Session 1 - Decalogue 101

 

Re-Discovering the Ten Commandments Session 1: Why study the Ten Commandments?  

Session  Overview   This  session  outlines  several  reasons  why  these  ancient  laws  are  still  worth  studying  in  our   modern  context.  Included  is  a  discussion  of:  1)  the  prominent  place  of  the  Decalogue  in  Judeo-­‐ Christian  thought;  2)  the  appropriation  of  the  "ten  commandments"  in  popular  culture;  and  3)   the  relative  lack  of  knowledge  about  the  Decalogue  in  Christian  circles  today.      

Session  Outline   1.  The  prominent  place  of  the  Decalogue  in  Jewish  and  Christian  thought   • A  small  text  (only  16  verses)  with  a  large  impact   o According  to  Philo,  a  1st  c.  CE  Hellenistic  Jewish  philosopher,  “[The]   Decalogue  encompasses  the  whole  of  the  Torah,  for  all  the  [laws]  simply   elaborate  in  detail  what  the  Ten  Commandments  say  in  compressed  form.”   o In  Numbers  Rabbah,  a  collection  of  Jewish  commentaries  on  the  book  of   Numbers,  the  rabbis  suggest  that  every  law  of  the  OT  “appeared  between   the  lines”  of  the  Ten  Commandments.   o Martin  Luther  contends  that  “anyone  who  knows  the  Ten  Commandments   perfectly  knows  the  entire  Scriptures”  (The  Large  Catechism).   • Used  in  Christian  teaching  and  liturgy  from  at  least  the  4th  c.  CE   o Aquinas’  Summa  Theologiae  and  Calvin’s  Institutes  of  the  Christian  Religion   o Historically  part  of  Lutheran,  Anglican,  and  Reformed  worship  services    

2.  The  prominent  place  of  the  Decalogue  in  American  popular  culture   • In  movies:  Cecil  B.  Demille’s  The  Ten  Commandments   o On  a  lighter  note,  Mel  Brooke’s  History  of  the  World  Part  1  …    the  fifteen  commandments?   • In  music:  Peaches  &  Herbs  “The  Commandments  of  Love”   • In  books:  the  ten  commandments  of  .  .  .  just  about  everything!  (e.g.,  The  Ten   Commandments  of  Golf  Etiquette)   • In  theme  parks:  check  out  the  world’s  largest  Ten  Commandments  at  the  Fields  of   the  Wood  Bible  Park  in  Murphy,  NC.            

 

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In  court  rooms:  the  curious  case  of  Roy  Moore,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Alabama  State   Supreme  Court  (for  further  discussion,  see  session  5)   What’s  the  appeal  of  the  Decalogue  outside  of  churches  and  synagogues?   o The  “ten-­‐ness”  of  the  list  –  comprehensive,  but  not  daunting   o The  implied  authority     o The  iconic  symbol  of  the  two  tablets  

 

3.  The  lack  of  knowledge  about  the  Decalogue  in  the  church  today   • Only  slightly  more  than  half  of  Americans  know  that  the  Golden  rule  is  not  one  of   the  ten  commandments  (check  out  the  Pew  survey  of  religious  knowledge)   • Less  than  4  of  10  Christians  can  name  half  of  the  commandments   • Even  if  we  know  the  content  of  each  commandment,  what  about  their  .  .  .   o Meaning?     o Interpretation  by  later  biblical  authors?     o Relevance  for  the  church  today?        

Discussion  Questions   v Have  you  ever  studied  the  Ten  Commandments  before?  If  so,  in  what  context?  What   did  you  learn?     v What  role  do  you  think  teaching  the  Ten  Commandments  should  play  in  Christian   education  today?  Are  these  ancient  laws  still  relevant  for  Christian  faith  and   practice?     v Why  do  you  think  the  Ten  Commandments,  perhaps  more  so  than  any  other  part  of   the  Bible,  are  referenced  in  movies,  books,  and  other  forms  of  popular  culture?     v Without  using  your  Bibles  or  the  internet,  try  to  name  and  put  in  relative  order  (no   need  to  number)  each  of  the  commandments  in  the  Decalogue.  You  can  check  your   results  here.  How  did  you  fare?  What  questions  arose  for  you  in  doing  this  exercise?  

v The  Ten  Commandments  are  said  to  be  contained  on  two  tablets  (see  Deut  4:13).   Any  guesses  on  how  the  commandments  might  be  divided  up  between  the  two   tablets?  This  issue  will  be  discussed  in  session  2.