https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2016/02/18/jerusalem-bible-on-outer-with-cdw/ The New Zealand National Catholic Newspaper Sat, 20 Feb 2016 03:11:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.2 https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2016/02/18/jerusalem-bible-on-outer-with-cdw/#comment-12561 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 03:11:56 +0000 https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/?p=12263#comment-12561 The Sermon on the mount is considered as the essence of Christs teaching; and the beatitude is considered the essence of the Sermon on the mount; so it follows that the beatitude is the essence of the essence.
Both the Good News and the Jerusalem bibles contain the word “Happy” instead, which is derived from “hap” meaning “chance”, while the word “Blessed” denotes an ongoing ever present ‘way’ (William Barclay, “The beatitudes for the plain man”). This is seen easily in “Blessed are you among women,” and “Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus” which was uttered by the Archangel, so there is a wealth of difference which neither the Good News and the Jerusalem offer in this “essence of the essence”. However in the NRSV there is the word “Blessed” for Matthew 5, the Beatitudes so those who seek a more precise terminology and a more correct scriptural base, are rewarded immediately, and Catholicism is stronger for the choice made.

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