Some Crucial Facts concerning the Ten Commandments and the Seven Laws of Noah
—> According to Jewish Rabbinical legend, the Seven Laws of Noah were given to Noah and his family of three sons- Shem, Japheth, and Ham immediately after the Great Flood ended in 2105 B.C. However, the primary text for this story, the Book of Genesis, makes absolutely no mention of these Seven Laws except for the general prohibition against murder and the drinking of any blood.
—> Keep in mind the alleged author of Genesis happens Moses, who is said to have personally received the Ten Commandments from God while atop Mt. Sinai. Therefore to suggest that the 10 Commandments was simply an updated, modified, or extended version of the ancient Seven laws of Noah also given to Noah by God, seems highly implausible. Logically speaking, there seems little to no reason to believe Moses would have failed to mention these Seven Noahide laws, if they in fact, they ever existed, and especially if God himself had mentioned them to Noah.
—> Historically speaking, the Seven Laws of Noah have been a basically Jewish concept seldom taken into consideration by the Christian Church. The oldest known source documenting the Seven Laws of Noah is the Jewish Talmud, a post-Christian set of texts, written at least 100 years after Christianity had been established. In contrast, there is far more evidence attesting to the ancient origins of the Ten Commandments, while the sources documenting the Noahide Laws are either scant or nonexistent
.—> From the very beginning of Christianity, the Church has taught that the Ten Commandments of Moses, brought down from Mt. Sinai and written with the very ‘finger of God’, are eternal laws of God which all Christians are expected to obey or face punishment both in this life and the next. Jesus Christ mentions nearly all the Ten Commandments in the Gospels and reaffirms the need for believers to follow and obey them at all times. There is no direct mention of the Seven Laws of Noah in either the Old or New Testament.
—> When it comes to the Seven Laws of Noah, some Jewish and Christian scholars believe there is evidence that the founding fathers of the Christian Church, most of whom knew Jesus personally, used them as a basis for deciding that Gentile Christians must be circumcised and follow the Laws of the Torah. One source notes the following: ‘On the initiative of Peter, and of James, the head of the Jerusalem church, it was agreed that acceptance of the Noachian Laws…should be demanded of the heathen desirous of entering the Church’ (Jewish Encyclopedia, New Testament). Keep in mind this understanding of the relationship between Christianity and the Seven Laws of Noah is still a subject of debate even today.
—> On the other hand, the validity of the Ten Commandments has never been a subject of dispute among the vast majority of Christian religious authorities. One of the major sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is dedicated exclusively to listing, explaining, and interpreting the Ten Commandments as it relates to the Christian faith of today. Most Protestant Churches believe likewise.
+ The Judeo/Christian Ten Commandments in Simple English +
1. YHVH is the LORD your God. You will have no other gods but Him.
2. You will not use the name of the LORD in vain.
3. You will honor the Sabbath day.
4. You will honor your father and your mother.
5. You will not kill.
6. You will not commit adultery.
7. You will not steal.
8. You will not lie.
9. You will not envy another man’s wife.
10. You will not envy another man’s property.
- Established by God in 1313 B.C.
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+ The Judeo/Christian Seven Laws of Noah in Simple English +
1) You will not commit Idolatry
2) You will not commit Blasphemy
3) You will not commit Sexual Perversion
4) You wiil not commit Murder
5) You will not commit Theft
6) You will not commit Animal Cruelty
7) You will establish Courts to Enforce these Laws
- Established by God in 2105 B.C.
CONCLUSION: The Seven Laws of Noah are indeed righteous, God-given rules which all mankind should read, learn, study and obey and this means all Christian believers as well. However, by both tradition and Scripture, the Ten Commandments are a fundamental aspect of Christianity which should be both taught and revered among all Christian believers starting from the earliest ages. Moses, not Noah, is the preferred Rabbi to use for any sort of traditional Christian instruction. Also, Christians who take their Bible studies seriously should feel rest assured that, contrary to some believers, many of them hysterical, Jew-hating fanatics, the Seven Laws of Noah are completely compatible with the Christian faith as it has been known since the earliest years of the Church. The Jewish desire to promote the Seven Noahide Laws among non-believers is sincere and has absolutely no ‘hidden’ anti-Christian motivations. Finally, an additional list of the Seven Laws of Noah have been included below along with the corresponding law found in the 10 Commandments written in parenthesis to the right. This easy reference tool clearly shows all the direct correlations between the the Ten Commandments and the Seven Laws:
Law of Noah (Commandment of God)
1. Idolatry (#1- worship of other gods, #3- Dishonoring the Sabbath day, #10- Envy another’s goods)
2. Blasphemy (#2- Using God’s Name in vain, #4- Dishonoring parents, #8- Lying)
3. Sexual Perversion (#6- Adultery, #9- Envy another’s wife)
4. Murder (#5- Murder)
5. Theft (#7- Stealing)
6. Animal Cruelty (#7- Harming God’s creatures is theft)
7. Establish Courts to Enforce these Laws (#8- Determines truth from lies)
God bless Noah, God bless Moses, and may God bless you all. Shalom.
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