For the fun of it
Given the off-topic discussion of the 10 commandments, I have a fun challenge. Using only Logos resource, find the argument for these alternatives:
- The 10 commandments were split across two tablets
- All 10 commandments appeared on each tablet - in the covenant context, a copy for each participant in the covenant
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Fun challenge! [:)]
In support of the first option:
THE TWO TABLETS OF THE LAW. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: We should also know that the ten commandments of the law are also fulfilled by the two gospel precepts, love of God and love of neighbor. For the three commandments which were written on the first tablet pertain to the love of God, while on the second tablet seven commandments were inscribed, one of which is “Honor your father and your mother.” Doubtless all of the latter are recognized as pertaining to love of neighbor. The Lord said in the Gospel: “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”1
Joseph T. Lienhard and Ronnie J. Rombs, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture OT 3. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 101.
In support of the second option:
5:22 He wrote them on two tablets: The two tablets were two complete copies of the Law. Usually, two copies were made of ancient near Eastern treaties. One was retained by each of the two contracting parties as a witness to the agreement. But with the Ten Commandments, both copies were placed before God. Not only did the Lord covenant with the Israelites, He also witnessed the agreement.
Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen and H. Wayne House, The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), Dt 5:22.
Another excerpt which gives different defenses of both options:
How were the Ten Commandments arranged? Five on the one tablet and five on the other. On the one tablet was written: “I am the Lord thy God.” And opposite it on the other tablet was written: “Thou shalt not murder.” This tells that if one sheds blood it is accounted to him as though he diminished the divine image. To give a parable: A king of flesh and blood entered a province and the people set up portraits of him, made images of him, and struck coins in his honor. Later on they upset his portraits, broke his images, and defaced his coins, thus diminishing the likenesses of the king. So also if one sheds blood it is accounted to him as though he had diminished the divine image. For it is said: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood … for in the image of God made He man” (Gen. 9:6). On the one tablet was written: “Thou shalt have no other god.” And opposite it on the other tablet was written: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” This tells that if one worships idols it is accounted to him as though he committed adultery, breaking his covenant with God. For it is said: “Thou wife that committest adultery, that takest strangers instead of thy husband” (Ezek. 16:32). And it is also written: “And the Lord said unto me: ‘Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress,’ ” etc. (Hos. 3:1). On the one tablet was written: “Thou shalt not take.” And opposite it on the other tablet was written: “Thou shalt not steal.” This tells that he who steals will in the end also swear falsely. For it is said: “Will ye steal, murder and commit adultery and swear falsely” (Jer. 7:9). And it is also written: “Swearing and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery” (Hos. 4:2). On the one tablet was written: “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” And opposite it on the other tablet was written: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” This tells that if one profanes the Sabbath it is as though he testified in the presence of Him by whose word the world came into being that He did not create the world in six days and did not rest on the seventh day. But he who keeps the Sabbath does testify in the presence of Him by whose word the world came into being that He did create the world in six days and did rest on the seventh, as it is said: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord” (Isa. 43:10). On the one tablet was written: “Honour thy father,” etc. And opposite it on the other tablet was written: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.” This tells that he who covets will in the end beget a son who may curse his real father while giving filial honor to one who is not his father. It was for this that the Ten Commandments were arranged five on one tablet and five on the other.—These are the words of R. Ḥananiah, the son of Gamaliel.
But the other sages say: All the ten were written on each of the two tablets. For it is said: “These words … and He wrote them upon two tablets of stone,” etc. (Deut. 5:19).
Jacob Zallel Lauterbach, Mekilta De-Rabbi Ishmael, New ed. (Philadelphia, Pa: Jewish Publication Society, 2004), 335-36. [It was all in one paragraph in the source; but I inserted a paragraph break to delineate the two alternatives more clearly.]
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Well, in the grand forum tradition of interesting quotes, FaithLife is interesting (successfully side-stepping the issue):
Exo 24:12 'I have written Suggests that God recorded the commandments, but vv. 3–4 indicates that Moses wrote down “all the words of Yahweh.” It is possible that Moses did not write the commandments on these two tablets. However, a comparison of these verses with the narratives of chaps. 20; 34:11–28 reveals many inconsistencies (see note on chap. 20).'
Jumping to the referenced note in chap 20 .... 'While chap. 20 is known for the Ten Commandments, the Hebrew words for “ten” and “commandment” do not appear in the chapter. The Hebrew phrase “ten words” appears in another passage connected to the Sinai scene (34:11–28; especially 34:28). Those commandments (“words”) do not exactly match the 10 laws in chap. 20 (or the parallel passage to chaps. 20; Deut 5). This has generated debate over which commands should be considered the core of the law and how they are to be numbered.'
That tidies things up, I think. Back to work on the challenge.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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MJ. Smith said:
Using only Logos resource, find the argument for these alternatives:
- The 10 commandments were split across two tablets
- All 10 commandments appeared on each tablet - in the covenant context, a copy for each participant in the covenant
Jerusalem Talmud (y. Sheqalim 6:1, IX.1.A)
A] How were the tablets laid out?
[B] R. Hananiah b. Gamaliel says, "Five commandments were on one side, and five on the other tablet." This is in line with that which is written, "And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone" (Deut. 4:13), five on one side, five on the other.
[C] Rabbis say, "Ten were on one tablet, and ten were on the other."
Jerusalem Talmud (y.Sota 8:3, II.6.A)
A] How were the tablets laid out?
[B] R. Hananiah b. Gamaliel says, "Five commandments were on one side, and five on the other tablet."
[C] Rabbis say, "Ten were on one tablet, and ten were on the other table.
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Jack, I guess you noticed in your succesful challenge effort in the Talmud, that Moses got to keep the pieces (I assume the first 2 tablets) and get rich off of them (though I suppose that would be before his untimely death on Nebo).
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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A couple of tongue-in-cheek answers:
Clearly the commandments were split across the two tablets, because as this illustration from The People's Bible: Exodus shows, the text is not identical between the two:
[Not from a Logos resource; I cheated and used Google Images] But of course there is no one correct answer, because Moses had the Logos app running on both tablets and could have displayed whichever commandments he wanted on each at any given time.
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I think it fair to introduce a different numbering sequence.Rosie Perera said:THE TWO TABLETS OF THE LAW. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: We should also know that the ten commandments of the law are also fulfilled by the two gospel precepts, love of God and love of neighbor. For the three commandments which were written on the first tablet pertain to the love of God, while on the second tablet seven commandments were inscribed, one of which is “Honor your father and your mother.” Doubtless all of the latter are recognized as pertaining to love of neighbor. The Lord said in the Gospel: “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”1
Or perhaps the law was divided into two parts. Traditionally, the first four commandments are distinguished from the last six. The first table of the law consists of the four commandments that govern our response to God. The second table consists of the six commandments that govern the way we treat one another. Obviously, our human relationships cannot be separated from our relationship to God, but there is a distinction: The first four commandments teach us to love God, while the last six teach us to love our neighbor.
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Schezic said:
I think it fair to introduce a different numbering sequence.Rosie Perera said:THE TWO TABLETS OF THE LAW. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: We should also know that the ten commandments of the law are also fulfilled by the two gospel precepts, love of God and love of neighbor. For the three commandments which were written on the first tablet pertain to the love of God, while on the second tablet seven commandments were inscribed, one of which is “Honor your father and your mother.” Doubtless all of the latter are recognized as pertaining to love of neighbor. The Lord said in the Gospel: “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”1
Or perhaps the law was divided into two parts. Traditionally, the first four commandments are distinguished from the last six. The first table of the law consists of the four commandments that govern our response to God. The second table consists of the six commandments that govern the way we treat one another. Obviously, our human relationships cannot be separated from our relationship to God, but there is a distinction: The first four commandments teach us to love God, while the last six teach us to love our neighbor.
Another traditional way to consider the commandments is that the first five show our relationship to our creator, and the last five to others. Each pair of commandments (1-6, 2-7, etc) are parallel.0 -
MJ, fun challenge indeed! I was hoping to find some commentary from Daniel Block, because I've heard him argue that it was the same copy on each stone. But alas, in my articles from him on the decalogue (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary), he does not mention this issue.
Not all was lost, however. I did a Basic Search for [decalogue tablets] and found several articles:
Here is what I found in The Lexham Bible Dictionary:
Their Nature and Division
While Exodus 34:28 specifically identifies that there were 10 commandments, the precise division of the commandments is subject to interpretation. The division utilized here is typical of Reformed and Orthodox interpretations, and results in four religious commands and six social commands. Other schools variously unite the first two commandments, isolate the introductory clause as a separate commandment, or divide the 10th commandment (see Marshall, “Decalogue,” 172; Youngblood, “Counting,” 30–35, 50, 52; Barton, “The Work,” 194–95).
The traditional conception of the two tablets also varies, envisions each tablet containing five commandments, or one tablet with the four religiously oriented commands and the other with the six socially oriented commands. However, it is possible that the Hittite treaty pattern offers a more contextually accurate picture. In Hittite treaties, the two tablets were duplicates of the treaty or covenant, one for the suzerain king and the other for the vassal king (see Nelson, Deuteronomy, 66; Stuart, Exodus, 656; Marshall, “Decalogue,” 173). This view would then envision two identical tablets, both placed in the ark, signifying the suzerain king’s presence among his vassal people.
Beal, M. S. (2012). Ten Commandments. In J. D. Barry & L. Wentz (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary (J. D. Barry & L. Wentz, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
Here is a paragraph from The New American Commentary:
34:1 The new tablets were to be exactly like the old: stone tablets written on personally by God and containing the same wording as the originals (cf. 20:2–17; 24:12; 31:18; 32:15–16). In the narrative about the original tablets, God personally provided the tablets (32:16). Here Moses would chisel them out of stone, so he was assigned the job of providing the tablets. God took upon himself only the job of writing on them. As 34:28 confirms, the Ten Words/Commandments would be the content of these, and as logic dictates from our understanding of how covenants worked, the tablets were again both complete copies of the Ten Words/Commandments (not five on one tablet and five on the other), with one tablet representing the sovereign’s (God’s) copy and the other representing the vassal’s (Israel’s) copy. God again referred to Moses’ breaking the first pair of tablets (“the first tablets, which you broke”) as a reminder that the prior covenant had actually been not just violated in some limited way but broken, making this offer of covenant reinstatement all the more timely and an evidence of gracious divine willingness to forgive and restore.
Stuart, D. K. (2006). Vol. 2: Exodus. The New American Commentary (712–713). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
From Themelios:
Two Tablets
The biblical traditions are clear that the Ten Commandments were written on two stone tablets (Exod. 31:18; 34:1, 4, 29; Deut. 4:13; 5:22; 9:10–11), inscribed on both sides (Exod. 32:15), which were kept in the ark of the covenant (Exod. 25:16, 21; 40:20; Deut. 10:1–5; 1 Kgs 8:9; 2 Chr. 5:10). The use of stone rather than clay indicates the importance of this document and its intended permanence (Tigay, 1996: 48).
The question arises whether the commandments were divided between the tablets (as has generally been assumed) or whether the two tablets were identical copies of all Ten Commandments (Kline, 1960). If the Ten Commandments were understood to be the text of the covenant (treaty) between God and Israel, then the latter could be the case, since it was conventional to make duplicate copies of the treaty document for the suzerain and vassal respectively, and it is arguable that the sanctuary would be the appropriate place to deposit both the copy for God and that for the people. However, while it would make good sense to make duplicate copies and keep them in separate places for security, making duplicates and then keeping them in the same place (which is clearly what happened, if they were indeed duplicates) seems to be a rather pedantic imitation of the treaty-making procedure. Moreover, while it would be logical to keep God’s copy in the ark, and thus in the most holy place, keeping the people’s copy there as well would make it inaccessible to them and of little practical use. It would seem more probable that the pair of tablets kept in the ark were viewed as God’s copy of the covenant, and that one or more accessible copies were made for reference by the people and their leaders (cf. Deut. 27:3; Josh. 8:32).
The OT itself does not give any indication whether the two tablets were thought of as identical copies, or whether the material was divided between the two. It is impossible to be certain, but the latter seems more likely.
Baker, D. L. (2005). Ten Commandments, Two Tablets: The Shape of the Decalogue. In Themelios: Volume 30, No. 3, Summer 2005 (8–9). United Kingdom: The Gospel Coalition.
There were more results than this, but the pattern of argument seems to have already emerged pretty strongly, and nothing else I read really added to the discussion.
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