Didascalia Apostolorum

tr. Connolly, 1929

XVII. On the upbringing of Orphan Children

Now if any one of the children of Christians be an orphan, whether boy or girl, it is well that, if there be one of the brethren who has no children, he should adopt the child in the place of children. And whoever has a son, let him adopt a girl; and when her time is come, let him give her to him to wife, that his work¹ may be completed in the ministry² of God. But if there be any who are unwilling to do thus because they would please men, and by reason of their riches are ashamed of orphan members: they who are such shall arrive at †this very pass,³ and therein† shall spend what they have spared; and that which the saints have not eaten, the Assyrians shall eat:⁴ and their land strangers shall devour before their eyes.⁵⁶

Do you therefore, O bishops, take pains over their upbringing,⁷ so that nothing may be wanting to them. And when a virgin’s time is come, give her in marriage to one of the brethren. But when a boy is being brought up, let him learn a craft; and when he is become a man, let him receive the wage that is worthy of his craft, and let him fashion for himself the implements required for his craft, and not henceforth⁸ be a burden upon the love of the brethren, which was shown him without guile and without partiality.

And truly blessed⁹ is every one that is able to help¹⁰ himself, and shall not straiten the place of the orphan and the widow and the stranger. For woe¹¹ from God to them that have, and receive¹² in falsehood, ⟨or are able to help themselves and (yet) receive;⟩ for every one of those who receive shall give an account to the Lord God in the day of judgement, how he received.¹³ If a man has received¹⁴ on account of a fatherless¹⁵ childhood, or on account of indigence in old age, or on account of infirmity and sickness, or on account of the rearing of children, he shall even be praised: for he is esteemed as the altar of God, therefore shall he be honoured of God. For he did not receive idly; because he was praying diligently (and) unremittingly at all times for those who give; for his prayer, †which is his strength†, he offered as his payment. Those then who are such shall be declared blessed by God in the life everlasting.

But those who have, and receive under pretence, or else¹⁶ are slothful, and instead of working and helping others rather themselves receive, shall be held to account for that which they receive,¹⁷ because they have straitened the place of the faithful poor. For every one who has some possession, and neither gives to others nor uses it himself, lays up for himself¹⁸ a perishable treasure on earth; and he has inherited the place of the snake lying upon the treasure, and will come in danger of being reckoned with him. For whoever has, and receives in falsehood, puts his faith not in God but in the Mammon of¹⁹ iniquity; and for the gain of avarice he holds the word in hypocrisy, and he is fulfilled in unbelief. Now such a one will come in danger of being reckoned with the unbelievers. But²⁰ he who gives simply to every man, does well in giving, and he is innocent.²¹ He also who receives on account of distress,²² and uses sparingly those things which he has received, has received well; and he shall be praised by God in the life and rest everlasting.

Notes

that his work, etc.] i.e. the father’s: there appears to be an allusion to Ecclus. vii 25 ἔκδου θυγατέρα, καὶ ἔσῃ τετελεκὼς ἔργον μέγα. This has not escaped the author of AC, who supplies the adj. ‘great’: τοῦτο γὰρ οἱ ποιοῦντες ἔργον μέγα ἐπιτελοῦσιν.
Cf. Ecclus. vii 25.
at this very pass] lit. ‘to these very things’. But Syr. has misunderstood the Gk., for AC has αὐτῷ δὲ ἐμπεσεῖται τοιοῦτος, ὅστις αὐτοῦ δαπανήσει τὴν φειδώ (cf. Lat.)
and . . . shall eat] From an unknown source (see Resch p. 314): (τὸ εἰρημένον)· ἃ οὐκ ἔφαγον ἅγιοι, ταῦτα φάγονται Ἀσσύριοι AC.
?
Isa. i 7.
over their upbringing] lit. ‘how they may be brought up’ (H): ‘how they may behave’ S: περὶ τῆς ἀνατροφῆς αὐτῶν AC.
and not henceforth, etc.] ὅπως μηκέτι βαρύνῃ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀνυπόκριτον εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην AC. I have made a slight correction in Syr., which has ‘with whom he was’ for ‘which was shown him’.
truly blessed] Cf. Didache i 5 μακάριος ὁ διδοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἐντολήν.
Hermas Mand. ii 5-6, Didache i 5.
For woe, etc.] Cf. Didache (ibid.) οὐαὶ τῷ λαμβάνοντι· οὐαὶ τοῖς ἔχουσιν καὶ ἐν ὑποκρίσει λαμβάνουσιν AC.
⟨or . . . receive⟩] Supplied from Lat.: ἢ δυναμένοις βοηθεῖν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ λαμβάνειν παρ᾽ ἑτέρων βουλομένοις AC (but in place of the last five words Lat. has only ‘et accipiunt’= καὶ λαμβάνουσιν, i. e. the participle).
for . . . how he received] ἑκάτερος γὰρ ἀποδώσει λόγον κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως AC: cf. Herm. Mand. ii 5 οἱ οὖν λαμβάνοντες ἀποδώσουσιν λόγον τῷ θεῷ, διατί ἔλαβον καὶ εἰς τί.
If a man has received, etc.] Cf. Didache εἰ μὲν γὰρ χρείαν ἔχων λαμβάνει κτλ.
This passage is discussed in J. T. S. xxiv 148 ff. (Jan. 1923). The main source is certainly Hermas, but the Didache also has contributed certain features, notably the ‘Woe’ to those who receive.
Hermas Mand. ii 5.
But those . . . they receive] ὁ δὲ ἔχων καὶ ἐν ὑποκρίσει λαμβάνων ἢ δι᾽ ἀργίαν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐργαζόμενον βοηθεῖν καὶ ἑτέροις, δίκην ὀφλήσει τῷ θεῷ AC: cf. Herm. Mand. ii 5 οἱ δὲ ἐν ὑποκρίσει λαμβάνοντες τίσουσιν δίκην.
Mt. vi 19.
Lk. xvi 9.
Cf. Hermas Mand. ii 4-6, Didache i 5.
is innocent] Cf. Herm. Mand. ii 6 ὁ οὖν διδοὺς ἀθῷός ἐστιν: and Didache i 5 μακάριος ὁ διδοὺς . . . ἀθῷος γάρ ἐστιν.
But he . . .