The Didache is a text which could seemingly be a moral handbook for the practicing Christian. This text which details two paths which a person could lead is about everyday choices and how a person, presumingly a Christian, would interact with other people. This includes non-Christians and Christian slaves. Many of these codes for moral interactions are reminiscent of stories found within the Torah. Beginning in Chapter two he begins with his “second commandment of the teachings”. His second commandment appears to be little more than the Ten Commandments with added commentary and revisions for their more modern era. Some of this commentary explains how small moral behaviors such as anger, lying and complaining can lead to sins such as murder, robbery and blasphemy (3:2-6).

As well as alluding to the commandments of Moses, another theme from the Torah and Jewish teachings make their way into this text, the theme of living under foreign or hostile authority. For much of Jewish history the Hebrew people lived under foreign powers and had to find moral ways to live peacefully under said authority. The Christians of this era likely found themselves in a situation which they believed to similar to these old Hebrew stories. The author writes in the first chapter, “[love] your neighbor as yourself” (1:2) and “Bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies” (1:3). These enemies without a doubt are the enemies of the Christian community, the gentiles. In the next verse he poses the question “ […] why is it so great to love those who love you? Do the Gentiles not do this as well?” (1:3). This verse implies that the Christian followers must be a people of greater morality than their gentile neighbors and must take the moral high ground; proving their superiority.

The author talks much about morality, how it is right to give charity, but not to the undeserving (1:5-6), and he references hypocrisy continuously throughout the text. Oddly enough, in this short piece I found the author to be a bit of a hypocrite, which is a person who walks the Path of Death according to his own writing, and something that should be hated (4:12). He writes not to give orders to a slave or servant who also believes in the One God out of bitter intentions (4:10). This falls into line with common Christian ideals that all believers should be equal in the kingdom of God. But shortly after writing this he then writes “[…] you who are slaves must be subject to your masters as to a replica of God, with respect and referential fear” (4:11). This, by an orthodox interpretation is a very un-Christian thing to say. This line or line of thinking is likely inspired by a Roman upper echelon lifestyle and their philosophy towards owning individuals. A lifestyle that the author likely participated in, enjoyed, and wished to protect even when it could be seen as opposing the morals of the Path of Life which he just supplied.