ΔΙΔΑΧΗ

The Didache 1.3 · 1.3

Bless those who curse you

Read the full text in our reader

τούτων δὲ τῶν λόγων ἡ διδαχή ἐστιν αὕτη· εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμῖν καὶ προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑμῶν, νηστεύετε δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς· ποία γὰρ χάρις, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς; οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν; ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς μισοῦντας ὑμᾶς, καὶ οὐχ ἕξετε ἐχθρόν.

Word by word

τούτωνtoútōnof theseδὲandτῶνtôntheλόγωνlógōnwordstheδιδαχήdidakhḗteachingἐστινestinisαὕτηhaútēthis·εὐλογεῖτεeulogeîteblessτοὺςtoùsthoseκαταρωμένουςkatarōménouswho curseὑμῖνhymînyouκαὶkaìandπροσεύχεσθεproseúkhestheprayὑπὲρhypèrforτῶνtôntheἐχθρῶνekhthrônenemiesὑμῶνhymônyour,νηστεύετεnēsteúetefastδὲandὑπὲρhypèrforτῶνtônthoseδιωκόντωνdiōkóntōnwho persecuteὑμᾶςhymâsyou·ποίαpoíawhatγὰρgàrforχάριςkháriscredit,ἐὰνeànifἀγαπᾶτεagapâteyou loveτοὺςtoùsthoseἀγαπῶνταςagapôntaswho loveὑμᾶςhymâsyou;οὐχὶoukhìdo notκαὶkaìevenτὰtheἔθνηéthnēnationsτὸtheαὐτὸautòsameποιοῦσινpoioûsindo;ὑμεῖςhymeîsyouδὲbutἀγαπᾶτεagapâteloveτοὺςtoùsthoseμισοῦνταςmisoûntaswho hateὑμᾶςhymâsyou,καὶkaìandοὐχoukhnotἕξετεhéxeteyou will haveἐχθρόνekhthrónan enemy.

The setting

The teaching behind those two commandments turns the ordinary logic of loyalty upside down: bless your cursers, pray for your enemies, love those who hate you — for loving only those who love you is no more than the nations already do.

Open The Didache 1.3 in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the The Didache — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

The Didache 1.3 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/didache/1.3/