This is an image of the world’s oldest complete stone inscription of the Ten Commandments. It is a national treasure in Israel. The stone is a foot square marble slab which weights 115 pounds and was an Ancient Biblical Archaeology artifact. It was sold in auction last night for $850,000. The sale was to use the revenue for other more hands on artifacts for visitors to the museum.
The tablet is inscribed with the ancient script of the Samaritans. It is thought that this tablet adorned the entrance of a synagogue destroyed by the Romans AD 400-600 or by the crusades in the 11 century. Because of changes the Samaritans made in the religion, the Israelites regarded it as apostasy to Judaism. The Samaritans eliminated the commandment #4 of not taking the Lord’s name in vain and replaced it with a commandment to worship on Mount Gerizm. The Hebrew people considered the Samaritans to be “pagan half -Jews.”
Christ used the Samaritan as an example of a good neighbor in his parable .
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a didactic story told by Jesus in Luke 10:25–37. It is about a traveler (who may or may not have been a Jew) who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. First a priest and then a Levite comes by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan comes by.
The Ten Commandments are listed twice in the Hebrew Bible, first at Exodus 20:1–17, and then at Deuteronomy 5:6–21. Both versions state that God inscribed them on two stone tablets, which he gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
“The sale of this tablet does not mean it will be hidden away from the public. The new owner is under obligation to display the tablet for the benefit of the public.
The tablet lists nine of the 10 commonly known commandments, leaving out “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (King James translation), and adding one often employed by the Samaritan sect, encouraging worshipers to “raise up a temple” on Mount Gerizm, the holy mountain of the Samaritans, according to Heritage Auctions.”
