
The Ten Commandments
How Our Most Ancient Moral Text Can Renew Modern Life
David Hazony(Author)
Scribner (Publisher)
Published on 18. October 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-4165-6240-5 (ISBN)
Description
Part memoir, part scholarship, part manifesto for a vital approach to life, David Hazony's book tackles some of the most painful human questions that stand at the heart of who we are as modern, thinking people and offers answers that are sure to start a new discussion about the meaning of one of our most enduring, yet least understood, traditions.
Across the Western World, the Ten Commandments have become a source of both inspiration and controversy, whether in Supreme Court rulings, in film and literature, or as a religious icon gracing houses of worship of every Christian and Jewish denomination. But what do the commandments really stand for?
According to polls, less than half of all Americans can even name more than four of them. Fewer still can name all ten or have a clear idea of the ideals they were meant to promote. For most of us, agnostics and faithful alike, they have been relegated to the level of a symbol, and the teachings they contain are all but forgotten. In Western life today, the Ten Commandments are everywhere- except where we need them most.
In The Ten Commandments, David Hazony offers a powerful new look at our most venerable moral text. Combining a fresh reading of the Old Testament's most riveting stories and ancient rabbinic legends with a fearless exploration of what ails society today, Hazony shows that the Ten Commandments are not just a set of obscure laws but encapsulate a deeply valuable approach to life-one that is as relevant now as it was when they first appeared more than two millennia ago.
Across the Western World, the Ten Commandments have become a source of both inspiration and controversy, whether in Supreme Court rulings, in film and literature, or as a religious icon gracing houses of worship of every Christian and Jewish denomination. But what do the commandments really stand for?
According to polls, less than half of all Americans can even name more than four of them. Fewer still can name all ten or have a clear idea of the ideals they were meant to promote. For most of us, agnostics and faithful alike, they have been relegated to the level of a symbol, and the teachings they contain are all but forgotten. In Western life today, the Ten Commandments are everywhere- except where we need them most.
In The Ten Commandments, David Hazony offers a powerful new look at our most venerable moral text. Combining a fresh reading of the Old Testament's most riveting stories and ancient rabbinic legends with a fearless exploration of what ails society today, Hazony shows that the Ten Commandments are not just a set of obscure laws but encapsulate a deeply valuable approach to life-one that is as relevant now as it was when they first appeared more than two millennia ago.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4165-6240-5 (9781416562405)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2010
1st Edition
Scribner
€14.83
Available for download
Person
David Hazony is a writer living in Jerusalem. From 2004-2007, he was editor-in-chief of Azure, Israel's leading journal of public affairs. He has written dozens of essays and reviews on Judaism and the Middle East for The New Republic, Policy Review, The New York Sun, and other publications. He is a regular contributor to Contentions, the blog of Commentary magazine.