The Catholic Church neither modifies nor subtracts the substance of the Ten Commandments given to Moses

By: Allan Elutin Ecleo

This is not the first time that I come across with a non-Catholic post on social network asserting that Catholicism modifies the Ten Commandment so this one calls for an enlightenment to reiterate repeatedly that the Catholic Church neither alters nor initiates subtraction to the substance of what has been written as she has the highest regard on the sanctity of each account that the apostles and the Church Fathers had preserved.

Crafted by God Himself, the Ten Commandments or Decalogue (10 words) was handed down to Moses on Mt. Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai) around 1280 BC. As nucleus of the moral doctrine, they emerge to Christianity as part of Divine Revelation.

The Church sees in them the entirety of the negative and positive moral law, the things humans should and not do. They exemplify the entire natural law, what reason can find out of morality from the nature of the world and man. Nevertheless, not every society, much less every man realizes the entire natural law, so God brings to light the Commandments so it could be recognized with sureness by all humans, race and age.

The Bible provides two versions of the Ten Commandments, in essential substance identical, one in Exodus and in Deuteronomy. The enumeration of the commandants classified as numbers one, two, etc. are traditional and neither contained in the texts nor apparent.

The Deuteronomy account has been traditionally used by the Catholic Church, adhering to the division of the text provided in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Scriptures made by second century BC Jews in Egypt and used by the early Church as its Old Testament. Similarly, the Anglican and the Lutheran Churches also use this account, while the other Reformation churches use the Exodus listing, and adopted the Jewish enumeration of the Hebrew text.

Best known from the traditional formulas employed in catechesis, the commandants emerge as follows:

Full Text Comparison

Catholic: Deuteronomy 5:7-21	Non-Catholic: Exodus 20:3-17
I. [7] You shall not have other gods besides me. [8] You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; [9]you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishments for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation [10] but bestowing mercy, down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.	I. [3] You shall not have other gods besides me.
	II. [4] You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; [5] you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; [6 ] but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments
Compare with Matthew 4;10 , 22:36-38; Mark 7:22 Commands: Adoration, prayer, sacrifice, promises, vows Forbids: Idolatry, superstition, magic, divination (the occult), irreligion, atheism, agnosticism
II. [11] You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.	III. [7] You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.
Compare with Matthew 55:33-37 ; Acts 19:13-17 ; Colossians 3:17t; Matthew 22:36-38 Commands: Respect for God's Name, Saints, etc., confession of faith, promises and vows which honor God. Forbids: Blasphemy, cursing and perjury
III. [12] Take care to keep holy the sabbath day as the LORD, your God, commanded you.[13] Six days you may labor and do all your work;  [14] but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then, whether by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or ass or any of your beasts, or the alien who lives with you. Your male and female slave should rest as you do.  [15] For remember that you too were once slaves in Egypt, and the LORD, your God, brought you from there with his strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you to observe the sabbath day.	IV. [8] Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.  [7] Six days you may labor and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you.  [11] In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Compare with Mark 2:27-28 ; Hebrews 4:9; Matthew 22:36-38    Commands: Keeping a Sabbath (Sunday for Christians), day of rest, prayer; by Church law: Mass.   Forbids: Unnecessary work, non-observance of religious practice
IV. [16] Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and prosperity in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you.	V. [12] Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
Compare with Matthew 15:4-6, 19:19 , 1 Corinthians 4:14-17; Ephesians 6:1-3; Matthew 22:39-40; Romans 13:9 Commands: Respect, honor for parents (filial piety), obedience to them; also to parental figures in Church or state, patriotism; Duties of parents, Church and state toward members, esp. the duty of a human and religious education. Forbids: dishonor, disrespect, disobedience, neglect in old age etc. of parents, tyranny and corruption in government etc.
V. [17] You shall not kill.	VI. [13] You shall not kill.
Compare with Matthew 19:18; Ephesians 4;31; Matthew 22:39-40; Romans 13:9    Commands: Respect for Life, material and spiritual health of self and others, permits legitimate self-defense of individuals and nations (just war), as well as capital punishment, respect for the bodies of the dead. Forbids: Murder, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, suicide, sterilization, mutilation, battery, unjustified anger, giving scandal, inordinate accumulation of armament, commerce in arms.
VI. [18] You shall not commit adultery.	VII. [14] You shall not commit adultery.
Compare with Matthew 19:18; Mark 7:22; Ephesians 5:3-4; Matthew 22:39-40; Romans 13:9.   Commands: Respect for the marriage bed, use of sexual powers (chastity). Forbids: Adultery, fornication, sexual acts preparatory to intercourse outside marriage, masturbation, homosexuality, pornography, prostitution, contraception, etc.
VII. [19] You shall not steal.	VIII. [15] You shall not steal.
Compare with Matthew 19:18; Mark 7:21; Ephesians 4:28;  Matthew 22:39-40; Romans 13:9.   Commands: Respect for the possessions of others, restitution for injustices, respect for the common goods of humanity (resources, environment), a just economic order, just wages  (family wage) and working conditions, love for the poor (in imitation of God's preference for the poor and oppressed).    Forbids: Stealing, vandalism, abuse, tax-evasion, copyright infringement etc., injustices against employees or employer.
VIII. [20] You shall not bear dishonest witness against your neighbor.	IX. [16] You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Matthew 5:33 , 19:18 ; Epehsians 4:25; Matthew 22:39-40; Romans 13;9.   Commands: Respect for other's good name (even the dead), truthfulness.   Forbids: Detraction (true faults), calumny (false faults), gossip, rash judgment, contumacy, lying, violation of secrets.
IX. [21a] You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.	X. [17] You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.
X. [21b] 'You shall not desire your neighbor's [goods] house or field, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything that belongs to him.
9th. Compare with Matthew 5:27-28, 19:18; Ephesians 5;3-4; Matthew 22:39-40; Romans 13;9.    Commands: purity of heart, intention.    Forbids: Desiring the wife of another, sexual thoughts and fantasies inconsistent with one's marital status. 10th. Compare with Matthew 6:21, 19:18; Mark 7:22.     Commands: purity of heart regarding possessions of others. Forbids: avarice (greed), materialism.

Deuteronomy 13:1 Every command that I enjoin on you, you shall be careful to observe, neither adding to it nor subtracting from it. 

Revelation 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

Reference: Colin B. Donovan, STL, Ten Commandments, https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/ten_commandments.htm