What did Jesus Mean? Explaining the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables in Simple and Universal Human Concepts

by Wierzbicka, Anna

• ISBN13: 9780195137330
• ISBN10: 0195137337
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-05
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In this highly interdisciplinary work, linguist Anna Wierzbicka casts new light on the words of Jesus by taking her well-known semantic theory of "universal human concepts"- concepts which are intuitively understandable and self-explanatory across languages-and bringing it to bear on Jesus' parables and the Sermon on the Mount. Her approach results in strikingly novel interpretations of the Gospels. Written in dialogue with other biblical commentators, What Did Jesus Mean? is both scholarly rigorous yet accessible.

Table of Contents

Introduction	3	(24)
``What did Jesus mean''--Is it worth asking?	3	(1)
Different questions about Jesus	4	(2)
Conceptual primes and universal human concepts---new tools for the study of Jesus' sayings	6	(1)
An illustration	7	(2)
Is it possible to separate the universal aspect of Jesus' teaching from its cultural context?	9	(2)
Paradoxes of inculturation	11	(2)
Universal words: Unfamiliar but not unintelligible	13	(1)
The importance of Jesus' Jewish context for the understanding of his teaching	14	(1)
Jesus, the teacher of timeless truths?	15	(2)
An illustration: The ``kingdom of God'' explained in universal human concepts	17	(3)
The meaning of the word God	20	(2)
The search for a coherent picture	22	(5)
PART I: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
The Beatitudes	27	(30)
Introduction: The importance of the Beatitudes	28	(2)
Basic facts about the Beatitudes	30	(2)
Who are the ``weeping'' ones?	32	(2)
Who are the ``hungry''?	34	(2)
Who are the ``poor''?	36	(4)
Who are the ``meek'' (Matthew's praeis)?	40	(2)
Exploring the image of the lamb and some related New Testament images	42	(4)
Who are the ``persecuted''?	46	(1)
What does it mean to be ``blessed''?	47	(8)
Conclusion	55	(2)
You Have Heard ... But I Say to You ...	57	(69)
Jesus fulfils the Law	57	(4)
Whoever is angry with his brother ...	61	(10)
Whoever divorces his wife ...	71	(10)
Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her ...	81	(7)
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out	88	(5)
Let your `Yes' be `Yes' and your `No', `No'	93	(9)
Turn the other cheek	102	(9)
Love your enemies	111	(11)
``The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees''	122	(4)
Other Key Sayings	126	(100)
You are the salt of the earth	126	(5)
When you do a charitable deed do not sound a trumpet	131	(9)
Do not let your left hand know ...	140	(4)
When you pray, go into your room	144	(5)
When you fast, anoint your head	149	(6)
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven	155	(6)
The eye is the lamp of the body	161	(8)
You cannot serve God and mammon	169	(5)
Consider the lilies of the field	174	(5)
Do not judge	179	(7)
Ask, and it will be given to you	186	(5)
The golden rule	191	(12)
Enter by the narrow gate	203	(3)
Do people gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?	206	(9)
The will of my Father	215	(4)
Building on the rock	219	(7)
The Lord's Prayer	226	(31)
Introduction	226	(2)
The meaning and significance of the word abba	228	(4)
``Father'' as a metaphor	232	(2)
God as someone	234	(2)
What does God's fatherhood mean (in Jesus' teaching)?	236	(1)
Hallowed be thy name	237	(4)
Thy kingdom come	241	(3)
Give us this day our daily bread	244	(3)
And forgive us our sins	247	(3)
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us	250	(1)
And do not lead us into temptation	251	(3)
Conclusion	254	(3)
PART II: THE PARABLES
The Sower	257	(9)
The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price	266	(8)
The Leaven and The Mustard Seed	274	(18)
The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin	292	(8)
The Prodigal Son	300	(10)
The Unforgiving Servant	310	(10)
The Laborers in the Vineyard	320	(12)
The Servant's Reward	332	(9)
The Great Feast	341	(15)
The Last Judgment	356	(17)
The Good Samaritan	373	(7)
The Rich Man and Lazarus	380	(8)
The Rich Fool	388	(9)
The Doorkeeper	397	(7)
The Talents	404	(10)
The Dishonest Steward	414	(8)
The Unjust Judge and the Friend at Midnight	422	(7)
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector	429	(12)
PART III: CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER PERSPECTIVES
An Overall Picture of Jesus' Teaching	441	(3)
Implications for Theology; Christianity in a Nutshell	444	(11)
Language: A Key Issue in Understanding Jesus and Christianity	455	(10)
Notes	465	(16)
References	481	(16)
Index	497