text: The Church justifiably stakes a claim on social teaching, having invested a great deal of its intellectual acumen and as the custodian of a rich (albeit chequered) tradition. The case can and should be made that it is primarily civilizational and rational rather than sectarian. Jesus redeemer and Jesus social philosopher/teacher are distinct dimensions. As redeemer Jesus, man and God lived, died, rose from the dead thus establishing an "ontological" elevation of mankind and indeed creation itself, in our relationship with the divine. 
  Jesus was not a moral dictator. He was a social, moral, ethics, political philosopher, teacher/leader in the line of civilizational greats. Aristotle taught that these are rooted in man's mutual dependence and thus reciprocity:"love/friendship is a mutual benevolence mutually known" (Ethics). Jesus taught and demonstrated that a "mutual benevolence mutually known", love and the "common good" go further, deeper. If Aristotle is rational,  Jesus more so.