The past, which is colorfully described in the Bible, has been questioned many times by various scientists and laymen. Moreover, the existence of the tablet of Moses - God's letter, his commandments and laws for the Jewish people - has not yet been scientifically proven.
What are tablets?
This word is not commonly used in today's language, but it was once quite common. What is a slate? Previously, special writing utensils were designated this way. These are stone, wooden or paper tablets, on which memorable and significant dates, names and events were entered. Also in ancient times, the expression "fragments of the tablets" was used to refer to decrepit and elderly scientists.
What is this in the sacred 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 stone tablets were given to Moseson Mount Sinai, sacred to the Jews.
Where did these signs come from
Moses (the great Jewish leader) lived in alienation for a long time after escaping from Egypt. He was tending his father-in-law's few flocks in the barren Sinai desert. In one beautiful and sacred moment, God spoke to him. It happened near Mount Horev. From a burning bush, God called Moses and said to save the long-suffering, languishing from oppression Jewish people and take them out of Egypt to the land of Canaan.
After a happy outcome, they wander together in the desert, but without food and water. Finally, having defeated the warlike Amalekites, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai. There, after 40 days and nights spent, Moses is rewarded with the laws of the Covenant, which should serve as a single set of commandments for the Jewish people. Taking the stone tablets, the leader and the prophet descend to their brethren.
What was written on the Tablets of the Covenant
God gave his flock 10 sacred commandments that no true Jew should break. However, their content today is known not only to the descendants of Moses, but also to many Christians. So, the tablets of the sacred Testament contained the following universal commandments:
- God is one and there should be no other deities for the Jews;
- cannot have any images of the deity;
- God's name must not be mentioned in vain;
- Saturday should be celebrated;
- you need to honor your own parents;
- don't kill;
- prohibited to whore;
- you can't steal;
- it is not right to bear false witness against your neighbor;
- it is forbidden to desire a wife, a house and the we alth of one's neighbor.
It was these ethical standards that were inscribed on the tablets. Everyone knows their meaning.
Where are the tablets kept?
From biblical sources it is known that the first divine tablets were broken by Moses in anger at his people. When the prophet descended, he saw that his compatriots were worshiping a material god - a golden calf. The next, newly recorded tablets, Moses, as the Lord commanded him, put them in a special wooden ark. At first, this kivot (ark) was kept in the portable tent of the Tabernacle. Then he was transferred to the Temple of Solomon, which is in the glorious city of Jerusalem. With him, the troops of Israel went to war for a long time. After all, what is a slate? It is a symbol of the presence of God.
As the legends say, due to numerous wars, King Yoshiyahu hid the sacred ark from all invaders. Another version says that the tablets were taken to Babylon after the conquest and destruction of the Jerusalem temple. In any case, the whereabouts of the holy Jewish tablets are currently unknown.
At the moment, many scholars, Bible scholars, 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 it's just a biblical allegory? Or a way to legitimize the universal ethical standards of existence. After all, how else can you manage people, if not by laws,which are written by God himself? For their non-fulfilment, each person is punished not just by death or imprisonment, but by 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 a simple traveler will find the great Ark of the Covenant. And this will be the loudest and most stunning discovery for our sinful world. And the question, what is the tablet, will no longer be heard from the lips of children.
