# Early Church Writings

# Didache

The Didache (full title: The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles through the Twelve Apostles), is an anonymous early Christian manual dated c. 50–100 AD. Discovered in 1873, this concise “church handbook” offers a rare glimpse into the beliefs and practices of the very first Christian communities.

# Purpose & Structure

“There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.” (Ch. 1)

Written for new converts and church leaders, the Didache functions as a practical guide to Christian living. It is divided into 16 short chapters:

# Key Features

• Earliest non-biblical catechism – Predates many New Testament writings.
• Lord’s Prayer in near-final form (used 3x daily).
• Eucharistic prayers – Among the oldest recorded.
• No Trinity formula – Baptism “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is present, but theology is simple.
• Jewish-Christian roots – Strong ethical continuity with the Sermon on the Mount.

# Historical Significance

• Bridges apostolic and post-apostolic eras.
• Used in Syria or Egypt; reflects rural, Jewish-influenced churches.
• Cited by early writers (e.g., Clement of Alexandria) but later lost until modern rediscovery.

The Didache is a treasure of primitive Christianity — brief, practical, and profoundly shaped by Jesus’ teachings in everyday community life.

# Plea for the Christians

Athenagoras of Athens (c. 133–190 AD) was an early Christian apologist and philosopher from Athens. Originally a Platonist, he converted to Christianity and became one of the most eloquent defenders of the faith in the second century.

# His Major Work: Plea for the Christians

Written around 177 AD and addressed to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus, this sophisticated letter refuted common pagan accusations against Christians:

• Atheism – He argued for rational monotheism.
• Cannibalism & Incest – He exposed these as slanderous misunderstandings.
• Moral Superiority – He defended Christian ethics using logic and philosophy.

# Key Themes

• Unity of God
• Rationality of Christian belief
• Resurrection of the body
• Moral purity

Athenagoras’ Plea remains a landmark in early Christian apologetics for its intellectual depth and rhetorical elegance.

# Letter to Diognetus

The Letter to Diognetus (also known as Epistle to Diognetus) is an anonymous early Christian apologetic work, dated roughly c. 130–200 AD. Often attributed to an unknown author (sometimes called “Mathetes,” meaning “disciple”), it is one of the most elegant and concise defenses of Christianity from the second century.

# Purpose & Audience

"Christians are not distinguished from other men by country, language, or custom… They follow local customs in dress, food, and daily life, yet display a marvelous and admittedly paradoxical citizenship." (Ch. 5)

Addressed to a high-ranking pagan inquirer named Diognetus (possibly a tutor to Marcus Aurelius), the letter explains:

• Why Christians neither follow Jewish practices nor worship like Greeks.
• How Christians live in the world yet remain distinct from it.

# Key Sections

# Literary Style

• Rhetorical elegance – Sophisticated Greek prose.
• No direct Scripture quotes – Relies on theological insight and logic.
• Mystery & beauty – Often called the “jewel of early Christian literature.”

Though short (only 12 chapters), the Letter to Diognetus powerfully conveys the otherworldly yet engaged identity of early Christians — citizens of heaven living faithfully on earth.