New Testament
Zoe Qesko
Preface In Christianity, the Beatitudes (anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate, a late 4thcentury Latin translation of the Bible, title: Beatitudines) are a set of teachings by Jesus Christ, that appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful. The teachings are expressed as eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount 1 in Matthew. Four similar blessings appear in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke and are followed by four woes that mirror the blessings.
James Tissot, the Beatitudes, Brooklyn Museum , ca 1890
Each Beatitude consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. In almost all cases the phrases used are familiar from an Old Testament context, but in the sermon Jesus elevates them to new teachings.[
Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of Christian ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction. They offer a way of life that promises eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven. They echo the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus on mercy; spirituality and compassion. On the occasion of Easter, which is coming soon, we, the pupils check back in the Bible and the Sermon on the Mount to contemplate the relationship between the articles of the Declaration of Human Rights and the Beatitudes. Let’s have a look at the next pages… The conclusion is up to you… by Zoe Qesko, B2, Lyceum «Miltos KOUNTOURAS», Athens, Greece April 2012 Comenius project: Human Rights in Europe 1
Sermon on the Mount: The Sermon is the longest piece of teaching of Jesus in the New Testament, and has been one of the most widely quoted elements of the Canonical Gospels. It includes some of the best known teachings of Jesus such as the Beatitudes, and the widely recited Lord's Prayer. To most believers in Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount in 33 A.D., contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship. The Mount is the Mt. Tabor or some other high mountain of Galilee. The mountain is located above Tabcha- 175M higher than the Sea of Galilee (Lake of Gennesaret), yet 35M under the Mediterranean Sea level.
Resources Catholic Encyclopaedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02369a.htm Free encyclopaedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatitudes Bible: Matthew 5:3-11: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible_%28American_Standard%29/Matthew#5:3 The Gospel of Matthew: http://biblescripture.net/Matthew.html Κατά Ματθαίον Ε’: http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/cpgid/3e58f8911f1242c39a0650ea576b6a99/cmspage.aspx ΤO ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ: http://nikolaos.6te.net/pdf/to_kata_mathaion_evangelio.pdf Μυριόβιβλος: http://www.myriobiblos.gr/bible/nt2/matthew/5.asp
Special thanks to my English teacher Mrs Stavriana Soubassi for her precious help.
The Sermon on the Mount by Carl Heinrich Bloch
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5 2
1
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: 2 and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying 3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
Poverty & Wealth-William Powell 4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”
Misery- Hieronymus Bosch 2
The Lord, Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount
5
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth"
La Comumnia Di Apelle - Botticelli
6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled”
Cain & Abel - Mark Adams
7
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”
The Merciful - Unknown Artist
8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
Blessed are the pure in heart-William Hallmark
9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God”
«Blessed are the peacemakers»-Unknown Artist
10
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
Out of Darkness - Jani Freiman
11
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me”
Jesus talks - Unknown Artist 12
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”
Jesus - Unknown Artist ………………………
Appendix The Gospel of Matthew is the opening book of the New Testament of the Bible, and the first of the Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The Gospel of St. Matthew is one of the most quoted books of the Bible. Noted especially for Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Chapters 5-7, Matthew is the source of the Beatitudes (5:3-12) and the Lord's Prayer, the Our Father (6:9-13). Jesus states the Golden Rule in the Sermon on the Mount (7:12). The Gospel of Matthew is especially important for it is one of the two Gospels originally written by an Apostle (the other being the Gospel of John). The Gospel of Matthew was possibly written in Antioch, an early home of Christianity. Indeed the followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Matthew's Gospel is directed to an audience steeped in Hebrew tradition. The Gospel of Matthew stressed that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament, and that the Kingdom of the Messiah is the Kingdom of Heaven.