The Didache [or Teachings of the Apostles] is a very early piece of writing on life in the first century church - before the form and structure of the church was fixed. There were travelling prophets or apostles, itinerant preachers who wandered from place to place. Kind of like evangelists or missionaries. The didache pulls no punches: "If he asks for money, he is a false prophet. . . [and] if a prophet teaches the truth but does not practise what he teaches, he is a false prophet." This would pretty much put an end to the whole american televangelist thing right on the spot, wouldn't it?
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