The Decalogue

The Decalogue — literally "ten words" in Greek — is the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. They are the foundational moral law of both the Old and New Covenants, expressing the essential duties of the human person toward God and neighbor (CCC 2055–2056).

God's Gift, Not a Burden

The Ten Commandments were not arbitrary rules imposed on a reluctant people. They were God's gift — the moral law written into human nature and now expressed clearly in words, given to a people he had just liberated from slavery. They are the foundation of the covenant life: how God's people are to live in response to his love (CCC 2060–2063).

The Two Tables

The Decalogue is traditionally divided into two "tables." The first three commandments govern the love of God: no other gods, no misuse of God's name, keep the Sabbath holy. The remaining seven govern the love of neighbor: honor parents; do not kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet. Jesus summarized both tables in the two great commandments: love God and love neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40; CCC 2067).

Still Binding for Christians

Jesus said he came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The New Law of the Gospel does not replace the Ten Commandments — it fulfills and deepens them, going to the interior disposition of the heart. "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17; CCC 2066, 2068).

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Catholics required to follow the Old Testament law? Catholics are bound by the moral law of the Old Testament — the natural law expressed in the Decalogue — but not by the ceremonial or juridical laws of ancient Israel (dietary laws, sacrificial regulations, etc.). Christ fulfilled these; the moral law endures (CCC 1961–1964).

What is the difference between Catholic and Protestant numbering of the commandments? Catholics and Lutherans follow St. Augustine's numbering. Most Reformed Protestants follow a different division derived from Origen and the Eastern Fathers. The content is essentially the same; the grouping differs (CCC 2066).