Those Who Heard It First

This book will argue that, in the Sermon on the Mount, a very Jewish Jesus - a mantrue to the religio-political views of his day - reaffirms a Jewish ethical form of non-violentresistance. The most important evidence available is the Gospel of Matthew itself, Jewishethical writings such as Pirkei Avot, other Mishna writings, and writings on the lex talionis. The evidence points to an audience that would have perceived Jesus as teaching non-violencein a context of resistance rather than completely passive submission. That this is the mostplausible interpretation is evident from a comparison of the Gospel account with the oral law. The evidence will demonstrate how Jewish political ideologies regarding peace had opposedthe Roman Empire since the fall of the Hasmonean Dynasty and had fostered a climate ofpolitical discontent. This discontent reflected the resolution of the Jewish people to overcometheir oppression. However, some such as Bar Kochba and Judas Maccabee fought forpolitical liberation of the people, while others, as seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls, capitulatedand created eschatological stories to cope with an oppressive political regime. The mitzvothof the listeners reflect the ethical and political ideologies of those who listened to the Sermon. Often commentaries depict Jesus as not being politically orientated -neither for nor againsteither Rome or the Jewish temple leadership. In contrast, this dissertation argues that Jesusutilizes Jewish ethical and intellectual thought to influence the political ideology of thosewho heard him speak. The overall finding of this dissertation will be that the writer ofMatthew depicts a Jesus who, in style, form, and content, builds on a Jewish ethicalfoundation to promote non-violent assertion of equality and human dignity in the widelyknown and oft-cited Sermon on the Mount