Sermon on the Mount

thumb|Sermon on the Mount, an 1877 painting by [[Carl Bloch]]

The Sermon on the Mount (translated from Vulgate Latin section title ) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew that summarizes his moral teachings. It is the first of five discourses in the Gospel and has been one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels.

Background and setting

The Sermon on the Mount is placed relatively early in Matthew's portrayal of Jesus's ministry—following, in chapter 3, his baptism by John and, in chapter 4, his sojourn and temptation in the desert, his call of four disciples, and his early preaching in Galilee.

The five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew are: the Sermon on the Mount (5–7), the discourse on discipleship (10), the discourse of parables (13), the discourse on the community of faith (18), and the discourse on future events (24–25). Also, like all the other "discourses", this one has Matthew's concluding statement (7:28–29) that distinguishes it from the material that follows. For similar statements at the end of the other discourses, see 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1.

Traditionally, the Mount of Beatitudes has been commemorated by Christians as the physical site at which the sermon took place. Other locations, such as Mount Arbel and the Horns of Hattin, have also been suggested as possibilities.

This sermon is one of the most widely quoted sections of the canonical gospels, He comes down from the mountain in Matthew 8:1. In several theological and biblical traditions, the Sermon on the Mount is regarded as the New Testament counterpart to the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, which, according to tradition, was revealed by God in the presence of the entire Israelite people. Both events occur on a mountain, emphasizing their significance as moments of direct encounter between God and his people. Frederic Godet described the location of Jesus' teaching as "the mount where Jesus speaks is as the Sinai of the new covenant." Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament use the history of Israelites to frame the ways in which God revealed his will to humanity, particularly through the prophets.

Components

thumb|A 1500 illuminated manuscript in [[Vienna, Austria, featuring the Lord's Prayer]]

Although the issues of Matthew's compositional plan for the Sermon on the Mount remain unresolved among scholars, its structural components are clear.

Matthew 5:3–12 includes the Beatitudes. These describe the character of the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, expressed as "blessings". for an example). In Matthew, there are eight (or nine) blessings, while in Luke there are four, followed by four woes.

In almost all cases, the phrases used in the Beatitudes are familiar from an Old Testament context, but in the sermon Jesus gives them new meaning.

In Christian teachings, the Works of Mercy, which have corporal and spiritual components, have resonated with the theme of the Beatitude for mercy. These teachings emphasize that these acts of mercy provide both temporal and spiritual benefits.

Matthew 5:13–16 presents the metaphors of salt and light. This completes the profile of God's people presented in the Beatitudes and acts as the introduction to the next section.

There are two parts in this section, using the terms "salt of the earth" and Light of the World to refer to the disciples implying their value. Elsewhere, in John 8:12, Jesus applies 'Light of the World' to himself.

Jesus preaches about Hell and what Hell is like: "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother Raca (fool)' shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

thumb|A fragment of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew chapter 1, from Papyrus 1, ]]

The longest section of the Sermon is Matthew 5:17–48, traditionally referred to as "the Antitheses" or "Matthew's Antitheses". In the section, Jesus fulfils and reinterprets the Old Covenant and in particular its Ten Commandments, contrasting with what "you have heard" from others. For example, he advises turning the other cheek, and to love one's enemies, in contrast to taking an eye for an eye. According to most interpretations of Matthew 5:17, 18, 19, and 20, and most Christian views of the Old Covenant, these new interpretations of the Law and Prophets are not opposed to the Old Testament, which was the position of Marcion, but form Jesus's new teachings which bring about salvation, and hence must be adhered to, as emphasized in Matthew 7:24–27 towards the end of the sermon.

In Matthew 6, Jesus condemns doing what would normally be "good works" simply for recognition and not from the heart, such as those of alms (6:1–4), prayer (6:5–15), and fasting (6:16–18). The discourse goes on to condemn the superficiality of materialism and calls the disciples not to worry about material needs or fret about the future, but to "seek" God's kingdom first. Within the discourse on ostentation, Matthew presents an example of correct prayer. Luke places this in a different context. The Lord's Prayer (6:9–13) contains parallels to 1 Chronicles 29:10–18.

The first part of Matthew 7 (Matthew 7:1–6) deals with judging. Jesus condemns those who judge others without first sorting out their own affairs on the matter: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Jesus concludes the sermon in Matthew 7:17–29 by warning against false prophets.

Teachings and theology

thumb|A plaque of the eight [[Beatitudes at St. Cajetan Church in Mexico City, Mexico]]

The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount have been a key element of Christian ethics, and for centuries the sermon has acted as a fundamental recipe for the conduct of the followers of Jesus. Various religious and moral thinkers (e.g. Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi) have admired its message, and its teachings were a major component of the nonviolent 1954-1968 American civil rights movement and one of the main sources of Christian pacifism.

In the 5th century, Saint Augustine began his book Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount by stating:

The last verse of chapter 5 of Matthew (Matthew 5:48) is a focal point of the Sermon that summarizes its teachings by advising the disciples to seek perfection. The Greek word used to refer to perfection also implies an end, or destination, advising the disciples to seek the path towards perfection and the Kingdom of God.

The teachings of the sermon are often referred to as the "Ethics of the Kingdom": they place a high level of emphasis on "purity of the heart" and embody the basic standard of Christian righteousness.

Theological structure

The theological structure of the Sermon on the Mount is widely discussed. One group of theologians ranging from Saint Augustine in the 5th century to Michael Goulder in the 20th century, see the Beatitudes as the central element of the Sermon. Jack Kingsbury and Hans Dieter Betz see the sermon as composed of theological themes, e.g. righteousness or way of life.

==Interpretation==

thumb|The Sermon of the Mount depicted by [[Louis Comfort Tiffany in a stained glass window at Arlington Street Church in Boston]]

A central debate over the sermon is how literally its high ethical standards are meant to be applied to everyday life. Almost all Christian groups have developed non-literal ways to interpret and apply the sermon. North American Biblical scholar Craig S. Keener finds at least 36 different interpretations. Biblical scholar Harvey K. McArthur lists 12 basic schools of thought:

The Absolutist View interprets the Sermon on the Mount as conveying an unambiguous message regarding moral perfection and enduring persecution. For instance, Anabaptists claim to adhere to a literal interpretation, directly applying the sermon's teachings to their lives.
Other Christians have addressed the issue by Modifying the Text of the sermon. In antiquity, this modification was sometimes achieved through the alteration of the text itself to render it more acceptable. For example, some early scribes altered , changing the phrase "whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment" to the softened, "whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." Similarly, the phrase "Love your enemies" was changed to "Pray for your enemies," among other revisions.
The Hyperbole View asserts that certain statements in the sermon are to be understood as exaggerations. A prominent example is , where believers are commanded to gouge out their eyes and cut off their hands if these body parts lead them to sin. However, there is some debate regarding which parts of the sermon should be interpreted figuratively.
The Two Realms View, associated with the theology of Martin Luther, separates the world into the religious and secular realms. According to this perspective, the sermon applies exclusively to the spiritual realm. In the secular world, individuals' obligations to family, employers, and society may require compromises. For instance, a judge may be compelled to sentence a criminal to death, but inwardly, he should grieve for the criminal's fate.
The Analogy of Scripture View suggests that the more stringent precepts of the sermon are moderated by other parts of the New Testament. For instance, both the Old and New Testaments hold that all people sin, so the command to "be perfect" cannot be taken literally, and even Jesus himself did not always obey the command to refrain from being angry with one's brother.
The notion of Attitudes not Acts asserts that, while complete adherence to the Sermon on the Mount is unattainable, the focus should be placed on one's internal attitude rather than external actions.
The Interim Ethic View holds that Jesus was convinced the world would end imminently, thus rendering material well-being irrelevant. In this view, survival in the world did not matter, as the end times would render earthly concerns obsolete. Although it was known earlier, Albert Schweitzer is particularly associated with popularizing this view.

References

Footnotes

Sources

Kissinger, Warren S. The Sermon on the Mount: A History of Interpretation and Bibliography. Metuchen: Scarecrow Press, 1975.
Kodjak, Andrej. A Structural Analysis of the Sermon on the Mount. New York: M. de Gruyter, 1986.
Lapide, Pinchas. The Sermon on the Mount, Utopia or Program for Action? translated from the German by Arlene Swidler. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1986.
Lambrecht, Jan, S.J. The Sermon on the Mount. Michael Glazier: Wilmington, DE, 1985.
McArthur, Harvey King. Understanding the Sermon on the Mount. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1978.
Prabhavananda, Swami Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta 1991
Easwaran Eknath. Original Goodness (on Beatitudes). Nilgiri Press, 1989. .
Stassen, Glen H., and David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context, InterVarsity Press, 2003. .
Stassen, Glen H. Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance, Jossey-Bass, 2006. .
Stevenson, Kenneth. The Lord's prayer: a text in tradition, Fortress Press, 2004. .
Soares de Azevedo, Mateus. Esoterism and Exoterism in the Sermon of the Mount. Sophia journal, Oakton, VA, USA. Vol. 15, Number 1, Summer 2009.
Soares de Azevedo, Mateus. Christianity and the Perennial Philosophy, World Wisdom, 2006. .

External links

The Sermon on the Mount Site: Extensive range of Sermon on the Mount related resource
Listen "Blessed are those who mourn" commentary
The Sermon on the Mount as depicted by Claude Lorrain at the Frick Collection in New York City
Read Christ Teaching the Beatitudes in the Americas in The Book of Mormon