Which Ten Commandments Should Be Placed In Schools?

Posting of the Ten Commandments is a complicated matter. The reason being is that there was many versions of the Decalogue. Thus, there is the following question. “If the Ten Commandments are to be posted in United States’ Public Schools, which version should it be?”

While the journey to this inquiry is complicated, the answer is quite simple.

The Original Ten Commandments

The Decalogue’s original version is in Torah. Within the Five Book of Moses, there are two versions of the Ten Commandments. The Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy contain distinctive versions. See Exodus 20, and Deuteronomy 5.

To further complicate matters, the Dead Sea Scrolls have another version of the Commandments. Identified as scroll 4Q41, this piece of scripture was found at the Qumran Dead Sea site. It offers a third version of the Decalogue.

4Q441 is from Deuteronomy’s version is dated to the First Century B.C.E. It harmonizes the Exodus and Deuteronomy versions.

The Dead Sea Scroll’s text alterations illustrate an important point. Over two thousand years ago, people as well struggled over the fact that there was no definitive Decalogue version.

For our purposes, if primacy matters, the Exodus version should be considered as the master. The problem with respect to it for United States public schools is that the original text is in Hebrew. Thus, an English translation is a better choice for posting.

The American Version?

With respect to Decalogue translations, there are many. The reality is, however, that a translation’s accuracy is actually irrelevant for school posting purposes. Rather, it is the translation’s utility that matters.

When taking the Ten Commandments and their role in history, we look towards their influence within the realm of governance. Thus, the English translation most connected to those drafting the United States’ formative documents would be the best choice. The reason is that this particular translation was likely the inspiration for both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Thus, the Ten Commandments was source material for the Founders. This brings the Ten Commandments into realm of history. A legitimate history question is “how did the Decalogue influence the founder’s writings?”

America’s Bible

“The most widely used Bible in Colonial America was the Protestant King James Version of 1611. The Bible in Colonial America Mark A. Noll. Thus, for secular educational purposes, the King James’ Version appears to the appropriate choice.

King James’ Version of the Decalogue

The King James version i: “And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage 1.Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments 3.Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 5.Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 6.Thou shalt not kill.7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal.9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.

Conclusion

The Ten Commandments represent more than a series of laws. The Ten Commandments is also a concept. It is about a group of people- a mixed multitude- unshackled by oppression. It is about a people agreeing to participate as a nation by accepting the Ten Commandments. In doing so, they collectively accepted a set rule of conduct. It stands for a government forming absent a Monarch. Rather, it would be a nation under God. These concepts were captured in the language within the American Pledge of Allegiance.

Given that the King James English translation likely inspired the America Founders, this version best serves the secular educational interests.

Be well!!

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