Abstract

This paper explores traditional interpretations of the relevance of the beatitudes in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and makes a case for understanding them as a universal ethic with specific theological and moral ramifications. The strength of this claim is contingent upon a particular epistemological understanding of the beatitudes as a coherent set of spiritual dispositions with an inviolable continuity. This approach assumes an interpretive (hermeneutic) framework which develops an historic connection between Matthew's community and the Essene community of that era via the "Q" (Quelle) source. The implications of this view can serve to form a paradigm for the development of an "Ethics of Evangelization.".