The brand new, very old Didache

Didache. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (translation Roberts-Donaldson).:


The Didache is a short manual of Christian practice from the first century (or possibly the second). It is still of significance because it gives us important clues about the continuity of what we do and say in our times with what early Christians did and said. Christians back then had many of the same moral concerns as we do now:

You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.   (Ch. 2)


They recognized, perhaps more clearly than we do today, the problems associated with money-grubbing false teachers:
Let every apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord. But he shall not remain more than one day; or two days, if there's a need. But if he remains three days, he is a false prophet. And when the apostle goes away, let him take nothing but bread until he lodges. If he asks for money, he is a false prophet.  (Ch. 11)

Read the whole thing, for it is a window into the past with some lessons for the present--things actually have not changed a great deal. In particular, present-day charismatics could learn a thing or two from the Didache's hard-nosed attitude toward impostors and false teachers.

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