Didache 16.5: Κατάθɛμα, a Saving Grace?

Abstract: This article discusses various interpretations of the well-known crux interpretum , κατάθɛμα, in Didache 16.5, which allows that the faithful will be saved by an agent, ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ τοῦ καταθέματος. The scholarly consensus is κατάθɛμα is a saving “curse” or an “accursed,” although consensus breaks down on the question of what the exact referent is for the soteriological curse. I suggest, in the alternative, that κατάθɛμα in the phrase refers to an endowment, a metaphorical “deposit,” as a morphologically motivated transparent derivation from the verb κατατίθημι. It is not a saving curse but a soteriological endowment embodied in the Didache follower. After examining the interpretations advanced to date, the only secular use of the word is investigated, and literature contemporary to the Didache is reviewed to determine if the concept of a salvational endowment is available in the cultural heritage. Salvation elsewhere in the Didache text is scrutinized to determine whether a soteriologically effective endowment would be in keeping with the overall rhetorical thrust of the text. The entire chapter is canvassed, and the proposed alternative interpretations are tested to see if they are plausible and compelling in the context of the chapter and the verse and to examine which interpretation of the crux is satisfying overall.