What is startling about theseĭesigns is that they are all formed from human bones.īones in the ceiling of Rome's Church of St. Thorns, the Greek letters of Christ's name, and an angel of death. The walls and ceilings of the corridor and of theĪlcoves are completely covered with various Christian symbols, including crucifixes, a crown of Along this corridor are five small alcoves whoseįloors are covered with dirt from the Holy Land. The level just below the sanctuary of the Church of Santa Maria dellaĬoncezione is a little arched corridor. They are not meant forĪngels or a very few people of superior piety (while the rest of us have to pass through purgatoryįor our inability to observe them properly).Ī sad relic of this mistaken belief exists in Rome, not far from the American embassy. They are not an impossible set of demands. EvenĪ superficial reading of the Ten Commandments will make clear that these principles correspond God does not want us to be mere soulless slaves of the law or slaves to a divine despot. The mind of God, it is clear that because He is our Creator, God has claims upon every facet of These fundamental principles - sometimes called the Decalogue ("ten words") - as a mirror of The books attributed to Moses - are the Ten Commandments received at Mount Sinai. Torah also denotes teaching and revelation.Īt the heart of the Torah - a name the Jews apply to In this light, our translation of Torah as "law" is a bit poverty-stricken in meaning since God is revealing truth or teaching His people, He is shooting ideas from His own mind into ours. Hebrew word we translate as "law" is rooted in a verb that can mean "to shoot." That verbĪlso means "to teach." Thus, in trying to understand the Torah, we might say that when Well, God is "shooting" at us, but not in a destructive sense. He's somewhat kept inĬheck by the saints and the Virgin Mary, who are continually interceding for us. For them, God is anĪngry Creator who is itching to shoot us down at the slightest misstep. Many Italians' understanding of God is that of an almighty DON'T. Today in many of the paintings and frescoes decorating churches in Italy. The epic poem's medieval view of God, man, sin, punishment, and reward is also reflected Roman poet Virgil leading Dante on a guided tour through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. In The Divine Comedy, written in the 14th century, Dante tells the story of the Though the Italians are often unaware of it, their beliefs about many things in Christianĭoctrine are rooted more in an epic poem by Dante Alighieri than in the Week 43 (October), Commentary on Exodus 20 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it 11įor in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he Or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male Shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord Hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.Ĩ "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.ħ "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not Sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but Them or worship them for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the Two devotionals on the Ten Commandments "Torah" is often translated as "law" - What does it mean? Exodus 20:1-11 - Full wording of the first four of the Ten CommandmentsĢ "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land ofģ "You shall have no other gods before me.Ĥ "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heavenĪbove or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. Usually what is memorized and recited aloud. This abbreviated version of the Decalogue - the 10 Commandments from God - is The briefer version below in the order they appear in the Bible has just The full version in Exodus 20 hasĪbout 300 words. Testament (sometimes called the Hebrew Bible). The 10 Commandments are in chapter 20 of Exodus, the second book of the Old The final six deal with our relationships with other The firstįour deal with our relationship with God. Words) are ten principles for living in harmony with God and with other human beings. God wants us to follow the Ten Commandments, not as soulless slaves of harsh laws but as.The Ten Commandments are not impossible demands.The last six are about relationships between people. The first four commandments concern our relationship with.The actual text as they appear in the Bible will run over 300 words. A typical abbreviated form of the Ten CommandmentsĬontains 60-70 words.
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