The Didache and the Domestication of Dissidents

Abstract

The Didache has often figured prominently in scholars' constructions of early Christianity, especially with regard to two groups: the nascent positions of the overseers and agents in one, and the prophets, apostles, and teachers in the other. While many scholars portray these figures on relatively peaceful terms, this work argues that the relationship between these two groups is characterized by antagonism and conflict. This conflict is based upon a struggle to control prophecy and teaching, thus ultimately being a contest to create doctrine. This early Christian quarrel was not settled by dialogue, debate, or democracy, but by the control of material goods to influence who would be allowed to teach, supporting only certain teachings and prophecies. Early Christian doctrine and ideology can therefore be seen as a product of material manipulation, subject to the constraints of physical and historical pressures that condition all human thought.