Didascalia Apostolorum

tr. Connolly, 1929

That it is not right to receive gifts of alms from reprehensible persons

Do you the bishops and the deacons be constant therefore in the ministry of the altar of Christ,—we mean the widows and the orphans,—so that with all care and with all diligence you make it your endeavour to search out concerning the things that are given, (and to learn) of what manner is the conversation of him, or of her, who gives for the nourishment—we say again—of ‘the altar’.¹ For when widows are nourished from (the fruits of) righteous labour, they will offer a holy and acceptable ministry before Almighty God through² His beloved Son and His holy Spirit: to whom³ be glory and honour for evermore.

Make it your care and endeavour therefore to minister to widows out of the ministry of a clean conscience, that what they ask and request may be granted them at once upon their praying for it. But if there be bishops who are careless and give no heed to these matters, through respect of persons, or for the sake of filthy lucre, or because they neglect to make inquiry; they shall render no ordinary account. For⁴ they receive, forsooth, to administer for the nourishment of orphans and widows, from rich persons who keep men shut up in prison, or ill-treat their slaves, or behave with cruelty in their cities, or oppress the poor; or from the lewd, and those who abuse their bodies; or from evildoers; or from forgers⁵; or from dishonest advocates, or false accusers; or from hypocritical lawyers; or from painters of pictures; or from makers of idols; or from workers of gold and silver and bronze (who are) thieves; or from dishonest tax-gatherers; or from spectators of shows; or from those who alter weights or measure deceitfully; or from inn-keepers who mingle water (with their wine); or from soldiers who act lawlessly; or from murderers; or from spies who procure condemnations⁶; or from any Roman officials, who are defiled with wars and have shed innocent blood without trial: perverters of judgement who, in order to rob them, deal unjustly and deceitfully with the peasantry⁷ and with all the poor; and from idolaters; or from the unclean; or from those who practise usury, and extortioners. Now they who nourish widows from these (sources) shall be found guilty in judgement in the day of the Lord; for the Scripture has said: Better is a supper of herbs with love and⁸ amity than the slaughter of fatted oxen with hatred.⁹ For if a widow be nourished with bread only from the labour of righteousness, it shall even be abundant for her; but if much be given her from (the proceeds) of iniquity it shall be insufficient for her. But again, if she be nourished from (the proceeds) of iniquity, she cannot offer her ministry and her intercession with purity before God; and even though she be righteous and pray for the wicked, her intercession for them will not be heard, but that for herself alone; for God makes trial of the hearts in judgement, and receives intercessions with discernment. But if they pray for those who have sinned and repent, their prayers will be heard. But those who are in sin, and do not repent, not only are they not heard when they pray, but they even call to remembrance their transgressions before the Lord.

Wherefore, O bishops, fly and avoid such ministrations; for it is written: There shall not go up upon the altar of the Lord (that which cometh) of the price of a dog, or of the hire of a harlot.¹⁰ For if widows pray for fornicators and transgressors through your blindness, and be not heard, not receiving their requests,¹¹ you will perforce bring blasphemy upon the word through your evil management, as though God were not good and ready to give.

Take good heed therefore that you minister not to the altar of God out of the ministrations of transgression. For you have no pretext to say, ‘We do not know’; for you have heard that which the Scripture saith: Depart from an evil man, and thou shalt not fear; and trembling shall not come nigh unto thee.¹² But if you say: ‘These are they alone who give alms; and if we receive not of them, from whence shall the orphans and widows and those in distress be provided?’ God saith to you: ‘To this end did you receive the gifts of the Levites, the firstfruits and offerings of your people, that you might be sustained and even have over and above, that you might not be constrained to receive from evil persons.’ But if the Churches are so poor that those in want must needs be supported by such, it were better for you rather to be wasted with famine than to receive from evil persons.

Search out and make trial, therefore, that you may be receiving from the faithful, who communicate with the Churches and conduct themselves well, (wherewithal) to nourish those in distress, and may not receive from those who are expelled from the Church until they are found worthy to be members of the Church. But if you are in want, tell the brethren, and let them treat together and give; and thus perform your ministrations in righteousness. And teach your people and tell them that it is written: Honour the Lord with (the fruits of) righteous labour, and with the chiefest of all your increase.¹³ Wherefore, nourish and clothe those in want from the righteous labour of the faithful; and those things which are given by them, as we have already said, bestow for the ransom¹⁴ of the faithful; and redeem slaves and captives and prisoners, and those who are treated with violence, and those condemned by the mob,¹⁵ and those sentenced to fight with beasts,¹⁶ or to the mines, or to exile, and those condemned to the games.¹⁷ And let the deacons go in to those who are in distress, and let them visit each one and provide him with what he lacks.

But if ever it should happen that you are constrained and receive unwillingly some pieces of money from any evil person, you shall not employ them for (the purchase of) food; but if they be few, spend them on firewood for yourselves and for the widows, lest a widow, receiving of them, be forced to buy her some food with them. And so, unsullied by¹⁸ iniquity, the widows will pray and receive from God all good things for which they ask and make petition, all of them together and each one severally: and you also will not be reproached with these sins.

Notes

nourishment . . . ‘the altar’] Flemming places a full stop after ‘nourishment’; but this, though it does not alter the general sense, interferes with the construction. The writer insists on his identification of widows and orphans with the altar, and so explains how it is that he can speak of the ‘nourishment’ of the altar.
through, etc.] διὰ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν, δι’ οὗ ἡ δόξα τῷ θεῷ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν AC.
to whom] In the singular.
To the references supplied by Funk (p. 224) in illustration of this passage may be added the Syntagma doctrinae, ascribed to St. Athanasius, c. 8. The author knew the Didache, and shows acquaintance also with the Didascalia, but whether in its original form or in the AC recension, I cannot determine.
forgers] lit. ‘those who subtract and add’, i. e. perhaps those who falsify accounts or other documents: ῥᾳδιουργούς AC.
spies . . . condemnations] lit. ‘spies (speculatores) of condemnation’.
the peasantry] The Latin word pagani, which Flemming translates ‘the heathen’.
The text of the quotation is influenced by Pesh.
Prov. xv 17.
Deut. xxiii 18.
be not heard, not receiving their requests] The sense suggests ‘be not heard: whereas they do not receive’, etc., but the punctuation and construction are against this.
Isa. liv 14.
Prov. iii 9.
ransom] lit. ‘purchase’, which is explained in S marg. by the word ‘redemption’. Funk renders ‘dispertite in tempore ad redemptionem’, misreading zebhna as zabhna (‘time’), and incorporating the marginal gloss.
by the mob] CH (‘by the demos’): ‘lawlessly’ (‘without nomos’) S; but S marg. adds ‘to the multitude’.
to fight with beasts] lit. ‘to κυνήγιον’.
games] ludi transliterated.
unsullied by] I follow the reading of C: H gives much the same sense with a different verb: S has, without sense, ‘not prevailing over’, by corruption of the verb in C. Flemming and Funk attempt to render S.