Texts in Conversation
In Matthew, Jesus refers to a saying about loving your neighbors and hating your enemies, language not found in the Hebrew Bible or other Jewish scriptures but is found in the Community Rule of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1QS 1:3
Community Rule
Dead Sea Scrolls, Sectarian and Community Texts
1 For […] … for his life, [the book of the] rule of the community: to seek 2 God with [all the heart] and with [all the soul], to do what is good and upright before him, as 3 he commanded by the hand of Moses and by the hand of all his servants the prophets; and to love all 4 that he has chosen and to hate all that he has rejected; to keep far from all evil 5 and to cling to all good works; and to do truth and righteousness and justice 6 in the land; and to walk no longer in the stubbornness of a guilty heart and eyes of fornication, 7 doing all evil; and to bring all who volunteer to do the statutes of God
Date: 160–100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Matthew 5:43
New Testament
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Date: 70–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The key to understanding the religious and historical nuances of broad sections of the Sermon on the Mount, specifically Matthew 5:17, lies in Matthew 5:43. This verse reads, 'You have heard that it has been said, "You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy," But I say unto you, "Love your enemy."' It begs the question, who were these listeners that were told to hate their enemies? Such a command is not found anywhere in the entire Jewish tradition, and even less in the Old Testament. It seems likely, however, that this concept might be traced back to the writings of the Qumran sect, widely associated with the Essene movement. The sect's documents contain instructions for members to 'love everyone whom God has elected, and to hate everyone whom He has rejected'. Other excerpts speak of the duty of God's chosen ones to 'redeem the earth and repay the wicked' and of 'an eternal hatred towards all men of destruction'. It is clear from these documents that the sect's understanding of hatred for enemies had an eschatological character ..."
Kurt Schubert, “The Sermon on the Mount and the Qumran Texts,” in The Scrolls and the New Testament, ed. Krister Stendahl and James H. Charlesworth (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957), 118–128.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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