Image Details

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), illustrated in this lithograph by the French artist Gustave Dore (1832?–1883), contains several phrases and concepts that also appear in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but do not appear in any other ancient texts. For example, the scroll called War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness mentions the “poor in spirit” (14:7) echoing “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3); the Manual of Discipline 10:17–18 sets forth the duty to turn the other cheek, as does Matthew 5:38–39, which counsels, “But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also”; and the scrolls’ emphasis on truth—embodied in the Qumran sect’s self-description, “the community of truth” (Manual of Discipline 2:24, 26)—reflects Jesus’ teaching on the sufficiency of a person’s plain word over oaths (Matthew 5:33–37).