Category: Pardee 2012

What kind of document is the Didache after all?

10/20/2023

10/20/23
Scholarly Reflections

Pardee, Nancy. "Chapter Four: Summary and Conclusion." The Genre and Development of the Didache. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012, 189-191.

Pardee concludes that rather than being a church order, the Didache is a document representing a foundational generic development of a teaching tool (Pardee 2012, 189). It specifically moves beyond ethical paraenesis to teaching of the ethical basis of an ordered community, exhibiting ritual actions including baptism and eucharist. She sees the text as a developmental one, going through revision as needs of the community were identified and the teaching refined to meet those needs. Of significance, rather than a Mishna which claims Torah as authority, the Didache claims "the gospel" as its authority (Pardee 2012, 190).

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Partial Structural Analysis of the Didache

10/19/2023

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10/19/23
Scholarly Reflections

Pardee, Nancy. "Chapter Three: The Generic Development and Compositional History of the Didache." The Genre and Development of the Didache. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012, 141-188.

Pardee observes there is every reason to accept the fact that the Didache is self-identified as a "Didache" type of writing, just as Mark's Gospel is a "euaggelion." Though there are not other examples unambiguously identified as such from the same time period this does not negate what the text says (Pardee 2012, 141). The term, Pardee goes on to demonstrate, tended to fall into a specific niche. More so than διδασκαλία, it tended to be used for serious teaching, which was comprehensive in nature (Pardee 2012, 142-143), though by the time of the New Testament the word choice tended to correspond to a geographical location.

Pardee considers whether the New Testament drew a distinction between preaching and teaching. She observes that numerous commentators find considerable overlap between concepts of preaching and teaching (Pardee 2012, 144ff). Teaching is one of the elements which is a common emphasis in both the Didache and Matthew. Pardee notes this is consistent with Matthew's emphasis on the Pharisees, in comparison with Luke, where it is not as heavily emphasized (Pardee 2012, 148). In fact, Pardee sees teaching in the rest of the New Testament as more related to explanation, while in Matthew it overlaps more significantly with preaching. Pardee explores briefly whether or not the term διδαχή refers to a body of doctrine in the New Testament 150ff).

Pardee moves on to a discussion of the structure of the didache. She again emphasizes the division into two parts: 1-15 and 1 (Pardee 2012, 155). She then tracks a number of textual delimiters which suggest layers of redactional activity, with source material being brought into the larger body of material (Pardee 2012, 156ff). These are chiefly in the form of words suggesting either the διδαχή or the εὐαγγέλιον as an authority.

In her structural analysis, Pardee moves through the material in terms which appear very similar to traditional text-critical methods. The significant difference is that rather than looking for specific written sources of the language, she evaluates redactional layers based on internal markers which signal semantic shifts, and which may signal them in different ways. She takes the various types of signals to identify different layers of redaction.

Pardee continues her analysis with a review of the Two Ways section, seeking out structural cues for redaction and consistency of structure (Pardee 2012, 162ff). She does particularly note similarity of themes between the Two Ways material of ch. 1-6 and the apocalyptic material in ch. 16, thus finding signs of overall cohesiveness (Pardee 2012, 167-169). Yet she continues her textual analysis in terms of a search for common sources. This analysis includes extensive citations of other scholars who are seeking textual dependence relations with the New Testament and other early Chrsitian works (Pardee 2012, 170-184 passim).

Based on the previous evaluations, Pardee moves on to a reconstruction of the Didache's development. She postulates stages: first, a Christianized version of the Two Ways (Pardee 2012, 184), second, baptismal and eucharistic instruction for Gentiles (Pardee 2012, 184-185), third, a later update with specific instructions on fasting, prayer, and itinerant prophets (Pardee 2012, 185-186), and finally, a few later editorial changes (Pardee 2012, 186). She further takes the titles to have changed over time, along with the content (Pardee 2012, 187.

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The Importance of the Didache's Double Title

10/18/2023

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10/18/23
Scholarly Reflections

Pardee, Nancy. "Chapter Two: A Text-Linguistic Analysis of the Didache." The Genre and Development of the Didache. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012, 65-140.

Pardee observes that text linguistics has a counterpart in American scholarship, called discourse analysis. The field "essentially refers to the application of linguistic concepts and methodologies to the text as an act of communication. Originally, linguistics dealt with the smaller units of language and communication, using descriptive or structural approaches." (Pardee 2012, 65, emphasis hers). The discipline she describes approaches the communicative event of the text on a larger scale. The text is taken as a coherent whole, which makes sense by itself and may also make recognizable references to ideas in other texts (Pardee 2012, 67). An important goal of the discipline is to treat a whole text as it is present to us.

After describing several of the syntactic tools used to identify divisions of a text into its components, Pardee questions whether the methodology can be applied to various types of communicative texts. Her conclusion is that it can be applied in a wide variety of situations (Pardee 2012, 73).

Pardee moves on to identify the text she will use for analysis (Pardee 2012, 74ff). While she largely uses the Jerusalem manuscript of the Didache, her analysis is informed by additional fragmentary evidence, including partial manuscripts, citations in church orders, and other Two Ways texts.

Pardee observes that a challenge in study of the Didache is the scholarship which has largely posited multiple layers of redaction (Pardee 2012, 79). Text-linguistic analysis evaluates the evidence of possible redaction based on the surface inconsistencies, as well as other elements of the communication as we now have it, seeking a means of clarifying the resultant text.

Pardee proceeds to describe her evaluation of manuscript and punctuation conventions (Pardee 2012, 80-82), then to provide a brief glossary of analytical terms she will use (Pardee 2012, 83). She then presents the Greek text on left-hand pages, with some notes on the text as used in the communication event. The right-hand pages have indicators of the semantic flow of the analyzed text (Pardee 2012, 84-96). The notes at the bottom of the pages closely delineate the semantic impression to be made by each statement.

Of more immediate use to the average reader, Pardee proceeds with a more detailed description of the communication levels of the various passages from the Didache (Pardee 2012, 97ff). Here she indicates in detail who communicates to whom and how the message functions.

Pardee considers the titles stated on the Didache as an important preparatory note, drawing attention to the intent of the document (Pardee 2012, 101). The nature of the double title, with its repetition, indicates not merely an elaboration but some other process (Pardee 2012, 102). After a survey of commentators, Pardee concludes that many commentaries discount the importance of the two separate lines, and that it is inappropriate to do so (Pardee 2012, 104). Because written titles tend to be amplified, it would seem likely that the second title would be an editorial comment, but the reference to "the Lord" would not be easily removed. She therefore concludes that the longer title is original. Pardee reviews references in patristic authors, finding that the work may be referred to by its shorter title (Pardee 2012, 108). Uses of a form of the longer title tend to omit the number "twelve," which may suggest it was a later elaboration or that it was present but not considered integral (Pardee 2012, 1090. It is significant, in Pardee's mind, that some other versions of Two Ways narratives include the word διδαχή in their titles (doctrina in Latin) (Pardee 2012, .These instances may suggest the shorter title as the norm. Yet, Pardee recognizes that the longer title could serve as a title for the entire work, not just the Two Ways passages (Pardee 2012, 116). A consideration of title conventions in antiquity suggests to Pardee that the shorter title would serve as a brief label, and the longer one would preserve identity of one of a number of related works (Pardee 2012, 118). Pardee notes that in some Jewish and Chrsitian texts it was common practice to have a brief title label followed by a longer title sentence (Pardee 2012, 119).

Pardee further considers the function of the longer title in terms of what it refers to, what the semantics of the words are, and what it communicates to readers (Pardee 2012, 123). The external references are to the Lord, the Twelve, and Gentiles (Pardee 2012, 124). This makes a claim to the authority of the message, as well as the appropriate mediation of it through the Twelve. From the perspective of the semantics of the words, Pardee notes an apparent move from orality to writing, intending to bring oral teaching to Gentile readers or hearers (Pardee 2012, 124). The pragmatic aspect, what the title communicates to readers, is the authorization of the message and the importance of receiving the message (Pardee 2012, 125).

Pardee expands her analysis of the Didache, noting that the text has two parts, one beginning at 1:1 and the other beginning at 16:1 (Pardee 2012, 125). These represent her primary level thematic divisions. Pardee additionally posits another layer of significance at the points where "teaching" or "gospel" are mentioned (Pardee 2012, 127-128). Her argument for the various levels and their type of communication is complicated and depends in detail on the systematic definitions and abbreviations found on p. 83.

Though the Lord's Prayer as used in the Didache and in Matthew's Gospel are virtually identical, numerous other connections are not so clear, and are certainly not extended in nature (Pardee 2012, 130-132). Pardee does not think text-linguistic methods can confirm dependence on sources, but may shed light on compositional and redactional stages (Pardee 2012, 132).

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Text-Linguistic Analysis as a Model

10/17/2023

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10/17/23
Scholarly Reflections

Pardee, Nancy. "Chapter One: The Didache and the Question of Genre." The Genre and Development of the Didache. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012, 4-64.

After a brief summary of the contents of the Didache, Pardee notes that the literary style results in difficulty in understanding the overall construction. She characterizes it as "elliptical," saying, "apparently certain background knowledge on the part of the ancient reader was assumed, knowledge lost, however, to the modern audience, with the resultl that the text appears laconic" (Pardee 2012, 6). There are few detailed transitions between major sections, which provide sparse background information about their topics. Pardee considers that identifying the overall genre may be helpful in clarifying some of these matters (Pardee 2012, 7).

Pardee continues with a review of 20th century analyses of the genre of the Didache, noting that most scholars identify features of a church order but find the Didache to have a more limited scope than the church orders which arise starting about the third century (Pardee 2012, 8-31). She enters in detail into the points of view of numerous authors. Pardee concludes that the Didache is some sort of handbook which describes morals, rituals, and discipline. It is not clear if it falls into the character of other texts which are considered "church orders" (Pardee 2012, 30).

This conclusion moves Pardee on to a discussion of the term and genre "church order," a term which is first found in the 16th century (Pardee 2012, 31). Because the church orders describing liturgy and administrative structure for churches in the Reformation were similar in contents to writings from antiquity, the name was applied to writings in the past (Pardee 2012, 32). Pardee questions whether our modern concepts of genre may have tempered our understanding, thus creating an inappropriate view of the classification of the documents when they were written. Since the 16th century, studies have been engaged in with the intent of identifying detailed descriptions of the philosophical outlook of the works identified as "teaching" or "doctrine" (Pardee 2012, 33ff).

The Didache's discovery and publication brought new life to the studies in 1883, and the scholarly community had a "new" text to study (Pardee 2012, 37). Pardee catalogs a number of commentators' descriptions, indicating a broad consensus that the text was quickly recognized as a doctrinal and liturgical handbook. After the initial surge of interest, Pardee finds a generalization of interest, with other similar texts becoming classified as church orders (Pardee 2012, 43-44). The study of the Didache continued, with hypothetical division into redactional layers articulated by James Vernon Bartlett as early as 1924 (Pardee 2012, 45-46). Study of sources for the Two Ways material began in earnest after the 1900 publication of Doctrina Apostolorum, from the third century, containing most of Didache 1.1-6.1 (Pardee 2012, 46). Theories of the origin of the Two Ways abounded, including that of an oral catechetical formulation (Pardee 2012, 48). This, in turn, may have led to scholarly inquiry into the Two Ways teaching. Following the discovery of the Rule of the Community (1QS) among the Dead Sea Scrolls, consideration of Two Ways as its own genre grew (Pardee 2012, 49-50). In essence, the genre was a community rule in formulaic terms.

Pardee notes the importance of observing the structure of a text as a whole so as to evaluate the function of its component parts (Pardee 2012, 52). She observes that there is "a current trend to reject the idea of compositional stages and to see the text instead as the work of one author, created with or without the use of outside sources" (Pardee 2012, 53). She uses Milavec's commentary as an example of interpretation of the work as a cohesive whole, discussing Milavec's strengths and weaknesses in some detail. Another scholar of note who takes the Didache as a coherent whole is Ian Henderson, whose work Pardee reviews in detail (Pardee 2012, 58-62). Pardee's conclusion is that while Milavec and Henderson make a noteworthy attempt at interpretation, a more thoroughgoing text-liguistic study is called for (Pardee 2012, 62). Pardee finally notes that David Hellholm created a text-linguistic outline of the Didache at approximately the same time as her dissertation was completed (Pardee 2012, 63).

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What kind of document is the Didache after all?

Partial Structural Analysis of the Didache

The Importance of the Didache's Double Title

Text-Linguistic Analysis as a Model

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What kind of document is the Didache after all?

Partial Structural Analysis of the Didache

The Importance of the Didache's Double Title

Text-Linguistic Analysis as a Model

​Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!

About Throwing Inkwells

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Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!