Introduction

Contemplation

At some point in our lives, we may question the authenticity of our beginning, the history

which contributed to our belief systems, and the events that have led us to this point in time.

Pursuing a more complete discovery of the world’s religious reflections, I began to research the

history and origins of many belief systems that have come to define the sacred texts of today’s

traditions. This research has provided a new understanding on why the initial commandments

would have been issued, and why a new translation could provide new guidance to traverse the

complex lifestyles of our evolving world.

Why the Need for Change?

What do we need to understand about the origin of the edicts to begin with? What were

the living conditions of ancient cultures that led to the Ten Commandments? What changed

during the intervening periods of recorded Bbiblical history? Why should we look at new

interpretations to provide modern cohesion for our currently evolving world? These questions,

and their suggested resolutions will lead you on a journey of transformation into a new living

environment with a fresh interpretation of the ancient laws for your personal navigation.

In recognition of a changing society, the need to provide an alternative understanding for

ancient spiritual laws seemed appropriate. Humanity is evolving. Just as the values of societies

long ago were undergoing change, so too is our society of today. We first get a glimpse of the

lifestyles, beliefs, and living conditions of our ancient family through sacred historic volumes

that tell of the conflict and courage of ancient peoples. Centuries of mankindhumankind’s

evolutionary journey have been recorded through multiple revisions of ancient texts that

provided the earliest recorded guidelines.

An Ancient Beginning

Long ago, village elders first set forth living guidelines for their cultural members.

Religious customs and rabbinic leaders also provided guidelines of conduct that strictly governed

how the faithful would conduct their lives. An example of governance can be found in the

Hebrew protocols referred to as Mitzvahs. These included 613 Hebrew laws written around

1300 BC.

Long before the first recorded interpretations, ancient cultures were orally passing on

ancient teachings from one conclave to another. The first evidence of ancient life was

documented through symbolic etchings or vivid paintings depicted on cave walls telling the story

of ancient life. As humanity was evolving, Semitic and Samarian scribes began to document

historic events on cuneiform clay tablets. Clay tablets graduated to bone carvings (found in

Iraq). Other mediums used to record symbolic reference included leather and papyrus (a pulp

material made from reeds found around the Nile River). Somewhere around the year 3200 BC

Egyptian hieroglyphics began to symbolically record life history of evolving humanity.

Moses, born somewhere near 1392 BC and acclaimed as a major faith leader, has been

credited with documentation of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 31.18). From the original

designation of the Ten Commandments came the first books of the Old Testament. The Old

Testament, known as the original Hebrew Bible, was written at different times between 1200 and

165 BC. The first books of the Old Testament were written approximately 100 one hundred

years after the proposed recording of the Ten Commandments. Not until 165 BC, would final

compilation of thirty-nine books of the Old Testament appear, some 1,000one thousand years

after the Ten Commandments were reportedly first issued. These 39 thirty-nine books consisted

of the translations of 30 thirty appointed historians who became the authors of the Old

Testament. That’s a lot of translation compiled through many languages, authors, and through

multiple interpretations. In the end, however, all ofall the teachings and history within these

noble pages were designed to provide cohesive harmonious living to developing humanity.

A New Era of Change

Not until the execution of Jesus the Christ (somewhere around 36 BC or approximately

129 one hundred and twenty-nine years after the latest recordings of the Old Testament) would a

new doctrine of human ethics be adopted. The events in the life of Jesus led to the creation of

the New Testament, adopted somewhere around 150 AD 150. The New Testament, as we know

it now, was authored by eight historians. The books in the New Testament developed into new

recommendations that would provide new order for that era’s evolving world.

Emperor Constantine would commission a trusted council of historians (somewhere

around 313 AD 313) to review and edit the compiled Bbiblical texts to conform to the religious

traditions of the Roman Empire. These translations would become the approved chapters felt to

represent the doctrines of today’s Christian beliefs. The Bbiblical texts would again undergo

revision in 1611 (some 1300 thirteen hundred years since Constantine’s text revisions) with the

emergence of the King James Bible. In 1978 and again in 2011, the NIV (New International

Version) presented modern revisions to ancient translations. Both Bbiblical versions are

traditionally accepted as current Christian interpretations.

Over millennia, sacred texts have been interpreted to represent the highest order for

ethical compliance. While the original edicts of the Ten Commandments provided a foundation

for living guidelines and subsequent additions modified spiritual steerage based on changing

times, it seems, with a new world once again emerging, these edicts and laws may be ready for a

new translation,; one that is more in line with our changing human evolution.

The Ten Commandments Revealed

I Am the Lord, Your God

I am the Lord, your God

Thou shall bring no false idols before Me

Do not take the name of the Lord in vain

Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

Before we can understand the need for the creation of ethical laws of life conduct, it

could be important to understand historic factors that would lead to their creation.

Ancient Mesopotamia (Greek meaning between two rivers) consisted of the land between

the Tigris and the Euphrates. The ancient lands consisted of Babylon, Sumer, Akkad, and

Assyria. The lands currently associated with this region consist of Syria, Turkey, and Iraq.

Before we can examine the commandments, we need to look at what ancient cultures of these

lands may have had to contend with.

During the early centuries BC, somewhere around 3500 BC, a war was raging between

the Israelites and the Amalekites, a nomadic desert tribe. For nearly two centuries the Israelites

were constantly under attack from the Amalekites. Eventually the Israelites managed to subdue

these people. After what must have been devastating loss of life and destruction of property on

both sides, the Amalekites surrendered.

During this same period, the Babylonians and Egyptians were rising in power. Add to

the perceived threat from the Babylonians and Egyptians, the Canaanites were emerging to be

recognized as a viable force. The Canaanites were a community of prosperous peoples more

familiarly known as the Phoenicians.

Ancient Mesopotamia

Modern Mesopotamia

The Egyptian hierarchy was suspicious about any society that could potentially challenge

the powerful Egyptian culture. Concurrently, the Philistines were also evolving into a force that

could potentially challenge Egyptian authority. Life in early Mesopotamia was becoming

complicated.

At the forefront of Egyptian society was a ruling king or Pharaoh. The Pharaoh was

anointed with god-like power, Lord of the land and all things within it. Members of the

Pharaoh’s high council, who had proven their allegiance, were often granted special privileges

and given portions of land delegated by the ruling Pharaoh. The appointed land barons became

the ruling authority of their estates. This included whatever dwelling or inhabitants were upon

the land. This was probably an ancient version of more contemporary estate barons of familiar

history.

Egyptian culture was quite advanced. Educated members of Egyptian society engaged in

engineering, mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and medical practices. Ship building was

also a rising profession. Individuals holding position in any higher learning field would claim

greater privilege under Egyptian cultural practices than working peasantry. Agriculture was the

main commodity of Egyptian life. Individuals of the working class would be commissioned to

maintain a series of dykes that controlled the flow of the Nile into agricultural fields. During the

period of pyramid builders, workers would be employed as stone masons and craftsman creating

the elaborate temple complexes. The earliest pyramids (2950 BC) were constructed into rock.

King Djoser is accredited with designing the step pyramids around 2630 BC, with completion of

the pyramid era around 2325 BC.

Other members of Egyptian society were engaged as fishermen and farmers. The main

crops of Egyptian society consisted of barley, wheat, beans, and peas. Those individuals who

could afford and maintain livestock would care for goats, sheep, and some cattle.

The peasantry lived under the constant dictates of a land baron’s decrees. When

defending boundaries or at times of land acquisition, involuntary enlistment of the peasant class

was made into the Pharaoh’s army to increase land holdings. Loyal land barons, owing

allegiance to the current ruling Pharaoh, would lend their workforce to comply with the

Pharaoh’s warring conquests.

In addition to having few rights, peasantry were required to pay taxes. To satisfy tax

payment, workers might be required to work in the stone quarries or at one of the agricultural

projects. There would be daily chores for the working class, with an endless list of tasks and little

time for rest or family matters. The barons would provide some protection from marauding

forces, provide a share of the harvest if there was a surplus, and provide simple shelter in

outlying regions. Slavery existed, but slaves were generally reserved for the elite working as

household servants.

Family structure was patriarchal with the male of the house the uncontested authority.

Women were entitled to hold property. They could write contracts and could determine if they

chose divorce. The role of a woman, however, was generally to tend to household chores,

prepare the meals, care for the garden, and monitor the children. Children old enough to work in

the fields or tend to livestock would bear this responsibility. All family members were expected

to assist with additional duties of the estate.

Living in a desert landscape, trees were not an abundant commodity. Therefore,

Ggeneral housing structures were constructed from mud. Homes were modest, one-room units

with dirt floors. The roofing was more than likely thatched from the reeds that would line the

river deltas. There may have been a stone slab for eating or sleeping. At the rear of individual

units, would be an enclosure for the livestock. Wealthier individuals might afford more

elaborate residential quarters that would consist of stone or marble flooring.

Living in a desert landscape, trees were not an abundant commodity.