One of the required books for the Sermon on the Mount J-Term I took in January is The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries: From the Early Church to John Paul II
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most controversial passages of Scripture. Pastors and theologians have wrestled with its stark demands. Should we ever take an oath? Is war ever justified? How much of this Sermon should be taken literally? Is this Law or Gospel or Law & Gospel? Is the Sermon for believers or for everybody? What do the Beatitudes mean?
No other book will give you such an easily accessible guide to interpretation of the Sermon throughout church history.
Want an Eastern view of the Sermon? Check out the chapter on John Chyrsostom.
What is the purpose of the Sermon? Look at Augustine for a surprising answer.
How are we supposed to treat these demands? Which demand is for which kingdom? The kingdom of man or the kingdom of Christ? Luther had a lot to say to that.
Is the Sermon Law or Gospel? Calvin’s answer may differ from some Reformed teaching.
How did John Wesley handle the demand for perfection?
Why did Charles Spurgeon tend to allegorize? What was Spurgeon’s link to Catholic mysticism?
How could Dietrich Bonhoeffer see the Sermon as a treatise on the subversive Christian community and then involve himself in a plot to assassinate Hitler?
How counter-cultural is this Sermon? A chapter devoted to John Stott’s view will answer that question.
The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries is a terrific resource for studying the Sermon on the Mount. Next time you work your way through Matthew 5-7, make sure you sit down with some of the greatest thinkers of the Church as you do so.
written by Trevin Wax. © 2008 Kingdom People Blog
