Open AccessLove Thy Neighbor: The Expansive Command
Author(s) -
Steven R. Bishop
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
socio-historical examination of religion and ministry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2637-7519
pISSN - 2637-7500
DOI - 10.33929/sherm.2020.vol2.no2.08
Subject(s) - expansive , gospel , morality , context (archaeology) , reading (process) , literature , group (periodic table) , philosophy , virtue , history , art , linguistics , epistemology , archaeology , materials science , compressive strength , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material
John Hartung asserted in “Love Thy Neighbor: The Evolution of In-Group Morality” that the command to love, and the later use of it by Jesus, does not apply to everyone but only to those within one’s own group. Through a close reading of Leviticus and the Gospel of Matthew, this essay questions Hartung’s hermeneutic and assesses his conclusion as erroneous. By interrogating the world of the text using a literary method, this essay argues for an appreciation of the complexity of the language and the importance of literary context.