The bible commandments and the law

[VermilionUK]

During a recent debate (in my household, not online), we covered many topics on religion, however, the debate kind of ended when we got to a sticking point - the commandments, and the law.

My point of view was that yes, there are the ten commandments, but its doesn't end there - it continues in the "law", which covers many topics such as belief and the treatment of others.

However, the opposition were stating that the ten commandments were given by God, but the law was made by man, so its irrelevant and cannot be used in the same point. I found this point of view fairly weak, considering that there is no/very little proof that the ten commandments were actually given by God.

So my questions are this: What is the difference between the bible "law" and the ten commandments? Which came first? And are the ten commandments part of the law, or are they entirely separate?

Many thanks,
Ben

[Ankhhape]

The 10 commandments are based on chapter 125 in the Egyptian book of the dead (Although Exodus 34 contains ten imperative statements, the passages in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 contain more than ten, totaling fifteen in all.)

- the Book of the Dead originates at least from 2600 BCE with many versions following. They contain instructions for life after death, a sort of manual. The Hebrew version (10 commandments) originates also in Egypt (1490 BCE Hebrew exodus from Egypt).

- the main difference is that the Hebrew version is shorter, the 42 gods are replaced by 1 god and the sabbath has been added. This version has been passed on to the Christian community totally disregarding the fact that they took a selective chapter out of the book of death.


BIBLE

Have no other gods before me

Make no idols

Do not misuse the name of God

Keep the Sabbath holy

Honor your mother and father

Do not kill

Do not commit adultery

Do not steal

Do not lie

Do not covet another’s property




BOOK OF THE DEAD

I do not tamper with divine balance

I stop not a god when he comes forth

I do not offend the god who is at the helm

(Egyptians had no Sabbath)

I do not harm my kinsmen

I do not kill

I am not an adulterer

I do not rob

I do not tell lies instead of truth

I do no wrong or mischief to others

[Jrosemary]

During a recent debate (in my household, not online), we covered many topics on religion, however, the debate kind of ended when we got to a sticking point - the commandments, and the law.

My point of view was that yes, there are the ten commandments, but its doesn't end there - it continues in the "law", which covers many topics such as belief and the treatment of others.

However, the opposition were stating that the ten commandments were given by God, but the law was made by man, so its irrelevant and cannot be used in the same point. I found this point of view fairly weak, considering that there is no/very little proof that the ten commandments were actually given by God.

So my questions are this: What is the difference between the bible "law" and the ten commandments? Which came first? And are the ten commandments part of the law, or are they entirely separate?

Many thanks,
Ben

According to Exodus, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Sinai. In Deuteronomy's retelling, this happened at Mt. Horeb--which is presumably the same mountain, but that's not certain.

The Ten Commandments are the centerpiece of halachah. Halachah is a Hebrew word that people usually translate as 'the law,' but it actually means 'the way.' At any event, although the Ten Commandments are central to halachah, they're only one part of halachah. Per the Torah, God gave some commandments long before Moses was born: according to Genesis, he commanded Abraham to circumcise his household. God seems to give other commandments (or mitzvot, as they're called in Hebrew; mitzvah is the singular) at various times--just check out Leviticus for some examples.

(There is a tradition, however, that God dictated the whole Torah and what's called the 'Oral Law' to Moses at Sinai; that would mean we received all of halacha at once, I suppose. That's a common Orthodox Jewish positon, but most non-Orthodox Jews disagree.)

Meanwhile, many mitzvot are implied in and derived from the Ten Commandments--which is also true of all the mitzvot. For example, in the Torah, God commands the people Israel not to seethe a kid in its mother's milk; that's the basis of numerous kosher rules, including our separation of meat and dairy. But to get into that, you probably want to study Talmud for a while.

It's worth noting that, according to Judaism, only moral laws are universal. No one should kill or lie, for example, but only Jews are required to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Some even speculate that only Jews are required to have no gods before HaShem, the God of Israel.

[otseng]

I'm clamping down on this subforum. This area is not meant for debate or discussions.

Closing the thread.