Comments on: The Nine Commandments

By: Jacob J

Jacob J — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:12:06 +0000

Mogget!

Thanks for dropping by. No worries about sounding negative, I’m sure your reticence is fully justified. One of my hopes in posting on it was to hear some contrarian points of view, actually.

By: Mogget

Mogget — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:57:37 +0000

PS. I really don’t mean to sound so negative there. Probably the best way to explain it is to say that there are a variety of ways to explain the evidence. Don’t toss it out, just keep watching the evidence and the arguments…

By: Mogget

Mogget — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:51:14 +0000

Hiya, Jacob J.!

I see ideas like this and I go “Hmmmm” even before I read the book. Freedman is, indeed, a very serious and reputable scholar, so that’s in his favor. But I know for a fact that there are other ways to explain the points Freedman makes, as well.

So, I outta go read the book, I guess, before I get too negative on it. I guess I wouldn’t put too many eggs in this basket, though. It would be a hard sell to actually “prove,” you know.

By: Geoff J

Geoff J — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:13:24 +0000

I think this is a pretty good theory. For me the best part is that it gives an explanation for that absolute horrifying story in Judges 19-21.

By: mondo cool

mondo cool — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:22:57 +0000

Found it – George Mason is whom I was quoting.

By: mondo cool

mondo cool — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:17:51 +0000

One of the Founding Fathers of our nation – sorry I don’t recall his name but I’m pretty sure he was a Minister – realated that the OT shows that God holds nations accountable for the degree of adherence to His commandments and statutes just as He does individuals. The difference being that individuals can receive the blessing or the curse in this world OR the next. Nations, however, will not exist in the next life and will, therefore, receive the blessing or the curse in this probation.

It appears that Freedman has put together a credible and novel argument for the thesis.

By: Jacob J

Jacob J — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:22:49 +0000

Matt,

Your comment cause me to re-read my closing paragraph and stupidly I made it sound like I am only interested in reaction to the book from experts. That was an unfortunate mistake on my part (which I will rectify momentarily). Anything anyone has to say in reaction to the post in general or Freedman’s thesis in particular is welcome.

By: Matt W.

Matt W. — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:02:36 +0000

I, sadly, can not comment on what you are desiring to be commented on. What I can say is this idea of the 10th commandment being the root of the sins of the other 9 is not necassarily new. I have an anti-communist “10th commandment” sermon sitting on my desk now from 1962 that says something quite similar. It’s called the Root of all Evil, by Rev. T. Robert Ingram, an Episcopal minister.