The Way of Life (approbation)

In The Way of Life, Toby Janicki has authored a unique commentary on the Didache. Like the Didache itself, The Way of Life is written primarily for Messianic Gentiles and focuses on the practical application of Torah in their everyday lives. The Way of Life expounds the Didache’s instructions on how to demonstrate one’s love for Yeshua by keeping his commandments. The book is packed with precious gems selected from the recent surge in Didache studies as well as ancient Jewish sources and early Christian history, yet Janicki excels at making this academic material accessible for all practitioners of the faith. Moreover, the bulk of the book is commentary, much like a comprehensive study Bible. And Janicki looks beyond the Greek text of the Didache, relating key terms to the Hebrew words and concepts from which they were probably derived.

I found myself eagerly skipping ahead to problematic verses, seeking an explanation. What does water temperature matter for baptism? What is “the whole yoke of the Lord”? Why are some weekdays preferred to others for fasting? Why should believers offer ransom for their sins, since Yeshua has already done so? Why is the blessing for the wine given before that for the bread? What is “the day of the Lord”? Janicki has expertly provided answers to all these questions, and countless others, in The Way of Life.

I expect this book is going to reach many people who would never otherwise have read the Didache, and change their lives forever. I strongly recommend it for all Christians wanting a deeper grounding of their faith, and especially for Evangelicals pondering the Jewish Roots movement. Certainly every seminarian should read it. It’s also essential reading for informal churches in the developing world, where the instruction of Chapter 11 (on teachers, emissaries and prophets) is desperately needed to protect them from false apostles, teachers and prophets.

The Way of Life is beautifully formatted, with helpful navigational aids in the margins of the commentary sections. Each chapter has a convenient overview, a thoughtful section on practical application, and a detailed commentary.

(Published in Messiah Journal 127, 2017.)