History: The Ten Commandments Part 1 and 2
The A & E video
1. Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus and what period does that put the exodus in?
Ramses II 1300-1200 BC
2. The Israelites were prone to complaining and quarreling while they wandered in the
desert. Give three examples of their complaining (use your Bibles) These were done in
class
a. Exodus 14:10-31
b. Exodus 1522-27
c. Exodus 16: 1-36
d. Exodus 17:1-7
3. What was the covenant made at Sinai? What were the two obligations – from God to
Israel and from Israel to God? Israel was to keep the law, live a certain way and God
would protect them, fight their battles for them, provide for them.
4. How do Exodus and Deuteronomy differ in terms of when the Israelites received the law
at Mt. Sinai? Exodus – a few months after leaving Egypt; Deuteronomy – 40 years after
leaving Egypt
5. What was the experience at Mt. Sinai like for the people? Terrifying – lightening,
thunder.
6. What was the sound they heard? The voice of God – a loud sound, a condensed
utterance, all the commandments all coming at once, a roar.
7. What was the role of Moses at Mt. Sinai? Moses was an intermediary – the people’s
representative; he stood between the people and God.
8. How long was Moses on Mt. Sinai? 40 days/nights While he was gone what did the
people do? They grow restless and construct a golden calf. The two tablets that Moses
initially brought smashed when he observed their idolatry
9. So Moses returned up the mountain this time taking blank tablets. When he returned
down the mountain, he brought back two tablets with the laws written on them. Where
were they placed? They were put in the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle and later
in the temple.
10. What happened in 930 BC? The temple was complete What happened in 587 BC? The
Babylonians destroyed the temple and took many Hebrews into exile – they also may
have taken the treasures of the temple. What happened to the Ark of the Covenant and
the Laws after this event? These items are no longer mentioned as being part of Israel’s
religious life. What might have happened to them? They may have been stolen or they
may have been hidden by some religious leaders to avoid them being stolen.
11. How many commandments are in the Bible (OT)? 613
12. Is there significance to having just Ten Commandments? The commentators suggest
that there isn’t – that this number is somewhat random, easy to remember.
13. The Old Testament is also known as the _Torah__. The ___Koran________ , the
scripture of the Muslims also refers to the story of Moses or _Musah____________.
The 10 Commandments are:
a. You shall have no other gods before me
b. You shall not make any graven images
c. You shall not take God’s name in vain
d. You shall keep the Sabbath holy
e. You shall honor your father and mother
f You shall not kill
g. You shall not commit adultery
h. You shall not steal
I You shall not bear false witness
j. You shall not covet
14. What parts of the Bible contain all the OT laws? The Torah – the first five books, Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
15. What is one interpretation of the 10 Commandments? The commentators suggest that
there is nothing particularly special about the 10 Commandments. They suggest that it is an
easy number to remember, that everyone likes lists, we have ten fingers and so on.
16. Name the great Jewish rabbi who lived in Spain listed all the laws, and how many were
there? Maimonides
17. Give an example of how OT law has worked its way into American law? What is selfincrimination? Where is it found in American law?
18. What are some other examples of how OT law have been integrated into American law?
19. What are some different perspectives on the 10 Commandments? How does Exodus
compare to Deuteronomy when it comes to the 10 Commandments?
20. How have Christians over the years tried to modify the OT laws? They have tried to water
them down or to change them to mean something they were not originally intended to mean.
21. What is the first and most important of the 10 Commandments? You shall have no other
gods before me.
22. What is a fertility religion? A religion that is based on the fertility or origin of life is a
fertility religion. Who was the main god of the Canaanite people? Baal
23. What kinds of rituals did fertility religions often use? Sexual elements were often part of
fertility cults or religions. How was this specifically addressed in the OT laws? The OT had
dozens of laws prohibiting different forms of sex that were in violation of God’s plan for sex.
24. What eventually replaced paganism? Monotheism
25. Why did the second commandment create such divisions among religions or even groups
within Christianity? Some Christians wanted to adorn their sanctuaries with images and statues
depicting different aspects of their faith while others saw the law as a prohibition of any
representation of God, Jesus or any other part of their faith.
26. When did the Catholic Church’s use of images peak in the Catholic church? From the 4th
century to the middle ages – it peaked in the 16th century. The pope stated that the images
were the Bible or scriptures of the poor, the unlearned.
27. What was the original understanding of the second commandment and how did make
Judaism different from other religions? The law pertained to sacred art. The God of the
Hebrews was not supposed to be depicted in any way. All other religions depicted their god in
all kinds of art. Islam and Judaism are two of the only religions that don’t allow any
representation of their god.
28. How did Jesus change the interpretation of the OT law? Jesus said that the greatest
commandment is to “Love the Lord your God ……….. and the second is like it; love your
neighbour as yourself”
29. How do Muslims and Christians differ in their understanding of Jesus and who he was?
Muslims cannot accept that Jesus was god. They view Christians as engaging in idolatry by
having images of Jesus
30. What was one of the motivations of the Crusades, led by the Catholic Church? The
Christians of Europe wanted to destroy Muslim control of Jerusalem and the holy land just as
the Israelites had destroyed the idols and images used by the Canaanites in the land they were
to occupy.
31. What happened in the 16 and 17th centuries within the Catholic Church with respect to
images? The church (Spanish conquerors) destroyed the idols of the Aztecs and other
conquered peoples and replaced them with their own shrines
32. What did Christians often do in the late middle ages in order to show their faith in God and
how did the Reformers (E.g. Martin Luther) view this kind of worship? They would worship,
kiss, touch, bow down to, leave money and pray before statues.
33. What happened between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformers during this
time? The protestant reformers thought that the church had become material and idolatrous
in its worship of statues and religious symbols. There was a long drawn-out war. It lasted for
about 100 years. These wars took place in France, Germany and even today in Northern
Ireland.
34. What did the Reformers (Martin Luther and others) do to the churches? They cleared out
all images, icons and statues. They white-washed the walls of the churches and put the 10
commandments on them – words replaced images and statues.
35. What did it mean to “swear” in the ancient world? You were calling on God to witness
something or do something. It meant to use God’s name inappropriately.
36. What were the 10 Commandments in Hebrew? 10 words
37. In 1528, what did Henry VIII in England do, and why? He ignored the role of the Roman
Catholic Church, had his marriage annulled, formed his own church and had the Bible printed
and distributed.
38. What was the Catholic Church’s approach to scripture and how did that differ from the
Church of England? The Catholic view is that scripture is to be interpreted by the church (the
clergy, the pope, the priests), not by the laity – that is, not by you and me.
39. How was the commandment, to not take God’s name in vain understood in the ancient
world? It was seen as a powerful and dangerous thing. You could not invoke the name of God
to harm someone.
40. In Orthodox Judaism how do they view God’s name? It is so holy that they do not even
write it out, and they do not say his real name. They use a different word.
41. How did the Puritans revive the OT law to not take God’s name in vain? They believed that
an oath is that you agree to tell the truth but if you don’t God will bring repercussions on you.
In court today, how is that law or command still respected? In court today you are expected to
“swear on the Bible”.
42. How did the Puritans view “bad language” or profane language? Any language that was not
sacred or vulgar was considered profane and in violation of the law Do not take the Lord’s
name in vain. Profane means “outside the temple” that is, profane. Profane speech in the
Puritan colonies was language that was regarded as sinful or secular – to talk disrespectfully
about religion. It came to include crude, sexual language.
43. Which of the 10 Commandments has pretty well everyone broken? Misusing God’s name.
Part Two
(Video – documentary The Ten Commandments)
44. All of the ancient civilizations had prohibitions against adultery, murder, theft and all had
sacred holidays but none of them had what? A special day of rest from work.
45. According to creation even _God____ observes the Sabbath.
46. In Deuteronomy the Israelites are instructed to observe the Sabbath for what reason?
Their slavery in Egypt was the reason that they were to observe the Sabbath. Once a week you
were not a slave to anything or anyone. Even slaves were free to do no work on the Sabbath.
47. By the time of Jesus how many laws applied to observing the Sabbath? 39 separate acts.
Give three examples. The people in Jesus’s day could not walk a certain distance, tie or untie a
knot, light a fire, take medicine on the eve of the Sabbath, not write more than two letters, you
could not carry something heavier than the weight of a fig, plucking more than two ears of
corn, etc.
48. Why did some people question whether Jesus could be divine? Since he healed on the
Sabbath and seemed to disregard the Sabbath laws, they questioned whether he could really
be divine. (How could a man who is a sinner do such miracles?)
49. How did Jesus upset the Pharisees with his use of the Sabbath? He healed on the Sabbath
50. In 321 AD, how did the Romans change the observance of the Sabbath? When Constantine
became a Christian and made Christianity the official religion of the empire, he changed it to
the Sunday, in honor of Jesus rising from the dead on the first day of the week.
51. Did early Christians keep their “Sabbath” holy in the Jewish sense? Early Christians went to
church but used the rest of the day for recreation.
52. How did the Puritans in colonial America make a return to the early Jewish observance of
the Sabbath? They believed that no work or play should be done on the Sabbath. You could
not laugh or play, walk reverently, you could not walk to much, play instruments etc.
Punishments were in order for those who violated. One man returning from a voyage and
kissed his wife on the Sabbath. He was severely reprimanded.
53. In 1789 a party was detained for riding on the Sunday. Who was accused of being guilty of
abusing the Sabbath law? George Washington
54. How did American law support the notion of Sabbath laws even into the 20th century?
Texas – would sell a hammer but not nails, a blank tape but not a record, shoe laces but not
shoes etc. on the Sabbath (Sunday)
55. What do the first four laws in the 10 Commandments deal with? Our relationships with
others. What do the last six deal with? Our relationship with God.
56. What did a family consist of in the ancient world? Husband, wife (sometimes more than
one), sometimes maid and concubines and their offspring
57. Who owned the land? The family, the man, the heir – the wife (woman) could not own
land.
58. In ancient Israel the family structure was the key to ________economic survival___
___________________________________.
59. The Israelites were moving from being a wandering group of people to being a domestic,
land-owning group of people. How does this help us understand the usefulness of the 10
commandments, especially the last few?
60. Do our modern laws about murder and manslaughter relate in any way to OT laws about
killing? Yes they do since it has been argued that the OT drew a distinction between killing
(manslaughter) and murder (1st degree murder)
61. What was the penalty for breaking most of the 10 Commandments? Death by stoning
62. The command, “Thou shalt not kill” had special exceptions or conditions. Give some
examples? Unintentional murder required that the guilty party had to flee to a City of Refuge
and their the family of the one killed could not seek retribution. To be explained further in class.
63. An “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” introduced what element into Israelite legal
system? A sense of fairness or equity or proportionality – no more than an eye for an eye, no
more than a limb for a limb.
64. In the 5th century, after Rome fell, what was the penalty for murder? Very little since it was
sort of the norm of warring tribes.
65. What was “trial by ordeal” and how was it used in the middle ages? This was where a
person thought to be guilty would be “tried” by being subjected to painful ordeals and if they
survived then they were thought to be innocent. If they suffered and died, they clearly were
guilty.
66. In 1215 the Church called for an end to the practice of trial by ordeal. What system
replaced this? The judicial or adversarial system was the one that replaced trial by ordeal.
67. Why was adultery a real problem in ancient Israel? Adultery had catastrophic effects on
who inherited land – whose son is whose son.
68. Why was producing a legitimate male a very important goal for every woman? What was
the “kinsman redeemer” practice in ancient Israel? Producing an legitimate male son was very
important. In fact if a couple could not have children due to the death of the husband, his
brother was supposed to
69. In the ancient world, who was always the accused party in adultery? The man – husband.
70. How did the Puritans view adultery? What was the “scarlet letter”? What were other
practices used by the Puritans to shame those caught in adultery? In the late 1500s, adultery
was a main offense. In the Massachusetts Bay colony , death was the punishment for adultery,
at least at the start. The scarlet letter was sewn into the clothing of the guilty party. Sitting in
stocks and other forms of shaming were part of the punishment. Repeat offenders faced death
or exile.
(In the Victorian era adultery was only wrong if it was open or public and notorious. If it was
high profile, then the courts had to do something about it/)
71. Why did the Puritans believe certain sins and sinners needed to be removed from their
colonies? They wanted to keep their community pure (Puritan) from sin.
72. In the 19th century, if you murdered the adulterer of your wife, what could often happen?
Men who murdered the adulterer of their wife would often not be charged.
73. Do all countries have such a lax view of adultery as the US? Give some examples? Nigeria
– stoning, or other harsh Islamic countries where adultery results in death. In some countries it
is called honour killing, that is, killing the guilty person to maintain the honor of the family or
community.
74. In ancient Israel, what provisions were made for the poor that did not apply to others?
Theft did not really apply to the poor if they were taking food from the fields. In the OT it
makes it very clear that the poor were always to be provided for. In fact merchants were not to
sell to the poor for profit.
Livestock were the most common item stolen. It was a two for one replacement. A thief in the
night was another matter. Mosiac law took a rather lenient approach to stealing. A thief in the
night could be killed and there was no punishment for the one who killed the night thief.
75. How did many ancient societies and some Islamic states deal with thieves? Branding or
marking of hands (Muslim countries) or cutting off fingers. That identified the thief to the
community.
76. In 13th century England how was theft dealt with? Death – hanging, everything above 12
pence.
77. How did the Puritans deal with thieves? In the 1500s death was not really enforced in the
colonies because everyone played a very important role in the colony. In a small community
everyone was needed. They marked the offender – the thumb
78. What was the “three strikes and you’re out” policy in the Puritan colonies? One of your
ears could be cut off, even the second ear and after that, you could be hanged.
79. What is the modern equivalent of “Thou shalt not bear false witness?” Perjury
80. In Mosaic Law, what was to happen to someone who had “borne false witness”? The same
punishment was to be applied to the one who was guilty of false witness. Today perjury is
rarely prosecuted except in high profile cases.
81. The last commandment might be the hardest to keep. Why? Alan Dershowitz suggests
that our western society is based on the violation of that command. Explain? Our consumer
society according to Dershowitz is based on coveting.
82. How does this final command really reflect the ancient world in which it was given?
Everyone was given a portion of land and all wealth came from the land. It was evenly
distributed and the law related to the most basic items – wife, slaves, donkey. It is also the
cause of the violation of the other laws – adultery, killing, stealing.
83. According to the Koran, men have uncontrollable desire and women don’t. How does that
affect the way women are to protect themselves? Women had to be modest and cover
themselves so that men would not desire them and do something morally wrong to get her.
84. Do you think the Ten Commandments reflect the basic values of our society? Should they?
Dershowitz says NO. He also notes that we pick and choose which ones we feel are relevant
and important.
85. When one contributor suggests we might be guilty of “air-brushing” history, what is he
referring to? He says that people have airbrushed history by suggesting that the 10
Commandments were never part of America’s heritage. To say they weren’t is to “airbrush
history” – to erase the past.
86. Where are the Ten Commandments posted in Washington, DC? The Supreme Court,
Capitol Hill
87. Give some examples of other places where monuments bearing the Ten Commandments
are on public display? What is the history behind those monuments? When and by whom
were they donated?