Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 26 and The Didache 16

Exodus 26 – The dwelling tent shall be made of linen sheets of violet, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim embroidered on the sheets.  Each sheet shall be 28 cubits [42’] high by 4 cubits [6’] wide.  Five sheets are to be sewed together and then another five sewed together.  Along the edge of the end sheet there should be loops of violet yarn (50 on each end sheet) and 50 clasps of gold to join the sheets.  On top of this there is also to be another covering of woven goat hair—eleven of them (30 X 4) and sewed (5 to each side) The last one is to double-cover the front. 

The loops and clasps (of bronze on the outside) are to fasten the covering.  Inside there are to be walls of acacia wood (each piece of it 10 cubits X 1.5)—each one is to have “arms” to link it to the next piece.  They are to be set up 20 boards to the south with two silver pedestals under each board; 20 on the north side; 6 for the rear—to the west and double boards (2 each) for the rear corners. Amazing detail!

The veil, made of violet, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen with cherubim embroidered on it, is to be hung on four columns which shall have hooks of gold and shall rest on four silver pedestals.  They shall sit behind this veil. The propitiatory shall rest on the ark behind the veil in the holy of holies.  The table (set on the north side of the tent), lamp-stand (opposite it on the south side of the tent), shall be outside the veil.

The Didache

Eschatology

16 – “Be watchful over your life; never let your lamps go out or your loins be ungirt, but keep yourselves always in readiness, for you can never be sure of the hour when our Lord may be coming” (197).

Come together to help everyone make spiritual improvement in their lives. All the “past years of your faith will be no good to you at the end, unless you have made yourselves perfect. In the last days of the world false prophets and deceivers will abound, sheep will be perverted and turn into wolves, and love will change to hate, for with the growth of lawlessness men will begin to hate their fellows and persecute them and betray them. Then the Deceiver of the World will show himself, pretending to be a Son of God and doing signs and wonders, and the earth will be delivered into his hands, and he will work such wickedness as there has never been since the beginning. After that, all humankind will come up for their fiery trial; multitudes of them will stumble and perish, but such as remain steadfast in the faith will be saved by the Curse [“meaning is obscure . . .may allude to Christ, who was ‘made a curse for us’ (Galatians 3:13).

“And then the signs of the truth will appear: first the sign of the opening heavens, next the sign of the trumpet’s voice, and thirdly the rising of the dead – no of all the dead, but, as it says, the Lord will come, and with him all his holy ones. And then the whole world will see the Lord as He comes riding on the clouds of heaven. . .” (198). The text breaks off here.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 25 and The Didache 14-15

Exodus 25 – The next section deals with the construction of the “tabernacle” or “dwelling” [“ark of the covenant” and “holy shrine” are other translations used] in great detail.  This tabernacle or ark will be carried by the people as they go on their journey to the Promised Land; it prefigures the Temple that will come later and perhaps even the Real Presence we celebrate as Christians and the Inner Light that guides us in our lives.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them” (25:1-2). The offerings they make are to be used to build “a holy sanctuary so I can live among them” (25:8).

The specifications for the tabernacle are very precise: the ark is to be of acacia wood 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide and high. A cubit was the length of a man’s forearm. It should be plated inside and outside with gold with a molding of gold around the top; four gold rings on the support that poles can pass through to carry it. 

The “stone tablets” with God’s commandments on them are to be placed inside the ark.  An “atonement [or purgation] cover” (25:17) of the same size is to be made and two cherubim of beaten gold are to be placed on each end of the cover with their wings spread to cover it.  Their faces should be directed to the cover of the ark.  It is there that Moses will meet with the Lord, and the commands of Lord will come to Moses there “from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant” (25:22).

A table of acacia wood (smaller than the ark) is to be plated with gold and surrounded with a frame a few inches high.  It too shall have rings and poles.  There shall be plates and bowls of gold, and on the table there shall “always” (“regularly” says Schocken) be “showbread” or “Bread of the Presence” (25:30).

A lamp-stand with three branches on either side, with cups shaped like almond blossoms. In front of the lamp-stand there are to be seven lamps to illuminate the space in front of the lamp-stand.

The Didache

Of Sunday Worship

14 – On the Lord’s Day, you are to assemble, break bread and offer the Eucharist after making confession of your faults. If there are conflicts among you, no one involved is the take part in the ritual until they are reconciled (197).

Of Local Officials

15 – “You must choose or yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord: men who are humble and not eager for money, but sincere and approved; for they are carrying out the ministry of the prophets and the teachers for you” (197).

“Reprove one another, but peaceably and not in hot blood, as you are told in the Gospel” (197). Have nothing to do with those who have done injury to their neighbor until they are reconciled. “In your prayers, your almsgiving, and everything you do, be guided by what you read in the Gospel of our Lord” (197).

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 24 and The Didache 12-13

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Exodus 24 – Moses goes up the mountain again, this time with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu (Aaron’s sons) and 70 elders, but only Moses is permitted to “come close” (24:2). 

Moses writes down all that the Lord tells him and in the morning erects an altar and 12 pillars or stones at the foot of the mountain.  He sprinkles blood on the altar and puts half of it in large bowls. The people confirm their allegiance to the covenant and he sprinkles the blood from the bowls on them, saying “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you . . .” (24:8). 

Then Moses and his companions go up and they behold the God of Israel.  “Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence” (24:10-11). Schocken editors translate the phrase “(something) like the work of sapphire tiles, (something) like the substance of the heavens in purity . . . as clear as the sky itself.” 

Then, Moses and Joshua, his companion and later successor as leader, go up further.  A cloud covers the mountain for six days.  “On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (24:16-18). Notice that this fire consumes whereas the fire Moses saw in the bush did not. The numbers throughout this chapter are all symbolic: 70, 12, 6, 40.

The Didache

Apostles and Prophets (continued)

12 – Everyone who visits the community “in the Name of the Lord” should be welcome, but at some point he must be “tested” so you can discern “the true from the false” (196).

“If the newcomer is only passing through, give him all the help you can—though he is not to stay more than a couple of days with you, or three if it is unavoidable. But if he wants to settle down among you, and is a skilled worker, let him find employment and earn his bread. If he knows no trade, use your discretion to make sure that he does not live in idleness simply on the strength of being a Christian. Unless he agrees to this, he is only trying to exploit Christ” (196).

13 – Prophets are given high status as are teachers. Prophets are the church’s “high priests” – they are entitled to the “first products of your winepress, your threshing-floor, your oxen and your sheep” (196). “If there is no prophet among you, give them to the poor” (196), but prophets are to be granted a “tithe” of everything.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 23 and The Didache 11

Exodus 23 – The listing of wrongs continues: Do not spread false rumors; do not side with the majority to the perversion of justice; do NOT favor the poor in a lawsuit when the facts do not support their cause [this is an interesting one]; do not mistreat foreigners; do not accept bribes.  What to do if you find lost property; caring for animals—even if they belong to people who hate you and your help will indirectly help your enemy; do not deny the needy their rights; avoiding dishonesty of every kind; not condemning the innocent man to death; not sparing the guilty man.

Then readers are reminded about not tilling the soil each 7^th year so “that the poor among you may eat of it and the beast of the field may eat what the poor leave” (23:11); the Sabbath rest; celebration of the pilgrim feasts—Passover, Pentecost  (Shavu’ot or Weeks—wheat harvest and first fruits in early June) and booths (final grape harvest in late September or early October—called Sukkot or Huts); offerings; not boiling a kid in its mother’s milk.

“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you” (23:20-22).

The Lord promises his blessings on those who are faithful—fertility, health, fullness of life (23:25). The victory over those in the land will not be quick but little by little. “I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land” (23:30). God promises to hand over the people of the region to drive them out. They “must make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry” (23:32-33).

The Didache

Of Apostles and Prophets

11 – If visitors come and introduce the community to teachings that differ from those presented here, people should pay no attention to them; but then the writer adds an addendum – if the teaching promotes “righteousness and knowledge of the Lord” (195), you should welcome him as you would the Lord.

There are “apostles” and “prophets” in the church. Apostles who come to visit should not stay longer than a day, “two if it is really necessary” (195). Anyone who stays longer than this is a “false prophet” (196). Apostles also should accept only provisions for another day’s travel and no money at all.

Prophetic inspiration was given great latitude. The possible relationship between this treatise and the 2nd c. Monatist movement seems very possible. Scholars are not certain about it.  Prophets speaking “in the spirit” are not to be subject to “tests or verifications” – to do this would be to violate the authority of the Holy Spirit, an unforgivable sin (196). But it isn’t enough to just “speak” in the Spirit; you must also “exhibit the manners and conduct of the Lord. It is by their behavior that you can tell the impostor from the true” (196). If a prophet, seemingly “in the Spirit” calls out for food and eats, or calls out for money that is not meant for the poor, he is a phony.

A prophet, “thoroughly accredited and genuine, living the mystery of the Church in the world, may yet fail to teach others to copy his example. In that case, you are not to judge the man yourselves; his judgment lies with God. The prophets of old used to do things of a similar kind” (196).

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 22 and The Didache 10

Exodus 22 – More laws are presented that give us a perspective on how the Mosaic law dealt with morally complex cases: thefts of animals by those who can pay fines and by those who can’t; cattle that “wander” away from grazing lands and into crop-lands where they do damage to others; fires that are started for proper reasons but that get out of control; injuries to animals in the custody of people who are not their owners; seduction of virgin girls who are engaged to someone and those who are not engaged; sorcery practiced by women – especially worrisome, I guess; cases of bestiality; mistreatment of sojourners, widows, orphans; money lending; cursing leaders and speaking evil of God; etc.

One of the crimes mentioned caught my interest – “If a thief is caught breaking into a house at night and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. But if it happens during the day, he is guilty of murder” (22:4).

It reminded me of the Florida case in the early to mid-2000s where a man who shot an invader of his home was convicted of murder or manslaughter because the law at that time forbade people from using deadly force unless the invader had a weapon. I think the case angered people and had a role in passage of the now controversial “Stand Your Ground” law that is involved in the case of Trayvon Martin. I can’t find the case, but it deals with some of the very complicated legal situations that can arise – similar to the ones described in Exodus.

The Didache

Eucharist (Continued)

10 – When everyone has partaken of the Eucharist, “give thanks in these words: ‘Thanks be to thee, holy Father, for thy sacred Name which thou has caused to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which thou has revealed to us through thy servant Jesus.’

‘Glory be to thee for ever and ever.’

‘Thou, O Almighty Lord, has created all things for thine own Name’s sake; to all men thou has given meat and drink to enjoy, that they may give thanks to thee, but to us thou hast graciously given spiritual meat and drink, together with life eternal, through they Servant. Especially, and above all, do we give thanks to thee for the mightiness of thy power.’

‘Glory be to thee for ever and ever.’

‘Be mindful of thy Church, O Lord; deliver it from all evil, perfect it in thy love, sanctify it, and gather it from the four winds into the kingdom which thou has prepared for it.’

‘Thine is the power and the glory for ever and ever.’

‘Let Grace [Christ] come, and this present world pass away.

‘Hosanna to the God of David.’

‘Whosoever is holy, let him approach. Whoso is not, let him repent.’

‘Marantha [Our Lord, Come]. Amen.’

(Prophets, however, should be free to give thanks as they please.) (195)

Again, I have included the entire section, because it is so formally presented as the very words that must be spoken. It is also interesting the freedom they give to “prophets.” The place of prophets will be presented in detail in the next sections.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 21 and The Didache 9

Exodus 21 – Now we get into some of the details of the Mosaic Law, details that my Jerusalem Bible call the “Book of the Covenant” and notes that come from the “Elohistic” tradition.

This division of Old Testament texts into Jahwist, Elohist, Priestly and Deuteronomist traditions was very well established in the 20^th century, but more recent biblical study seems to have left it a bit undermined. Modern scholars seem to think the process of bringing these traditions together was more gradual and redacted than previously thought.

The chapter goes into much greater detail on a variety of things modern people will likely find disturbing: There are intricate rules concerning slaves, women who are sold into marriage and the treatment of those who break the commandment on killing.

Like most modern “states,” the “community” [the political institution of the community] here does not see the Mosaic commandment against killing as applicable to it. The death penalty is freely exercised in a multitude of cases: intentional murders, cases against those who strike at their father or mother or even curse their father or mother. The author goes through a whole array of case types that seem very “common law” -- based on specific cases that must have come before the judges of the community. The approach seems very similar to the Code of Hammurabi, which dates back to the 18^th c. BCE. The famous principle “eye for eye” appears in 21:23-25:

“. . .if harm should occur, then you are to give life in place of life—eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot, burnt-scar in place of burnt-scar, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.”

If the eye put out belongs to a serf, however, the penalty imposed on the master will be his slave’s freedom.  The law also deals with mischief done by animals - mischief done by animals not properly contained. Irresponsibility to the community is punishable, and many misdeeds are to be penalized by money fines. 

The Didache

Of the Eucharist

The Introduction had the following to say about the section on the Eucharist: “The Eucharistic prayers (chs.9 and 10) are very closely modeled on Jewish forms of grace at table and give a vivid picture of the Church meeting to break bread and bless wine as an anticipation of the messianic banquet of the coming Kingdom of God. There is no mention of the Last Supper or the Cross of Christ, which has led some scholars to distinguish two different primitive types of the Eucharist: one is a ‘breaking of bread’, a fellowship meal in which the disciples continued the meals they had had with Jesus in anticipation of his return (witness Acts and The Didache), and the other is a recalling of the Last Supper and the death of Jesus, the bread and wine representing the body and blood of Christ . . .

The two different types quickly converged, making it difficult to see whether this is any more than a prematurely conceived ‘theory’ “ (188). This, “together with the renewed eschatological emphasis of ch. 16, points to a very early date for The Didache . . . and many scholars now would assign [it] to a point somewhere in the latter half of the first century, earlier, that is, than much of the New Testament itself—unless all this ‘primitiveness’ is contrived, a theory that has been popular with English and American scholars from the very beginning. They would assign it to the end of the second century (or later) and see it as perhaps intended to vindicate the Montanist ‘prophets’ against the by then well-established ministry of bishops, priests and deacons” (189).

Elements that make the date look like it must have been pretty early (70-90 AD):

·      Close similarities with Jewish practices

o   Simple rituals of baptism, breaking bread and eucharist

o   Fasting and prayer 3X/day

o   View of the prophets as replacements of High Priesthood

o   Sense of immanence of the 2^nd coming of Christ

o   No references to persecution or heresy

9 – “At the Eucharist, offer the Eucharistic prayer in this way. Begin with the chalice: ‘We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the holy Vine of thy servant David, which thou has made known to us through thy servant Jesus.’

         ‘Glory be to thee, world without end.’

Then over the broken bread: ‘We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge thou has made known to us through thy servant Jesus.’

         ‘Glory be to thee, world without end.’

As this broken bread, once dispersed over the hills, was brought together and became one loaf, so may thy Church be brought together from the ends of the earth into thy kingdom.’

         ‘Thine is the glory and the power, through Jesus Christ, for ever and ever.’

No one is to drink of your Eucharist but those who have been baptized in the Name of the Lord; for the Lord’s own saying applies here, ‘Give not that which is holy unto dogs.’”

I have quoted the entire section here. The Didache is not something most Christians have ever read, and I think people will find it interesting to see how “established” the sacrament of the Eucharist had become at such an early period in the life of the church. It is also so formal, it doesn't seem appropriate to paraphrase it.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 20 and The Didache 7-8

Exodus 20 – The Ten “Words” or Commandments:  Schocken points out that they are unusual in that no penalties are attached for breaking them as in the more detailed regulations.  They are the framework against which the more detailed infractions can be understood.  The order differs for Jews as it does for Catholics and Protestants.  The following is the Jewish division:

Tablet 1

·      I am YHWH “who brought you out from the land of Egypt. . .

·      You shall have no other gods before me. . .

·      You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

·      Remember the Sabbath. . .

·      Honor your father and mother

Tablet 2

·      You shall not murder

·      You shall not commit adultery

·      You shall not steal

·      You shall not bear false witness. . .

·      You shall not covet. . .

Catholics and Protestants take the first as an introductory passage and not a commandment.  Then Protestants divide the second; Catholics divide the covet commandment.

The passage that begins with verse 15 is very interesting, because the people here recoil from the personal encounter with YHWH whom they see in smoke and fire.  “They say to Moshe: You speak with us, and we will hearken, but let not God speak with us, lest we die!” The people do not want a “personal relationship” with this God.  He is too overwhelming, too frightening to encounter.  They want Moses to be their intermediary, and Moses tells them God has come to them in such awesome countenance to inspire “awe” or fear in them and to show the people that He cannot be contained in figures of silver or gold (20:20).

So, here is the standard entry I will post each day - five days a week. That should get us to the end of Exodus by the next time we meet. Doing a little daily will give us a chance to notice things that we should discuss in greater depth.

The Didache

Here begins the Second part of the Didache – a manual of worship and discipline in an early Christian community, according to the introduction (188).

Part 2. A Church Manual

Of Baptism

7 – “The procedure for baptizing is as follows. After repeating all that has been said, immerse in running water ‘In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’. If no running water is available, immerse in ordinary water. This should be cold if possible; otherwise warm. . . . Both baptizer and baptized ought to fast before the baptism, as well as any others who can do so; but the candidate himself should be told to keep a fast for a day or two beforehand” (194).

Of Fast-Days and Prayer

8 – “Do not keep the same fast-days as the hypocrites. Mondays and Thursdays are their days for fasting, so yours should be Wednesdays and Fridays” (194).

“Your prayers, too, should be different from theirs. Pray as the Lord Enjoined in His Gospel” and make sure you pray this three times every day. Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 19 and The Didache 5-6

Exodus 19 – Some of the interesting observations made by the Schocken translator in his introduction to chapters 19-24 include the following: the mountain serves as a bridge between heaven and earth [Augustine would run with this image in his sermons]—and only Moses is permitted to ascend it.

Mt. Sinai itself never became a holy site for the Israelites.  The only other story that is located here is one with Elijah (1 Kings 19) and it tries to show the relationship between the two prophets.  The Midrash notices that the events on Sinai resemble the conclusion of a marriage ceremony: “rescue—courting—wedding w/stipulations—home planning—infidelity—reconciliation--moving in” (360); not the first or the last image of marriage as a “type” of the relationship between God and his people.

A new covenant will be entered into here. It differs from the two described in Genesis—Noah (Gen 9) and Abraham  (Gen 15, 17) where human beings are more passive recipients of God’s promises. Exodus introduces the idea of mutuality and conditionality.

Arriving at the wilderness of Sinai, Moses goes up to meet with God, and God addresses him thus: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to me.  So now, if you will hearken, yes, hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be to me a special-treasure from among all peoples.  Indeed, all the earth is mine, but you, you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (19:4-6).

He comes down and speaks to the elders. He “set before them these words, with which YHWH had commanded him” (19:7).  They arrange a time for the people to assemble before YHWH at the base of the mountain. No one is to approach the mountain: “Whoever touches the mountain—he is to be put-to-death, yes, death; no hand is to touch him, but he is to be stones, yes, stoned, or shot, yes, shot, whether beast or man, he is not to live!” (19:12-13) TOUGH WORDS! 

Moses descends the mountain and helps to make the people holy (clean). On the third day at daybreak, there were “thunder-sounds, and lightning, a heavy cloud on the mountain and an exceedingly strong shofar sound. And all of the people that were in the camp trembled” (19:16).

The Didache

The Way of Death

5 – “The Way of Death is this. To begin with, it is evil, and in every way fraught with damnation. In it are murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcraft, sorceries, robberies, perjuries, hypocrisies, duplicities, deceit, pride, malice, self-will, avarice, foul language, jealousy, insolence, arrogance, and boastfulness. Here are those who persecute good men, hold truth in abhorrence, and love falsehood; who do not know of the rewards of righteousness, nor adhere to what is good, nor to just judgment; who lie awake planning wickedness rather than well-doing. Gentleness and patience are beyond their conception; they care for nothing good or useful, and are bent only on their own advantage, without pity for the poor of feeling for the distressed. Knowledge of their Creator is not in them” (193).

Christians should flee from all of this.

Conclusion

6 – Be careful that no one lures you away from this Teaching. “If you can shoulder the Lord’s yoke in its entirety, then you will be perfect; but if that is too much for you, do as much as you can” (193).

Keep the dietary rules if you are able, especially regarding anything “that has been offered to an idol, for that is the worship of dead gods” (194).