The past, which is colorfully described in the Bible, has been questioned many times by various scholars and philistines. Moreover, the existence of the tablet of Moses - God's letter, its commandments and laws for the Jewish people - is still not scientifically proven.
What are tablets?
This word is not so often used in the modern language, but once it was quite common. What is a tablet? Previously, special writing instruments were designated this way . These are stone, wooden or paper tablets on which memorable and significant dates, names and events were recorded. Also in ancient times, the expression "fragments of tablets" was used to refer to decrepit and elderly scientists.
What is this in holy biblical meaning? In ancient scripture, the tablets are two solid stone tablets on which the basic ethical and universal laws were inscribed by God. These first tablets of stone were handed over to Moses on Mount Sinai, sacred to the Jews.
Where did these tablets come from?
Moses (the great Jewish leader), after escaping from Egypt, lived in alienation for a long time. He grazed the few herds of his father-in-law in the barren Sinai desert. At one beautiful and sacred moment God turned to him. It happened near Mount Horev. From an indelible bush, God called Moses and said to save the long-suffering Jewish people, languishing from oppression, and to lead him from Egypt to the land of Canaan.
After a successful outcome, they roam together in the desert, but without food and water. Finally, defeating the warlike Amalekites, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai. There, after 40 days and nights spent, Moses is awarded the laws of the Covenant, which should serve as a single set of commandments for the Jewish people. Having taken the tablets of stone, the leader and the prophet descend to his brethren.
What was written on the tablets of the Testament
God gave his flock 10 sacred commandments that no true Jew should violate. However, not only the descendants of Moses, but also many Christians know their content today. So, the tablets of the Holy Testament contained the following universal commandments:
- God is one and there should not be other deities for the Jews;
- there cannot be any images of a deity;
- the name of God should not be in vain;
- Saturday is to be celebrated;
- you need to read your own parents;
- you can not kill;
- forbidden to debauchery;
- you cannot steal;
- it is worthless to perjure one's neighbor;
- It is forbidden to desire a wife, a house, and the wealth of one's neighbor.
It was these ethical standards that were applied to the tablets. Their meaning is known to all.
Where are the tablets stored?
From biblical sources it is known that the first divine tablets were broken by Moses in anger against his people. When the prophet came down, he saw that his compatriots worship the material god - the golden calf. The next, newly recorded tablets, Moses, as the Lord told him, put in a special wooden ark. At first this nod (ark) was stored in the portable tent of the Tabernacle. Then he was transferred to the Temple of Solomon, in the glorious city of Jerusalem. With him, the troops of Israel went to war for a long time. After all, what is a tablet? It is a symbol of the presence of God.
According to legend, due to numerous wars, King Yoshiyagu hid the sacred ark from all invaders. Another version says that the tablets were taken to Babylon after the conquest and destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. In any case, the whereabouts of the holy Jewish tablets are now unknown.
At the moment, many scholars, scholars of the Bible, doubt the veracity of the existence of both Moses and the tablets of the Covenant brought by him. Some also argue about what a tablet is. What if this is just a biblical allegory? Or a way to legitimize universal human ethical standards of existence. After all, how else can you control people, if not the laws that are written by God himself? For their failure, each person is punished not just with death or imprisonment, but with the loss of the Kingdom of God. And this is the best motivation and intimidation for any sinner.
However, perhaps in the distant future, some archaeologist or ordinary traveler will find the great Ark of the Covenant. And this will be the loudest and stunning discovery for our sinful world. And the question of what the tablet is will no longer sound from the lips of children.