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The Ten Commandments: A Short History of an Ancient Text by Michael Coogan (Paperback, 2015)

The complex and surprising history of one of the world's most famous texts In this lively and provocative book, Michael Coogan guides readers into the ancient past to examine the iconic Ten Commandments, also kwn as the Decalogue. How, among all the laws reportedly given on Mount Sinai, did the Ten Commandments become the Ten Commandments? When did that happen? There are several versions of the Decalogue in the Old Testament, so how have different groups determined which is the most authoritative? Why were different versions created? Coogan discusses the meanings the Ten Commandments had for audiences in biblical times and observes that the form of the ten proscriptions and prohibitions was t fixed-as one would expect since they were purported to have come directly from God-r were the Commandments always strictly observed. In later times as well, Jews and especially Christians igred and even rejected some of the prohibitions, although the New Testament clearly ackwledges the special status of the Ten Commandments. Today it is plain that some of the values enshrined in the Decalogue are longer defensible, such as the ownership of slaves and the labeling of women as men's property. Yet in line with biblical precedents, the author concludes that while a literal observance of the Ten Commandments is misguided, some of their underlying ideals remain valid in a modern context.

Place of Publication
New Haven
Spine
13mm
Content Note
9 B/w Illus.
Author Biography
Michael Coogan is director of publications for the Harvard Semitic Museum, lecturer on Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Harvard Divinity School, editor of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, and author of God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says. He lives in Concord, MA.
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Author(s)
Michael Coogan
Date of Publication
02/06/2015
Format Details
Trade Paperback (US)
Subject
Christianity: Bibles & Liturgy
Imprint
Yale University Press
Edition Statement
Annotated Edition
Genre
Christianity: Bibles & Liturgy
Country of Publication
United States

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