The Didache

In our class this week, we read a little bit out of the Didache, otherwise known as the Teachings of the Apostles. I was impressed in how clear cut these instructions were; the first six chapters read much like the teachings of Jesus on the Sermon on the Mount. In reading these, it is easy for me to understand why the early church was so relentlessly persecuted by their Roman rulers. To live as a Christian in the Roman (and in our Modern) times is so backward, so foreign to the me-first way of living. We are called to give our cloak to those in need... not the old argyle socks and lime green corduroy pants that we wore in the 70s, but the very clothing off of our back. We are called to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. This way of thinking mocks the adage that the strong are the ones who survive. No wonder the Roman government wanted these radicals silenced. Yet here we are... the Roman Republic/Empire has long ceased to be, and we, the Christians are still here. There is something to be said about the staying power of the Christian way of living.