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Church history · Updated August 15, 2026
The Didache, one of the earliest Christian texts, was nearly included in the New Testament but was left out. Composed in the late first or early second century, the Didache, also known as "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," offered a practical guide for early Christian communities. Covering a range of topics from ethics to rituals like baptism and the Eucharist, as well as church organization, it never made it into the New Testament canon. The reasons for its exclusion remain speculative, but it may have been due to its practical focus rather than theological depth, which was a key consideration for the early church leaders when assembling the New Testament.
Early Christian decision-making is illustrated by The Didache's near-inclusion in the New Testament. As the early church sought to establish a unified set of scriptures, leaders like Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria considered various texts for inclusion. The Didache was valued for its guidance on Christian living, but it lacked the apostolic authorship or direct connection to Christ's life that many other books in the New Testament possessed. By the fourth century, when the canon was more formally established, leaders set it aside in favor of texts that were more theologically oriented and widely accepted across different Christian communities. The Didache thus remained influential but on the periphery of the canonical scriptures.
Today, the Didache is a crucial historical document that reveals the practices and beliefs of early Christians. Its rediscovery in 1873 by Philotheos Bryennios in a library in Constantinople revived interest in this ancient manuscript. Scholars now study it to understand the diversity and development of early Christian thought and practice. Although it never achieved canonical status,
The Didache, one of the earliest Christian texts, was almost included in the New Testament but was ultimately left out.
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