The Didache attracted an avalanche of interest when it was first published in 1883. The rudimentary tools of textual study available at the time, however, meant that there was little appreciation of the complexity of the text. Some scholars, such as Sabatier (1885), thought it might date from as early as AD 50, while others were confident that it showed knowledge of Matthew's Gospel, and so must be dated after AD 80, at the earliest.

As work on the Didache progressed its chameleon-like ability to appear both early and late continued to create confusion. At present scholars are still divided over the date and significance of the Didache. However, over the past few years there has seen a steady movement in favour of the idea that the Didache contains some extremely ancient material.

Almost all scholars agree that the Didache is a 'composite' document, in other words that it is made up of a patch-work of contributions. This is what has made it so hard to date the text. The Gospel of Matthew's Dependence on the Didache makes a detailed attempt to peel back the Didache's layers of construction. It was this process that led to the discovery of a particularly intriguing text - the base layer of the Didache.