In the main, the Sermon on the Mount indicates the character of life and conduct that Jesus Christ commends to His disciples as the rule of life. Commencing with the Beatitudes, He ^joints out the way to true happiness. This is more apparent in Mt. than in Lk. ; but if the Beatitudes in the former Gospel may be taken as at least a true exposition of the deeper meaning of the simjjler felicitations in the latter Gospel, it is safe to say that Jesus here teaches that blessedness is associ- ated with character. The conduct commended throughout the Sermon is set forth by Christ as a fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 5"). It completes what was imperfect in the earlier re-
i ligion by realizing its essential j^rinciples and developing them to perfection. The consequence is that external precepts of the more primitive condition are abrogated — not universally, but wherever they conflict with a later ethical develop- ment. This applies to the Sacred Torah as well as to traditions of the scribes, as in the examples of hatred, divorce, swearing, and revenge, formerly permitted under certain conditions, though regu- lated and restrained by the Law, but now abso- lutely forbidden by Christ. In the next place, conduct condoned or even honoured hitherto is condemned as unworthy of the higher standard set up by Christ. In particular, ostentation in alms- giving, in public praying, and in fasting is repro- bated, and the habit of judging others is reproved. Tiie Sermon closes with warnings against being deceived by false prophets, and insists forcibly that mere discipleship in hearing the teaching is vain ; the end of all is energetic conduct in obedi- ence to this instruction. The principal interpola- tions consist of ( 1 ) two passages encouraging prayer (Mt 6^'^^ 7'""), and (2) one long passage discouraging
, worldly anxiety (B'^-^'*). They rest their exhorta- tions equally on the Fatherly goodness of God. They are among the choicest and most beautiful of our Lord's teachings, plainly vindicating their right to places in the Logia by their character as of the
inner essence of His message, even if their incon- sistency with the flow of tlie argument in the Sermon, supported by the fact that they are placed in other parts of His narrative by Lk., leads us to regard them as out of place when inserted in this particular discourse.
See also such articles as Authority of Christ, Law, Teaching of Christ, etc etc.
Literature. — This is given exhaustively at the end of Votaw's art. 'Sermon on the Mount' in the Ext. Vol. of Hastings' DB. The following selection may be found useful : Tholuok, Bergrede Christi [Eng. tr. from 4th "ed., Edin. 1860] ; Achelis, Die Berg- predigt, 1875 ; B. W. Bacon, Sermon on the Mount, 1902 ; J. B. Bousset, Le Sermon sur la Montague, 1900 ; C. Gore, The Sermon on the Mount, 1896 ; W. B. Carpenter, The Great Charter of Christ, 1895 ; J. Oswald Dykes, The Manifesto of the King, 1881 ; the Comm. of B. Weiss, H. Holtzmann, Morison, Bruce, Plummer, etc. W. F. AdENEY.
SERPENT. — The prevalence of serpents in an- cient Palestine is illustrated by the fact that no fewer than 11 Heb. words are rendered 'serpent' in OT. Tristram {Nat. Hist, of Bible) states that 33 different species of serpent are still found in Syria. Of 18 varieties which he himself secured, 13 were innocuous and 4 deadly, including cobras and vipers. Naturally there are numerous refer- ences, in the OT, in the NT, and in Rabbinical literature, to servients as well-known but generally disagreeable inhabitants of the country. So un- pleasantly common were they, that it was regarded as one of the perpetual miracles of Jerusalem that no one was ever bitten by a serpent there. The references in the Gospels may conveniently be groujied under three heads.
1. In Mt 10^^ our Lord charges His disciples, ' Be ye wise as serpents' {4>pbvifj.oi ws oi ocpeis). There may be here a reference to Gn 3^ ' the serpent was more subtil (Qitv) than any beast of the field.' The Heb. word means 'shrewd,' and is used also in a good sense (cf. Pr 12^^- ^^), although the parallel root in Arabic suggests only a bad sense. It is probable, however, that our Lord refers to the well-known habits of the serpent, its ability to conceal itself in unexpected places, and to escape swiftly and silently in time of danger (cf. ma trni ' the swift serpent ' RV, Job 26l^ Is 2V).
2. But the phrase which follows in Mt 10^® ' and harmless {dKipaioi) as doves,' suggests that there was also in the mind of Jesus the equally well- known reputation of the serpent as a dangerous reptile ; and this is borne out by other passages in the Gospels. Almost parallel are Mk 16^^ 'they shall take up serpents,' and Lk 10^^ 'I give you power over serpents ' ; while the noxious and re- pulsive nature of the serpent is referred to in Mt T^**, Lk IV^ 'if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? '
In all the above passages, Stpn, the generic name for a serpent, is used. But in Mt 37 1234 2333, Lk 37 we find e'x'Sv*, which probably means a poisonous serpent, and is rendered ' viper ' both in AV and RV. In Mt 2333 Jesus employs both words to describe the Pharisees — H^iis, yivyrjf/.a.7a IxiSvSv, 'serpents, off- spring [see Generation] of vipers ' (cf. Mic 717).