Introduction
The Ten Commandments were given to Israel shortly after their escape from slavery in Egypt, probably in the thirteenth-century BC. The following translation comes from the Catechism in the English Book of Common Prayer (1549), intended for young children.
Thou shalt have none other gods but me.*
ii. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them.*
iii. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
iv. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.*
v. Honour thy father and thy mother.
vi. Thou shalt do no murder.*
vii. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
viii. Thou shalt not steal.
ix. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
x. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.*
* The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, after he brought the Israelites up out of Egypt. They were inscribed upon stone tablets, and subsequently kept in the Ark of the Covenant until it was lost or destroyed in the sack of Jerusalem by Babylon (in modern-day Iraq) early in the sixth century BC. See The Story of Moses. The list is given twice in the Bible, once in Exodus 20:3-17, and once in Deuteronomy 5:7-21.
* Despite the opinion of the English Reformers, this cannot possibly rule out secular or indeed religious art; elsewhere in the Old Testament, Israel is explicitly commanded to make images to adorn the Temple at Jerusalem, including plants, animals and even human and angelic figures, though images of God himself have always been absolutely ruled out. It is a ban against the worship of fictitious gods conjured up out of man’s fears and hopes, and in the case of allowed images, worshipping them rather than the unseen person whom they represent. Failure to appreciate these distinctions has caused much unnecessary grief and suffering over the centuries. See The Restoration of the Icons, and our posts tagged History of Icons.
* Jesus reminded Israel that the Sabbath rest must not itself become a burden: see Mark 2:23-28.
* ‘Thou shalt do no murder’ is a better translation than the KJV’s ‘thou shalt not kill’.
* ‘What dost thou chiefly learn by these commandments?’ the Catechist then asks catechumen, after listening to this recital. ‘I learn two things’ replies the child solemnly: ‘my duty towards God, and my duty towards my neighbour.’