Does the Sermon on the Mount Follow a Rabbinic Pattern?

One of the best known selections from the New Testament is the Sermon on the Mount, delivered on an unnamed mountain in Galilee. It is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 5–7.

The first section (Matthew 5:3–12) contains the Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” etc.).

Beginning in Matthew 5:17 is a section dealing with the Law (Torah). This is the first of three sections, according to W. D. Davies in the accompanying article, that reflects the influence of Pharisaic tradition as recorded in a rabbinic text called the Mishnah. There, the rabbis proclaimed that the world stands on three bases: Law (Torah); Worship; and Deeds of social service (Kindness). This famous triad might well have determined the structure of the Sermon on the Mount, according to Davies, for the section on Torah is followed by a section on Worship (6:1 ff.), which is followed by a section on deeds of kindness (7:7 ff.).

Thus beginning in 5:17 we read: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished ….

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart ….