Graven images

This prompted by a review in the NYRB by Diarmaid MacCulloch of a book about the eastern church at reference 1. With MacCulloch being a theology professor at Oxford and a lapsed member of the Anglican Church, and McGuckin being or having been a theology professor at Columbia and who is also an Orthodox priest - despite having apparently been raised in the north of England.

I did think at one point that the book would be an interesting read, but common sense prevailed when I glanced at my growing pile of unread, but probably interesting books. 

However, I was prompted by a bit about graven images to look up the ten commandments. It seems that the orthodox interpret the no graven images commandment to mean that one shall not have three-dimensional images, that is to say statues and relief carvings made with a chisel or graver - but strictly two-dimensional images made with a brush are OK. The Protestant tradition seems to stick with what I take to be the spirit of the original commandment fairly well, strictly forbidding anything like an idol, the sort of thing which might be gilded and before which one might prostrate oneself, but being reasonably relaxed otherwise. While the Catholics, to my mind anyway, do have idols, albeit idols which are very much part of the Lord's entourage, and including his mother, rather than competitors in the way of Tanit and her husband Baal-Hamon - competitors at whom one imagines that the prohibition was originally directed. While the chaps who formulated the commandments had probably never come across paintings, so difficult to know what they might of thought about them if they had. No doubt Messrs. MacCulloch and McGuckin could be very eloquent on these points. I am also reminded of all the difficulties involved in applying the rather more recent constitution of the USA in a more or less literal way to the circumstances of today.

Turning to the rest of the commandments, I have used two sources. First, the King James translation into 17th century English. Second, the Robert Alter translation of the five books of Moses, into modern English, of 2004. With the latter coming with accessible and helpful commentary at the bottom of pages, rather in the fashion of the Arden Shakespeare.

I now know that the Commandments were issued by God in the first instance in Exodus, Chapter 20 but then reissued by Moses, rehearsed by Moses in Deuteronomy, Chapter 5. The two versions are much the same, but Alter takes the view that the latter is something by way of a gloss on the former, the original version. Also that there are various ways to number the commandments and the original text said nothing about their being ten of them, although ten seems to have found favour in both Jewish and Christian traditions. Probably something to do with the number of fingers and toes. Also that the Hebrew original was very succinct, sufficiently succinct to be conveniently carved on a block of stone, which was the usual form at the time for important statements from on high. Lapidary, even.

Alter also points out that the best translation of the commandment which we have as kill is murder, which was clearly much more sensible in the troubled times that the commandments were written, when, for example, the aboriginal, the native Amakelites needed to be done away with. Murder no; killing in the ordinary way, yes. Another reminder of the risks involved in relying too heavily on unsupported text, however well put together. Literal truth, no.

PS: the first illustration, taken from Wikipedia, is of the backdrop to the altar at the Temple Church in London, as in references 2 and 3. A reasonably common feature of English parish churches. The second is of the Amakelites not being murdered, from the Philip Medhurst Collection, via Wikipedia. I have not been able to find out where it came from, but probably a nineteenth century Bible illustrator.

Reference 1: The Eastern Orthodox Church: A New History - John Antony McGuckin - 2020.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/07/winterreise.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/09/knights-in-armour.html.

Reference 4: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/03/cups-and-crosses.html. A recent brush with the orthodox - which I failed to find by searching, in the proper way, and was reduced to scanning the archives for February and March.