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The '''Ten Commandments,''' or the ''Decalogue,'' are a set of laws which were given to [[Moses]] by [[God]], as found in the books of [[Exodus]] and [[Deuteronomy]]. The biblical text of the Ten Commandments is differently divided according to [[denomination]]al [[tradition]]s. The [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] and [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] tradition traces back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Protestant tradition traces back to the 16th century [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]].

The '''Ten Commandments,''' or the ''Decalogue,'' are a set of laws which were given to [[Moses]] by [[God]], as found in the books of [[Exodus]] and [[Deuteronomy]]. The biblical text of the Ten Commandments is differently divided according to [[denomination]]al [[tradition]]s. The [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] and [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] tradition traces back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Protestant tradition traces back to the 16th century [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]].

Catholic and Orthodox Ten Commandments<ref>The English translation of the [[Septuagint]] by Sir Lancelot L.C. Brenton (in the public domain) is quoted here. Both lists of the commandments in the Septuagint have the same sequence: Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. However, the [[Douay-Rheims|Douay-Rheims Bible]] translation of the [[Vulgate|Latin Vulgate]] from [[Jerome]]'s translation of the Hebrew text, agrees with the [[King James Version]] in showing the same differences in sequence between the texts of Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21. The traditional Catholic and Orthodox teaching of the sequential division of the Ten Commandments is consistently according to the text of Deuteronomy instead of the text of Exodus emphasized by Protestant teaching. Italics in the English text have been inserted by the translator for the same reason as the King James translators inserted italics, to clarify the meaning and to indicate that they are not part of the original text.</ref>

Catholic and Orthodox Ten Commandments<ref>The English translation of the [[Septuagint]] by Sir Lancelot L.C. Brenton (in the public domain) is quoted here. Both lists of the commandments in the Septuagint have the same sequence: [[Exodus, Chapter 20|Exodus 20:2-17]] and [[Deuteronomy, Chapter 5|Deuteronomy 5:6-21]]. However, the [[Douay-Rheims|Douay-Rheims Bible]] translation of the [[Vulgate|Latin Vulgate]] from [[Jerome]]'s translation of the Hebrew text, agrees with the [[King James Version]] in showing the same differences in sequence between the texts of Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21. The traditional Catholic and Orthodox teaching of the sequential division of the Ten Commandments is consistently according to the text of Deuteronomy instead of the text of Exodus emphasized by Protestant teaching. Italics in the English text have been inserted by the translator for the same reason as the King James translators inserted italics, to clarify the meaning and to indicate that they are not part of the original text.</ref>

:1. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods beside me. Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the heaven above, and whatever are in the earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation to them that hate me, and bestowing mercy on them that love me to thousands ''of them'', and on them that keep my commandments.  

:1. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods beside me. Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the heaven above, and whatever are in the earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation to them that hate me, and bestowing mercy on them that love me to thousands ''of them'', and on them that keep my commandments.  

:2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord thy God will not acquit him that takes his name in vain.  

:2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord thy God will not acquit him that takes his name in vain.  

The [[Jewish]] Ten Commandments contain "I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of [[Egypt]], out of the house of [[slavery]]" as the 1st commandment, with their 2nd commandment combining the first two Protestant commandments "Thou shalt have no other gods before me: thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...thou shalt not bow down thyself to them", and their listing of the remainder of their ten follows the Protestant listing.<ref>Ibid. http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/whichcom.htm</ref>

The [[Jewish]] Ten Commandments contain "I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of [[Egypt]], out of the house of [[slavery]]" as the 1st commandment, with their 2nd commandment combining the first two Protestant commandments "Thou shalt have no other gods before me: thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...thou shalt not bow down thyself to them", and their listing of the remainder of their ten follows the Protestant listing.<ref>Ibid. http://www.positiveatheism.org/crt/whichcom.htm</ref>

However, as Jewish people would also recognize, the ''[[Torah]]'', or [[Law]] (the first five books of the Old Testament) actually contains not ten, but [[Mosaic Law|613 positive and negative commandments]]. Thus, when [[Jesus]] is asked (at [[Matthew]] 22:34-36) which is the greatest commandment in the Law, he picks two of the other 603: 'You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' (Deuteronomy 6:5) and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' ([[Leviticus]] 19:18).

However, as Jewish people would also recognize, the ''[[Torah]]'', or [[Law]] (the first five books of the Old Testament), actually contains not ten, but [[Mosaic Law|613 positive and negative commandments]]. Thus, when [[Jesus]] is asked (at [[Matthew]] 22:34-36) which is the greatest commandment in the Law, he picks two of the other 603: 'You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' (Deuteronomy 6:5) and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' ([[Leviticus]] 19:18).

==The Ten Commandments in US law==

==The Ten Commandments in US law==