Sophia Scriptura

Didache 7.3

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

Pseudonymous: Its title presents it as 'the teaching of the Lord through the twelve apostles'; it was compiled by unknown authors from earlier material. It was rediscovered in 1873 in a manuscript of 1056 (Codex Hierosolymitanus) and published in 1883.

Summary: If there is not enough water, pour water on the head three times.

Greek text · Lake, LCL 24:320

ἐὰν δὲ ἀμφότερα μὴ ἔχῃς, ἔκχεον εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν τρὶς ὕδωρ εἰς ὄνομα πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος.

English · Claude translation

If you have neither, pour water on the head three times in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

About this passage

Source
Lake, LCL 24:320 · 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
Text
As printed in Lake, LCL 24. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
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.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7 (1886) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Baptism, Trinity

Notes

Translation notes

  • The earliest Christian text to allow baptism by pouring.

Cite this passage

Did. 7.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/didache/7/3/).

Plain text
Did. 7.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/didache/7/3/).

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