Editing Sermon on the Mount (section)

==Teachings and theology==
[[File:Saint Cajetan Church, Gustavo A. Madero, Federal District, Mexico11.jpg|thumb|A plaque of the eight [[Beatitudes]] at [[St. Cajetan Church]] in [[Old Goa]], Mexico]]
The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount have been a key element of [[Christian ethics]], and for centuries the sermon has acted as a fundamental recipe for the conduct of the followers of Jesus.<ref name=v >''The sources of Christian ethics'' by Servais Pinckaers 1995 {{ISBN|0-8132-0818-1}} page 134</ref> Various religious and moral thinkers (e.g. [[Leo Tolstoy]] and [[Mahatma Gandhi]]) have admired its message, and it has been one of the main sources of [[Christian pacifism]].<ref name="ODCC self"/><ref>For Tolstoy, see ''My Religion'', 1885. cf. [[s:My Religion|My Religion]] on Wikisource.</ref>

In the 5th century, [[Saint Augustine]] began his book ''[[Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount (Augustine)|Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount]]'' by stating:

{{blockquote|If anyone will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals, a perfect standard of the Christian life.}}

The last verse of chapter 5 of Matthew (Matthew 5:48)<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|5:48}}</ref> is a focal point of the Sermon that summarizes its teachings by advising the disciples to seek perfection.<ref name="Vaught7" >{{cite book |last=Vaught |first=Carl G. |title=The Sermon on the Mount: A Theological Interpretation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XB3nwV7JxqkC&q=father+is+perfect&pg=PA10 |year=1986 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=9781438422800 |pages=7–10}}</ref> The Greek word {{Transliteration|grc|telios}} used to refer to perfection also implies an end, or destination, advising the disciples to seek the path towards perfection and the Kingdom of God.<ref name="Vaught7" /> It teaches that God's children are those who [[Imitation of God|act like God]].<ref name=Talbert78 >{{cite book |last=Talbert |first=Charles H. |chapter=Matthew |title=Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tbmoR2j0-sgC&q=act+like+God&pg=PA78 |year=2010 |publisher=Baker Academic |isbn=9780801031922 |page=78}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=The sentence "It teaches that God's children are those who act like God(...)" is up for debate, as the indicated source's claim is ambiguous at best. Though some of the commentaries written on this event, notably by Eckhart Tolle, and others, indicate that the ultimate humilitory act is to act like God in order receive God's ultimate grace, this particular source should be replaced with one that merits this claim.|date=March 2022}}

The teachings of the sermon are often referred to as the "Ethics of the Kingdom": they place a high level of emphasis on "purity of the heart" and embody the basic standard of Christian [[righteousness]].<ref>''Christian ethics, issues and insights'' by Eṃ Stephan 2007 {{ISBN|81-8069-363-5}}.</ref>

===Theological structure===
The theological structure of the Sermon on the Mount is widely discussed.<ref name=Talbert21 >''Reading the Sermon on the Mount:'' by Charles H. Talbert 2004 {{ISBN|1-57003-553-9}} pp.&nbsp;21–26.</ref><ref name=WCarter /><ref name=DAllison >{{cite journal |title=The Structure of the Sermon on the Mount |first1=Dale C. |last1=Allison |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=106 |issue=3 |date=September 1987 |pages=423–45 |doi=10.2307/3261066 |jstor=3261066 |url = http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/jbl/1987_allison.pdf}}</ref> One group of theologians ranging from [[Saint Augustine]] in the 5th century to [[Michael Goulder]] in the 20th century, see the [[Beatitudes]] as the central element of the Sermon.<ref name=Talbert21 /> Others such as [[Günther Bornkamm]] see the Sermon arranged around the [[Lord's Prayer]], while [[Daniel Patte]], closely followed by [[Ulrich Luz]], see a [[chiastic structure]] in the sermon.<ref name=Talbert21 /><ref name=WCarter /> [[Dale Allison]] and [[Glen Stassen]] have proposed a structure based on triads.<ref name="WCarter" /><ref name="DAllison" /><ref>Stassen, Glen H. "The Fourteen Triads of the Sermon on the Mount." ''Journal of Biblical Literature'', 2003.</ref> [[Jack Kingsbury]] and [[Hans Dieter Betz]] see the sermon as composed of theological themes, e.g. righteousness or way of life.<ref name=Talbert21/>

===Extension===
The ''[[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]'' suggests that "it is fitting to add [to the Sermon on the Mount] the moral [[catechesis]] of the apostolic teachings, such as [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans 12-15]], [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians 12-13]], [[Epistle to the Colossians|Colossians 3-4]], [[Epistle to the Ephesians|Ephesians 4-5]], etc."<ref>Holy See, [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P6W.HTM Catechism of the Catholic Church], section 1971, accessed 30 May 2024</ref>