The Sermon on the Mount, one of the most famous sections of the New Testament of Bible about the teaching of Jesus to people, represents the essence of ethical thinking Bible as the holy book imparts to people. In this section, Jesus specifically teaches people what to behave in many corelated dimensions. Through the use of analogies, metaphors and conversations, Matthew makes the section far more convenient to understand for people; at mean time, it is heavily influential to and shares similar thinkings with a lot of other fields.
Divided into different topics, the Sermon of the Mount discusses various aspects of life; however, in general, it depicts an ethical system similar to virtue ethics for believers to conform with, instructing them to act virtuously. As to fulfill this achievement, the Sermon of the Mount exemplifies several virtues it cherishes. It specifically emphasizes amiability, beneficence, integrity, leniency, piety, and the ability of introspection in the three passages through articulating particular cases, such as murder, divorce, and praying, etc. One thing to notice here is that it is still subtly distinct from virtue ethics because it indirectly expresses appeal to virtues through various absolute commands rather than directly states some virtues the believers must have.
The heritage from ancient philosophers’ contemplation composes another subtle characteristic The Sermon on the Mount presents. Continuing with Aristotle, he in his famous Nicomachean Ethics writes that “actions done in accordance with virtues are done in a just or temperate way not merely by having some quality of their own, but rather if the agent acts in a certain state, namely, first, with knowledge, secondly, from rational choice, and rational choice of the actions for their own sake, and, thirdly, from a firm and unshakeable character,” explicitly attributing actions to the intrinsic properties of people themselves. Jesus, though concerning radical ideas, expresses similar meanings through his teaching about adultery – “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” He also internalizes wicked actions into habituated vices done through people’s mind, which in this case is thinking lustfully instead of doing something lustfully.
Although this early image of ethical system seems extravagantly absolute and demanding, it serves as an inspiration for later ethicists and influences their ethical methodologies. Aristotle buttresses the importance of virtues as means leading to happiness in which some of the virtues that he emphasizes are those contended in the Sermon of the Mount. Later on, Immanuel Kant holds similar idea to that in the Sermon of the Mount. Besides emphasizing the significance of fulfilling the duty, he offers an ethical theory that people should give and obey universalizable laws of nature, which highly resembles the divine commands Jesus gives.
In addition to impact on the development of ethics, the Sermon on the Mount is also crucial as a political tool to make propositions more forceful. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” These are the words made in the ‘Salt and Light” topic in the Sermon on the Mount. It is an analogy striving to convince people to do good deeds and contribute to the society to make it shining. The phrase “city upon a hill” is utilized often by politicians to appeal to the audience ethos of superiority and sublime. By recalling the United States is a unique country founded on moral principles – freedom and democracy – politicians are more likely to convince people of their arguments due to shared identity. It is used by many presidents of the United States, such as John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama in their speeches, not to say how “city upon a hill” becomes effective as a political propaganda.
Some of the particular ideas in the Sermon on the Mount have great impact on people as well. Jesus emphasizes heavily on the nonaggressive attitude towards the enemy. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy… Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” “…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” The so many pieces of teaching by Jesus are often interpreted as calls to refuse retaliation or violence, even when provoked. Instead of responding with aggression, Jesus advocates for a nonviolent but assertive response that disrupts the cycle of violence and leads to peace without hatred to the enemy. This idea inspires many civil rights movements, like Gandhi leading nonviolent civil disobedience in the Indian independence movement.
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