Tour of Christian History
van de Sandt, Huub, & David Flusser. "Chapter 2:The Jewish Source of Didache 1-6: The Two Ways." The Didache: Its Jewish Sources and Its Place in Early Judaism and Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002, 55-80..
Van de Sandt and Flusser observe that Didache 1-6 is substantially different from the remainder of the work. In this chapter they describe the contents, build a case for multiple compositional layers, and describe the relationship of this section of the Didache with other texts representing the Two Ways tradition (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 55). This is a fairly common emphasis found in much Didache scholarship, especially in the 20th century.
The contents of the Two Ways have been described many times. The way of life is presented, followed by prohibitions. Commands which will assist in pursuing the way of life are presented. Next comes a chapter about the overall precepts of life and duties which are enjoined (ch. 4). The way of death is presented in chapter five, with a catalog of vices and of evildoers. Chapter six presents a conclusion and a clarification of standards (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 56).
The Two Ways tradition, in a Jewish form predating the Didache, was demonstrated to exist in 1952 with Jean-Paul Audet's work on the Qumran Manual of Discipline (1Q5 3:13-4:26). This material not only included the important concepts but did so in a sharply dualistic manner, in a form similar to that of the Didache (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 59). Van de Sandt and Flusser, building on Audet's work, describe Two Ways traditions in other places in the early Christian tradition. Specifically, they consider the Letter of Barnabas ch. 18-20 (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 60), the Doctrina Apostolorum (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 61-63), the Apostolic Church Order and the Epitome of the Canons of the Holy Apostles (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 64-65), the Arabic Life of Shenoute (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 66-67), and the Ps. Athanasian Syntagma Doctrinae and the Fides CCCXVIII Patrum (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 68-69).
Van de Sandt and Flusser conclude that the Two Ways material had Jewish roots but was taen over into Christian writing at an early time (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 70). However, the bulk of the Christian material does not "show familiarity with Did 7-16 nor acquaintance with the evantelical section in Did 1:3b-2:1" (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 70). This suggests a tradition drawn upon by the Didache and by the other works independently. Van de Sandt and Flusser then propose the existence of what they call a "Greek Two Ways" differing from the non-Greek records of Two Ways teachings (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 71). Though they admit the postulated document is not widely recognized, they continue by building a case for Barnabas and the Apostolic Church Order drawing on a different source than that of the Didache (van de Sandt & Flusser 2002, 74ff). Their case is built based on verbal similarities, illustrated by passages presented in parallel.