Perfetti o misericordiosi? (Mt 5,48 // Lc 6,36)

Many exegetes are convinced that the oldest formulation of the logion on the imitatio Dei (cf. Matt 5:48 // Luke 6:36) is found in the third gospel and that Matthew replaced the call to be merciful with the ideal of evangelical perfection. In fact, Luke had more reasons to change the Matthean form of the saying than vice versa. The adjective τέλειος “perfect” (Matt 5:48), when referring to a deity, could take on an ambiguous meaning, especially in an audience coming from a pagan background. For this reason, Luke preferred to substitute τέλειος with οἰκτίρμων “merciful”, thus avoiding any kind of misunderstanding. The original formulation of the logion is thus in Matthew, while in Luke we find a sort of cultural translation of it. This is one of the many cases in which Luke’s dependence on Matthew seems plausible.