Sophia Scriptura

Didache 15.1

Anonymous · Didache · ca. 50–150 (often ca. 100) · place unknown · Read in context

Summary: Choose worthy bishops and deacons, who also serve as prophets and teachers.

Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:330

Χειροτονήσατε οὖν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισκόπους καὶ διακόνους ἀξίους τοῦ κυρίου, ἄνδρας πραεῖς καὶ ἀφιλαργύρους καὶ ἀληθεῖς καὶ δεδοκιμασμένους· ὑμῖν γὰρ λειτουργοῦσι καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν λειτουργίαν τῶν προφητῶν καὶ διδασκάλων.

English · Claude translation

Appoint, then, for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men who are gentle and not lovers of money, truthful and proven; for they too perform for you the ministry of the prophets and teachers.

About this passage

Source
Lake, LCL 24:330 · Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 308–333 · Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 24, 1912); made independently of existing English translations.
Scripture
Topics
Church office

Notes

Translation notes

  • “Bishops” is plural: several in one community. How this office relates to that of presbyter in this early period is debated (see the glossary).
  • “Appoint” (χειροτονήσατε): literally “elect by raising hands.”

Cite this passage

Did. 15.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/didache/15/1/).

Plain text
Did. 15.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/didache/15/1/).

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