) ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.’+ The term edpyvoro.ds occurs in the LXX form of Pr 10, and the thought is present also in Pr 12%, But ‘ peace’ was not so common an OT idea as those dealt with in the previous Beatitudes. Some have maintained that the meaning of e/pyv. in this passage is exclusively passive, z.e. ‘peaceable.’ But the mass of inter- preters find a larger meaning, which includes this while containing also an active element—to make peace.t Certainly Jesus’ idea here is comprehen- sive ; He has in mind to commend and to inculcate the spread of peace—all kinds of peace—among men (cf. He 12", Ja 3%). In this He is the great leader and example, Mt 11”, Jn 14?’ (the paradox, Mt 104), Eph 238, Col 1*° 35; for God is the God Aimieace, yhoo. 2.Cor lo Phat?) Iho, He 13%, who sent peace to the earth in Christ, Lk 24, Peace between God and men was pro- claimed by Jesus, and peace between men and their fellow-men was enjoined. Peace therefore is the Christian ideal. Individual composure and social harmony are to be brought about by the concentration of all interests and forces on the achievement of the individual and social ideal as taught by Christ, and by the realization, within one’s self and among all, of those Divine principles of concord and co-operation through which alone true peace can be obtained.
The peacemakers ‘shall be called sons of God’ because in this essential characteristic they are like Him, the God of Peace. The fact that the article does not accompany the viol signifies that
*On the ‘vision of God’ as held by Philo, see Schirer, Geschichte d. Jiidischen Volkes $ (1898), vol. iii. p. 561.
+ Mb 59 peorectpios of eipyvoroiol, ors [avrol] viol Ueod zrAnBicovrces, Luke has no parallel.
t For the passive sense only, Grotius, Socinus, Wetstein, and recently Ibbeken, Bergpredigt?, p. 48. For an active meaning also, Luther, Meyer, Tholuck, Bleek, Achelis, H. Holtzmann, B. Weiss, and the RY. Others incorrectly regard the ‘peace’
mentioned as that obtained by the atoning work of Christ; so Chrysostom, Stier.
the designation is to be understood qualitatively. This idea of sonship as consisting in moral resem- blance is of Hebrew origin; and is found in both Testaments ; cf. esp. Mt 5, Rev 217. The expres- sion ‘ called’ sons of God is also a Hebraism, found frequently in the Book of Isaiah ; its special func- tion here seems to be to emphasize the fact of sonship (cf. Mt 5”, 1 Jn 3!) as something not only true, but recognized to be true.
(8) ‘ Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall re- proach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’* Although the essence and purpose of the gospel was peace, nevertheless those who enjoyed and endeavoured to spread this peace in the world would incur reproach and abuse from their fellow-men. The OT does not supply passages similar in form to this Beatitude, but the Hebrews had no lack of experience in persecution for righteousness’ sake, and the conception is de- veloped with marvellous insight and feeling in Is 40-66. In the NT it is an ever-present idea —the sufferings of the OT saints are recalled (He 11°8-#), Jesus lives and dies a martyr to this principle, He predicted persecution for His fol- lowers (Mt 5, Jn 167), and this persecution actually befell them (Jn 9, Ac 54 81%, 1 P 34 44-16), The primitive Christians bravely endured and faithfully preached when they were despised, ostracized, punished, and maliciously slandered.}
* Mt 510-12 prod pros of Sedimypeévor Evexev Orxocwocbyys, Ors awdraiv erly 4 Pocotrsin THY OUpuVaY. pouxceplol Eo're OTH GvEOlTwol DiLEs xo) DidEacw wold cimworv xeiv sovnpov xa’ vpeciv Levdopcevos Evexev excov, oipers x0) dyorrsdciobe, Ors 0 prods dudy words év Trois odpoevors® oirws yep tdinkay ros xpopnras tors xpd tuav. Lk 622 23 oncpiol tars OTaY Miohaowow vuas of cvOpwros, xo) Ore cpopiowoly Specis xa dvediourw nod exBdrwoiv TO dvopece dueciv ws wovnpoy Everce Tod viod Tov cvOpmrov. xaepyrs tv éxelvn TH Huetpe wel oxipTagatE dob yap 6 mobos bpediv words ev Ta ouUpavar nar Te HUT Yop éxolouy rois mpogaross of sarépes avrav. With regard to these two reports of what must be regarded as a single utterance, two things are to be said: (1) the corresponding Lukan Beatitude 622. 23 is parallel not to Mt 510, but to Mt 5.12. It is suggested above that 510 and 511.12 may be duplicates, the one or the other passage appearing here through the process of compilation. Since one feature of the Beatitudes was their brief, striking form (like the Ten Commandments of the OT), the original eighth Beatitude must have contained few words, and 510 is closely parallel in form to the preceding seven Beatitudes ; both of which things favour its originality. In Luke also the last Beatitude is very long compared with the others. Perhaps, therefore, Mt 511-12 and Lk 622.23 are varying words from one historical saying, introduced here bya transmitting or editorial hand because of their close similarity in thought to that of the eighth Beatitude. Or another view would be that Mt 511.12 is an expansion of the idea contained in Mt 510 by Jesus Himself (or possibly by some subsequent Christian teacher when the persecutions actually came upon the Christians); for the essential thought of the three verses is the same, the general conception of persecution in v.10 being expanded in vy.11- 12 into the specific ideas of verbal abuse, hostile acts, and false reports. (2) The Lukan form of this Beatitude is in several respects secondary in character, 7.e. it shows greater departure than Matthew's from the probable original form of the utterance. These modifications arose out of a freer handling in transmis- sion, a partial conformity to the new Gentile field in which the material circulated, and a greater yielding to the influence of the actual events of persecution in the Apostolic age. The term “iofowo is used in a characteristic Lukan way, cf. Lk 1426 1613 2117, The éxPdawow +d dvon tudy ws wovnpéy, as also the &gapirev, refer to the excommunication of the Christians as heretics from the synagogues and other Jewish relationships— things which actually happened, but which the Matthwan pas- sage does not specificall Ly predict. The évexev gwov of Matthew is more original than the Zveze rod vied rod &vOparov of Luke. Lk 623, first clause, seems modified. And Lk 6%, last clause, shows various secondary elements, due to the denationalizing of the material. These phenomena are constant throughout Luke's Gospel as compared with Matthew’s.