The Didache doesn't set out to present a portrait of Jesus - it is simply a statement of the essentials of the Jesus movement as understood by his early followers.

The Didache does contribute to our understanding of Jesus, however, inasmuch as it records sayings of Jesus that appear to predate some of those we find in the Gospels. It is also interesting to note what his early followers thought was essential information for the new Gentile converts.

We are familiar with Jesus as re-interpreter of the Law from Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. The Didache takes this emphasis to a new level. The great bulk of the base layer of the Didache is taken up with teaching on the Law - what it means to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. The level of self-sacrifice demanded is even higher here than in the Gospels.

We also know of Jesus as 'Prophet of the End' from the Gospels. Scholars have been unsure, however, as to how much a feature of Jesus' teaching this really formed. Didache 16 shows signs of extreme antiquity and it is all about the course to be taken before the Final Judgement. Strikingly, this passage suggests that only those who persevere in their faith during the final persecution (the 'curse' mentioned in 16.5), will be saved.