Stephen Boyce on the Relationship Between Didache 8:2 and Matthew 6:9-13

  

Did. 8:2b οὕτω προσεύχεσθε· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου, ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς· τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸ ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον, καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς οφειλέταις ἡμῶν, καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ· ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας.

 

“…thus pray ye: Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth; give us our daily bread; and forgive us our debt, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one; for Yours is the power and the glory for ever and ever.”

 

9 Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου

10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς

11 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον

12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν

13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. (Matt. 6:9-13 NA28)

 

 

9 Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου.

10 Ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου. Γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

11 Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον.

12 Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν.

13 Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. Ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. (Matt. 6:9-13 BYZ)

 

Agreement: The evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that this is a direct citation of Matthew 6:9 through 13. Every element of the prayer as it appears in the Didache can be accounted for within the extant Greek manuscript tradition. It is also evident that the longer doxological ending of the prayer found in the Byzantine tradition aligns more closely with the Didache than the shorter form preserved in the critical editions.

 

Disagreement: The introductory formula to the prayer differs slightly in wording between Matthew and the Didache. The Didache omits the pronoun ὑμεῖς which may be implied from context as well as the conjunction οὖν meaning then. Additionally Matthew employs the dative noun οὐρανοῖς in the plural whereas the Didache consistently uses the singular οὐρανῷ. This is noteworthy since the singular form of heaven is relatively uncommon in this context. However Matthew himself uses the singular later in verse 10 which corresponds with the Didache at that point. The Didache simply maintains the singular form throughout the prayer.

 

The Didache also omits the term βασιλεία meaning kingdom at the conclusion of the prayer. While it preserves the longer ending that otherwise aligns more closely with the Byzantine tradition it nevertheless lacks the kingdom clause. This omission recurs elsewhere in the text including three times in chapter nine and in partial citations in chapter ten verses four and five. Finally the Didache does not include the closing word Ἀμήν at the end of the prayer. (Stephen Boyce, “The Use of Scripture in Early Christian Writings: A Textual Analysis of 1 Clement, Polycarp, the Didache, and Ignatius” [PhD Dissertation; Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary, 2021], 147-49)