Israel and the Ten Commandments

By William H. Brownlee

Subjects: Politics and government, Arab-Israeli conflict, Zionism and Judaism

Description: The greatest contribution of Judaism to universal morality is no doubt the Ten Commandments, as these have greatly influenced not only the great monotheistic religions but civil law as well. If one grants a divine authority to this promulgation, as Jews and Christians do, then it would be a valid moral confrontation to examine the life of any nation by this standard, and certainly all nations would be found wanting, or only relatively good as regards certain of the Ten Commandments. Separation of Church and State, with resultant freedom of religion, means that in international morality today the Second Commandment (Exodus 20:3-6) is not considered, even though the rabbi or minister may rightly preach the accountability of all before the one true God. An examination of Israel on this and the other commandments is unavoidable, however, in examining the Zionist claims that Judaism is both a religion and and nation -- that nationhood is inseparable from Judaism as a religion. This means that the state of Israel must meet especially severe standards if it is to warrant a major place in the religion of Judaism. Thus all the Ten Words apply. As a biblical scholar and a student of the Holy Land I am a great admirer of the Jews for their spiritual and intellectual achievements, past and present; but I am grieved by modern materialism and militarism which today distort an obscure these great achievements of the Jews. - Introduction.