Exodus 20 and the Ten Commandments
Contrary to sectarian belief, the much theorized author of Exodus is not believed to have been Moses. Instead, the consensus is that the text is a mixed bag of penned interpretations, consisting of the Yahwist (J writer), Priestly (P writer), and Elohist (E writer), with the E writer considered the primary architect of the book. Although we can hypothesize based upon the literal thumbprints written into the text, it is impossible to determine the definitive author of Exodus 20. Even the date of origin causes significant debate amongst experts. However, it’s known that the final text of Exodus was edited sometime in the fifth century BCE. Many critics argue that the covenant with Moses on Mount Sinai, which was said to have occurred around 1200 BCE, didn’t become important in Israel until the seventh century BCE (Armstrong 22-23). This would both call in to question the validity of Moses’ encounter, and eliminate the J and E writers from consideration as possible authors of the text. Regardless of its textual genealogy or factual accuracy, the Ten Commandments continue to have an impact on society some 3000 years later.
During the three hundred year period when the Pentateuch was being formed, a battle of religious supremacy raged between the progressive Israelites, who worshiped YHWH, and the traditional pagans, who worshipped various territorial gods. While both the Israelites and gentiles recognized the existence of multiple gods, the Israelites formed a covenant with YHWH at the urging of Moses during their escape from oppression in Egypt. Moses claimed that YHWH had spoken to him as a burning bush, while he was in exile for his role in the death of a guard of the Pharaoh. He explained to his people that YHWH had promised to set them free if they’d agree to a covenant proclaiming YHWH as their only god of worship. However, scholars continue to debate the knowledge that Moses and his people had of YHWH. In the scrolls of...