The Way of Life; the Way of Death

 Prior to the entrance of the Israelites into the Promised Land, Joshua stressed to them two ways: the way of life and the way of death -- and he gave them an ultimatum:  Choose Life or choose Death!

By the middle of the second century A.D, the Church had developed a kind of catechism for neophytes -- those seeking baptism into the Way.  The catechism was called the Didache, and it stressed again (like Joshua advising those seeking life in the Promised Land) that there are two ways of life -- the way of Life and the way of Death.  Some scholars believe that the Didache might have indicated the basic way of life for those seeking to enter the church.

Recently, I came across another first century document that echoes both Joshua's teaching and the Didache -- the Epistle of Barnabas.  Barnabas (mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as a companion to Paul on his journeys) died in 61 AD, according to legend.  Modern scholars maintain that he did not write this epistle, which early Christians attributed to Barnabas.  Nevertheless, the Epistle echoes much of very early Christian writing, describing the "two ways."

There are two ways of doctrine and authority, one of light, and the other of darkness. But these two ways differ greatly. For over one are stationed the light-bringing angels of God, but the angels of Satan are over the other.

This, then, is the way of light: Love God who created you. Glorify God who redeemed you from death. Be simple in heart and rich in spirit. Hate doing anything displeasing to God. Do not exalt yourself, but be of lowly mind. Do not forsake the commandments of the Lord. Love your neighbor more than your own soul. Do not slay the child by procuring an abortion, nor destroy it after it is born. Receive your trials as good things. Do not hesitate to give without complaint. Confess your sins. This is the way of light.

But the way of darkness is crooked and cursed, for it is the way of eternal death with punishment. In this way are the things that destroy the soul: idolatry, overconfidence, the arrogance of power, hypocrisy, doubleheartedness,adultry, rape, haughtiness, transgressions, deceit, malice, avarice, and absence of any fear of God. Also in this way are those who persecute the good, those who hate truth, those who do not attend to the widow and the orphan, those who do not pity the needy, those who murder children, those who oppress the afflicted and are in every respect transgressors.

Put this way, the choice is pretty clear -- choose life or choose death!  Maybe we should require all children and those adults coming into the church to memorize the Epistle of Barnabas!