Susan's Place Logo

News:

Since its founding in 1995 Susan's Place forums have blossomed into a truly global lifeline. To date we've delivered roughly 1.4 billion page views to hundreds of millions of unique visitors, guided more than 41,000 registered members through 1,985,081 posts and 188,474 topics across 193 boards, and—most importantly—helped save tens of thousands of lives by connecting people to vital information and support at their most vulnerable moments.

Main Menu

Matthew 5:3

Started by Constance, March 15, 2012, 04:30:08 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Print
Go Down Pages1
User actions

Constance

March 15, 2012, 04:30:08 PM
I've been thinking lately about the wording of Matthew 5:3, which appears in the New Revised Standard Version like so:

Quote
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This led me to ask, "What is meant by 'poor in spirit'?" When I asked this question on Facebook, a friend of mine replied with this:

Quote
The phrase "poor in spirit" occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and seems to have been an important notion to the Qumran community. Scholars agree that "poor in spirit" does not mean lacking in spirit, be it courage, the Holy Spirit, or religious awareness. Rather it is that poverty is not only a physical condition, but also a spiritual one.

If this analysis is true, it seems to shed some light on why there are those Christians who are opposed to helping the poor, as it's a spiritual affliction rather than financial one. This seems callous to me.

What thoughts and insights do you, my boardmates, have?
  •  
Print
Go Up Pages1
User actions