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The Beatitudes () are blessings recounted by Jesus in Matthew 5:3–10 within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mirror the blessings.
In the Latin Vulgate, each of these blessings begins with the word beātī, which translates to (plural adjective). The corresponding word in the original Greek is μακάριοι (), with the same meaning. Thus "Blessed are the poor in spirit" appears in Latin as beātī pauperēs spīritū. The Latin noun beātitūdō was neologism by Cicero to describe a state of blessedness and was later incorporated within the chapter headings written for Matthew 5 in various printed versions of the Vulgate. Subsequently, the word was anglicisation to beatytudes in the Great Bible, and has, over time, taken on a preferred spelling of beatitudes.
While some opinions can differ as to exactly how many distinct statements into which the Beatitudes should be divided (ranging from eight to ten), most scholars consider them to be only eight. (2025). 9780664219178, Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664219178 These eight of Matthew follow a simple pattern: Jesus names a group of people normally thought to be unfortunate and pronounces them blessed. (2025). 9781931018319, Emmaus Road. ISBN 9781931018319
The ninth beatitude (Matthew 5:11–12) refers to the bearing of reviling and is addressed to the disciples... R.T. France considers verses 11 and 12 to be based on .
The Beatitudes unique to Matthew are the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, and the peacemakers, while the other four have similar entries in Luke, but are followed almost immediately by "four woes". The term "poor in spirit" is unique to Matthew. While thematically similar, the introduction of the phrase "Poor in spirit" spiritualizes or ethicizes the poor in their predicament (in alignment with Isaiah 61),The Oxford Companion to the Bible, Ed. Metzger and Coogan, 1993 p. 688 while the Lucan version focuses on their actual hardship, poverty, marginalization and rejection of the poor who will see eventual vindication.
("Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.") appears to parallel the text in Matthew 5:11–12.
The four woes that follow in Luke 6:24–26
These woes are distinct from the Seven Woes of the Pharisees which appear later in .
The term the meek would be familiar in the Old Testament, e.g., as in . Although the Beatitude concerning the meek has been much praised even by some non-Christians such as Mahatma Gandhi, some view the admonition to meekness skeptically. Friedrich Nietzsche in On the Genealogy of Morals considered the verse to be embodying what he perceived as a slave morality.
In Christian teachings, the works of mercy (good acts that are considered meritorious) have resonated with the theme of the Beatitude for mercy. These teachings emphasize that these acts of mercy provide both temporal and spiritual benefits.
The term peacemakers has traditionally been interpreted to mean not only those who live in peace with others, but also those who do their best to promote friendship among humanity and between God and man. St. Gregory of Nyssa interpreted it as "Godly work", which was an imitation of God's love of man. John Wesley said the peacemakers "endeavour to calm the stormy spirits of men, to quiet their turbulent passions, to soften the minds of contending parties, and, if possible, reconcile them to each other. They use all innocent arts, and employ all their strength, all the talents which God has given them, as well to preserve peace where it is, as to restore it where it is not."Wesley, J., 'Upon Our Lord's Sermon On The Mount: Discourse Three', Sermon 23, accessed 11 October 2015
The phrase "poor in spirit" (πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι) in has been subject to a variety of interpretations. A.W. Tozer describes poverty of spirit as "an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets." It is not a call to material poverty, but spiritual need. The idea being that when one realizes how much they need God, he will satisfy their need by giving them himself. Conversely, if someone does not really believe they need God, he will not reveal himself to them.
William Burnet Wright, seeking to avoid a common misunderstanding of the meaning of poverty of spirit, distinguishes those who are "poor in spirit" from those he calls "poor spirited," who "consider crawling the Christian's proper gait."
In the Book of Mormon, a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, Jesus delivers a sermon to a group of people in the Americas shortly after His death and resurrection. This event, believed by adherents to be part of Christ's visit to the Americas around the year 34, is recorded in 3 Nephi 12, where Jesus teaches a version of the Beatitudes similar to that found in Matthew 5.
Though the teachings in 3 Nephi 12 closely mirror the Beatitudes in Matthew, the Book of Mormon version emphasizes the importance of baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, which is seen as central to the blessings. Additionally, in 3 Nephi 12:48, Jesus invites the people to be perfect, "even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect," expanding the call to divine perfection to include Himself, thus highlighting His divinity in the post-resurrection context of the Americas.
The Baháʼí Lawḥ-i-Aqdas tablet concludes with 21 beatitudes, including this statement:
The Qur'an mirrors the Bible only in Q:21:105 which resembles referred to in ; but the Qur'an uses "righteous" rather than "meek". The Qur'an (e.g., "say the word of humility and enter the gate of paradise") and some Hadith ( e.g., "My mercy exceeds my anger") contain some passages with somewhat similar tone, but distinct phraseology, from the Beatitudes.
The Bhagavad Gita and the traditional writings of Buddhism (e.g., some of the Mangala Sutta) have been interpreted as including teachings whose intentions resemble some of the messages of Beatitudes (e.g., humility and absence of ego), although their wording is not the same. (2025). 9780820481364, Peter Lang. ISBN 9780820481364 (1982). 9780520046726, University of California Press. ISBN 9780520046726
Six "modern Beatitudes" were proposed by Pope Francis during his visit to Malmö, Sweden on All Saints Day 2016:
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