The Ten Commandments: A Short History of an Ancient Text
Biblical scholar Coogan seeks to disarm disputes over displaying the Ten Commandments on public property by demonstrating that the document in question is not now nor ever has been graven in stone. There are three versions in the Torah and while two (Ex 19, Dt 5) are quite—but not perfectly—alike, the third (Ex 34) is very different and often called the Ritual Decalogue because it focuses on Jewish temple practices. Moreover, none of the three is pristine because, Coogan argues, there was an older original form that they all approximate. Also, over the ages, particular commandments’ meanings and legal statuses have been subtly or greatly modified by some weighty authorities, indeed, including Jesus. By now, and contrary to what an American Catholic cardinal pronounced, Coogan says, they’re very much “up for grabs” by anyone wrapping himself in the banner of virtue. Coogan concludes this engrossing and enlightening guide to one of world’s great legal codes by discussing how properly to honor the Ten Commandments in the U.S. --Ray Olson