Who Wrote the Didache and When Was It Written?
1. The Question of Authorship
The Didache, meaning “Teaching,” is also known as The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. Its longer title is The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles. At first glance, this might suggest that the apostles themselves wrote the work. But the Didache is anonymous, and the early church never attributed it to a specific apostle or leader.
The anonymity itself is a clue. In the New Testament, inspired writings are consistently tied to identifiable authors: Paul, Peter, John, or the prophets of old. The Didache lacks such markers. Instead, it appears to reflect the voice of a Christian teacher or community leader who compiled traditions to help new believers live faithfully. The apostles provided the foundation of doctrine, while the Didache functions more like a handbook of practice.
This distinction highlights the difference between the Didache and the Bible. Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), while the Didache is a human effort to preserve and apply apostolic teaching. It was respected, but never granted the authority of the Word of God.
2. Why the Apostles Did Not Write the Didache
Although the Didache’s title mentions the Twelve, several factors indicate that the apostles were not the direct authors:
Timing — Most scholars date the Didache to the late first or early second century A.D., after many apostles had died.
Content — Its concerns are community order, baptism, fasting, and leadership structures—issues that developed as the church expanded beyond its earliest years.
Tone — The Didache does not proclaim the Gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection as the apostles did (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Instead, it assumes that foundation while offering rules for daily life.
Anonymity — Apostolic writings, such as Paul’s letters, include the names of their authors. The Didache’s lack of attribution points to a different kind of text.
The Didache should not be read as a forgery, but as a reflection of how Christians a generation after the apostles sought to live in faithfulness to the Gospel.
3. Who Likely Wrote the Didache
The most likely author of the Didache was a Christian teacher (didaskalos in Greek) or community leader. Early churches valued teachers who could transmit both the words of Jesus and the traditions of the apostles. The Didache may represent the teaching of such a figure who organized material into a structured guide.
The author probably drew from multiple sources:
Jewish traditions, especially the “Two Ways” teaching, which contrasts the way of life with the way of death.
Jesus traditions, particularly sayings also preserved in the Gospel of Matthew.
Community practices, including baptism, fasting, prayer, and the Lord’s Supper.
Rules for order, to regulate traveling ministers and establish local leadership.
Rather than being the voice of one apostle, the Didache represents the voice of a community seeking to embody the Gospel. Its anonymity reminds us that the Christian faith is not anchored in hidden teachers but in the Lord Jesus himself.
4. When the Didache Was Written
Dating the Didache has been one of the central questions in early Christian studies. The consensus places its composition in the late first century or early second century A.D.
Textual Evidence
The complete Greek manuscript (Hierosolymitanus 54) is from A.D. 1056, but earlier fragments confirm its antiquity:
Oxyrhynchus Papyrus (4th century) — small sections of the Two Ways tradition.
Latin translation (3rd century) — showing its spread to the Western church.
Coptic translation (5th century) — containing liturgical material.
Ethiopian traditions — partially preserving Didache teachings.
Internal Clues
The Didache reflects an early stage of church life:
It speaks of traveling apostles and prophets, showing a time before leadership became fully local.
It provides simple prayers for baptism and communion, without the later developed liturgy of the church.
It closes with an urgent eschatological expectation, consistent with first-century Christian hope.
Taken together, these clues point to a time close to the New Testament itself, when the memory of the apostles was still alive and shaping the church.
5. The Didache and the Gospel of Matthew
One of the strongest arguments for dating the Didache is its close relationship with the Gospel of Matthew. The Lord’s Prayer appears nearly verbatim (Matthew 6:9–13). The baptismal formula reflects Matthew 28:19. Its moral teachings echo the Sermon on the Mount.
This overlap suggests that the Didache emerged from a community shaped by Matthew’s Gospel. Some argue that the author of Matthew knew the Didache, while others claim the Didache knew Matthew. Still others propose that both drew from shared oral traditions.
What matters most is that the Didache stands in the same world as the Gospels. It shows how early Christians lived out the teachings of Jesus, not as abstract doctrine but as daily practice.
6. Eschatology in the Didache
The Didache concludes with a vision of the last days. It warns of false prophets, increased lawlessness, and the rise of a world-deceiver before the Lord comes on the clouds of heaven. This matches the biblical picture found in Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 21.
Its eschatological urgency reflects the period of its writing. Early Christians lived with expectation that Christ’s return was near. The Didache does not speculate about timing, but calls believers to endurance. “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).
This emphasis reminds modern Christians that readiness for Christ’s coming is essential. While the Didache is not Scripture, it captures the heartbeat of early discipleship: living faithfully in the shadow of the coming kingdom.
7. The Value of Knowing Who Wrote It and When
Understanding who wrote the Didache and when it was written helps place it within early Christianity. Its anonymous authorship points us to the sufficiency of Scripture, while its early date highlights its usefulness for historical insight.
It reveals how Christians practiced baptism, prayer, fasting, and communion.
It shows the church wrestling with leadership, authority, and false teachers.
It illustrates how believers lived with constant expectation of Christ’s return.
Yet the Didache is not the foundation of faith. The Gospel is the true center: Jesus crucified, risen, and reigning as Lord. The Didache reflects the Gospel’s impact, but the Bible itself proclaims the Gospel’s truth.
Conclusion
The Didache was not written by the apostles but likely by a Christian teacher or community leader in the late first or early second century. It reflects apostolic tradition but lacks the inspired authority of Scripture. Its value lies in showing how early believers ordered their lives around worship, holiness, and hope in Christ’s return.
Christians today can appreciate the Didache as a historical witness, but they must stand on the Bible as God’s Word. Only Scripture proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ with authority, offering forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God.
