SERMON ON THE MOUNT

a biblical collection of religious teachings and ethical sayings of Jesus of Nazareth, as found in Matthew, chapters 57. The sermon was addressed to disciples and a large crowd of listeners to guide them in a life of discipline based on a new law of love, even to enemies, as opposed to the old law of retribution. In the Sermon on the Mount are found many of the most familiar Christian homilies and sayings, including the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer (qq.v.).