are far removed. For they love what is vain and pursue rewards, showing no mercy to the poor nor toiling for the oppressed nor knowing the One who made them; murderers of children and corruptors of what God has fashioned, who turn their backs on the needy, oppress the afflicted, and support the wealthy. They are lawless judges of the poor, altogether sinful.

Be delivered, children, from all such people.

Take care that no one lead you astray from the way of this teaching, since such a person teaches you other than God. For if you can bear the entire yoke of the Lord, you will be complete; but if you cannot, do as much as you can. And concerning food, sustain what you can. But especially abstain from things sacrificed to idols; for it is a worship to dead gods.

Based on this gradual and gentle approach taken with new converts, a few Western researchers have expressed the opinion that the Didache could actually be the same Apostolic Letter mentioned in the Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts.

The common language spoken by Children of Israel during the time of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) was Aramaic, since Hebrew language had fallen out of everyday use. Aramaic word for complete is ‘Mushlam’. It also means Muslim; along with other grammatical forms such as ‘Mishlmana’. Other meanings of this same Aramaic root include: Perfect, Fulfill, Conclude, Obey, Follow, Surrender, Submit, to become a Muslim.

A quick search through the New Testament will demonstrate that these specific words are sometimes found in narratives about Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), where the actual meaning is clearly ‘Muslim’ (e.g. Matt 5:48, Matt 19:21, Luke 6:40, James 1:4). Another relevant observation is that, the word ‘Muslim’ fulfills the intended meaning better than ‘perfect/complete’ only in those parts of the New Testament that are based on (unknown but hypothesized) Aramaic source-texts. The numerous letters originally written in Greek do not demonstrate this same interchangeability, whereas the stories of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) and the epistle attributed to James are often improved by exchanging the word ‘Muslim’ instead of ‘perfect/complete’.

The Didache, after separating right from wrong, continues with rituals and worship:

And with respect to baptism, baptize as follows: Having said all these things in advance, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in running water. But if you do not have running water, baptize in some other water. And if you cannot baptize in cold water, use warm. But if you have neither, pour water on the head three times in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. And both the one baptizing and the one being baptized should fast before the baptism, along with the others if they can. But command the one being baptized to fast one or two days in advance.

Here we see the notorious Trinitarian formula clumsily inserted into the text. This expression of trinity came into use many centuries after the Didache first began to circulate, and is considered to be a corruption of the original text by the consensus of Western scholars. The original Teaching was likely to baptize in the name of God (Alaha in Aramaic).

And while some Muslims will dislike the idea of ‘baptism’ as a religious ceremony, Quran tells us that different nations were ordered to worship through different rituals (Quran 22:67). The stories of John (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) baptizing people in the Jordan River have reached us through numerous sources and are in good agreement. Baptism is also alluded to in the Quran as ‘sibghat’, as noted in several tafasir of Surat al-Baqara (Quran 2:138) [6].

The Didache continues:

And do not keep your fasts with the hypocrites. For they fast on second and fifth days [Monday and Thursday]; but you should fast on fourth day and the day of preparation [Wednesday and Friday].

Nor should you pray like the hypocrites, instead you should pray in this manner, as the Lord commanded in his Evangelion [Injil / Gospel]:

“Our Father in heaven

may your name be made holy

may your kingdom come

may your will be done on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily[έπιούσιον] bread.

And forgive us our debt,

as we forgive our debtors.

And do not bring us into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the power and the glory are yours forever.”

Pray in this manner three times a day.

This chapter regarding fasting and salat is the perhaps most striking part of the Didache.

Just like the nation of Muhammad (ﷺ), this community was ordered to fast on different days so as to be distinct from those who went astray before them. The implication here is that the followers of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) set themselves apart in their acts of worship from the rest of Second Temple Judaism, most of whom had apostatized by rejecting the Messenger of God (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) that was sent to them.

The community that wrote this text referred to the dominant sects of their day as ‘Hypocrites’. This is in agreement with the New Testament narrative where Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) teaches his followers not to pray in public or repeat endless empty phrases as ‘the hypocrites’ do [7], but to recite these words in prayer. All Western commentators who possess a shred of integrity agree that the ‘praying’ mentioned in this context is the Jewish prayer that involved washing, facing Jerusalem, reciting, bowing, and prostrating to Almighty God [8].

Numerous researchers have noted the similarity of this short prayer to Al-Fatiha [9]. It is perhaps the best attested teaching of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), transmitted to us by the lost Q source, Matthew, Luke and Didache. And this manual from the followers of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) explicitly tells us that they were commanded to read it during their three daily prayers [10]. The Didache names the source of this prayer as “The Injil”, although it is not possible to say whether this attribution was part of the original text, or just a later comment inserted by a scribe who was referring to the narration in Matthew.

We do not have the Aramaic original text of this prayer, therefore it is hard to speculate whether the first line originally read “Our Rabb above the heavens” or “Oh Alaha in heaven” or otherwise. Given that this manuscript was copied ten centuries after Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), it is inevitable that some Greek scribe along the way replaced the original reading of the first line with what he found in his own Trinitarian books. God is above such things as fatherhood.

The word έπιούσιον epiousion in the fifth line is one of the greatest mysteries of the Greek New Testament. It occurs nowhere else in the history of Greek writing. Its meaning was unknown even to the earliest church fathers who were native speakers of Greek, and they all reported there is no such word in the Greek language. None of the later translators of the Bible knew what to do with it, and it is alternatively translated as daily, supersubstantial, or tomorrow’s. Morphological analysis of the word suggests that it was constructed to translate a specific Aramaic or Hebrew word for which no translation could be found, again demonstrating that certain parts of the New Testament were translations into Greek from the original language of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ).

The author continues with yet another form of worship:

And with respect to the thanks-giving [Eucharist], you shall give thanks as follows:

First, with respect to the cup: “We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of your servant David, which you made known to us through your servant Jesus. To you be all glory forever.”

And with respect to the broken bread: “We give you thanks, our Father, for the life and knowledge that you made known to us through your servant Jesus. To you be the glory forever. Just as this bread was scattered upon the mountains and was gathered to become one, so may your assembly be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom. For the glory and the power are yours through Jesus the Christ forever.”

But let no one eat or drink from your thanks-giving unless they have been baptized in the name of the Lord. For also the Lord has said about this, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs.”

Here the followers of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) are commanded to hold a ritual meal to give thanks to God. The text explicitly refers to David and Jesus as servants of God. The community is also warned not to invite outsiders to their holy meals, referring to the Jesus-rejectors. Baptism as performed by John (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) is cited as the base requirement to become a part of their community.

A second prayer follows this first one, and researchers are divided regarding whether both prayers were part of the original document or not:

And when you have had enough to eat, you should give thanks as follows:

“We give you thanks, holy Father, for your holy name which you have made reside in our hearts, and for the knowledge, faith, and immortality that you made known to us through your servant Jesus. To you be the glory forever. You, Ο Master Almighty, created all things for the sake of your name, and gave both food and drink to humans for their refreshment, that they might give you thanks. And you graciously provided us with spiritual food and drink, and eternal life through your servant. We thank you above all things because you are Powerful. To you be the glory forever. Remember your assembly, Ο Lord; save it from all evil, and perfect it in your love. And gather it from the four winds into your kingdom, which you prepared for it. For yours is the power and the glory forever. May grace come and may this world pass away. Hosanna to the House of David! [11] If anyone is holy, let him come; if anyone is not, let him repent. Maranatha! Amen.”

But permit the prophets to hold thanks-giving as they wish.

As we see here, the way the Didache describes their remembrance meal is very different from the flesh and blood eating rituals currently observed by many Trinitarian Christians.

Christian scholar John Dominic Crossan suggests that there are two traditions “as old as we can trace them” of this meal: that of Paul, reflecting the Antioch Church’s tradition, and that of the Didache, the first document to give explicit instruction regarding prayers to be said at a celebration that it called the Eucharist. The cup/bread liturgy of the Didache, from the Jerusalem tradition, does not mention Passover, or Last Supper, or Death of Jesus/blood/body, and the sequence is meal plus a thanks-giving ritual [12].

Indeed, the “Last Supper” accounts found in the New Testament are all based on Paul’s Letter to Corinthians [13], and do not trace their origins to a Jerusalem source like the Q document. Current consensus among Christian researchers is that the original meal of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) and his disciples likely took place around 30 CE, Paul (who never actually met Jesus, and was not present at the meal) wrote the flesh-and-blood version of this event in his First Letter to Corinthians around 55 CE, and the Synoptic (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) accounts of this event were written sometime between 70 and 110 CE at the earliest. It is abundantly clear to most Bible textual critics that the Synoptics follow the Pauline description of this event almost word for word.

The description we are given in the Didache is different. Here we see the Jesus-followers solemnly gathered to break bread, drinking from a cup (does not even mention wine!) and giving abundant thanks to God for his favors. And although this version of the Didache comes to us through 11th century Greek Trinitarians, some things still manage to shine through: they are not ritually eating Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), but giving thanks for something. But what? What event is it that the followers of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) are commemorating?

˹Remember˺ when the disciples asked, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Would your Lord be willing to send down to us a table spread with food from heaven?” Jesus answered, “Fear God if you are ˹truly˺ believers.”

They said, “We ˹only˺ wish to eat from it to reassure our hearts, to verify you are indeed truthful to us, and to become its witnesses.”

Jesus, son of Mary, prayed, “O God, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread with food as a feast [eid] for us—the first and last of us—and as a sign from You. Provide for us! You are indeed the Best Provider.”

God answered, “I am sending it down to you. But whoever among you denies afterwards will be subjected to a torment I have never inflicted on anyone of My creation.”

(Quran 5:112-115)

Once again, the lost tradition that reaches us in the Didache is in conformity with the Quran and reality, and in stark opposition to Trinitarian claims.

It is also seen from the text that the correctly-guided Children of Israel who followed Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) had a deep respect for David (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) and his descendants, the House of David, which is also likened to a branch of vine that reached their time long after the Babylonian exile. They are invoking blessings upon the family of David with ‘Hosanna!’. Indeed, the few fragments that survive from the lost works of Hegesippus records that the uncles and other relatives of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) were leading the community after he was taken up to heaven [14].

“The Kingdom”, a common motif found in earliest Christian texts, is also mentioned here as a future occurrence. It is characterized as a favor from God that will cause this scattered community of believers to be gathered together on Earth once again.

The text then switches to another subject, and unfortunately the document becomes increasingly confounded. Western researchers have noted that these last sections of the extant manuscripts of Didache seem to incorporate outside material, thereby blurring the original Teaching regarding Messengers and Prophets:

And so, welcome anyone who comes and teaches you everything mentioned before. But if the teacher should himself turn away and teach a different teaching, undermining these things, do not listen to him. But if his teaching adds to righteousness and the knowledge of the Lord, then welcome him as the Lord.

But act towards the messengers and prophets as the Evangelion decrees. Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as the Lord. But he should not remain more than a day. If he must, he may stay one more. But if he stays three days, he is a false prophet. When a messenger leaves he should take nothing except bread, until he arrives at his night’s lodging. If he asks for silver, he is a false prophet.

Do not test or condemn a prophet speaking in the Spirit. For every sin will be forgiven, but not this sin. Not everyone who speaks in the Spirit is a prophet, but only one who conducts himself like the Lord. Thus the false prophet and the prophet will both be known by their conduct. No prophet who ordains a table in the Spirit eats of it; if he does, he is a false prophet. Every prophet who teaches the truth but does not do what he himself teaches is a false prophet. But [you are not to condemn] any prophet who has been approved and is true, and who acts on behalf of the earthly instruction of the assembly, but is not teaching others to do as much as he himself is doing – he will not be judged with you, since he has his judgment with God. For even the ancient prophets behaved in this way. Do not listen to anyone who says in the Spirit, “Give me silver” (or something else). But if he tells you to give to others who are in need, let no one judge him.

“In the spirit” refers to ‘the state of receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit’, which (according to Pauline doctrine) can be experienced by anyone who confesses that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. Greek Christian tradition, which was founded almost entirely by Paul, refers to early teachers of Christianity as ‘apostles/messengers’ and anyone who claims to receive divine revelations as ‘prophets’. They claim that being ‘in the Spirit’ will allow them to speak in tongues unknown, make prophecies, and many other nonsense. This apparently resulted in ridiculous scenes in early Pauline sects, to the point where even Paul himself had to tell them to calm down and placed limitations on what a person could do in a state of revelation [15].

Recently, Pentecostal Christians have revived these long-abandoned Pauline traditions, as can be seen in these linked videos here and here.

It appears that the Greek Trinitarian understanding of ‘revelation’ was unfortunately incorporated into this Greek edition of the Didache, and we have no Aramaic manuscripts telling us what the awaited Messenger and Prophet was actually supposed to be like. There are still some indications of an authentic tradition underlying this corrupted text; such as the True Prophet being recognized by his conduct, that he will build on the earlier revelation and not tear it down, that a Prophet would not eat from certain foods brought to him (as is described in the lengthy narration of Salman the Persian [16], likely reflecting the knowledge of a dying Nazarene community in Syria in the 7^th century CE ), that a Prophet might —like ancient Prophets before him— teach his congregation to pray a certain amount but himself pray more in private.

The text continues with yet more instructions that are of uncertain origin:

Everyone who comes in the name of the Lord should be welcomed. Then, when you exercise your critical judgment, you will know him; for you understand what is true and what is false. If the one who comes is simply passing through, help him as much as you can. He should not stay with you more than two or three days, if need be. If he wants to remain with you, and is a tradesman, let him work and eat. If he does not have a trade, use your foresight to determine how a Christian will not live among you while being idle If he does not want to behave like this, he is a Christ-peddler. Avoid such people.

Every true prophet who wants to settle down with you deserves his food. So too a true teacher, like the worker, deserves his food. Therefore you shall take every first portion of the produce from the wine vat and the threshing floor, and the first portion of both cattle and sheep, and give it to the prophets. For they are your high priests. If you do not have a prophet, then give it to the poor. If you make bread, take the first portion and give it according to the commandment. So too if you open a jar of wine or oil, take the first portion of it and give it to the prophets. And take the first portion of your money, clothing, and everything you own, as it seems good to you, and give it according to the commandment.

While the general context of ‘giving the First Fruits’ refers to the religious obligation of Zakat as practiced by the Children of Israel, this text also talks about wandering prophets visiting random small communities and uses the word ‘Christian’ which belongs to the Antioch tradition that later devolved into mainstream Christianity.

On the Lord’s day, when you gather together, break bread and give-thanks; after you have confessed your sins beforehand that your sacrifice may be pure. Let no one quarreling with his neighbor join you until they are reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled. For this is the sacrifice mentioned by the Lord: “In every place and time, bring me a pure sacrifice. For I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is considered marvelous among the Gentiles.” [17]

And so, elect for yourselves overseers and ministers who are worthy of the Lord, gentle men who are not fond of money, who are truthful and approved. For these also conduct the ministry of the prophets and teachers among you. And so, do not disregard them. For these are the ones who have found honor among you, along with the prophets and teachers. Do not reprimand one another in anger, but in peace, as you have learned from the Evangelion. Let no one speak with a person who has committed a sin against his neighbor, nor let him hear anything from you, until he repents. But say your prayers, give to charity, and engage in all your activities as you have learned in the Evangelion of our Lord.

It is again difficult to determine whether these were authentic passages written by the original followers of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) talking about the real Injil. These may be later insertions that are referencing the man-made texts that were mistakenly called Injil long after Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ).

Switching to an entirely different topic, the last chapter of the Didache talks about the end-times:

Be watchful for your life. Do not let your lamps be extinguished or your robes be loosed; but be prepared. For you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming. Gather together frequently, seeking the things pertaining to your souls. For the entire time of your faith will be of no use to you, if you are not found perfect at the final moment.

The author is telling us: “A lifetime of faith will not save you, if you do not pass away as a Mishlmana.” Western commentators on the other hand, have struggled to understand the meaning of this sentence since the discovery of the document.

For in the final days the false prophets and corruptors of the faith will be multiplied. The sheep will be turned into wolves, and love into hatred. For when lawlessness increases they will hate, persecute, and betray one another. Then the world-deceiver will be manifest as a son of God. He will perform signs and wonders, and the earth will be delivered over into his hands. He will perform lawless deeds, unlike anything done from the earliest times. Then all human creation will come to the fire of testing, and many will fall away and perish, but those who endure in their faith will be saved by the-one-that-is-cursed-upon.

Then the signs of truth will be manifest: first a sign of a rip in the sky, then a sign of the sound of a trumpet, and third a resurrection of the dead. Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of the sky…

This is the last sentence. The Didache as recorded in the Jerusalem Codex ends abruptly, and many researchers have noted that Leo the Scribe who copied it in 1056 left an unusually large amount of empty space below this ending. One guess is that the old manuscript he was copying from was frayed at the bottom end, and he knew there was more written at the end of this document.

Fortunately for us, Christian researchers located this missing ending in another textual witness from 4^th century [18], and it can be reconstructed thus:

Then the world shall see the Lord [19]

coming upon the clouds of heaven

[Jerusalem Codex breaks off here]

and all his holy ones with him.

on his royal throne.

to judge the world-deceiver

and to reward each according to his deeds.

 

Then shall go away the evil

into eternal punishment

but the righteous shall enter into life eternal

inheriting those things

which eye has not seen

and ear has not heard

and which has not arisen in the heart of man.

Those things which God has prepared for those who endure for Him.

As we shall see, these final lines are extremely important. Firstly, these exact words show up in our tradition as a hadith qudsi, a narration from God. 600 years after Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), Abu Huraira reported that Muhammad the Messenger of God (ﷺ) stated thus:

Allah has said, “I have prepared for my upright servants what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man.”

(Sahih Bukhari 97/123)

Secondly, they are reminiscent of Quran in style, strength, and beauty; even after suffering two translations.

“Only those believe in Our signs who, when they are reminded by them, fall down in prostration and exalt with praise their Lord, and they are not arrogant.

They abandon their beds; supplicating their Lord in fear and hope, and from what We have provided them, they spend.

And no soul knows what delights have been hidden for them as reward for what they used to do.” (Quran 32:15-17)

Thirdly, Paul partially quotes this same passage as “Scripture” around 55 CE.

But, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”

(1Co 2:9)

However, this quote does not exist in the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament [20][21]. This is proof that there was another source that was used as a ‘Scripture’ in the years after Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), now lost.

If the Didache actually is a letter from the real followers of Jesus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), all of these proofs taken together should all but establish that they concluded their letter with verses from the real Injil. And God knows best.

Notes

[1] Alan J.P. Garrow; “The Gospel of Matthew’s Dependence on the Didache”, 2004 

[2] James D. Tabor; “Paul and Jesus”, 2012

[3] Nowadays, the only time Didache is publicly mentioned is when Christians need to bring up textual evidence for the impermissibility of abortion, which is not explicitly prohibited in the New Testament.

[4] Bart D. Ehrman; “The Apostolic Fathers”, 2003

[5] http://biblicalaudio.com/text/didache.pdf

[6] See; “Asbab Al-Nuzul” by Wahidi, “Tafhim al-Quran” by Maududi, additionally “Muhammad in the Bible” Chapter 13 by Abdulahad Keldani

[7] Matthew 6. It is also very interesting that Matthew 6:7 recalls this same tradition where Jesus teaches people what to recite when praying, but uses the word ἐθνικοί ethnikoi which generally means ‘Gentiles, non-Jews’. “7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans [ἐθνικοί], for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” However, there are issues with this narration: ‘Gentiles’ were polytheists, did not pray to God of Abraham in the way known to the people of Judea. However, Pharisees were known to pray a long and repetitive supplication known as ‘Amidah’, which was (according to the Rabbinical sources) written by their priests. A well-known saying in Judea claimed “Every one that multiplies prayer is heard”. Therefore, this sentence would make far more sense if it was talking about the recitations of ‘hypocrites’, a word which occurs twice before this sentence and once afterwards in the same chapter. Curiously, the 4^th century Codex Vaticanus records this word as υποκριται hypokritai instead of ἐθνικοί ethnikoi, in agreement with the Didache.

[8] See various Bible commentaries on Matt 6:5, Luke 6:12, Acts 3:1, Acts 10:9, et cetera. “The standing posture in prayer was the ancient practice, alike in the Jewish and in the early Christian Church.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary on Matt 6:5; “The word translated ‘prayer’ (proseuchè) had come to be applied to the place dedicated to prayer—the chapel or oratory by the river-side, or on the mountain-side, where there was a running stream available for ablutions, to which devout Jews could retire for their devotions” Ellicott’s Commentary on Luke 6:12; “Both practices passed into the usage of the Christian Church certainly as early as the second century, and probably therefore in the first. The three hours were observed by many at Alexandria in the time of Clement (Strom, vii. p. 722).” Ellicott’s Commentary on Acts 3:1; “it seems at least to have been customary, in the first ages of the Christian Church, to offer up their daily prayers at the third, the sixth, and the ninth hour.” Benson Commentary on Acts 10:9; “we again find St. Peter observing the Jewish hours of prayer.” Ellicott’s Commentary on Acts 10:9; “According to Schürer, […] there is no ground for supposing that the third, sixth, and ninth hours of the day were regular stated times for prayer. The actual times were rather (1) early in the morning at the time of the morning sacrifice; (2) in the afternoon about the ninth hour (three o’clock), at the time of the evening sacrifice; (3) in the evening at sunset. […] This custom of prayer three times a day passed very early into the Christian Church, Didache 1, viii. 3. To Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the three daily times of prayer are traced back […]” Expositor’s Greek Testament on Acts 3:1

[9] Although there is an authentic hadith describing Fatiha as “a Surah the likes of which has neither been revealed in the Tawrat, nor the Injil, nor the Zabur, nor in the entire Qur’an” (Jami al-Tirmidhi 45/1) this may be referring to the relative superiority of the Fatiha rather than stylistic uniqueness. And God knows best.

[10] Children of Israel prayed Morning, Noon and Evening salat (Psalms 55:17)

[11] Although the Jerusalem Codex reads “God of David”, a Coptic manuscript records the words “House of David” here, which significantly improves the meaning.

[12] John D. Crossan; “The Historical Jesus”, 1992

[13] 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — Note that Paul claims to have received this knowledge straight from ‘The Lord’ as a revelation. He goes on to explain that although he initially promised that none of this congregation would ever die if they believed in his religion, some of them still died because they did not eat god properly (1Co 11:30).

[14] Eusebius; “Historia Ecclesiastica”, ii.23; iii.20; iii.32; iv.8; iv.22

[15] 1 Corinthians 11–14

[16] Musnad Ahmad 5/441

[17] Malachi 1:11

[18] “Apostolic Constitutions”, Book VII

[19] James D Tabor notes: “The key phrases are taken from Zechariah and Daniel: “The Lord will come and all of his holy ones with him” and “Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of the sky.” Both references to the ‘Lord’ here are to the God of Israel” (Eloah in ancient Hebrew)

[20] As Muslim researcher Abu Zakariya points out: “Paul is quoting some other scripture that has preceded him, as he says ‘as it is written’. Nowhere can we find such a statement in the Old Testament, however something very similar can be found in the apocryphal book the Gospel of Thomas: “Jesus said: ‘I will give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has not entered into the heart of man’” (Gospel of Thomas, saying 17). It’s quite interesting that the Gospel of Thomas attributes this teaching directly to Jesus. So here we have the perfect example of a remnant of some genuine revelation discussing elements of the unseen that has been preserved in the modern Bible and the apocrypha.” Link.

[21] Although most Bible versions will cite Isaiah 64:4 to provide a reference for this quote, that verse reads “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” This saying contains similar meanings, but it is not the same verse. None of the readings in the Great Isaiah Scroll, Masoretic text, or the Septuagint version match this quote. However, the Didache, Paul’s First Letter to Corinthians, and Epistle of Clement all contain this exact saying, all of them from the 1^st century. It should be noted that Clement of Rome uses the word “wait/endure” rather than “love”, and his narration was used here as it is potentially stronger than Paul’s.

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