Reading the Sermon on the Mount: Character Formation and Decision Making in Matthew 5-7
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In Reading the Sermon on the Mount, Charles H. Talbert explores the religious message put forth in the first large teaching section of the Gospel according to Matthew and finds it to have a relevance often overlooked in academic studies. Seeking to hear and understand the text of Matthew 5-7 as someone living in the Mediterranean about 100 c.e. would have encountered it, Talbert argues for a broader interpretation of the Sermon than scholars typically advance. He suggests that the Sermon cannot be reduced to a discussion of ethics but includes considerations of piety. He contends that it is a text about covenant fidelity to God and to other humans, in which Jesus seeks to affect perceptions, dispositions, and intentions. The text thus functions primarily as a catalyst for character formation rather than as a compendium of obligations. To prepare readers for a thorough examination of the Sermon, Talbert investigates Matthew s relation to Judaism and inquires into the composition of the audience who received Jesus charge. He also takes into account the order of Jesus discourse, the distinction between character formation and decision making, and the question of whether or not the Jesus who speaks in the Sermon is a legalist. In his reading of the text, Talbert attends to the six large units of thought in Matthew 5-7, exploring the relationship of each to possible concerns of character formation and decision making. Section by section, he analyzes form and content, comparing Jesus directives with similar statements in Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. Talbert concludes that only when the text is read in three contexts-the whole of Matthew, the whole of the New Testament, and the entire biblical plot-can the Sermon on the Mount make a contribution to decision making.
1The setting of the Sermon : what is Matthew's relation to Judaism?32The context of the Sermon : who speaks and to whom?103The structure of the Sermon : in what order does Jesus speak?214The functions of the Sermon : character formation and decision making275Is Matthew a legalist? : enablement of obedience in response to the Sermon326A portrait of disciples with promises and expectations : Matthew 5:3-16477The antitheses with their heading : Matthew 5:17-48598True piety : Matthew 6:1-181029God and possessions : Matthew 6:19-3412010Judging - condemnation and discernment : Matthew 7:1-1213111Exhortations, warnings, and closing : Matthew 7:13-27; 7:28-8:113812A precis : Matthew 4:18-8:1147
