Here’s a question I’ve seen several times over the years, and it’s come up again recently more than once. It could be alarming or deeply troubling to some, so it’s probably worth a short explanation.
First, remember that Christian churches observe traditions of all kinds, and once a tradition is in place, it tends to stay. Traditions are a connection to the past. Those who consider the past to be important consider it important to retain traditions, too. For Lutherans, the only good reason to break with tradition is when the tradition somehow works against the gospel.
When Martin Luther wrote the Small Catechism and Large Catechism in 1528-1529, the Ten Commandments were ordered according to a prevalent tradition tracing back to Bishop Augustine of Hippo, who lived about A.D. 400. He was one of the most influential church fathers in the western, Latin-speaking part of the Church. It was not the only way the Ten Commandments had been ordered, but it made sense, served the gospel, and was well known and accepted. That ordering runs like this (in my own summary form to avoid quibbling about the wording):
- Have no other gods.
- Use God’s name rightly.
- Keep the Sabbath day holy.
- Honor your parents.
- Honor the sanctity of life.
- Honor marriage.
- Honor the property of others.
- Uphold the reputation of others.
- Don’t covet another’s estate.
- Don’t covet another’s living human or animal associates.
Luther also included a conclusion in the Small Catechism, which he took from the biblical text that explains the first commandment: “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”
The Lutheran Reformation was a conservative reformation. That is, Lutheran reformers sought to reform the faith and practice they had received from antiquity, retaining what was acceptable in the light of scripture, and changing only what was unacceptable. Subsequent reformers like Ulrich Zwingli followed a different approach. Generally, they were convinced that nothing in the papist Roman church was salvageable: neither any of the doctrine, nor any of the practice. Lutherans therefore refer to their work as the “radical reformation.” Their approach is reflected in the way they divided and numbered the Ten Commandments: whatever Rome was doing had to be changed. Here’s the division they used.
- Have no other gods.
- Don’t make graven images.
- Use God’s name rightly.
- Keep the Sabbath day holy.
- Honor your parents.
- Honor the sanctity of life.
- Honor marriage.
- Honor the property of others.
- Uphold the reputation of others.
- Don’t covet anything.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897) says that the ordering used by the non-Lutheran Protestants comes from the Greek church father Origen, so it would represent a point of minor disagreement between Origen and Augustine, who was born 100 years after Origen died. (They were both Africans, but from different regions.) The Eastern Orthodox churches today (Greek Orthodox, etc.) seem to follow the same division of the commandments, which makes sense, since Origen had greater influence on eastern traditions.
Augustine explained his reasoning for his particular numbering scheme in a work called “Questions on Exodus,” where this was question number 71. I may be able to find an acceptable translation of it for inclusion in the comments of this post later on.
Which ordering is right? Which is wrong? Well, neither. They are both acceptable traditions, as long as they don’t change the substance of the commandments. In fact, Jewish numbering of the commandments begins with this one, Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Yet despite these differences, each tradition still numbers ten commandments, probably because of Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Deuteronomy 10:4.
Far more important than the division of these commandments is their content. That’s where the Small Catechism of Dr. Luther really shines. The Hebrew text of the commandments has no inspired numbering, and everyone is using it in one way or another. But Luther’s explanation makes the correct and best use of it: to prepare the student for receiving the eternal blessings of Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of sins. Meanwhile, the commandments also instruct the Christian in righteousness, but the main purpose is always Christ, as Galatians 3:24 says, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
By explaining each commandment with the words “We should fear and love God [so that we…],” Luther shows how the Ten Commandments are a summary of God’s moral law, which goes much deeper than most people realize. One might say that his explanation sees the Ten Commandments through the lens of the cross. They are included first in the Catechism because they prepare the student for hearing, understanding, and believing the Gospel, which is summarized in the very next part of the Catechism: the Apostles’ Creed.