The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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Ben C. Smith
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The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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The Blessing of the Food (Birkat HaMazon) is one of the best known prayers in Jewish liturgy. Its current forms are quite long compared to how it has been reconstructed from ancient times:

Blessing of the Food [בִרכַת המזון]:

I.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who feedest the whole world with goodness, with grace and with mercy. Blessed art Thou, O, Lord, Who feedest all.

II.

We thank Thee, O Lord, our holy God, that Thou hast caused us to inherit a goodly and pleasant land, the covenant, the Torah, life and food. For all these things we thank Thee and praise Thy name forever and ever. Blessed art Thou, O, Lord, for the land and for the food.

III.

Have mercy, O Lord, our God, on Thy people Israel and on Thy city Jerusalem, and on Thy Temple and Thy dwelling place and on Zion Thy resting place, and on the great and holy House over which Thy name was called, and the kingdom of the house of David mayest Thou restore to its place in our days, and build Jerusalem soon. Blessed art Thou, O, Lord, who buildest Jerusalem.

IV.

Blessed are You, O Lord, the Good and Who does good, our Father and our King.

~~~

Louis Finkelstein, “The Birkat Ha-Mazon,” in Jewish Quarterly Review, volume 19, number 3 (January 1929), pages 211-262 (link).
Alan Garrow, The Gospel of Matthew’s Dependence on the Didache, page 18.

Notice that there are four sections, each of them known as a blessing:

Tosefta, Berakhot 6.1: 1 The blessing of Zimun is from the Torah, as it is said, “And you should eat, and be satisfied, and bless” (= Deuteronomy 8.10); this is the blessing of Zimun. “And you shall bless the Name, your God” (= Deuteronomy 8.10), this is the first blessing. “For the land” (= Deuteronomy 8.10), this is the blessing about the land. “The good” (= Deuteronomy 8.10), this is Jerusalem, as it is said, “This good mountain and Lebanon” (= Deuteronomy 3.25). “Which He has given you” (= Deuteronomy 8.10), this is the Good and Who does good [הטוב והמטיב].

Deuteronomy 8.10: 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

Louis Finkelstein, “The Birkat Ha-Mazon,” in Jewish Quarterly Review, volume 19, number 3 (January 1929), page 233: 233 The fourth benediction which is now quite long was originally extremely brief and merely read: ברוך אתה ה׳ המוב והממיב. This, at any rate, is the view of many early authorities and would appear to follow from the fact that it is usually called the benediction of המוב והממיב by the Amoraim. Most of the additional epithets and prayers which were added to it are mentioned in a Midrash which is often cited by mediaeval codifiers. On the other hand the terms אבינו מלכנו occur in all the versions and may have been inserted at a very early time.

The Talmud passes on a tradition about when each section was added to the prayer as a whole:

Talmud, Berakhot 48b: 48b .... R. Nahman said, “Moses instituted for Israel the benediction, ‘Who feedest,’ at the time when manna descended for them. Joshua instituted for them the benediction of the land when they entered the land. David and Solomon instituted the benediction which ends, ‘Who buildest Jerusalem.’ David instituted the words, ‘On Thy people Israel and on Thy city Jerusalem,’ and Solomon instituted the words, ‘On the great and holy House.’ The benediction, ‘Who is good and bestows good,’ was instituted in Jabneh with reference to those who were slain in Bethar.” For R. Mattena said, “On the day on which permission was given to bury those slain in Bethar, they ordained in Jabneh that it should be said, ‘Who is good and bestows good,’ ‘Who is good,’ because they did not putrefy, and, ‘Who bestows good,’ because they were allowed to be buried.” Our Rabbis taught, “The order of grace after meals is as follows. The first benediction is that of ‘who feeds’. The second is the benediction of the land. The third is, ‘Who buildest Jerusalem.’ The fourth is, ‘Who is good and bestows good.’” ....

The attribution of the first three blessings respectively to Moses, to Joshua, and to David and Solomon seems obviously legendary, though the reasoning is actually fairly decent. The attribution of the fourth, however, to the aftermath of the Jewish Revolt under Simon bar Kokhba seems like it could have fallen within living memory. At any rate, the gap between the legendary institutions of the first three blessings and the possibly somewhat less legendary institution of the fourth blessing is striking:

Mishnah, Berakhot 6.8: 8 If one has eaten figs, grapes, or pomegranates he says the grace of three blessings after them; this is the opinion of Rabban Gamaliel. The Sages, however, say, “One blessing which includes three.” Rabbi Akiva says, “If one ate only boiled vegetables, and that is his meal, he says after it the grace of three blessings. If one drinks water to quench his thirst, he says the benediction, ‘By Whose word all things exist.’” Rabbi Tarfon says, “‘Who creates many living things and their requirements.’”

It suggests that for some time there were only three blessings in the prayer. Perhaps the three blessings are what lie behind Abraham's prayer in Jubilees 22.6-9:

Jubilees 22.6-9:

6 And he ate and drank and blessed the Most High God,

I.

“Who hath created heaven and earth, Who hath made all the fat things of the earth and given them to the children of men that they might eat and drink and bless their Creator.”

II.

7 “And now I give thanks unto Thee, my God, because Thou hast caused me to see this day. Behold, I am one hundred three score and fifteen years, an old man and full of days, and all my days have been unto me peace. 8 The sword of the adversary has not overcome me in all that Thou hast given me and my children all the days of my life until this day.”

III.

9 “My God, may Thy mercy and Thy peace be upon Thy servant, and upon the seed of his sons, that they may be to Thee a chosen nation and an inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth from henceforth unto all the days of the generations of the earth, unto all the ages.”

Louis Finkelstein, “The Birkat Ha-Mazon,” in Jewish Quarterly Review, volume 19, number 3 (January 1929), pages 218-219: 218-219 The author of the book, who wanted it to be accepted as Mosaic, naturally did not dare commit the gross anachronism of making Abraham repeat the Birkat Ha-Mazon in the form which it had in Hasmonean Jerusalem. At the same time he wished to imply that Abraham observed the commandment of reciting the Grace in approximately the same way as his descendants were destined to do. He therefore wrote a prayer which is worded differently from the traditional Birkat Ha-Minim but, like it, consists of three parts of which the first is thanks to God for food and drink, the second addresses Him and praises Him for other blessings, and the third prays for mercy on Israel.

And it seems fairly certain, as numerous scholars have pointed out, that the three blessings are what lie behind the eucharistic prayer in Didache 10.1-6:

Didache 10.1, 3-4, 2, 5-6:

1 After you have had your fill, give thanks thus.

I.

3 “Thou, Master Almighty, didst create all things for Thy name’s sake: both food and drink Thou didst give to men for enjoyment in order that they might give thanks to Thee, but to us Thou hast graciously given spiritual food and drink and eternal life through Thy servant. 4 Before all things, we thank Thee that Thou art mighty. To Thee be the glory forever.”

II.

2 “We thank Thee, Father for Thy holy name, which Thou hast caused to dwell in our hearts and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which thou hast made known to us through Jesus Thy servant. To Thee be glory forever.”

III.

5 “Remember, Lord, Thy church, to deliver it from every evil and to make it perfect in Thy love and gather it from the four winds, it, the sanctified, into Thy kingdom which Thou hast prepared for it; For Thine is the power and the glory forever. 6 Let grace come and this world pass away. Hosanna to the God/son/house* of David. Whoever is holy, let him come: whoever is not let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.”

* "God," Codex Hierosolymitanus; "son," Apostolic Constitutions; "house," Coptic.

The Didache prayer, however, seems to have been rearranged, which is why I gave the verses out of order above (switching the first and the second). Either that or one of the blessings has dropped out and been replaced with another in a different slot. The new order agrees with what I take to be the later of the two prayers in this church manual, Didache 9.1-5, which Alan Garrow has pointed out runs parallel to Didache 10.1-6 (rather than the two belonging to different moments from the same liturgy, despite the current redactional frames suggesting exactly this):

Didache 9.1-5.
Didache 10.1-6.
1 Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks thus.1 After you have had your fill, give thanks thus.
2 First, concerning the cup: “We give thanks to You, our Father, for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You have revealed to us through Jesus Your servant. To You be glory forever.2 “We give thanks to You, holy Father, for Your holy Name which You have made to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge, faith, and immortality which You have revealed to us through Jesus Your servant. To you be glory forever.
3 And concerning the fragment: “We give thanks to You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You have revealed to us through Jesus Your servant. To You be glory forever.3 You, Lord Almighty, have created everything for the sake of Your Name; You have given human beings food and drink to partake with enjoyment so that they might give thanks; but to us You have given the grace of spiritual food and drink and of eternal life through Your servant. 4 Above all we give You thanks because you are mighty. To You be glory forever.
4 As this fragment lay scattered upon the mountains and has been gathered to become one, so gather Your Church from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom. For the glory and power are Yours, through Jesus Christ, forever.5 Remember, Lord, Your Church, to preserve it from all evil and to make it perfect in Your love. And, sanctified, gather it from the four winds into your kingdom which You have prepared for it. For Yours is the power and the glory forever. 6 Let grace come and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David.”
5 Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord, For concerning this the Lord has said, “Do not give to dogs what is holy.”If anyone is holy let him come; if anyone is not let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.

Now, what stands out to me is what happens if we arrange the eucharistic prayer in Didache 10.1-6 alongside the Jewish blessing — and I will throw in Jubilees 22.6-9, as well — and then specify the persons, boldfaced and in brackets [], to which the Talmud attributes each of the blessings:

Blessing of the Food [בִרכַת המזון].
Didache 10.1, 3-4, 2, 5-6.
Jubilees 22.6-9.
-1 After you have had your fill, give thanks thus.6 And he ate and drank and blessed the Most High God,
I. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who feedest the whole world with goodness, with grace and with mercy. Blessed art Thou, O, Lord, Who feedest all. [Moses.]3 “Thou, Master Almighty, didst create all things for Thy name’s sake: both food and drink Thou didst give to men for enjoyment in order that they might give thanks to Thee, but to us Thou hast graciously given spiritual food and drink and eternal life through Thy servant. 4 Before all things, we thank Thee that Thou art mighty. To Thee be the glory forever.”“Who hath created heaven and earth, Who hath made all the fat things of the earth and given them to the children of men that they might eat and drink and bless their Creator.”
II. We thank Thee, O Lord, our holy God, that Thou hast caused us to inherit a goodly and pleasant land, the covenant, the Torah, life and food. For all these things we thank Thee and praise Thy name forever and ever. Blessed art Thou, O, Lord, for the land and for the food. [Joshua/Jesus.]2 “We thank Thee, Father, for Thy holy name, which Thou hast caused to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which thou hast made known to us through Jesus Thy servant; To Thee be glory forever.”7 “And now I give thanks unto Thee, my God, because Thou hast caused me to see this day. Behold, I am one hundred three score and fifteen years, an old man and full of days, and all my days have been unto me peace. 8 The sword of the adversary has not overcome me in all that Thou hast given me and my children all the days of my life until this day.”
III. Have mercy, O Lord, our God, on Thy people Israel and on Thy city Jerusalem, and on Thy Temple and Thy dwelling place and on Zion Thy resting place, and on the great and holy House over which Thy name was called, and the kingdom of the house of David mayest Thou restore to its place in our days, and build Jerusalem soon. Blessed art Thou, O, Lord, who buildest Jerusalem. [David and Solomon.]5 “Remember, Lord, Thy church, to deliver it from every evil and to make it perfect in Thy love and gather it from the four winds, it, the sanctified, into Thy kingdom which Thou hast prepared for it; For Thine is the power and the glory forever. 6 Let grace come and this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David. Whoever is holy, let him come: whoever is not let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.”9 “My God, may Thy mercy and Thy peace be upon Thy servant, and upon the seed of his sons, that they may be to Thee a chosen nation and an inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth from henceforth unto all the days of the generations of the earth, unto all the ages.”
IV. Blessed are You, O Lord, the Good and Who does good, our Father and our King. [Rabbis at Jabneh.]--

(Remember that Jesus is just the name Joshua come to us by a different linguistic route.) In the second and third blessings, the names of Joshua/Jesus and David line up between the Didache and the Jewish prayer. In the first blessing, perhaps the name of Moses is supposed to line up with the unspecified "your servant" (refer to 1 Chronicles 6.49, for example: מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד הָאֱלֹהִים, Μωυσῆς παῖς τοῦ θεοῦ; refer also to 2 Chronicles 24.9; Joshua 9.24; 11.12, 15). Didache 9.3, however, predictably has "Jesus your servant" filled out. But anyway, the matching up of the names of Jesus and David with the Talmudic tradition about the Birkat HaMazon certainly grabbed my attention. Maybe it is just a coincidence; or maybe it is another example of the basic equivalence between Jesus and Joshua.

Ben.

PS 1: Possibly related to the third blessing:

Wisdom of Sirach 36.17-19: 17 Show mercy to the people called by your name, Israel, whom you named your firstborn. 18 Take pity on your holy city, Jerusalem, your dwelling place. 19 Fill Zion with your majesty, your temple with your glory.

PS 2: For convenience:

Didache 9.1-5:

1 Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks thus. 2 First, concerning the cup: “We give thanks to You, our Father, for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You have revealed to us through Jesus Your servant. To You be glory forever.”

3 And concerning the fragment. “We give thanks to You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You have revealed to us through Jesus Your servant. To You be glory forever.

4 As this fragment lay scattered upon the mountains and has been gathered to become one, so gather Your Church from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom. For the glory and power are Yours, through Jesus Christ, forever.”

-

5 Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord, For concerning this the Lord has said, “Do not give to dogs what is holy.”

Didache 10.1-6:

1 After you have had your fill, give thanks thus. 2 “We give thanks to You, holy Father, for Your holy Name which You have made to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge, faith, and immortality which You have revealed to us through Jesus Your servant. To you be glory forever.

3 You, Lord Almighty, have created everything for the sake of Your Name; You have given human beings food and drink to partake with enjoyment so that they might give thanks; but to us You have given the grace of spiritual food and drink and of eternal life through Your servant. 4 Above all we give You thanks because you are mighty. To You be glory forever.

5 Remember, Lord, Your Church, to preserve it from all evil and to make it perfect in Your love. And, sanctified, gather it from the four winds into your kingdom which You have prepared for it. For Yours is the power and the glory forever.

6 Let grace come and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the son of David.”

If anyone is holy let him come; if anyone is not let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.

PS 3: Didache 10.2 mentions Joshua/Jesus in the context of thanking the Father for his holy name, which name, of course, resides in Joshua (= Yehoshua) on a linguistic level, as Exodus 23.20-23 already implies (and as other passages, like Wisdom of Sirach 46.1, also imply). It calls Joshua/Jesus the child of God/Yahweh, which is what Joshua 7.7 OG has him call himself. And it speaks of knowledge through Joshua/Jesus, whereas pseudo-Philo insists that Joshua was the recipient of Moses' knowledge and wisdom:

Didache 10.2: 2 “We give thanks to You, O Holy Father, for Your Holy Name which You made to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which You made known to us through Joshua Your child. To You be glory forever.”

Exodus 23.20-23: 20 “Behold, I am going to send my angel [שֹׁלֵ֤חַ מַלְאָךְ, ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου] before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him [שְׁמִ֖י בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ, ὄνομά μού ἐστιν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ]. 22 But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.”

Joshua 7.7: 7 Joshua said, “Alas, O Yahweh God, why did Your servant [OG ὁ παῖς σου] ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!”

Pseudo-Philo, Biblical Antiquities 20.2: 2 Then said God unto Jesus the son of Nave, “Why do you mourn, and why do you hope in vain, thinking that Moses shall yet live? Now therefore you wait to no purpose, for Moses is dead. Take the garments of his wisdom and put them on you, and gird your loins with the girdle of his knowledge, and you shall be changed and become another man. Did I not speak for you unto Moses, my servant, saying, ‘He shall lead my people after you, and into his hand will I deliver the kings of the Amorites?’”

Wisdom of Sirach 46.1-10: 1 Joshua the son of Nun was mighty in war, and was the successor of Moses in prophesying. He became, in accordance with his name, a great savior of God’s elect, to take vengeance on the enemies that rose against them, so that he might give Israel its inheritance. 2 How glorious he was when he lifted his hands and stretched out his sword against the cities! 3 Who before him ever stood so firm? For he waged the wars of the Lord. 4 Was not the sun held back by his hand? And did not one day become as long as two? 5 He called upon the Most High, the Mighty One, when enemies pressed him on every side, 6 and the great Lord answered him with hailstones of mighty power. He hurled down war upon that nation, and at the descent of Beth-Horon he destroyed those who resisted, so that the nations might know his armament, that he was fighting in the sight of the Lord; for he wholly followed the Mighty One. 7 And in the days of Moses he did a loyal deed, he and Caleb the son of Jephunneh: they withstood the congregation, restrained the people from sin, and stilled their wicked murmuring. 8 And these two alone were preserved out of six hundred thousand people on foot, to bring them into their inheritance, into a land flowing with milk and honey. 9 And the Lord gave Caleb strength, which remained with him to old age, so that he went up to the hill country, and his children obtained it for an inheritance; 10 so that all the sons of Israel might see that it is good to follow the Lord.

Last edited by Ben C. Smith on Thu Oct 15, 2020 4:43 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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Very interesting!
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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Secret Alias wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 3:15 pm Very interesting!
Thanks.

I mean, if the Didache prayer were not embedded into such an overtly (Jewish) Christian context, would the name Moses be all that surprising in that verse, given the kinds of exegesis we find elsewhere?

Didache 10.3: 3 “You, Master Almighty, created all things for the sake of Your name; You gave both food and drink to men for enjoyment in order that they might give thanks to You, but to us You have graciously given spiritual food and drink and eternal life through Your servant ~~Moses~~.”

1 Corinthians 10.1-4: 1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

And then maybe "Moses" was taken out because the food and drink came more and more to be associated with Jesus; Joshua did not have to drop out because Joshua = Jesus already; and David could stay because, hey, son of David and all that.

Just an idea. Not sure about any of it.
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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what's going on in the Didache never been able to get a handle on it
what you posted is very thought provoking but i still don't seem to have any better idea of what it represents!
is there anything Pauline in it?
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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davidmartin wrote: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:41 pm what's going on in the Didache never been able to get a handle on it
what you posted is very thought provoking but i still don't seem to have any better idea of what it represents!
is there anything Pauline in it?
There are plenty of parallels between Paul and the Didache, but very little wholesale agreement on what they mean. I personally think that the Didache version of the eucharist predates the (pseudo-)Pauline or synoptic version. I also suspect that Matthew 24 draws upon the apocalyptic passage that we find in Didache 16.3-8. This is not to say, however, that Matthew as a whole knew the Didache as a whole: the Didache is pretty clearly layered, preserving early materials alongside late materials. The Didache refers to what sounds like a gospel text several times:

8.2 Do not pray as the hypocrites, but pray thus, as the Lord has commanded in his gospel.

9.5 And let none eat or drink of your Eucharist but such as have been baptized into the name of the Lord, for of a truth the Lord has said concerning this: “Give not that which is holy unto dogs.”

11.3 But concerning the apostles and prophets, thus do according to the doctrine of the gospel.

15.3 Rebuke one another, not in wrath but peaceably, as you have it in the gospel; and let no one speak to anyone who walks disorderly with regard to his neighbor, neither let him be heard by you until he should repent. 4 But your prayers and your almsgivings and all your deeds so do as you have it in the gospel of our Lord.

The phrase "as you have it in the gospel" sounds pretty textual to me, not oral, and it should be frankly acknowledged that the contents of this gospel seem to match up with the contents of our canonical gospel of Matthew pretty well. The version of the Lord's prayer introduced by 8.2 is very close to what we find in Matthew 6.9-13 (and a lot closer to Matthew than to the Lucan version in Luke 11.1-4). The saying of the Lord in 9.5 about dogs is similar to that found in Matthew 7.6. How to treat prophets and apostles, as in 11.3, is the topic of Matthew 10.10, 40-42; and how to rebuke a brother, as in 15.3-4, is the topic of Matthew 18.15-18. Almsgiving and prayer, of course, we find in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 6.1-8. If we would have the gospel be an oral collection of teachings or some lost text, we ought to at least offer some explanation for why our canonical Matthew seems to contain everything mentioned.

So the extant text known as the Didache seems to me to presume the existence of Matthew or something like it. But I think it also preserves things which predate Matthew by quite a bit.

Alan Garrow has an entertaining series of videos on his website arguing that one particular passage in the Didache was drawn upon both by Matthew and by Luke, making this passage basically an extant instance of Q.
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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Great info
One thing that stands out is the complete omission of Pauline theology regarding the cross (i don't believe it even mentions the crucifixion?!)
I think this omission is emphasized even more because this is supposed to be a church manual covering all the bases
Also where are all the old testament prophecies Jesus fulfilled?

Is the author a gentile or a Jew?

There is a tentative feel to the whole thing. It doesn't seem very self-assured
A date around 100AD maybe a little earlier

You could argue Pauline theology is not present because Paul's initial success and writings took a while to become as important as they did and were only brought back later. (Hence why even Acts is a bit hazy on them)

It seems to be a Matthew gospel church just like the Ebionites but not Torah observant
The controversy over the law (Galatians) is not present it would be interesting if any hint of a disagreement over the law is found in didache
Didache certainly knows of controversies
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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davidmartin wrote: Fri Oct 02, 2020 1:21 amOne thing that stands out is the complete omission of Pauline theology regarding the cross (i don't believe it even mentions the crucifixion?!)
This is true.
I think this omission is emphasized even more because this is supposed to be a church manual covering all the bases
Interesting to think about how a church manual might differ from a gospel or an epistle in purpose and scope.
Also where are all the old testament prophecies Jesus fulfilled?
Not in the Didache, apparently.
A date around 100AD maybe a little earlier
Based on what?
You could argue Pauline theology is not present because Paul's initial success and writings took a while to become as important as they did and were only brought back later. (Hence why even Acts is a bit hazy on them)
I am not sure Acts is hazy on them. I suspect Acts knew and used them, as well as the so called Catholic epistles.
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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When considering these prayers in the Didache, we should maybe take into account the prayer concerning the ointment.
Concerning the ointment give thanks in this manner: We give You thanks, O God, the Creator of the whole world, both for the flagrancy of the ointment, and for the immortality which You have made known to us by Your Son Jesus. For Yours is the glory and the power forever. Amen.
It is probably not original but has early attestation.

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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

Post by Ben C. Smith »

andrewcriddle wrote: Sun Oct 04, 2020 6:47 am When considering these prayers in the Didache, we should maybe take into account the prayer concerning the ointment.
Concerning the ointment give thanks in this manner: We give You thanks, O God, the Creator of the whole world, both for the flagrancy of the ointment, and for the immortality which You have made known to us by Your Son Jesus. For Yours is the glory and the power forever. Amen.
It is probably not original but has early attestation.

Andrew Criddle
Apostolic Constitutions 7.27. How early do you think it goes?
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Re: The Jewish food blessing and the Didache eucharist.

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My take on the Didache (as we know it now):
It was originally an Ebionistic text (with NO Jesus as Son of man, Son of David, Son of God, just as Jesus being a Servant) written towards the end of Domitian's rule. The Ebionistic text was Christianized later.
Likely Christian insertions: chapters 7, 12 & 15, with also "and immortality" & "and life eternal" (ch. 10) and "through Jesus Christ" (ch. 9).

I analyzed the Didache in two of my web pages:
http://historical-jesus.info/gospels.html#didache
http://historical-jesus.info/hjes2x.html#didache

Cordially, Bernard
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