188 BERNARDO ESTRADA characteristic features of a real blessing 6. Meynet, underlining the concept of heaven at the beginning and at the end of Matt 5,3-16, actually sees here a single literary unit in which the ninth beatitude has the hinge-function for the whole section 7. This ninth blessing has a special literary form, much longer than that of the others. It is in fact more direct and not addressed in the general and impersonal fashion of the third person used in other Matthean beatitudes. The other makarisms look at a present condition while the last one talks about suffering and persecution as a pledge of an abundant future reward. In the first four beatitudes the condition of misery and distress reflects a passive attitude that attracts God’s gaze and solicitude. They are carriers of the kerygma to distressed people, the announcement of the kingdom’s salvation to those who wait for it 8. The second quartet contains the demands of the kingdom itself in Messianic times, the qualities required in order to be called makarioi 9. The ninth blessing is pronounced in a future setting and ¥ contains a promise: suffering for Jesus’ sake will merit a special reward in the kingdom. Thus, announcement-demand-promise would be the trilogy that describes the climactic proclamation of the beatitudes in Matthew 10. Luke’s four beatitudes (6,20b-23) are formulated in the second person and derive from a common source with Matthew’s, probably from Q 11, but both evangelists show a great degree of freedom in presenting the basic underlying tradition 12. The woes that follow the says that Matthew would have composed the eighth beatitude based on the ninth one: The Good News According to Matthew (Atlanta, GA 1975) 84. Cf. J. DUPONT, Les béatitudes (Bruges 1958-1973) I, 228; III, 308-310. 6 Cf. MEYNET, “I frutti dell’analisi retorica”, 409. Also Dupont took this 7 position some years ago (cf. his Béatitudes, III, 316. Cf. I, 209-229). Cf. J. SCHNIEWIND, Das Evangelium nach Matthäus (Göttingen 131984) 40. 8 Cf. SCHNIEWIND, Das Evangelium nach Matthäus, 45-46. 9 The second person would help to create such a climax in the whole set of 10 beatitudes. Cf. DAVIES – ALLISON, Matthew I, 461. For a reconstruction of Q and its parallels in the beatitudes, cf. 11 J. LAMBRECHT, The Sermon on the Mount. Proclamation and Exhortation (Wilmington, DE 1985) 48-52. Cf. H. FRANKEMÖLLE, “Die Makarismen (Matt 5,1-12: Luke 6,20-23). 12 Motive und Umfang der redaktionelle Komposition”, BZ 15 (1971) 52-75.