Ideal Disciples: A Commentary on Matthew's Beatitudes

by Daniel Daley

Overview

Happiness and human flourishing were common topics among philosophers in the ancient world, from Aristotle to Seneca and beyond. Although Bible readers often think about Jesus' primary role as the savior of his people, he also taught a unique vision for a thriving and fulfilled life, a vision that continues to guide and challenge followers of Jesus as they navigate a complex, morally fraught world.

In Ideal Disciples, Daniel Daley argues that Matthew's Sermon on the Mount serves as an ideal starting point for understanding Jesus' vision for discipleship. Matthew's beatitudes might be the topic of more reflection, discussion, teaching, and writing than any other passage in the Bible. Often seen as a summation of the heart of Jesus, the beatitudes are a richly textured, layered, and penetrating passport into Christ-oriented dispositions, requiring consideration by readers of the Gospel and constant reappraisal by careful interpreters. Ideal Disciples argues that Jesus' beatitudes demonstrate a faithful but innovative engagement with antecedent traditions and a stirring, universal call to discipleship for those willing to commit to Jesus' unique vision. Matthew's writer takes linguistic cues from both Judaism and the Greco-Roman world, and the message of the beatitudes can be situated squarely within Jewish wisdom and apocalyptic traditions.

By serving as instruction for Jesus' ideal disciples, the beatitudes speak not only to Matthew's goals for the first Gospel's first readers, but also into the lives of readers throughout the centuries and into the present day. The beatitudes are a counterintuitive and countercultural introduction to Christlikeness, and readers of the beatitudes are asked to consider what they reveal about Jesus' vision of a fully flourishing life for his followers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481319386
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2024
Pages:	203
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.84(d)

About the Author

Daniel Daley is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is also the author of God's Will and Testament: Inheritance in the Gospel of Matthew and Jewish Tradition.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One: Understanding the Matthean Beatitudes

1 Jesus' Beatitudes in Matthew's Structure
2 The Character of Jesus' Beatitudes in Matthew
3 Translating μακάριος
4 Reading Jesus' Beatitudes in Matthew

Part Two: Commentary on Jesus' Beatitudes

1 Matthew 5:3
2 Matthew 5:4
3 Matthew 5:5
4 Matthew 5:6
5 Matthew 5:7
6 Matthew 5:8
7 Matthew 5:9
8 Matthew 5:10
9 Matthew 5:11-12

Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

Benjamin Wold

With conductor’s baton in hand, Daniel Daley produces his own concerto, choosing as soloist the Matthean beatitudes accompanied by an orchestra of early Jewish literature. This is an exciting and engaging new treatment of the beatitudes that innovates by bringing in textual traditions, especially 4QInstruction and Enochic literature, that have not featured in previous studies. The result is a book bursting with insights expressed with finesse. Anyone interested in the Jewishness of Matthew’s Gospel needs to read Daley’s book.

William M. Wright IV

With  Ideal Disciples, Daniel Daley provides a learned and accessible commentary on the beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew. In conversation with current scholarship and an ecumenical range of authors, Daley admirably explores the various relationships that the beatitudes have with the Scriptures and traditions of Israel, the contents of Matthew’s Gospel, and the Christian life. His exposition is intellectually and spiritually rewarding.

Daniel M. Gurtner

This is a unique book, devoted to the beatitudes, situated in the gospel of Matthew and the Jewish literary traditions in which this gospel emerged. The result is a commentary that is both exegetically insightful and spiritually impactful. In Ideal Disciples, Daniel Daley fluently maintains the sophistication of high-quality academic erudition while demonstrating how the virtues of informed, judicious scholarship coupled with patient, methodical exegesis yield profound and vibrant spiritual edification.

Mary Ann Beavis

Daniel Daley’s scholarly and accessible commentary offers a thorough and judicious review of previous scholarship on the beatitudes, and brings several new pieces of evidence into the discussion, notably 4QInstruction and 1 Enoch. Like the scribe trained for the kingdom of Matthew 13:52, Daley brings forth treasures both old and new, revealing multiple facets of these teachings on ideal discipleship for human flourishing.