The Ten Commandments

March 24, 2014
Few people question what is meant in The Ten Commandments. Displays of the tablets in courtrooms and on religious structures promote a vision of two tablets, written by the finger of God, eternal and unchangeable. But Coogan (A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament), a Hebrew Bible specialist and director of publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum, begs to differ. In this brief but potent treatise, the author explains how religious and secular scholarship has served to challenge a simplistic understanding of the Decalogue, causing us to rethink popular presuppositions. Talmudic scholars have contended for centuries over the meaning of the commandments. Coogan juxtaposes the various traditionally understood readings (three interpretations in all) and shows how, even in Scripture, Israel's understanding of the commandments morphed and matured. In fact, Coogan insists that they weren't written by God at all, but rather developed as Israel's covenant with Yahweh evolved. The author insists that public posting of the commandments does an injustice to the dynamic nature of this fundamental set of moral laws, enshrining them in stone rather than letting them breathe new life to every generation. A thoughtful, challenging study.

July 1, 2014

Coogan (biblical studies, Harvard Univ.; A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament) mixes biblical studies, ancient cultural anthropology, and modern American social and legal history in an effort to determine whether the Ten Commandments is still an "authoritative text." Along the way, he discusses the inconsistencies of the three separate versions contained in the Bible, the nuanced meanings of the commandments, related extra-biblical texts, the wording of the commandments as it relates to treaty and contract traditions of pre-Christian Palestine, the place of the commandments in early Christianity, and the emergence of the commandments as a cultural touchstone in early 20th-century America. This is a daunting list of topics for such a brief volume. VERDICT Coogan's brief, superficial treatments of so many subjects results in abrupt conclusions that often feel unsupported. Each discussion leaves the reader wanting more and wishing that the author would share his expertise, rather than just hint at it. Those curious about the Decalogue may find this book useful as an introduction to these issues, but fans of Coogan's scholarly work may be disappointed.--Fred Poling, Long Beach City Coll. Lib., CA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2014
Biblical scholar Coogan seeks to disarm disputes over displaying the Ten Commandments on public property by demonstrating that the document in question is not now nor ever has been graven in stone. There are three versions in the Torah and while two (Ex 19, Dt 5) are quitebut not perfectlyalike, the third (Ex 34) is very different and often called the Ritual Decalogue because it focuses on Jewish temple practices. Moreover, none of the three is pristine because, Coogan argues, there was an older original form that they all approximate. Also, over the ages, particular commandments' meanings and legal statuses have been subtly or greatly modified by some weighty authorities, indeed, including Jesus. By now, and contrary to what an American Catholic cardinal pronounced, Coogan says, they're very much up for grabs by anyone wrapping himself in the banner of virtue. Coogan concludes this engrossing and enlightening guide to one of world's great legal codes by discussing how properly to honor the Ten Commandments in the U.S.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)