What was Sermon on the Mount?

In the Summer of AD 27, Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount. Though this speech contains less than 2000 words, there is great power in its brevity, causing the author to claim that it may be the most important speech in history. Containing the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer, this dissertation on morality spoke to the Galilean peasants of all they could relate to as part of life under Roman rule.