Critical historical analysis Ten Commandments

1 critical historical analysis

1.1 theories
1.2 hittite treaties
1.3 dating
1.4 ritual decalogue

critical historical analysis
early theories

critical scholarship divided on interpretation of ten commandment texts.

julius wellhausen s influential hypothesis regarding formation of pentateuch suggests exodus 20-23 , 34 might regarded document formed starting point of religious history of israel. deuteronomy 5 reflects king josiah s attempt link document produced court older mosaic tradition.

in 2002 analysis of history of position, bernard m. levinson argued reconstruction assumes christian perspective, , dates johann wolfgang von goethe s polemic against judaism, asserted religions evolve more ritualistic more ethical. goethe argued ten commandments revealed moses @ mt. sinai have emphasized rituals, , ethical decalogue christians recite in own churches composed @ later date, when israelite prophets had begun prophesy coming of messiah, jesus christ. levinson points out there no evidence, internal hebrew bible or in external sources, support conjecture. concludes vogue among later critical historians represents persistence of idea supersession of judaism christianity part of longer history of progress ritualistic ethical.

by 1930s, historians accepted basic premises of multiple authorship had come reject idea of orderly evolution of israelite religion. critics instead began suppose law , ritual of equal importance, while taking different form, @ different times. means there no longer priori reason believe exodus 20:2–17 , exodus 34:10–28 composed during different stages of israelite history. example, critical historian john bright dates jahwist texts tenth century bce, believes express theology had been normalized in period of judges (i.e., of tribal alliance). concurs importance of decalogue central feature in covenant brought israel being people views parallels between exodus 20 , deuteronomy 5, along other evidence, reason believe relatively close original form , mosaic in origin.

hittite treaties

according john bright, however, there important distinction between decalogue , book of covenant (exodus 21-23 , 34:10–24). decalogue, argues, modelled on suzerainty treaties of hittites (and other mesopotamian empires), is, represents relationship between god , israel relationship between king , vassal, , enacts bond.

prologue of hittite treaty reminds vassals of benevolent acts.. (compare exodus 20:2 lord god, brought out of land of egypt, out of house of slavery ). hittite treaty stipulated obligations imposed ruler on vassals, included prohibition of relations peoples outside empire, or enmity between within. (exodus 20:3: shall have no other gods before me ). viewed treaty rather law code, purpose not regulate human affairs define scope of king s power.

julius morgenstern argued exodus 34 distinct jahwist document, identifying king asa s reforms in 899 bce. bright, however, believes decalogue text has origins in time of tribal alliance. book of covenant, notes, bears greater similarity mesopotamian law codes (e.g. code of hammurabi inscribed on stone stele). argues function of book move realm of treaty realm of law: book of covenant (ex., chs. 21 23; cf. ch. 34), no official state law, description of normative israelite judicial procedure in days of judges, best example of process. according bright, then, body of law predates monarchy.

hilton j. blik writes phrasing in decalogue s instructions suggests conceived in polytheistic milieu, evident in formulation of henotheistic no-other-gods-before-me commandment.

dating

if ten commandments based on hittite forms, date them somewhere between 14th-12th century bce. archaeologists israel finkelstein , neil asher silberman argue astonishing composition came … in seventh century bce . critical scholar yehezkel kaufmann (1960) dates oral form of covenant time of josiah. later date (after 586 bce) suggested david h. aaron.

the ritual decalogue

some proponents of documentary hypothesis have argued biblical text in exodus 34:28 identifies different list ten commandments, of exodus 34:11–27. since passage not prohibit murder, adultery, theft, etc., instead deals proper worship of yahweh, scholars call ritual decalogue , , disambiguate ten commandments of traditional understanding ethical decalogue .

according these scholars bible includes multiple versions of events. on basis of many points of analysis including linguistic shown patchwork of sources bridging comments editor (redactor) otherwise left intact original, side side.

richard elliott friedman argues ten commandments @ exodus 20:1–17 not appear belong of major sources. independent document, inserted here redactor. in view, covenant code follows version of ten commandments in northern israel e narrative. in j narrative in exodus 34 editor of combined story known redactor (or rje), adds in explanation these replacement earlier tablets shattered. in combined je text, awkward picture god commanding moses make tablets, if there no history matter, rje adds explanation these replacement earlier tablets shattered.

he writes exodus 34:14–26 j text of ten commandments: first 2 commandments , sabbath commandment have parallels in other versions of ten commandments. (exodus 20 , deuteronomy 5). … other 7 commandments here different. suggests differences in j , e versions of ten commandments story result of power struggles in priesthood. writer has moses smash tablets because raised doubts judah s central religious shrine .

according kaufmann, decalogue , book of covenant represent 2 ways of manifesting god s presence in israel: ten commandments taking archaic , material form of stone tablets kept in ark of covenant, while book of covenant took oral form recited people.