We have HOW many commandments?
Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:36 am
A simple reading of Exodus 20 (or Deuteronomy 5) list 14 commandments, in two couplets of six shall (or shall nots) followed by imperatives. It starts out with 6 shall..... all dealing with honoring God, then number 7 says Remember the Sabbath. The next couplet of six regard our treatment of fellow humans then finishes with Honor you father and mother.
That makes 14 in my book.
However, if one goes through the Laws of Moses (mitzvot) you get 613 commandments, either as positive statements of what shall be done or negative commandments of what must be abstained from. Granted, some of these laws cannot be followed in modern times, and some apply only to within Israel. But that still leaves around 200.
A good reference to how various scholars have juggled the 14 commandments into ten can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments
All you have to decide if you want to count according to the Philonic ten, or the Talmudic ten, or the Augustinian ten......or you can just read the commandments as they stand and count to 14!
That makes 14 in my book.
However, if one goes through the Laws of Moses (mitzvot) you get 613 commandments, either as positive statements of what shall be done or negative commandments of what must be abstained from. Granted, some of these laws cannot be followed in modern times, and some apply only to within Israel. But that still leaves around 200.
A good reference to how various scholars have juggled the 14 commandments into ten can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments
All you have to decide if you want to count according to the Philonic ten, or the Talmudic ten, or the Augustinian ten......or you can just read the commandments as they stand and count to 14!