Bible
Main article: Matthew 5#Antitheses See also: Paul of Tarsus and JudaismMatthew's Antitheses is the traditional name given to a section of the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus is reported as taking six well known prescriptions of the Mosaic Law and calling on his followers to do more than the Law requires. Protestant scholars since the Reformation have generally believed that Jesus was setting his teaching over against false interpretations of the law current at the time. The Jewish Encyclopedia: Brotherly Love states:
As Schechter in J. Q. R. x. 11, shows, the expression 'Ye have heard...' is an inexact translation of the rabbinical formula (שןמע אני), which is only a formal logical interrogation introducing the opposite view as the only correct one: 'Ye might deduce from this verse that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy, but I say to you the only correct interpretation is, Love all men, even thine enemies.'
Jesus' six antitheses are on the following topics:
- You shall not murder at 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
- You shall not commit adultery at 27, 28, 29, 30
- Divorce at 31 and 32
- Oaths at 33, 34, 35, 36, 37
- Eye for an eye at 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
- Love thy neighbour as thyself at 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48
Antithesis was the name given by Marcion to a document in which he contrasted the Old Testament with the New Testament.
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