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Early-Christian-Commentary-Sermon “Here, in a single volume, are virtually all of the written insights on the Sermon on the Mount from those Christians who lived during the first few centuries after the apostles. I am particularly impressed by the thoroughness of Nesch’s research in gleaning these many quotations from the pre-Nicene Christians. This is a reference book that undoubtedly I will be using over and over again. In compiling this important work, Nesch has made a valuable contribution to the Kingdom of God.” – David Bercot, author of A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, and Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up “The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' longest passage of teaching, has been beloved by Christians of all generations. But tragically, the interpretation of key portions of the Sermon on the Mount continues to divide the church today. The understanding of the early church has the potential to bring unity over what should be essential hallmarks of the Christian life. I commend Nesch's carefully researched volume to any who love Jesus' teaching and want to see His prayer for unity advanced.” – Finny Kuruvilla, author of King Jesus Claims His Church, and founder of Sattler College “Of many resources we can use to help us in our day, I believe this commentary will be greatly beneficial. It is not new theological ideas we need but to follow Christ and learn how. This volume brother Elliott has compiled will help us in our journey with the Lord.” – Greg Gordon, founder of SermonIndex.net, and author of The Following of Christ EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMENTARY of the SERMON on the MOUNT ELLIOTT NESCH, EDITOR Early Christian Commentary of the Sermon on the Mount. Elliott Nesch, 2018, 2nd Edition. Except where a citation is provided, this text is in the public domain and may be transmitted worldwide at no charge. The copyrighted material has been quoted with permission. The public domain material may be copied, quoted, and reproduced in any way–in its entirety or in part. Only, if portions of it get edited or revised, they should no longer be published under the editor's name. Published by Early Christian Commentary: www.earlychristiancommentary.com ISBN-13: 978-0692076378 (Elliott Nesch) ISBN-10: 0692076379 Cover Art: “The Sermon On The Mount, Illustration For 'The Life Of Christ'” (c. 1886 - c. 1896) by James Tissot Unless stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Bible passages quoted within the early Christian commentary have been modernized by the editor. Contents About This Commentary i Introduction 1 Abbreviations 42 The Beatitudes – Matthew 5:1-12 45 Christians Are Salt and Light – Matthew 5:13-16 70 Christ Fulfills the Law – Matthew 5:17-20 81 Murder Begins in the Heart – Matthew 5:21-26 98 Adultery in the Heart – Matthew 5:27-30 111 Marriage, Divorce and Adultery – Matthew 5:31-32 123 Jesus Forbids Oaths – Matthew 5:33-37 147 Nonresistance – Matthew 5:38-42 157 Love Your Enemies – Matthew 5:43-48 175 Giving Alms – Matthew 6:1-4 215 Prayer – Matthew 6:5-8 226 The Lord's Prayer – Matthew 6:9-13 237 Forgive to be Forgiven – Matthew 6:14-15 265 Fasting – Matthew 6:16-18 270 Treasures in Heaven – Matthew 6:19-21 280 The Light of the Body – Matthew 6:22-23 299 You Cannot Serve God and Riches – Matthew 6:24 301 Do Not Worry – Matthew 6:25-34 315 Do Not Judge – Matthew 7:1-6 326 Asking, Seeking and Knocking – Matthew 7:7-12 337 Two Ways – Matthew 7:13-14 348 Two Trees – Matthew 7:15-20 363 I Never Knew You – Matthew 7:21-23 381 Two Houses – Matthew 7:24-29 390 Bibliography 397 Appendix A: Pre-Nicene Christian Biographies 401 Appendix B: Pre-Nicene Christian Heresies 408 About the Editor 411 Acknowledgements Special thanks to Joel Mawhorter, Steven Donnelly, and Dan Tillinghast for their editorial help and suggestions for this second edition, and Ryan Leudeker for his help on the first edition. Thanks also to Brett Hancock for his suggestions and supporting the project. Thanks to Paul and Faith for double-checking the ANF references for accuracy. ABOUT THIS COMMENTARY About This Commentary Early Christian Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount contains a series of illustrative and explanatory quotations which allow the reader to understand what the early Christians believed about the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. Here the commentary of the early Christians are ordered verse by verse from Matthew 5:1-7:29. The commentary covers the Ante-Nicene period of biblical exegesis. The Design of the Commentary The selections have been divided into chapters with a heading to quickly introduce readers into the subject matter of that selection. Each section begins with a segment of Scripture from the Sermon on the Mount, quoted from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Following most Scripture verses, there are cross-references and parallel Bible passages given. An overview is provided to give readers a brief summary of the cumulative interpretations of the Bible passage, and identify its major early Christian commentators. The biblical text and summary is followed by the most noteworthy remarks of the early Christians on those specific verses or related subjects. The patristic quotations are organized according to the Bible chapter and verse(s) which they address. The Bible chapter number and verse number are given prior to the related group of early Christian quotes. Each grouping of quotations is organized from the earliest writer to the latest writer. Within the sections of early church commentary, the biblical passages from the Sermon on the Mount are in bold. The great majority of quotations are taken from the ten-volume set of the Ante- Nicene Fathers (ANF). After each excerpt the title of the quoted work is cited, followed by the volume and page number of the ANF. Quotations taken from additional writings are followed by the title and a footnote which identifies the source. i EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMENTARY OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT Sometimes brief editor's notes are given to introduce some of the important topics, to clarify complicated quotations, or to discuss early textual variation, especially as it relates to the patristic quotations. Footnotes are intended to assist the readers with obscurities and potential confusions, to cite those additional early Christian writings which are not included in the ANF, and to identify the biblical quotations and allusions within the patristic quotations. Abbreviations are used in the footnotes, and a list of abbreviations is included within this work. The Introduction is the opening statement of the editor to preface the content and importance of the commentary. Provided in Appendix A is an alphabetical set of brief biographical sketches of the early Christians. Appendix B contains brief descriptions of early Christian heresies. These will serve as quick reference guides for the reader. How to Use This Commentary Rather than selectively reading the early Christian commentary on specific verses in the Sermon on the Mount, it is recommended that you read the commentary in its entirety or at least read entire chapters at a time. This is because many of the selected quotations often address more than a single verse in the Sermon on the Mount, so the quotations which occur earlier in the commentary will often focus on later passages as well. In other words, if the reader neglects to read the commentary from beginning to end, then they may miss other important and relevant commentary for those later passages in the Sermon on the Mount which are addressed earlier in the commentary. The Method of Compilation The method of the editor for making selections in this commentary was reading the pre-Nicene writings, consulting various early Christian dictionaries for related subject matter, and using various electronic tools for searching key words, phrases, and biblical passages within the ANF.1 Quotations are not limited to formal commentaries, but also include allusions, analogies, cross- references to biblical texts in all sorts of patristic literary sources. While there has been no purposeful omission of any significant quotations from the early church, this commentary is not an exhaustive work. In other words, none of the early Christians' views or interpretations have been obscured or omitted, but not all of the relevant quotations have been included either. If an author addressed a biblical passage numerous times with the same consistent exegesis, then some quotes have been excluded in order to avoid being too redundant. According to one comprehensive collection of complied allusions to the New Testament in the ANF,2 there are nearly 700 references to Matthew 5-7 1 The secondary sources are pro ided in the bi#lio%rap"y& ' E-Catena: Compiled Allusions to the NT in the Ante-Nicene Fathers( ed& )eter *ir#y( '++1, '+1-( a aila#le. http.//000&earlyc"ristianwritings.co1/e,catena& ii ABOUT THIS COMMENTARY (based upon the editors' footnotes within the ANF volumes). All of these passages have been consulted, but not all of them have been included. In addition to commentary on these passages in Matthew 5-7, many quotations on Bible passages parallel to those have also been included, especially from Luke 6. Furthermore, there remain many quotations within the ANF which address the same subject matter in Matthew 5-7 as well as direct references or allusions to the Sermon on the Mount which are lacking an editor's footnote to identify them within the ANF volumes; many of these quotations have been included also.
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