TEN?
A Dialogue by Tom Rasely and Joe Connolly
TOM: OK, ladies and jelly-spoons. Today we’re going talk about the Ten Commandments.
JOE: The what?
TOM: No, not ‘The What.’ The Ten Commandments. You know, like in the movie you’ve probably seen on television— they filmed it back in the 1950s. It had Charlton Heston in it. He played Moses. The movie got it’s name from the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. So, the Ten Commandments I want to talk about are the Ten Commandments you can find in the Bible in the Book called Exodus— Exodus in the 20th Chapter.
JOE: Exodus? Yeah, I know Exodus was a movie, but I thought that was a movie with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint, not Charlton Heston. And it was they made in the 1960s, not the 1950s.
TOM: No, no, no. The Heston movie is a story about ancient Israel.
JOE: I thought the Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint movie was about Israel.
TOM: (Annoyed.) Well, it is. But the movie with Heston is called The Ten Commandments. And it tells the story about Israel, a story from the book of Exodus that’s in the Bible. It’s story is about what happened 3,000 years ago. The Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint movie called Exodus but tells the story about the founding of the modern country known as Israel. That story is about what happened just 60 years ago.
JOE: Well, then, they’re still both movies about Israel.
TOM: O.K. wonderful! You’re a movie critic, are you? So which one are you? Siskel or Ebert?
JOE: Siskel is no longer with us. He died.
TOM: Great— you should be Siskel, then.
JOE: Right— now about this Ten Commandments stuff— I could be wrong, but I thought you could also find the Ten Commandments in the Bible in places other than the 20th Chapter of Exodus.
TOM: You can find them in other places in the Bible. There is a different version of the Ten Commandments in the 5th Chapter of Deuteronomy. And there is yet another version in the 34th chapter of Exodus. But I wanted to talk only about the ones in the 20th Chapter of Exodus. [1]
JOE: But, hold on. If there are Ten Commandments in Exodus 34 and Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5 and Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, that makes 30 Commandments, doesn’t it? That would be a lot of commandments to follow. Sounds kind of hard. And why would you want to talk only about the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20? What makes them so special?
TOM: (Simmering.) O.K. Now, today I want to talk about the Ten Commandments we find in the 20th Chapter of Exodus. O.K.? (Pause.)
JOE: O.K. (Slight pause.) They are not commandments, you know.
TOM: (Sarcastic.) Oh right. They’re only called The Ten Commandments. They’re not really commandments. I should have known that— all that ‘thou shalt not’ stuff. They can’t really mean it, right?
JOE: I’m serious. They are not commandments. They are Words.
TOM: That’s brilliant. What else would they be?
JOE: No, I mean they are Words. Words with a capital ‘W.’
TOM: Ooh! W-W-W-words. Yeah, that makes sense.
JOE: What I mean is: they’re not commands. There is actually no command tense in the Hebrew Language. So, in Hebrew, you can’t give anyone a command. Therefore, they cannot be commandments but they are and they can be called Words— capital ‘W’ Words, meaning Words from God. In fact, in Hebrew they are referred to by three different names. They are called “the ten words,” or “the ten sayings” or “the ten matters” but in Hebrew they are not called the “Ten Commandments.” Even when the phrase which describes what we so inaccurately call the “Ten Commandments” is spoken in the Greek, the Greek word used is “decalogue.” Decalogue means “ten words” or “ten terms.” Bottom line: it does not mean “Ten Commandments.”
TOM: Fine. Next you’re going to say that there aren’t really ten of them. (Slight pause.)
JOE: There aren’t.
TOM: Of course there are ten of them.
JOE: How can you be so sure?
TOM: Because there’s a copy cut in stone right in the capital building of the State of South Carolina— etched in the side of the building— two tablets. (Slight pause.) I saw it on CNN. (Slight pause.) I saw it on FOX News. (Slight pause.) So, I know it’s true. (Slight pause.) I even saw it on MSNBC. OK?
JOE: Well (sighs), that image of two tablets we often find on the walls of buildings is a representation of what we have come to call the Ten Commandments— or at least it’s a representation of the ones found in the 20th Chapter of the Book called Exodus. But, in fact, just within those ten, different groups look at them in different ways. Jewish people number them differently than Reformed Protestants who number them differently again than those in the Orthodox tradition who number them differently again than those who are Catholics and Lutherans. And so, yes— even when numbered differently, as all these different traditions do, ten is the traditional number we use when we refer to them. But ten is not really the issue here.
TOM: So, what do you mean ten isn’t the issue? Look, I’ve got a Bible right here, and this is what says right there in the chapter heading “The Ten Commandments.” There: what do you think of that?
JOE: Well, when you consider how the Bible was put together, you quickly come to an understanding that all those chapter headings were added much, much later by editors. They were put there by people who did not write the actual words of in the Bible.
TOM: Oh, yeah, right— and I suppose the chapter and verse numbers were added later too.
JOE: They were.
TOM: Oh come on. Don’t be ridiculous. Peter and Paul made sure chapters and verses were in the King James Bible. That’s the one Peter and Paul used, isn’t it? And, look, how else could those early Hebrews know where to find all their favorite verses if things weren’t numbered? Bookmarks hadn’t been invented yet, and they sure were a long way from being able to look up things on-line, like I do. I really like Google, don’t you? You can find anything.
JOE: Now, now, now— slow down. And let’s start at the beginning, shall we? How was the Bible written?
TOM: Well, well... maybe it wasn’t written. Maybe it just came together.
JOE: Yes, well some people do think that it just came together, kind of by itself. But the Bible was written and compiled and edited by people across the expanse of a long, long period of time. The Hebrew Scriptures were written and compiled and edited over the course of almost the entire one thousand years before Jesus was born. In fact, if we look at just the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, we know this section contains at least four documents written different at very different times by different people. This portion of Scripture was written between about one thousand years before Jesus was born and about 500 years before Jesus was born. Then, these four documents were combined into one document probably right after the Jews spent time in captivity, in exile in Babylon. And, needless to say, if the Pentateuch came together about 500 years before Jesus was born, that’s about... oh,... (Joe makes calculations in the air) 2,100 years before the King James Bible was translated and published.
TOM: All right, that’s all very interesting. But I really don’t care about ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek or about this document stuff or when the Bible was published or even about translating. I just care about the Ten Commandments. So, let’s get back to them.
JOE: Well, now, you may not care about ancient Hebrew or Ancient Greek, or about when the Bible was published or even about translating, but translating from these ancient languages is really the key here. You see, contrary to popular belief, Paul and Peter did not speak or write in Elizabethan English. Those two apostles many have communicated in ancient Greek, but certainly not in 17th Century English. Now, we know Paul could actually write in Greek, since one part of a letter by Paul says it is written in his own hand. But we are not even sure if Peter did write. Maybe he just dictated and what he said got written down. So, it’s possible someone, maybe a scribe— a secretary— just copied down what Peter said.
TOM: Peter had a secretary? Cool.
JOE: Like I said, the New Testament, the Christian Scriptures, are all written in ancient Greek. The Scriptures used by the Israelites are written mostly in ancient Hebrew. And, since most of us speak English and read Scripture in English, we need to realize we are not reading the original version. I’d suggest that in order to really understand what is being said, you need to know something about translation and how that works. Then, on top of that, while you probably don’t need to be fluent in ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek, it is helpful to know just a little bit about how those languages work.
TOM: Like I said, that’s all very interesting. But I really don’t care about ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek and I still don’t care about translating. I just care about the Ten Commandments. So, let’s get back to them.
JOE: You do have a one track agenda, don’t you?
TOM: I was thinking maybe it would be a good idea if the Ten Commandments got an update.
JOE: An update??
TOM: Yeah. Like number 1: “No other gods.” I mean, come on. This is the 21st century; we’re supposed to be open-minded. How can we stand for “no other gods?”
JOE: Open minded? That’s more like empty minded.
TOM: What?
JOE: I didn’t say anything.
TOM: And then there’s number 2.
JOE: What’s wrong with that one?
TOM: Not one, two.
JOE: All right, is there something the matter with that one too?
TOM: One-two? (They look at each other.) Skip it. The problem is number two is way long. I mean, you start off with “You shall not make for yourself any graven image,” and by the time you get to the part with “thousands of them that love me keep my commandments,” you’ve pretty much lost track of what you were reading. And then you’ve got this “jealous God” business. I thought God was supposed to be… you know... nice.
JOE: Oh?
TOM: You know, kind of like a holy Santa Claus or something.
JOE: Oh???
TOM: Yeah, like Santa Claus. We ask and God gives.
JOE: God as Santa Claus?
TOM: And number 3. Look at number 3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.” I mean, GOD! Who would do a thing like that? And then along comes number 4, talking about the Sabbath. First of all, who uses a word like Sabbath anymore? And then six days this, and six days that, and six days blah, blah, blah. It’s all over the Scripture. I just want things more simple— modern.
JOE: Really. God as Santa Claus? Jolly? Fat?
TOM: Boy, you sure have a way of straying from the point. This is not about God. This is about the Ten Commandments. So, let’s get back to them. And I guess we could leave the next bunch alone, right?
JOE: Oh, really?
TOM: Yeah. I mean, it’s probably still not a good idea to murder or steal or bear false witness or commit adultery. So we leave them. Although, poor old Dr. Phil to say nothing of Jerry Springer— and who would want to say anything about Jerry Springer— poor old Dr. Phil would be out of a job if people didn’t murder or steal or bear false witness or commit adultery, wouldn’t he?
JOE: Any other thoughts, Mr. Scribe?
TOM: Only one. And that’s number 10.
JOE: One is ten? That can’t be right.
TOM: No, there are ten-or however you want to put it, but I want to talk about one.
JOE: What’s that about tenors? We aren’t talking about the choir, you know.
TOM: Are you doing that on purpose?
JOE: But you just said tenor…
TOM: Look, ten— just ten! Just ten! Not tenor! Ten— number ten— it’s got that business of coveting. I have to tell you, I’ve lived in the same place all my life and never once have I coveted my neighbor’s ox. Or my neighbor’s a… my neighbor’s a...
JOE: Donkey?
TOM: (Relieved.) OK, yeah, right! My neighbor’s donkey. Anyway, enough with the coveting. If I really, really want something but don’t actually get it, I’m just dreaming about it, right? No foul, no harm. Right? Who cares? So, you see? I think the Ten Commandments really do need to be re-worked— this coveting stuff has got to go.
JOE: Well, that’s a lot of history you’d be throwing away.
TOM: Well, I sure don’t like throwing history away. So, maybe if we just brought the coveting up to date it would make more sense. Maybe it should say, “Don’t covert your neighbor’s truck” or “Don’t covert your neighbor’s swimming pool.” You know— just make it modern.
JOE: Well, the ten commandments already were re-worked, you know.
TOM: Oh? When? Did Fox News cover that? They are fair and balanced. They cover everything. I’m sure Fox would not miss a re-work of the ten commandments. Re-working the ten commandments— that would be news.
JOE: I guess I need to bring you up to speed. The Ten Commandments were re-worked. You can find that re-working in the Gospels.
TOM: Godspell? Isn’t that a musical?
JOE: Not Godspell. The re-working of the Ten Commandments is in the Gospels. The Gospels— the first four books you find in the New Testament? The story of Jesus?
TOM: Oh, those! And Jesus revised the Ten Commandments? In the Gospels?
JOE: Yup! Revised and abridged. In the Gospels you can find where Jesus said there are just two commandments.
TOM: Two??? Who’s going to set that up on a stone on some state capital building? Two is simply not impressive enough.
JOE: Look at what Jesus says in the book of Matthew, chapter 22, starting with verse 37…
TOM: Oh, so I was right about that chapter and verse thing, huh?
JOE: (Ahem.) When Jesus was asked what is the greatest Word from God, this was the answer: “‘Love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two hang all the Law and Prophets.”
TOM: All of it, huh?
JOE: Yes. And then in the book that we know as The Gospel According to the School of John, in chapter 13, verse 34, it says, “A new [commandment] I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
TOM: That’s it?
JOE: That’s it. That’s all that is needed.
TOM: And you’re saying they’re not commandments?
JOE: They are imperatives. They are a call to action. They are a call for interaction. And they are Words... Words to us and for us. They are Words offered to you and Words offered to me. They need no revision; they do need application. They need no particular scrutiny to be understood; they do need to be heeded.
TOM: Well, I suppose so. But the Ten Commandments are still there behind those two Jesus talked about, even if it’s like you said— not Ten Commandments but ten Words.
JOE: Well.....
TOM: Well what?
JOE: Perhaps the basic question is not about commandments at all. Perhaps the basic questions the Bible addresses is simple: What is Scripture about? Is the Bible about the decrees of God or is the Bible about the character of God? If the Bible is about the decrees of God, then there are not just ten commandments. There are 613 commandments to be found in the Torah. These are what the Rabbis call The Law of Moses.
TOM: 613? I could never keep track of 613 commandments, let alone obey them!
JOE: Well, don’t worry about keeping track of all those commandments. After all, if you accept what Jesus said about the two commandments, then it can it all actually be reduced to just one Word.
TOM: Yeah, right— one Word.
JOE: No. It’s true. What Jesus said can all be reduced to just one Word.
TOM: All right, Mr. Smarty-pants— one Word. What it is?
JOE: Covenant.
TOM: Covenant? What does that mean?
JOE: Some say Covenant is the structure by which the biblical text organizes itself. But it goes beyond that. The word covenant illustrates the relationship we need to have with God and the relationships we need to have with each other. Covenant means commitment. Covenant means a commitment living with one another. Covenant means a commitment to respecting one another. Covenant means a commitment to appreciating the gifts God gives to each of us. Covenant means a commitment to listening to one another. Covenant is a commitment to growth, a commitment to the sharing of joy, a commitment to the making of peace, a commitment to a future of hope, a commitment to the reality of love. Covenant explains, illuminates and illustrates the character of God. So, you see? One word— covenant— one Word— capital ‘W’ word. So, what do you say to that?
TOM: (Thinking with a shrug.) Amen?
JOE: Amen.
10/02/2011
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “There is no question about this: Scripture is not about rules. It is about relationship— relationship with God and relationships with others and the relationship in which these intersect. Those relationships are what Scripture labels as covenant.”
BENEDICTION: Let us never fear to seek the truth God reveals. Let us live as a resurrection people. Let us understand every day as a new adventure in faith as the Creator draws us into community. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
[1] Deuteronomy 5:6-21; Exodus 34:1-27; Exodus 20:2-17.
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