[This is part of a running series on the Didache. See the introductory post for more information — RWB]

Phrasing/Translation

Μὴ γίνου πρὸς μὲν τὸ λαβεῖν ἐκτείνων τὰς χεῖρας,
Do not first reach out your hands to receive,
   πρὸς δὲ τὸ δοῦναι συσπῶν.
   only to draw back from giving.

ἐὰν ἔχῃς διὰ τῶν χειρῶν σου,
If you have something because of your hands,
   δώσεις λύτρωσιν ἁμαρτιῶν σου.
   offer it as a ransom for your sins.

οὐ διστάσεις δοῦναι οὐδὲ διδοὺς γογγύσεις·
Do not hesitate to give nor grumble while giving:
   γνώσῃ γάρ,
   for you will know,
      τίς ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ μισθοῦ καλὸς ἀνταποδότης.
      who is the good paymaster of the reward.

οὐκ ἀποστραφήσῃ τὸν ἐνδεόμενον,
Do not reject the needy one,
   συγκοινωνήσεις δὲ πάντα τῷ ἀδελφῷ σοῦ
   but share everything with your brother
      καὶ οὐκ ἐρεῖς ἴδια εἶναι·
      and do not say anything is your own:
   εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ἀθανάτῳ κοινωνοί ἐστε,
   for if you are sharers in the immortal,
      πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς θνητοῖς;
      how much more in things that will die?

Notes

These three verses center on materialism. They speak about giving and receiving. The Didachist teaches that in order to receive, one must give. The one who is receiving should be giving. The bit about offering up the work of our hands "as a ransom for your sins" seems a bit strange, though. The Didachist's point, though, is that the baptismal candidate shouldn't clutch to the tangible things of the world, but he should realize that nothing is his, all belongs to the Father, so sharing with the brothers bestows the benefits upon the community.

Almost sounds communist, though.

The basic idea is that the material things should have no pull on the actions of the Christian. They are not ours, they have only been entrusted to us for a short time. We should, then, use such resources wisely and appropriately.

The paragraph closes off with a stunning concept: "if you are sharers in the immortal, how much more in things that will die?" Christians have and share in the incredible gift of salvation and eternal life. In light of that, lesser things should be just that: lesser.

Update (2006-06-01): Tim Wegener (Madabar) writes in to refer me to Ex 30.11-13 on the idea of the work of our hands offered up as a ransom for our sins. He also (rightly) points me away from thoughts of communism by reminding me "Perhaps the difference is that the sharing is done freely, rather than through force, regulation, legislation or coercion". True, true. It seems when I see things like "share things freely" my economics major kicks in and considers economic systems instead of what the text really says. Thanks for bringing the discussion back to what's important, Tim!