The Didache is an important early Christian text, but it remains unknown to the wider contemporary Christian world because it falls outside the confines of the canonical writings of the New Testament. Countering this relative neglect is O'Loughlin's chief purpose in writing this new introduction to the Didache. The book consists of a short introduction, eight chapters covering various aspects of the text, an English translation of the Didache (pp. 161–71), a helpful bibliography of further reading, and the usual indices. The text is written without footnotes, no doubt to make it as user-friendly as possible for its intended general readership. The first chapter relates the circumstances that led to the discovery and publication of the Didache. O'Loughlin writes in an engaging style telling his readers about initial reactions to the published text. He states that Roman Catholics and extreme Protestants alike found the text ‘repulsive’: the former group because of its somewhat maverick (at least as judged by contemporary ecclesial standards) eucharist-type meal, and the latter because the text promoted fasting on fixed days (pp. 8–9). Here it would have been helpful to have had the sources of information for these reactions documented so that readers could judge how widespread they were. O'Loughlin asks why the Didache disappeared. He gives two answers. First, he states, its survival shows that it never really disappeared. Second, and perhaps more important, he argues that the Didache can be likened to a training manual in a ring-binder, to which supplements and additions can be made. Thus, the Didache became updated and embedded in the larger text known as the Apostolic constitutions (pp. 19–23). In relation to the vexed issue of dating the text, O'Loughlin holds to a first century date but states that he is less concerned whether this is around the middle of the century or towards the end. However, his preference for the earlier dating comes to the fore a little later in the discussion. He states, ‘[i]n all probability a version of the Didache was being committed to memory by groups of followers of Jesus by the middle of the first century’ (p. 26). It might have been helpful to inform readers of the level of ongoing disagreement surrounding the dating of this text, with some scholars suggesting an early second-century date. Chapter ii examines one of the key ideas contained in the Didache, its ‘Two Ways’ teaching. Here O'Loughlin admirably traces the antecedents to such a model, arguing that it emerged ‘as a reworking of the Deuteronomistic covenant’ (p. 44). Next, the process of initiation into the group through the ritual of baptism is discussed in some detail. One key insight is the emphasis in the Didache on practice, rather than explaining the significance of the ritual being performed (p. 53). The next two chapters describe the corporate life of the community that adhered to the Didache as its core instructional text. In the first of these chapters, the regular pietistic practices of prayer and fasting are examined. Here connections are made with contemporary religious fasts and festivals of which modern readers may be better aware (p. 69). Also the version of the Lord's Prayer contained in the Didache is closely analysed to show the various developments that occurred with that tradition (pp. 76–80). The chapter on ‘meeting and eating’ emphasises the way in which the community was constructed around shared intimate activities. In chapter vi the emergence of hierarchical structures within early Christianity is discussed via the insights provided by the Didache. Here positive and negative aspects are detected, such as establishing networks of communities and authorising certain teachers on the one hand, while simultaneously testing the authenticity of itinerant charismatic prophets on the other. The eschatological hopes of the community are the subject of chapter vii, and here O'Loughlin notes the sense of expectancy that pervades the Didache, which still portrays a very real belief in Christ's return (Didache 16.8). The final chapter explores the ongoing relevance of the text within contemporary Christianity. As O'Loughlin makes clear, this book is aimed at the general Christian reader who, perhaps, has never previously heard of the Didache. For this reason he repeatedly emphasises the text's relevance, not only for understanding the historical development of Christianity, but also in ways that might inform contemporary ecclesial practice. The great achievement of this book is the way in which it communicates much academic research in a readily readable way. In truth, there is little here for the specialist, but that is not the point of the book. One could debate whether O'Loughlin has represented contested issues surrounding the text in sufficiently nuanced terms, but to do so might rob the book of its appeal. This treatment strives to make the ideas contained in the Didache accessible to a much larger readership, and there can be little doubt that the author has achieved his goal.