patheos.com/
2026-07-11
The Didache was known as the "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles."
The documents in it were written at the same time as the books in the Bible, so about 70 A.D. on into the 2nd century, when some of the people who knew Jesus, or at least His apostles and the disciples, were still alive. Originally, these documents were circulated among early Christian communities with the rest of the apostolic letters and gospels.
This collection of sacred instruction was, however, divided when the New Testament was compiled by the Council of Rome in AD 382 under Pope Damasus I. It was decided that the Bible would consist solely of theology and history; that is, canonical and liturgical matters. The documents that went into the Didache were recognized as "extra-canonical" as an early guide to church practices and organization. This choice was later affirmed by regional synods at the Councils of Hippo (AD 393) and Carthage (AD 397).
The Didache is more specific than the Bible on practical matters. According to one translation, it states, "...thou shalt not procure abortion, nor commit infanticide." Another translation of the same text reads, "...you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten." So, while not technically Biblical, the Church's condemnation of abortion nonetheless comes directly from the teachings of the Apostles and early Church