In this article I seek to advance our understanding of the compositional logic behind the Matthean antitheses by arguing that the juxtaposition of themes underlying the last three antitheses parallels a related grouping of topics in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Testament of Gad and rabbinic sources. I suggest that just as Mt. 5.33-48 links a discussion of oaths to a reworked interpretative tradition on Lev. 19.17-18, the Damascus Document, Testament of Gad and later rabbinic works juxtapose the topic of oaths and these biblical verses. Although the various sources employ divergent rationales for linking these topics, the persistent presence of a connection between them speaks to a shared tradition that may have informed the order and organization of the Matthean antitheses.
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