Early Christian Views on the Sermon on the Mount

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching

...f her destitution. And because He brought all things to bear on the training of the soul, He said, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," Matthew 5:5. And the meek are those who have quelled the battle of unbelief in the soul, the battle of wrath, and lust, and the other forms subject to them. And He praises those meek by choice, not by necessity. For with the Lord there are both rewards and many mansions, corresponding to people's lives. "Whoever shall receive," He says, "a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and whoever shall receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward; and whoever shall receive one of the least of these my disciples, shall not lose his reward," Matthew 10:41-42. And again, He showed the differences of virtue according to merit, and the noble rewards, by the hours unequal in number. In addition, by the equal reward given to each of the laborers, that is, salvation, which is meant by the penny, He showed the equality of justice. And He hinted at the difference of those called by those who worked for unequal lengths of time. Therefore they shall work according t

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...an” means both the living person and the painted image. Some are named from analogy, as the foot of Mount Ida and our foot, because both are underneath. Some are named from action, as the foot of a vessel, by which the vessel sails, and our foot, by which we move. Equivocal terms are also named from the same source and for the same thing. For example, a book and a scalpel are both called surgical, both from the surgeon who uses them and in relation to the surgical matter itself.

Ignatius, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians (Long Version) Direct teaching

...eadfast in the faith. Conquer their harsh temper with gentleness, their passion with meekness. For “blessed are the meek;” and Moses was meek above all men; and David was exceedingly meek. Therefore, Paul exhorts as follows: “The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle towards all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves.” Do not seek to avenge yourselves on those who injure you, for says [the Scripture], “If I have returned evil to those who returned evil to me.” Let us make them brethren by our kindness. For say to those who hate you, You are our brethren, that the name of the Lord may be glorified. And let us imitate the Lord, “who, when He was reviled, reviled not again;” when He was crucified, He answered not; “when He suffered, He threatened not;” but prayed for His enemies, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” If anyone, the more he is injured, displays more patience, blessed is he. If anyone is defrauded, if anyone is despised, for the name of the Lord, he truly is the servant of Christ. Take heed that no plant of the devil is found among you, for such a plant is bitter and salty. “Watch, and be sober,” in

Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas Supporting witness

...ly lost it, even after Moses had received it. For the Scripture says, “And Moses was fasting on the mountain forty days and forty nights, and received the covenant from the Lord, stone tablets written with the finger of the Lord;” but by turning to idols, they lost it. For the Lord said to Moses: “Moses, go down quickly; for the people you brought out of Egypt have transgressed.” And Moses understood, and threw the two tablets from his hands; and their covenant was broken, so that the covenant of the beloved Jesus might be sealed upon our hearts, in the hope that comes from believing in Him. Now, wishing to write many things to you, not as your teacher, but out of love, I have taken care not to fail to write to you from what I possess, for your purification. We must be careful in these last days; for the entire past time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also resist coming sources of danger, as befits the children of God. To prevent the Black One from entering, let us flee from every vanity, let us completely hate the works of wickedness. Do not live a solitary life, as if already justified; but gathering together, seek what benefits everyo

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness

as also the Lord declares, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth by inheritance;” as if in the [future] kingdom, the earth, from whence exists the substance of our flesh, is to be possessed by inheritance.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

“And if any one,” He says, “shall compel thee [to go] a mile, go with him twain;” so that thou mayest not follow him as a slave, but may as a free man go before him, showing thyself in all things kindly disposed and useful to thy neighbour, not regarding their evil intentions, but performing thy kind offices, assimilating thyself to the Father, “who maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and unjust.” Now all these [precepts], as I have already observed, were not [the injunctions] of one doing away with the law, but of one fulfilling, extending, and widening it among us;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

Isaiah 66:2 In like manner it is in the Gospel also: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

And because He brought all things to bear on the discipline of the soul, He said, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness

For God is true and faithful; and on this account He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

for all these things lead to blasphemy. But be meek, as were Moses and David, since the meek shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness

Matthew 5:5 Be long-suffering and pitiful and guileless and gentle and good and always trembling at the words which you have heard.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

29 Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the humble: for they shall inherit the earth.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...d quiet, and always trembles at my words?" Isaiah 66:2. In the same way, it is also in the Gospel: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5. Let him also be merciful, for again it is said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7. Let him also be a peacemaker, for again it is said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." Let him also be one with a good conscience, purified from all evil, wickedness, and unrighteousness. For it is said again: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...cious, hard-hearted, hot-tempered, or mean-spirited, for all these things lead to blasphemy. But be meek, as Moses and David were, since the meek shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness

... the worship of idols, rejecting the food that consisted of dead bodies. For truly the house of the living God ought to be pure from idols. Again, Moses also forbids eating the hare. For the hare mates at all times, and leaps, with the female sitting there, attacking her from behind. For it is one of the animals that leap on from behind. It conceives every month, and it conceives again while already pregnant. It mates and gives birth. And after it has given birth, it is at once mounted by any hare whatever, for it is not content with one mating, and it conceives again while still nursing. For it has a womb with two chambers, and not only one empty chamber of the womb. It has enough room to receive intercourse, for whatever is empty desires to be filled. But it happens that while they are carrying young, one part of the womb is seized by desire and rages with lust. Therefore they have repeated conceptions. So this prohibition urges us to abstain from violent desires, and mutual sexual encounters, and intercourse with pregnant women, and relations in turn one after another, and the corruption of boys, and adultery, and lust. For this reason Moses also openly, and not through riddl

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Background

Matthew 7:6 Now it is manifest that these things were said to the disciples from that which is prefixed to His words, And seeing the multitudes He went up into the mountain, and when He had sat down His disciples came unto Him;

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Background

... poets are true, but they are covered over with an outward veil and appearance. It is possible that Mount Olympus gave the poets the idea for saying that Jupiter gained the kingdom of heaven, because Olympus is the common name for both the mountain and heaven. But the same history tells us that Jupiter lived on Mount Olympus when it says, "At that time Jupiter spent most of his life on Mount Olympus; and people used to go to him there for the administration of justice, if any matters were disputed. Moreover, if anyone had discovered some new invention that might be useful for human life, he would come there and show it to Jupiter." The poets transfer many things in this way, not because they want to speak falsely against the objects of their worship, but so that by using figures of many colors they may add beauty and grace to their poems. But those who do not understand the way, or the reason, or the nature of what is presented in figure attack the poets as false and sacrilegious. Even the philosophers were deceived by this error. Because these things said about Jupiter seemed unfitting for the character of a god, they introduced two Jupiters, one natural and the other fabulous.

Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness

.... Just as the fires of thunderbolts strike bodies and do not consume them, and just as the fires of Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius, and burning lands everywhere, glow but are not used up, so that fire of punishment is not fed by the wasting away of those who burn, but is nourished by the unexhausted eating away of their bodies. But that those who do not know God are deservedly tormented as impious and unrighteous people, no one except a profane man hesitates to believe. For it is no less wicked to be ignorant of the Parent of all and the Lord of all than to offend Him. And although ignorance of God is enough for punishment, just as knowledge of Him is useful for pardon, yet if we Christians are compared with you, although in some things our discipline is inferior, we will still be found much better than you. For you forbid adulteries, and yet commit them. We are born as men only for our own wives. You punish crimes when they are committed. With us, even to think of crimes is to sin. You are afraid of those who know what you do. We are afraid even of our conscience alone, without which we cannot exist. Finally, your great numbers make the prison boil over, but there is no Christia

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

...an obstinate refusal to offer sacrifices, he found in their religious services nothing but meetings early in the morning for singing hymns to Christ and God, and sealing their way of life by a united pledge to remain faithful to their religion, forbidding murder, adultery, dishonesty, and other crimes. In reply, Trajan wrote back that Christians were by no means to be sought out. But if they were brought before him, they should be punished. O miserable deliverance. Under the necessities of the case, it is a self-contradiction. It forbids them to be sought out, as innocent, and it commands them to be punished, as guilty. It is at once merciful and cruel. It passes by, and it punishes. Why do you play this game of evasion with yourself, O Judgment? If you condemn, why do you not also inquire? If you do not inquire, why do you not also absolve? Military stations are set throughout all the provinces for tracking robbers. Against traitors and public enemies every man is a soldier. Search is made even for their confederates and accessories. The Christian alone must not be sought, though he may be brought and accused before the judge, as if a search had any other end than that! And so

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

...the name of Father was no longer acknowledged among them, the kingdom also ceased. And therefore we Christians, who begin our prayer by calling God our Father, also pray that God's kingdom may come to us.

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

...have answered well enough the charges of the many crimes on which these fierce demands are made for Christian blood. We have fully presented our case. We have shown how we can prove that what we say is true, from the trustworthiness and antiquity of our sacred writings, and also from the confession of the powers of spiritual wickedness themselves. Who will dare to refute us, not with skill in words, but, as we have made our demonstration, on the basis of reality? But while the truth we hold is made clear to all, unbelief meanwhile, even at the very time when it is convinced of the worth of Christianity, now well known both for its benefits and from the intercourse of life, takes up the idea that it is not really something divine, but rather a kind of philosophy. "These are the very things," it says, "that the philosophers advise and profess: innocence, justice, patience, sobriety, and chastity." Why then are we not allowed the same freedom and immunity for our teachings that they have, when we are compared with them in what we teach? Or why are they not also forced to the same acts, by refusing which our lives are put in danger, if they are so much like us? For who forces a phil

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

...sh. For what are his next words? "Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 15:50. He means the works of flesh and blood, which in his Epistle to the Galatians keep men out of the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21. In other places too, he often uses the natural condition in place of the works done in it, as when he says that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:8. Now, when can we please God except while we are in this flesh? I suppose there is no other time in which a man can act. But if, while we are living naturally in the flesh, we avoid the deeds of the flesh, then we are not in the flesh, in that sense. For although we are still present in the substance of the flesh, we are nevertheless strangers to its sin. Therefore, since in the word "flesh" we are told to put off not the substance but the works of the flesh, in the same way the kingdom of God is denied not to the substance of the flesh, but to its works. For what is condemned is not that in which evil is done, but the evil that is done in it. To administer poison is a crime, but the cup in which it is given is not guilty. So the body is the vessel

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

... were sent from heaven to teach human life in the first principles of virtue and to shape people in righteousness. No one can doubt that this teacher, sent from heaven, would be as perfect in the knowledge of all things as in virtue. Otherwise, there would be no difference between a heavenly teacher and an earthly one. For in the case of a man, his teaching can in no way come from within himself. The mind is shut in by earthly organs and hindered by a corrupt body. By itself, it can neither understand nor receive the truth unless it is taught from another source. And even if it had this power in the highest degree, it still could not reach the highest virtue or resist all vices, the materials of which are found in our bodily organs. From this it happens that an earthly teacher cannot be perfect. But a teacher from heaven, to whom His divine nature gives knowledge and His immortality gives virtue, must also be perfect and complete in His teaching, just as in other things. But this cannot happen at all unless He takes to Himself a mortal body. And the reason is clear. For if He should come to men as God, not to mention that mortal eyes cannot look upon or endure the glory of His m

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...ree weeks of days did not eat desirable bread, and flesh and wine did not enter into his mouth. And blessed Hannah, when she asked for Samuel, said, "I have not drunk wine nor strong drink, and I pour out my soul before the Lord," 1 Samuel 1:15. And the Ninevites, when they fasted three days and three nights, Jonah 3:5, escaped the execution of wrath. And Esther, and Mordecai, and Judith, by fasting, escaped the insurrection of the ungodly Holofernes and Haman. And David says, "My knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh fails for want of oil." You should therefore fast, and ask your petitions of God. We enjoin you to fast every fourth day of the week, and every day of the Preparation, and bestow the surplus of your fast on the needy. On every Sabbath except one, and on every Lord's Day, hold your solemn assemblies and rejoice. For he will be guilty of sin who fasts on the Lord's Day, since it is the day of the resurrection, or during the time of Pentecost, or, in general, who is sad on a festival day to the Lord. For on those days we ought to rejoice, and not to mourn.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching

...iritual matters and to physical things. For when He said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake," Matthew 5:10, He clearly taught us in every situation to look to the martyr. If that person is poor for righteousness' sake, he bears witness that the righteousness he loves is a good thing. If he hungers and thirsts for righteousness' sake, he testifies that righteousness is the best thing. In the same way, the one who weeps and mourns for righteousness' sake testifies that the best law is beautiful. So then, just as those who are persecuted are called blessed, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness' sake are also called blessed by Him who approves true desire, a desire that not even famine can stop. And if they hunger for righteousness itself, they are blessed. And blessed are the poor, whether in spirit or in outward circumstances, that is, if it is for righteousness' sake. He does not simply call the poor blessed, but those who have chosen to become poor for righteousness' sake. These are the people who have despised the honors of this world in order to gain the good. In the same way, He also blesses those who, through chastity, have become beautif

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness

...phemy. Do not be self-willed or evil-minded, because blasphemies come from all these things. But be meek, since the meek shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 Be patient, compassionate, innocent, gentle, and good, and always tremble at the words you have heard. You shall not exalt yourself, Luke 18:14 or give your soul too much confidence. Your soul shall not be joined to the proud, but it shall keep company with the just and lowly. Receive the things that happen to you as good, knowing that nothing comes to pass apart from God.

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness

...ayer to the gods of my country. But, as they did not respond, I called upon those among us known as Christians. Upon investigation, I found a great number and multitude of them and initially acted against them, which was quite inappropriate, as I later understood their power. They began the battle, not with weapons, armor, or bugles, as such preparations are detestable to them because of the God they carry in their conscience. Therefore, it appears that those we think are atheists have God as their guiding force entrenched in their conscience. Throwing themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me but for the entire army, that we might be saved from the current thirst and hunger. We had been without water for five days because there was none, being deep in Germany, in enemy territory. Simultaneously as they threw themselves on the ground and prayed to God (a God unknown to me), water poured from the sky, refreshingly cool upon us but as withering hail upon Rome's enemies. Immediately we acknowledged the presence of God following their prayer—a God unconquerable and indestructible. Based on this, let us pardon such individuals who are Christians, lest they pray for and ac

Didache, Connection to Matthew 5:11 Supporting witness

let him know that such a one is blessed of God, according as our Lord says in the Gospel: "Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, or persecute you, or say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for your reward is great in heaven."

Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching

34 Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they that were persecuted for righteousness' sake: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Didache, Connection to Matthew 5:11 Supporting witness

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, because your reward is great in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before us."

Matthew 5:10 Background

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 6:20 Background

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Matthew 5:11 Background

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching

But seek first the kingdom of heaven, and its righteousness, for these are the great things, and the things which are small and appertain to this life shall be added to you.

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

Matthew 6:31-33 He says that all these things shall be added and given to them who seek the kingdom and righteousness of God.

Matthew 6:33 Background

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.