When Jews and Christians changed the Ten Commandments
Bible scholar Cornelis de Vos presents the first full study of all ancient texts about the Decalogue
Bible scholar Cornelis de Vos examines the impact and reception of the Decalogue up to 200 CE, scrutinizing the versions of the Decalogue, and the history of the Decalogue in ancient Jewish writings, the New Testament, and early Christian writings. Almost all texts show an interconnection of identity and normativity: the Decalogue functions as an expression of fundamental moral concepts of socio-religious groups. At the same time, these groups enhance the Decalogue with normativity—sometimes even expanding on it—to make it a text that generates their own identity. This is the first study that presents an in-depth and continuous analysis of the early history of the Decalogue.