All through history, the Christian Church has condemned abortion – the killing of human infants while in the womb. From the Didache, being one of the most important patristic readings of the Apostolic period, in which was cited by several early Church fathers as early as 70 AD, it was used as an important guidance of early Christians. The Didache says, in accordance to Scripture, the following:
“[D]o not abort a foetus or kill a child that is born.” – Loeb Edition of the Apostolic Fathers (also translated as, “Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten.”).
The apologies of the 2nd century give a clear, consistent picture of early Christianity. In Athenagoras' “A Plea for the Christians” written in 177 AD states:
“[W]e say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion.”
Another source written by Tertullian in 197 AD called – “Apologeticum” wrote:
“Murder being once for all forbidden, we [Christians] may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, . . .”
From the above, I draw my sincerely held Christian belief that abortion is murder. Not only this, my sincere belief is that it is a form of child sacrifice and sorcery ('pharmakeia'). In the Didache, which dates earlier than the Book of Revelations, the order of this commandment is written:
“You shall not practice magic; you shall not use sorcery; you shall not kill a child by abortion,”
So, it can be seen that abortion is not really about a woman's right to choose. She has been deceived and is being made part of the child sacrifice. The murdered child's corpse is then used for magic and sorcery.
This was interesting
The Didache is considered one of the books of the Apochrypha. The word 'Didache' in Greek means 'instruction' or 'doctrine' which has been taught'. It thus conveys Christ's last directive to Matthew (28:18-20).
The Didache is an instruction based on the sayings of Jesus and passed on by the 12 Apostles to potential converts to Christianity. Thus, it is not a manual for the use of bishops and deacons, but addressed to the people.
There's more guidance in the Didache, but for the life of me why it was excluded from the Bible is hard to say. The genuineness of the the Didache can hardly be doubted. It was cited by Clement of Alexandria in his "First Stroma" by Eusebius, who speaks of it in his "History Eccl.", 3:25; and by Athanasius in his 39th "Festal Epistle". Though mentioned in these Apocryphal books of the New Testament, the Didache had not , since the time of Nicephorus in the 9th century AD, been known or quoted. It was found in the library of the Holy Sepulcher at Istanbul (Constantinople) in 1873. All chronological evidence indicates the Didache was compiled at a date as early as 70 AD, while most critics place it about 80-90 AD. This would mean it is as old or older than the Book of Revelations and the Letters of the Apostle John.
It's an amazing book that's short and concise.
Well apparently my Complete Apochrypha is not complete, I've never heard of this before. Thank you very much.