Above all, maintain constant love for one
another, for love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Pet 4:8 NRSV)
Commenting
on the reception of this passage in early Christian texts, David Downs wrote
the following about the Didascalia
Apostolorum:
Didascalia Apostolorum
A link between 1 Pet 4:8, the forgiveness of
sins, and the provision of material assistance to the needy is also forged in
the Didascalia Apostolorum. The
material contained in this pseudonymous church order, probably of Syrian
provenance, is extremely difficult to date, not least because it is a composite
text, the result of a complex and lengthy editing process, a development
finally completed in the third or fourth century. The relevant passage, Didacs. 2.3-4, articulate some of the necessary
qualifications for the Christian bishop:
[2.3] And he [i.e., the bishop] should be
examined to determine whether he is without blemish in the affair of the world,
and also in his body, for it is written: “Observe that there be no blemish in
him who stand up to be priest (Lev 21:17).” 2. He should also not be prone to
anger, for the Lord says: “anger even destroys the wise” (Prov 15:1). And he should
be merciful, compassionate and full of love, for the Lord says: “love covers a
multitude of sins” (cf. 1 Pet 4:8). [2.4] And his hand should be stretched out
to give, and he should be compassionate to the orphans together with the
widows, and compassionate to the poor and to the stranger. He should be
illustrious in his ministry and faithful in the ministry. He should have
contrition in his soul, and not shame. And he should now who deserves to
receive, 2. For if there is a widow who has possession, or has the means by
which she might provide for the nourishment of her body, and another who,
though not a widow, is in need, whether through sickness, or through raising
children, or through bodily infirmity, it is to her that he should stretch forth
his hand. 3. But if there should be someone who is dissolute, or drunken, or
idle, and is in need of bodily nourishment, he is not worthy of charity, and
not from the church. (2:3.1-2.4.3)
The virtues expected of a bishop include
mercy, compassion, and love, the last of which evoke a citation of the phrase “love
covers a multitude of sins.” Given the statement is attributed to “the Lord,”
it is possible that the Didascalia
Apostolorum is citing a Christian proverb, understood here as a dominical
tradition, instead of 1 Pet 4:8. Nevertheless, the saying is related to the
practice of merciful deeds for the needy, even if the notion that compassion for
the poor redeems sin is not explicitly developed in this text: “And his hand
should be stretched out to give, and he should be compassionate to the orphans
together with the widows, and compassionate to the poor and to the stranger.”
While it is not expressly stated that giving to the powerless and poor atones
for sin, the act that this assertion immediately follows at citation of the
saying “love covers a multitude of sins” makes the connection possible. At the
very least, the bishop’s material care for the marginalized demonstrates that “he
is without blemish in the affairs of the world.” (David J. Downs, Alms: Charity, Reward, and Atonement in
Early Christianity [Waco, Tex: Baylor University Press, 2016], 191-92)
