First Tablet of the Commandments

The first five commandments are a triple paradox about Jewish-Christian relations. The first paradox indicates a similar and important impact on the two communities. The second paradox is that Jews tend to see the text as debatable and arguable, while Christians see the text as authoritative. The third paradox, however, involves looking at these issues from the broader background of Christian-Jewish relations to affirm the distinctiveness of each tradition while affirming that each can help the other to further maturity.