The subject of this book is authority and law. In the western world no body of law has been treated as so authoritative as the Decalogue. Yet in Exodus .- the Ten Commandments appear as the first part of a trilogy: they are followed by judicial law (Exodus .-.) and ceremonial law (Exodus .-.). The usual distinction is that the Decalogue was given directly by God, the other laws were promulgated through the agency of God’s prophet, Moses. This is an old distinction, going back at least to Philo, and is not unreasonable. The standard distinction by Christians as we saw already for Lord Stair in Chapter is that the Ten Commandments were given to all, Jews and Gentiles alike, the other laws only to Jews. It is this explanation that concerns me here. What is the reason for this Christian distinction? It cannot be the manner of promulgation, since all three come from God. It is not the result of express wording in Exodus because there is in the tradition no distinction between the addressees of the three parts. The judicial and ceremonial laws are addressed directly to the Jews, but so is the Decalogue. Thus, for these commandments we have in Exodus .f. as the prologue: Nothing could indicate more clearly that the laws are intended for a particular people: the Israelites. Nothing in the sources distinguishes the recipients of the Ten Commandments from the recipients of the judicial and ceremonial laws. But then why is there a distinction in traditional Christians understanding? The explanation, I submit, lies in the nature of authority for law. The Holy Bible is authoritative, and all must be treated seriously. APPENDIX I I I Then God spoke all these words. . I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
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