Among all your researches in Hebrew history and controversy, have you
ever met a book the design of which is to prove that the ten commandments, as we
have them in our Catechisms and hung up in our churches, were not the ten
commandments written by the finger of God upon tables delivered to Moses on
Mount Sinai, and broken by him in a passion with Aaron for the golden calf, nor
those afterwards engraved by him on tables of stone; but a very different set of
commandments?
There is such a book, by J. W. Goethe's Schriften, Berlin, 1775-1779. I
wish too see this book. You will perceive the question in Exodus, 20: 1, 17, 22,
28; chapter 24: 3, &c; chapter 24: 12; chapter 25: 31; chapter 31: 18; chapter
31: 19; chapter 34: 1; chapter 34: 10, &c.
I will make a covenant with all this people. Observe that which I
command this day:
1. Thou shalt not adore any other God. Therefore take heed not to enter
into covenant with the inhabitants of the country; niether take for your sons
there daughters in marriage. They would allure thee to the worship of false
Gods. Much less shall you in any place erect images.
2. The feast of unleavened breadshalt thou keep. Seven days shalt thou
eat unleavened bread, at the time of the month of Abib; to remember at about
that time, I delivered thee from Egypt.
3. Every first born of the mother is mine; the male of thine herd, be
it stock or flock. But you shall replace the first born of an ass with a sheep.
The first born of your sons shall you redeem. No man shall appear before me with
empty hands.
4. Six days shalt thou labor. The seventh day thou shalt rest from
ploughing and gathering.
5. The feast of weeks shalt thou keep with the firstlings of the wheat
harvest; and the feast of harvesting at the end of the year.
6. Thrice in every year all male persons shall appear before the Lord.
Nobody shall invade your country, as long as you obey this command.
7. Thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of a sacrifice of mine, upon
unleavened bread.
8. The sacrifice of the passover shall not remain till the next day.
9. The firstlings of the produce of your land, thou shalt bring to the
house of the Lord.
10. Thou shalt not boil the kid, while it is yet sucking.
And the Lord spoke to Moses: Write these words, as after these wordsI
made with you and with Israel a covenant.
I know not whether Goethe translated or abridged from the Hebrew, or
whether he used any translation, Greek, Latin, or German. But he differs in form
and words somewhat from our version, Exodus 34: 10 to 28. The sense seems to be
the same. The tables were from the evidence of the covenant, by which the
Almighty attasched the people of Israel to himself. By these laws they were
separated from all other nations, and were reminded of the principle epochs of
their history.
Has either of you - anyone ever heard of these ten commandments? Any validity to
them?