Scholarly Reflections
Muilenburg, James. "Chapter Eight: Comarison of the Two Ways Chapters of the Teaching and the Epistle of Barnabas." The Literary Relations of the Epistle of Barnabas and the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. Marburg, 1929, 140-158.
Muilenburg here returns to his initial and central question, that of the nature of the literary relationship between Barnabas and the Didache (Muilenburg 1929, 140). Because Muilenburg considers the work of Barnabas to be a literary unity, and the Didache a composite work, he concludes that the Two Ways material is original to Barnabas and adopted by the Didache (Muilenburg 1929, 141). Though the imagery used in the Didache is often more vivid and original than that used in Barnabas, Muilenburg takes this to show the editorial work of a superior intellect (Muilenburg 1929, 143).
Muilenburg continues with a comparison of various lines from the Two Ways, highlighting possible sources and the editorial revisions made (Muilenburg 1929, 143ff). Muilenburg's opinion, indicated repeatedly, is that the Didache is a later, more literary work than Barnabas, and depends on the earlier work.
Muilenberg's conclusion is that the works are significantly different in nature, though they deal with similar material (Muilenburg 1929, 158). The Didache is a church manual, written with an eye to artful order, while Barnabas is a more enthusiastic and hastily composed exhortatory letter.