Please read Matthew 5-7. Matthew's gospel shows well why Christians often ended up needing to defend themselves. Much ow what's here challenges "religio" of both the Jewish and gentile types. But there is also much here that might have tied nicely to some of the ideas of the philosophers. Cite examples of both challenges to traditional "religio" and philosophically attractive ideas from the Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of even the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Here, Jesus tells the Pharisees that even with all their extreme obedience to the law, they're STILL not good enough to get into Heaven. This challenges the religio of the Jews that benefits the Pharisees.
ReplyDeleteOne of the more philosophically attractive portions of the Sermon on the Mount is the "Ask, Seek, Knock" passage, Matthew 7:7-12. Jesus tells us that He will take care of us like a father takes care of his children. All we have to do is ask for something, and He will provide. That sounds appealing to pretty much anybody.
Claire DeMilia
As I read the passages others picked out, the challenges to religio at the time are starting to "Mount" up...pardon the pun...no not really. All three blog posts have shown a different way this sermon was radical for its time and would really ruffle some feathers.
DeleteI've always enjoyed the Beatitudes. Here, Jesus takes a very unconventional approach, giving blessings then teaching to the crowd. Also, the verse that Claire cited above (Matthew 7:7-12) challenge the religio because both the Pharisees/Sadducees were focused on works (Golden Rule, Good works, Stuff to be noticed and recognized by men) when Jesus specifically calls them out on it and then says all you need to do is rely on Him.
ReplyDeleteKent Johnsen
There’s no doubt that Matthew is a powerful book. The message is strong and straight forward. Lots of Red on these pages reinforces their importance. It was fun to look at the Sermon on the Mount in a more overarching, historical context rather than the more spiritual way. Doing this I found a couple things interesting, disturbing, and leaving me with more questions than answers. You don’t have to go far to see by this sermon is different with 8 blessings aright at the beginning. But how about these radical blessings, (Matt. 5:11) “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” And it doesn’t stop there, Turn the other cheek (Matt. 5-39) and Pray for your enemy (Matt. 5:44). These were radical new concept at the time, definitely challenging the religio of ancient times.
ReplyDeleteJesus challenges Jewish tradition of adultery and divorce in verse 27-32. Maybe a hint of the first Woman’s Lib., improving women’s rights/status…saying we need to treat them better that’s for sure.
A major challenge to the religio of the time was this transfer to “Secret” worship. I’m sure this had just as much root in the protection of early Christians as any other reason, but Jesus sure makes secrecy sound rewarding. No need to show off haw much money you donated, no need to pray the loudest, the most, or even in public. Do it in the closet. This would challenge the Pharisees, the political elite, the priest…the man, who thrive on image and persuasion.
This message appeals to Philosophers too. I found Matthew, Chpt. 6:25 appealing to the Greek thinkers. Paraphrasing but, don’t worry about food or clothes, not because they’re not important…you need those things to live…but what is Life? Isn’t it more than food and clothes? Philosophical for sure…but I’m not sure I’ve ever been that hungry either
In these chapters, I saw Jesus warning his followers not to give public displays of piety but to do so in secret. What is the purpose of that? I think the reason is that it prevents people from doing public good in order to win the support of the people but secret wickedness to obtain an advantage. Like politicians pushing one set of values to the public while performing secretly receiving campaign donations big businesses.
ReplyDeleteAlthough not in the assigned reading, one of the ironies I see in the Sermon on the Mount is the Lord’s Prayer. Jewish prayers are almost all based on the same formula such as this one for candle lighting on the Sabbath: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the lights of Shabbat.” The prayer begins with the blessing for the Lord, followed by the statement of sanctification, and then with the commandment being followed at the end. This standard formulation led to prayers said as rote memorization without conscious thought about the true meaning of the prayer. Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer as an example of how people should pray, without the ritual formulation but today recitation of that very prayer is a ritual where the people saying it do not even have to pay attention to the words.
Jerry Taylor
In Matthew 7:28-29 Jesus is preaching about the fact that his words are law and that the laws that are preached in those days where not the same as his. This idea of Challange really didn't sit well with the rabbis during those times because they follow the words of Moses. They don't believe that Jesus the son of God has the authority but rather the books and scrolls they follow are the words that we as people need to believe in. This is one way that the word of God is challenge by different religious groups such as Judaism.
ReplyDeleteJewish religion goes hand and hand almost to Christian ideals. The main philosophical difference to me even though it's not referenced much in the book of Matthew is the idea of Law. In the book Christians has a set of rules similar to Jews with the 10 commandments that they were given by Moses. In Matthew 5:20 he warns the people "But I warn you unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious laws and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This idea or warning really didn't strike a favor with the religious leaders of those times which where the early teachings of the Jewish faith. You can see why the ideologies as well as philosophies of both religions Jewish faith and Christianity are similar but are different in many ways.
One of the things that I noticed in the Sermon on the Mount that seems to challenge the traditional religion is in Matthew 5:29-30. "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members then that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." This challenges it because before this, adultery, lust, and sexual immorality was something that was looked down upon, but never something that somebody would have to lose one of their bodily members over. This most likely would have driven people away from the faith rather than to it, since it was saying that if you should commit self mutilation if you sin.
ReplyDeleteSomething that is philosophically attractive in the sermon on the mount is written in Matthew 6:2-4. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, so not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." This would help people to understand that they can give to people in need, but they need not flaunt it and that they will receive rewards from God the Father in heaven. This also could mean that they can give to the needy and feel good about it, but don't make a big scene over it.
This blog post is particularly intriguing, combining philosophers' thinking with the Sermon on the Mount. So, I would Like to point to the message held within the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. There is a philosopher I would particularly like to point to concerning philosophical reason, but I would like to show where he was wrong in his reasoning. The philosopher I would like to use is Aristotle because he used justification as to what type of life is most beneficial to the mortal man.
ReplyDeleteThe beatitudes can be seen in many ways, but essentially they were shot at the leaders of the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders would have been seen as the pinnacle of spiritual life as a follower of God. However, they would all have had one very similar thing: many were well off. They had connections that eased their struggles, which would have placed them in the upper class, at least among Jewish believers. In contrast, all other Jews would have been among the lowest low for citizens.
This is where I would like to bring in Aristotle, as he believed most strongly in a solid middle class. The middle was best, and the farther toward wealth or poverty an individual traveled, the more despicable they became. This is, in contrast, definitely to what Jesus speaks about in the Beatitudes, saying the worst off are those who have the most blessings to receive. These messages were close because Aristotle and Jesus desired to bring the same news: truth; they came close in delivery. However, here is the separator man, Aristotle stopped at a place of comfort in the middle. While God Jesus went all the way knowing the truth, those worse off have the most to gain. Both men's messages, while quite different in retrospect, served the same purpose: the fact that blessings in life in abundance lead to the deprivation of one's inner life.
Tanner Simon