This book is subtitled: 'believing and practising the primitive Christianity of the ancient Didache community'. The Didache (DID-ah-kay, meaning 'teaching') was possibly written around the same time as the synoptic gospels, and the short document contains a fascinating insight into the practices of a very early group of Christians. The book includes the whole text of the Didache, as well as some historical background to the document, commentary and some modern day application illustrated by a group called the Cymbrogi who are trying to live out the teachings of the Didache, which is very similar in parts to the Sermon on the Mount.
The Didache contains four sections, in Jones' words: Training in the way of life (preparing converts for baptism); The Rhythms of community life (guidance on eating, fasting, baptising, praying and Eucharist); Visitors welcome (how to treat visiting preachers); The end is nigh (the apocalyptic bit!). If you're into early church history and practice, this is just great stuff, fascinating to compare it to the biblical writings and to imagine how this group lived and thought, perhaps never having seen any of Paul's letters or John's gospel, just working out how to follow Jesus in a world containing people who had seen him and touched him!
Well worth a read.
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