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The following paragraphs are excerpts from Dr. George M. Lamsa's book, The Kingdom on Earth, published in 1966. This book has not been widely read or circulated because it was published by the Unity School of Christianity. The TAJ staff believes the book reveals Lamsa's heart and his devotion to the teachings of Jesus Christ. The book fully discusses the beatitudes and the Lord's prayer.
"The Sermon on the Mount is the most precious and inspiring portion of the Scriptures. It is like a flower that graces a plant with beauty. In reality it is the soul and the spirit of the sacred Word. Jesus was speaking to the souls of men and women yet unborn. He was speaking to generations that were to come centuries after Him. His words were so charged with spiritual power that they have come down from one generation to another without any loss in meaning...Throughout human history relatively few men and women have dared to try this new and seemingly radical but sure way of life. Only a few have had the courage to denounce the evils of this material world which have been the causes of the downfall of man...Jesus, in His historic and eternal message to humanity, expounded truths that were hidden from the wise and prudent men of the world but were revealed to His unlearned and humble followers. He introduced a new way of life wherein men can live together in prosperity, peace, and harmony.
"The secret of the dynamic force of the new order of life lay in Jesus' denial of the fleeting pleasures and comforts of this temporal life for which men had sold their souls, and in the renunciation of materialistic power which had been so costly and destructive to the human race...Now Jesus was introducing a new way - the way of meekness and peace. The forces of the Spirit were to take the place of the forces of the flesh.
"Indeed, Galilee is a beautiful and luxuriant land when compared with the arid hills of Judea and the adjacent lands of Moab, Amman and Edom. Nature has graced this land with many scenic beauties and abundant water in a part of the world where water is scarce and precious. There is something mysterious about nature around the lake of Galilee, the Galilee of the Gentiles...Galilee was far away from Jerusalem, the center of Jewish religion, with its temple toward which the Jews looked for peace and salvation. Jerusalem was the rebellious city that had slain all the messengers of God who had sought its peace and prosperity...But the air in Galilee was different: People who dwell in darkness always look for light; the hopeless always look for hope; and the oppressed always pray for deliverance...The Galileans were freethinkers, free from the complex system of worship that was imposed by the priestly hierarchy upon the people of Jerusalem whose traditions and temple ordinances blinded their eyes and were obstacles in the way of reform and the freeing of souls.
"The Galileans for many centuries had been living in a land that was in the path of invading armies, and they had suffered far more from foreign invasions than had the Jews in the south. Therefore, they were eager for the fulfillment of the Messianic promises, and they prayed with vehement supplications for deliverance of their land from the pagan rulers...Despite the presence of the hated Roman authorities in Jerusalem, most of the Jews in the south were happy and prosperous. The Jewish religion was respected by the wise Roman conquerors. The high priests were granted more power by the cunning pagan emperors than they had enjoyed in the old days under the Jewish kings.
"Now the new prophet with His universal gospel was set to remove all racial, physical, and cultural barriers separating the children of God. He was to declare all men equal before the presence of God, and all worthy to be called God's children.
"Nevertheless, despite strong opposition from the elders and synagogue dignitaries, hundreds of men and women who were hungry for the truth were ready to welcome a change, and eager to hear the word of God...The new gospel had to be preached"...