With these essays, all representing investigations undertaken from 1974-1983, Hans Dieter Betz offers a new and surprising hypothesis on the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-7:27). Reconstructing the Sermon as a pre-Matthean source originating in the Jewish church around 50 A.D., Betz sees the Sermon as a carefully composed epitome of the theology of Jesus from the perspective of Jewish Christianity in its struggle to survive both internal and external pressures. In analyzing key passages and problems, Betz not only stresses literary character and composition but also brings to light a startling relationship between the Sermon and Hellenistic philosophy. His ultimate interpretation, strikingly different from the one traditionally held by the church, will be sure to generate lively discussion on the origin and meaning of the New Testament text which Betz himself calls "the most remote from man and woman."