THE TEN WORDS, ETCHED IN STONE
The name “Ten Commandments” has long intrigued me: Jewish sources follow the Torah itself in speaking of "The Ten Words" (הדברים עשרת, aseret had'varim, Ex 34:28, Dt 4:13; 10:4). The Greek form, "Decalogue," comes from the Septuagint and was used by Philo, the Jewish philosopher of first century Alexandria. So, why do we all (including the new JPS translation) speak now of "The Ten Commandments?" Not from the Vulgate, which reads verba ... decem. Not from the German of Martin Luther, who translated it: die zehn Worte. Early Church theologians followed 4th century St. Augustine, who wrote, in his catechism, about "Decalogue." (non solum sine onere, sed etiam cum jucunditate legem possent implere. Quae data est Judaeis in decem praeceptis, quod appellant Decalogum.)
To be sure, both Bible and rabbinic writings frequently enough use d'varim, "words" to mean "words of law." It makes sense that words of God would be law, and, perhaps, vice versa. We say "The Decalogue" when we want to sound correct and erudite. "The Ten Words" is unfamiliar in English. When we speak of "The Ten Commandments," we are following fairly recent Christian usage.
Oxford English Dictionary cites "commandments ten" as the earliest - 1300 - published usage of the name in Cursor Mundi ("Runner of the World," a long poem from northern England, describing world history, composed by an anonymous cleric). Then this fascinating quote, from Queen Elizabeth in 1560: "...to order that the tables of the commandments may comely set or hung up in the east end of the chancel." For many centuries synagogues have displayed the tablets. Now, the head of the Protestant movement in England was decreeing that Episcopal churches do the same. Furthermore, their Book of Common Prayer specified that the leader "rehearse distinctly all the Ten Commandments." The King James translation of 1611, influenced by Reformation thinking and language, renders "The Ten Words" as "The Ten Commandments"!
In the early days of the synagogue, some two millennia ago, The Decalogue was recited as part of the daily worship, according to the Talmud. Then certain "sectarians" - probably a reference to the early Christians - began saying that these words were the only true laws of God, a radical departure from Jewish teachings about Torah. So the rabbis took the reading out of the service and declared that reciting the Sh'ma with its blessings would state the same ideas. (Talmud, B’rachot 12a)
Here is an irony: later rabbinic authority inserted another set of ten d'varim, rabbinic mitsvot this time, into the daily worship. The Elu Had’varim list comes from the Talmud, Shabbat 127a, and states in its heading that these words are so important that a person is rewarded in this world for following them and also establishes a fund in the world to come! And these are they: honoring parents, kindness, twice daily attendance at synagogue, hospitality, visiting the sick, providing for brides, attending the dead, concentrating in prayer, making peace, and Torah study which is equal to all the rest.
Etched in Stone, is also the name of an important book by David H Aaron, professor of Bible at HUC/JIR in Cincinnati. He argues that the Decalogue in Parashat Yitro is post exilic, introduced by a group of priests endeavoring to reimagine and define Judaism for their new day.
To be sure, both Bible and rabbinic writings frequently enough use d'varim, "words" to mean "words of law." It makes sense that words of God would be law, and, perhaps, vice versa. We say "The Decalogue" when we want to sound correct and erudite. "The Ten Words" is unfamiliar in English. When we speak of "The Ten Commandments," we are following fairly recent Christian usage.
Oxford English Dictionary cites "commandments ten" as the earliest - 1300 - published usage of the name in Cursor Mundi ("Runner of the World," a long poem from northern England, describing world history, composed by an anonymous cleric). Then this fascinating quote, from Queen Elizabeth in 1560: "...to order that the tables of the commandments may comely set or hung up in the east end of the chancel." For many centuries synagogues have displayed the tablets. Now, the head of the Protestant movement in England was decreeing that Episcopal churches do the same. Furthermore, their Book of Common Prayer specified that the leader "rehearse distinctly all the Ten Commandments." The King James translation of 1611, influenced by Reformation thinking and language, renders "The Ten Words" as "The Ten Commandments"!
In the early days of the synagogue, some two millennia ago, The Decalogue was recited as part of the daily worship, according to the Talmud. Then certain "sectarians" - probably a reference to the early Christians - began saying that these words were the only true laws of God, a radical departure from Jewish teachings about Torah. So the rabbis took the reading out of the service and declared that reciting the Sh'ma with its blessings would state the same ideas. (Talmud, B’rachot 12a)
Here is an irony: later rabbinic authority inserted another set of ten d'varim, rabbinic mitsvot this time, into the daily worship. The Elu Had’varim list comes from the Talmud, Shabbat 127a, and states in its heading that these words are so important that a person is rewarded in this world for following them and also establishes a fund in the world to come! And these are they: honoring parents, kindness, twice daily attendance at synagogue, hospitality, visiting the sick, providing for brides, attending the dead, concentrating in prayer, making peace, and Torah study which is equal to all the rest.
Etched in Stone, is also the name of an important book by David H Aaron, professor of Bible at HUC/JIR in Cincinnati. He argues that the Decalogue in Parashat Yitro is post exilic, introduced by a group of priests endeavoring to reimagine and define Judaism for their new day.
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