c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Thou shalt memorize the Ten Commandments. You never know when you might need them and, if you’re inside a courthouse, you probably won’t find them posted on the wall.

In two 5-4 decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 27 that displaying the Ten Commandments on government land does not violate the Constitution’s First Amendment, but that posting them inside a courthouse might. Neutral displays that honor the nation’s history are OK, the court said, but those that overemphasize or endorse the religious content of the commandments are not.

So this might be a good time to review what you know (or don’t) about the Ten Commandments, the ancient ethical and moral list of laws that has become for many a yardstick for measuring modern values.

Here’s a quick quiz (answers follow):

1. The Ten Commandments are first listed in the Bible in Exodus 20:1-17. Where in Scripture are they repeated?

2. What is the first commandment?

3. What is the Greek name often used for the Ten Commandments?

4. Which of the 10 is the only one that comes with an accompanying promise?

5. True or false: The commandments deny the existence of other gods.

6. True or false: The Ten Commandments are written for a Christian audience.

7. Which commandment would have the greatest economic impact on modern-day consumerism?

8. Which commandment did Jesus later broaden in the Gospel of Matthew?

9. What did Jesus say was the “greatest commandment?”

10. Whatever happened to the stone tablets that the Bible says were inscribed with the Ten Commandments?

ANSWERS: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Moses recites them in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, leading up to his last will and testament.

2. That depends on your religious tradition. The commandments aren’t numbered in the original texts, and different religious groups divide them differently.

For example, most Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians say “You shall have no other gods before me” is the first commandment. Many Jews see that same passage as the second commandment, following “I am the Lord Your God.” Lutherans and Catholics often combine the “no other gods” passage with the prohibition of graven images and call that the first commandment.

3. Decalogue, which means “10 words.”

4. If you honor your father and mother, then your life will be long in the land.

5. False. They read, in part, “I am the Lord, your God … you shall have no other gods before me.”

6. False. According to the Bible, they are given by God to Moses for the Israelites, or Jews. Muslims revere Moses as a prophet. While the Quran does not list the commandments together, it speaks respectfully of the revelation that God gave to Moses.

7. To rest, or refrain from work, on the Sabbath. Consider all the stores, businesses, restaurants, theaters and sports centers that would have to close so everyone could keep the Sabbath holy.

8. In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says the ancient law “thou shalt not murder” also means that “if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, `You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire” (New Revised Standard Version).

He also expanded the prohibition on adultery, saying that “every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

9. In Matthew 22:37-38, he said, “`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.” The second, he added, is “`You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

10. Biblical tradition says the Israelites stored them in the Ark of the Covenant and carried it with them as they wandered in the wilderness. After Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, the Ark sat in a room called the Holy of Holies and was considered the throne of God. It was probably lost or destroyed during the Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C.

Legend says the Ark is carefully guarded in Ethiopia, but movie fans suspect it was seized from Indiana Jones and hidden deep within a vast federal warehouse.

(Nancy Haught writes about religion for The Oregonian in Portland)

KRE/JL END HAUGHT

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