Joey Villarama…Who?

Hi! I’m posting a question I asked some time ago at the EWTN (Eternal Word Catholic Network) website. The information herein may be useful to some of you who have questions about the bible and who are struggling to understand your non-Catholic friends or family members. John Paul the Great is a staunch advocate of ecumenism and establishing ties with our non-Catholic brethren, and I believe we should do the same. During these difficult times, what we need is peace, especially among those of us who claim to be part of the Body of Christ. Pax Domini!

EWTN Catholic Q&A

Hi Father! Thank you for reading my question. I’m pretty sure that my question has been asked a million times before but I’m still going to ask it anyway I have a co-worker who is a Seventh Day Adventist. We have been having healthy discussions about the differences between Catholicism and and his religion, and I find it quite fulfilling to be able to explain how and why a Catholic belief came to be. One time, we were discussing the Ten Commandments. I was surprised to find out that Adventists number their commandments differently as Catholics. (As I would later find out from a Methodist-friend, most Protestants number their commandments in the same way as the Adventists.) Anyway, I told my friend that they must have numbered their commandments incorrectly or that he must have misread his bible. I was under the impression that all Christian denominations number the commandments similarly, since the common source is Jewish tradition or the Torah. So my question is, why the difference? Why do our brother Protestants number their Ten Commandments that way. Thank you very much for your time. God bless you and your apostolate. Very respectfully yours, Joey

An examination of the Biblical texts of the Ten Commandments reveals that translations approved by the Catholic Church accurately reflect the fullness of the commandments, as may also be found in non-approved version such as those used by Protestants. In other words, the Catholic Church has not altered the Biblical text, as recorded. As an example, let me juxtapose the approved RSV with the KJV:

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20:2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 20:5 you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (THE RSV)

Ex 20:2 I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Ex 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; (THE KJV)

However, in the history of teaching the Ten Commandments outside of the Biblical context, there have been modifications in the manner in which they are divided or presented. The Catholic Catechism of the Church remarks upon such differences:

The Decalogue in the Church’s Tradition

2064 In fidelity to Scripture and in conformity with the example of Jesus, the tradition of the Church has acknowledged the primordial importance and significance of the Decalogue. 2065 Ever since St. Augustine, the Ten Commandments have occupied a predominant place in the catechesis of baptismal candidates and the faithful. In the fifteenth century, the custom arose of expressing the commandments of the Decalogue in rhymed formulae, easy to memorize and in positive form. They are still in use today. The catechisms of the Church have often expounded Christian morality by following the order of the Ten Commandments.

2066 The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by St. Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confessions. The Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities.

It is of interest to note that in the current Catechism, the first commandment is stated in its fullest form:

ARTICLE 1 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.[3] It is written: "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."[4]

A charge by some that the Catholic Church has eliminated the commandment against idols is a misrepresentation of the facts and reveals the groundless foundation of charges against the Church by those who are ignorant of our belief and practice. The word "idol" literally means image and the Bible itself teaches us that God made an image of Himself in a particular way when God became Incarnate in Jesus Christ. As we read in St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 2:6 who, though he was in the image of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Not only that, but there is good reason to believe that Jesus Christ may have left His own Image in the Shroud of Turin. As such, we have the Lord Himself teaching us that it is appropriate to use visible images of sacred realities to call to mind and heart what we cannot see with the eyes of the body. No genuine Catholic has ever worshipped an idol and never has this been condoned by the Church. ©

Thanks, Joey

Father Echert

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