The Sermon on the Mount: Inspiring the Moral Imagination

by Dale C. Allison Jr.

Too often the Sermon on the Mount has been interpreted as though it were a book itself rather than a portion of a book. Dale Allison insists on the contrary that the full meaning of these chapters in Matthew's Gospel can be seen only in relation to the broader literary context of the Gospel as a whole, with its Jewish Christian orientation. Indeed, the Sermon and the moral imperatives it contains must be understood: 1) in relation to the example provided by Jesus' words and deeds elsewhere in the Gospel; 2) with reference to the community of believers that constitutes the intended audience of Matthew's Gospel; and 3) in terms of what the Gospel says elsewhere about the end of the age. The Sermon does not present a simple set of rules, perhaps only intended for a small and select group within the Christian community, but seeks to instill a moral vision and to inspire the moral imagination of all who would follow Jesus.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, New Testament, Religion, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

Dr. Dale C. Allison Jr., an Errett M. Grable professor of New Testament exegesis and early Christianity, has been on the faculty of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary since 1997. Before then he served on the faculties of Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas) and Friends University (Wichita, Kan.).

His areas of expertise include Second Temple Judaism, and he is the author of books on early Christian eschatology, the Gospel of Matthew, the so-called Sayings Source or Q, and the historical Jesus.

He has also written The Luminous Dusk, a book on religious experience in the modern world, and a full-length commentary on the Testament of Abraham. His most recently published works are The Love There That’s Sleeping: The Art and Spirituality of George Harrison, The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus, and Constructing Jesus: History, Memory, and Imagination. He is currently at work on a full-length commentary on the Epistle of James. He is married to Kristine Allison and they have three children.

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written at a popular level, this short volume is nonetheless the product of Allison’s years of research in Matthew’s Gospel, and it demands a careful and critical reading. The great strengths of the book are its engagement with a wide swath of the Christian exegetical tradition and the seriousness with which the author treats the biblical text. In addition, Allison writes lucidly and compellingly. He does a fine job of proposing a structure for the Sermon on the Mount. However, the weaknesses are such that only the most discerning readers (pastors, elders, seminary students, and mature Christians rooted in an unshakable faith in God and His Word) will benefit from reading this volume. Though Allison treats the Word of God with seriousness on the whole, he at times dismisses it as insufficient, internally inconsistent, or vexing. The language he uses to describe the dynamic of apparent tension between different human authors of Scripture (e.g., Paul and Matthew) sets the Bible against itself rather than affirming the inevitability of complementarity between (and coherence of) texts. A lesser weakness is Allison’s dependence on questionable sources for his theological formulations. Perhaps the reviewer’s bias is showing, but frequent appeals to Barth and Bonhoeffer lessen the value of this work. All told, I would recommend this to pastors who are preaching through the early chapters of Matthew, but I would direct seminarians and researchers to Allison’s more academic work (sometimes co-authored with W.D. Davies), and I would caution “lay-readers” (including college students) away from this volume.

[Kevin Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I enjoyed most about this book is its invitation to think and be inspired—not to turn off my brain and obey dogmatically simply because something is in the Bible. Allison presents the Sermon on the Mount not as a set of rigid rules meant to save us from thinking for ourselves, but as a source of principles that spark imagination and moral reflection.

The Sermon, in this reading, challenges us to wrestle with parts that do not immediately make sense. How practical is it to love enemies? Or to tell someone to remain in a marriage unless there’s infidelity—especially when abuse might be involved? These tensions are not flaws, but opportunities for deeper engagement.

Skeptics often point to contradictions in the Bible as weaknesses or signs of hypocrisy. I see them differently: as part of how Scripture wrestles with the complexities of life. The Sermon on the Mount is not a standalone ethical treatise; it is a small part of a larger gospel that sometimes answers its own dilemmas. For instance, Jesus warns against anger and insults, yet he himself expresses righteous anger and even calls his opponents fools. Perhaps these prohibitions are not universal bans, but context-sensitive teachings—after all, it may be immoral not to get angry at certain injustices.

It’s also important to remember that the Sermon was written in the first century for an audience whose world was entirely different from ours. Inevitably, we modern readers adapt it to our own context. But this raises questions: How should we do this? Is there a single correct way to interpret it? Allison’s approach seems to leave room for multiple answers, depending more on the reader’s engagement than on a single definitive reading.

Overall, this was a thought-provoking and inspiring book—one I will need to return to more than once. Highly recommended for those who want to grapple with the Sermon on the Mount as a living, challenging text rather than a checklist of rules.

[Denise Kettering · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book breaks down the passages of the Semon on the Mount, raising interesting issues about the structure of the passage as well as interpretations from historical, particularly early church, sources. This book is very helpful for understanding the complexity of the Sermon on the Mount text and different interpretations of the text. At times, when Allison is providing an overview of the historical interpretations,, it can become overly long and confusing for a commentary type of book. The overall organization is quite helpful and useful for bible studies on the text. He opens with general information on interpretations of the text and then moves into a discussion of the structure of the sermon, which was perhaps the most interesting part of the book to me. He identified several major parts of the sermon and then proceeds through the rest of the book to analyze those parts. The opening and closing passages use parallel phrases around "great crowds" and mention the mountain, demonstrating that the chapters are all part of one passage. The next parts of the sermon discuss blessings and warnings about behavior and that pattern sets up the oppositional elements through the rest of the sermon, particularly contrasting Mosaic texts with interpretations. Overall, for an in-depth study of the Sermon on the Mount this is a helpful text and will open up new areas for exploration and understanding.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

CS Lewis wrote an essay about a Sunbeam shining through a crack of a woodshed door. When viewed from the outside, one can see the light beam. One can see the dust swirling through the disturbed air. One can see the sunlight falling on the shelves. But when one steps into the beam, he gets an entirely different view. He can see outside, into the world beyond. In this way, the sunbeam serves as an analogy. If we look at something from the outside, he can discover certain things. But to see the thing in its fullness, we must step into the light

in this way, I found Dale Allison's book helpful. He looks at Jesus‘s teachings from the outside. This is good and bad. It’s good because it opens up fresh insights I wouldn’t have otherwise considered. It’s bad because he sometimes gives up on a passage too soon. He’s willing to conclude that Jesus might be wrong when the faithful would press forward and perhaps see things more deeply

I suppose if we want to learn everything we can about something, we must view it from both inside and outside

[Wesley Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Allison's commentary on the Sermon is perhaps the best treatment I've read to date. It's theologically rich and, as you'd expect from a bible scholar of his stature, exegetically genius. Allison has learned from the best the tradition has to offer, from the patristic period, to the reformers, to liberation theology. He holds the wisdom of the tradition in careful dialogue with careful philological, form, and literary criticism.

It's just really good.

[Ricky Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent exegetical value - responsible to the text and even handed, clear and concise - I enjoyed reading this very much. fair qualification (in the words of a student of his): Allison is not "beholden to orthodoxy" (though many of his conclusions in this volume are in relative concordance to it). this has increased my desire to buy the full commentary but I'm not sure if the price tag is worthwhile for a layman...

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Allison provides scholarly insight in a way that is accessible to all. I particularly appreciate how he offered an explanation of different views and the various approaches by each Branch of the church (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant).

[Timothy Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allison's commentary on the Sermon is fair and balanced—never straying into speculative territory. He does a good job at graciously interacting with various traditions and interpretations of the Sermon.

I also appreciated the abundant references to patristic writings concerning the Sermon.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the scholarly literature on the Sermon on the Mount.

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent treatment of the Sermon the Mount. The author presents the current theories in an understandable way. Scholarly and yet accessible to the layperson.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredibly deeply researched and thoroughly cited (read = densely academic) review of this topic. It is tough reading, often because it is so well-documented that the citations distract from the points being made. It is also quite insightful.

This being said, I am more relieved that I have finished this book than thankful that I have. Simply put, it wasn't fun. If you want to become an authority on this subject, then this book is for you; if you simply want to learn more about the historical meaning and interpretation of this pivotal Christian passage, pick another book. This is a serious treatment, but overly so - my intuition is that if less had been attempted (e.g., only one or two citations for an average point versus the more typical three to five), more would have translated/registered more meaningfully. I respect how incredibly exhaustive this treatment is, but I did not enjoy it as much as I would have liked (or, because of this, be as influenced or moved by it).

[Sanjuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I finish one of Allison's books I think "Well, I guess I won't be writing on that, then." His work is always so thorough, with such a brilliant use of citations and excellent analysis of the history of research. His judgments are always fair and well argued, and he is usually very charitable in interaction with a wide range of traditions.

In this book, the sections on the actual sermon are great, but I especially loved the opening discussion on the nature of the sermon, and the epilogue interacting a bit with Niebuhr. These sections left me with much to chew on. A great book.

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Allison, I'm pretty sure I never need to write on the Sermon on the Mount. He does such good work in explaining so that the complexities are intelligible, and such a thorough job in situating the text. Certainly will be my first go-to resource with questions, and his works cited and 'further reading' sections are expansive and trustworthy.

Read for Reading Practices with Jo-Ann Badley.

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book. I can't recommend it highly enough if you are a person interested in balanced exegesis. Dale Allison is one of the best writers on the New Testament from any age.

[Matthew Shedd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book with strong material for most of the Sermon on the Mount.

[Peter Ahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intelligible and inspiring.