Beth Cooper Writes



IntroductionContemplationAt 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 BeginningLong 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 ChangeNot 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 RevealedI Am the Lord, Your God I am the Lord, your GodThou shall bring no false idols before MeDo not take the name of the Lord in vain Life in Ancient MesopotamiaBefore 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 MesopotamiaModern MesopotamiaThe 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. ................
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