Sunday, July 14, 2019

1 Peter 4:8 and the Didascalia Apostolorum



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)

 One should pursue the entirety of Downs' book, but it is clear that Sola Fide is absent in such writings, in spite of some (pathetic) attempts to find such in 1 Clement, the Odes of Solomon, and other writings.