God's Law: The Ten Commandments:

A Reflection on the Zehn Gebote by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot’,
Die uns gab unser Herre Gott
Durch Mosen, seinen Diener treu,
Hoch auf dem Berg Sinai.
Kyrioleis!
—Martin Luther, “Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot’”¹

Cranach the Elder

At the Lutherhalle in the small, historical town of Luterstadt Wittenberg, the Mecca of Lutheranism, hangs a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).² Cranach was the court painter to the electors of Saxony in Wittenberg. He is frequently called the Reformation’s painter, a title amply supported by referencing his famous portraits of Luther, his wife and former nun, Katharina von Bora, and Melancthon, all of whom were without doubt figures important to the Protestant rebellion. Moreover, Cranach’s religious art, such as his painting Law and the Gospel, and his illustrations in Luther’s anti-papal Passional Christi und Antichristi, are clearly inspired by the nascent Protestant theology and display an anti-Catholic animus. He also had close personal ties to Luther, and was “loved by Dr. Luther his whole life and bound to him by bonds of intimate friendship and sponsorship.”³ For example, Cranach attended Luther’s wedding. Cranach and Luther were also reciprocal godparents to each other’s children: Luther being godfather to Cranach’s daughter, Anna, and Cranach, in turn, being godfather to Luther’s son, Johannes.⁴

Detail: Cranach's Ten Commandments

One of Cranach’s more famous religious works is his Zehn Gebote or Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments was painted by Cranach circa 1516 for the council room in the Wittenberg City Hall. The oil painting on a large, rectangular limewood panel⁵ displays, in ten separate squares, the substance of the Decalogue and its injunctions.⁶ The panels are somewhat marred by a semi-transparent half-circle superimposed upon the panels. It represents, perhaps, a rainbow, symbol of God’s covenant with Noah which pre-dated the Mosaic covenant.⁷ Cranach devotes one panel to each of the Ten Commandments that, under the biblical narrative, Yahweh gave to the Hebrews through their leader Moses. While each panel contains a painting relating to a specific commandment, often painted with great and vivid detail, the viewer is further guided by the text of that commandment which may be found in old German at the panel’s base.⁸ Though completed before the defining even of the Protestant Reformation—the nailing of Luther’s 95 theses at the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg—“[a]lready [Cranach’s] panel Ten Commandments, completed for the Wittenberg town hall in 1516, is clearly influenced by Luther.”⁹

According to Luther, The Ten Commandments are a “compend of divine doctrine, as to what we are to do in order that our whole life may be pleasing to God.”¹⁰ Knowledge of the Ten Commandments helps citizens “know what is considered right and wrong in the society in which they want to live and earn their living.”¹¹ Since the Ten Commandments are the “true fountain and channel from and in which everything must arise and flow that is to be a good work,” anything outside their confines is displeasing to God, “however great or precious it be in the eyes of the world.”¹² The Ten Commandments are summed up in the one rule, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”¹³ According to Luther, there is an order in the Ten Commandments: the first three commandments relate to God, and the other seven related to our neighbor, first and foremost, our household, then the neighbor outside the home, and lastly the possessions of our neighbors.¹⁴

Ich bin allein dein Gott der Herr,
Kein’ Goetter sollst du haben mehr,
Du sollst mir ganz vertrauen dich,
Von Herzengrund lieben mich.
Kyrioleis!
I am thy God and Lord alone,
No other God before Me own;
Put thy whole confidence in Me
And love Me e’er cordially.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 1st Commandment

Very loosely following the description of the event in the Old Testament book of Exodus, Cranach depicts the First Commandment—I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me—by painting Moses receiving the Tablet of Laws from God the Father, who appears to come forth from Heaven as if from another dimension. God the Father breaks through some storm clouds as He hands the tablet of the divinely-encrypted Law to the inarticulate leader of the Hebrews. As is frequently the case, Moses is depicted by horns, the result of a mistranslation, or, perhaps better, poorly chosen translation, of the Hebrew word qeren (קרן) in Exodus 34:29 into Latin by the venerable St. Jerome.¹⁵

Cranach does not depict Moses in the Holy Land, but in a typical German sylvan scene. Following comfortably in the artistic anachronism of the Middle Ages, Cranach paints Moses is in Luther’s Saxony, not in the Middle East. To depict the violation of this First Commandment, Cranach shows a man in a green robe and a woman in a yellow robe in the midst of its infraction. They kneel—their backs to God and to his prophet Moses—in apparent rejection of God and in a posture of worship of an idol. This is not the Golden Calf, but an idol in human form, holding a staff. In his discussions on the Ten Commandments, Luther defines God and idol subjectively, and consonant with Luther’s fiducial notion of faith, he defines God as that upon which one sets his heart and places his trust (Trauen und Glauben des Herezens) in seeking good and refuge in distress. If money or possessions (Geld und Gut) are where one’s heart and trust lie, and where one takes refuge, his god is Mammon. According to Luther, we have a predisposition “even to our grave” to place our trust in possession and in money, as “very few are to be found who are of good cheer, and who neither mourn nor complain if they have not Mammon.”¹⁶ Other possible gods that mankind fashions are legion, and these may include one’s skill, prudence, power, favor, friendships, or honor.¹⁷ To be in conformity with the First Commandment, trust in these ought to be rejected, and the object of our trust ought to be the true God.¹⁸ But to put trust and faith in God does not mean “to lay hold of Him with our hands or to put Him in a bag, or to lock him in a chest.”¹⁹ Nor is it to treat God as an object to be grasped at as if a snack, an “apple-god.”²⁰ Rather, the First Commandment elicits us to trust the true God with one’s whole heart, and not any substitute.²¹

Through the First Commandment we learn that all things comes from God, that they ought to be recognized as God’s gift, and that thanks be given to him for any of our goods, understanding that He is the source of them even if He ordinarily uses human intermediaries to dispense his boons. We should learn to use these material goods “no farther than as a shoemaker uses his needle, awl, and thread for work, and them lays them aside, or as a traveler uses an inn, and food, and his bed only for temporal necessity, each one in his station, according to God’s order, and without allowing any of these things to be our lord or idol.”²² “[N]o man should presume to take or give anything except as God has commanded, in order that it may be acknowledged as God’s gift, and thanks may be rendered Him for it,” as the First Commandment requires.²³

The First Commandment aims toward the heart and the basis of faith. It is the commandment that runs through all the other commandments, “like a hoop in a wreath,”²⁴ as the “chief source and fountainhead which flows into all the rest.”²⁵ It assures “that men have a right head,”²⁶ and therefore are able to order their lives right. Because of its importance, the First Commandment is to “shine and impart its splendor to all the others.”²⁷ This is because all other commandments are to be done “not on their own account, but for God’s sake.”²⁸

Du sollt nicht brauchen zu Unehr’n
Den Namen Gottes, deines Herrn;
Du sollt nicht preisen recht noch gut,
Ohn’ was Gott selbst red’t und thut.
Kyrioleis!
By idle word and speech profane
Take not My holy Name in vain
And praise but that as good and true
Which I Myself say and do.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 2nd Commandment

Fundamentally, the Second Commandment addresses the holiness of God, and, more specifically, the holiness of His name. The name of God had power, and it was not to be invoked without good reason, or, worse, to support perjury. Nor was it to be lightly crossed by the making and later violation of some superficially-made vow.²⁹ Whatever the context and in whatever circumstance, the name of God was not to pass through one’s lips lightly. Cranach probably fails in his effort to make this commandment visible, as it is difficult to understand the scene. Cranach shows two men in a discussion. One of these is clearly well-dressed and in an aggressive, confident posture, leaning, as it were, against the other figure. A demon spirit hovers above him almost as if perched on his shoulder. The other figure appears supported by an angel dressed in a white undergarment and wearing a black robe. The relationship of the scene with the Second Commandment is not as clear as one would wish. Indeed, without the aid of the text, one would be at a loss to know that the scene involves an alleged violation of the Second Commandment.

According to Luther, the Second Commandment “directs the mouth and tongue to God,” as these are the first objects that spring forth from the heart which is governed by the First Commandment.³⁰ Whenever we use the name of God for furthering falsehood or wrong, the Second Commandment is violated. Conversely, whenever God’s name is used to support “for truth and all good,”³¹ the commandment is followed. An example of such misuse is “among those who take oaths in court, where one side lies against the other,”³² although this is also handled by the Eight Commandment, which prohibits bearing false witness against our neighbor. Similarly, the name of God is misused when invoked to support a pledge—such as a false promise of marriage.³³ Its greatest abuse is when it is invoked to spread falsehood.³⁴

The young ought to have this Commandment “earnestly enforced upon them,” if need be “with the rod,”³⁵ though it is much better if it can be encouraged with “kindness and delight. For what must be enforced with rods and blows only will not develop in to a good breed, and at best they will remain godly under such treatment no longer than while the rod is upon their back.”³⁶ Violation of this commandment by the adult, particularly if the violation is blasphemous, is for the “hangman to discipline.”³⁷ Violation of this commandment has social implications, and it causes extreme disorder, even in nature. It is this misuse of God’s name that is the source of “pestilences, wars, famines, conflagrations, floods, wayward wives, children, servants, and all sorts of defilement.”³⁸

Du sollt heil’gen den siebent’ Tag,
Dass du und dein Haus ruhen mag,
Du sollt von dei’m Thun lassen ab,
Das Gott sein Werk in dir hab’.
Kyrioleis!
Hallow the day which God hath blest
That thou and all thy house may rest;
Keep hand and heart from labor free
That God may so work in thee.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 3rd Commandment

The Third Commandment enjoins the believer to remember the Sabbath, and to keep it holy. It is the day of rest, and a day set out for public worship of God and the avoidance of servile work. Cranach shows a family, accompanied by a following angel, at the threshold of the temple. The altar and, on top of it a cross, can be seen from the outside. In the background, Cranach shows a farmer doing prohibited servile work, perhaps thereby to gain a competitive edge against his neighbor or perhaps simply putting earthly duty above divine duty. Whatever his reasoning, the farmer is clearly inspired by the devil on his shoulder to ignore his duties to God, and to consider only his own substance. Cranach conforms to Luther’s teaching on the Third Commandment. According to Luther, the Third Commandment relates to man’s need to rest, which is essentially to abstain from labor.³⁹ Externally, the Third Commandment applies only to the Jew, and “according to its gross sense, does not concern us Christians.”⁴⁰ Nevertheless, the Third Commandment is instructive, and the internal injunction is for the benefit of the “common people,” not “intelligent and learned Christians,” who have no need to be freed of servile labor.⁴¹ The laborer and common servant needs time for physical rest, and time to be able to attend to divine things, such as prayer, singing praises, and hearing God’s Word preached from the pulpits. Though any day is as good as any other to praise God, tradition has it that Sunday should be used for the purpose. And “we should also continue the same” and not create disorder by “unnecessary innovation.”⁴² Keeping a day holy means “nothing else than to be occupied in holy works, works, and life,”⁴³ as “the force and power of this commandment lies not in the resting, but in the sanctifying.”⁴⁴ Where life and work is already ordered in conformity with the Word of God, “this commandment is in force and being fulfilled.”⁴⁵

Du sollt ehr’n und gehorsam sein
Dem Vater und der Mutter dein,
Und wo dein Hand ihn’n dienen kann,
So wirst du lang’s Leben han.
Kyrioleis
Give to thy parents honor due,
Be dutiful, and loving, too,
And help them when their strength decays,
So shalt thou have length of days.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 4th Commandment

The first three Commandments of the Decalogue deal with man’s relationship with God. The remaining seven Commandments address man’s relationship to man. The first of these latter Commandments is the Fourth Commandment. The Fourth Commandment commands the hearer to honor his father and mother. In rendering this commandment, Cranach appropriately places us within a family home, where he shows the commandment both honored and violated. An elderly married couple stand before their three children, the elder one, in a state of clear animation, is dressed in yellow. The two younger children are dressed in green. Contrary to their elder sibling, the younger children show signs of respect and love toward their progenitors. The youngest holds the hand of his father. The middle child holds up the train of his mother. The eldest son—perhaps in the throes of puberty—appears to shake his fist against his parents. In disobeying the Fourth Commandment, surely this son is following more than the promptings of his hormones; he also is acting on the prompting of the demon that sits on his shoulders.

The Fourth Commandment is the greatest among those commandments dealing with the relationship of a man with his neighbor, according to Luther. What is enjoined by this commandment is to honor one’s parents, which is something greater than love: “For it is a far higher thing to honor than to love one, inasmuch as it comprehends not only love, but also modesty, humility, and deference as to a majesty there hidden.”⁴⁶ Moreover, as St. Paul reminds us, it is the first commandment with a promise, as keeping it assures a long and prosperous life.⁴⁷

There is therefore a “majesty there hidden” (eine Majestät, allda verborgen) in our parents, so that they ought to be most esteemed; indeed, second only to God.⁴⁸ The reason for their right to honor is that parents have given a gift that no one can truly repay. “Therefore it is a true and good saying of old and wise men: De, parentibus et magistris no potest satis gratiae rependi, that is, To God, to parents, and to teachers we can never render sufficient gratitude and compensation.”⁴⁹ Subsumed under the divine injunction to honor one’s parents is the requirement to hold them in distinction and esteem, to observe modesty toward them, and not to treat them “roughly, haughtily, and defiantly.”⁵⁰ The proper behavior to the parent is one of yielding and respectful silence. Additionally, the aged parent ought to be honored by material provisions, particular if aged, sick, weak, or poor.⁵¹ Though there are material benefits attached to the faithful compliance of the Fourth Commandment, wicked offspring will invariably ignore it.

The commandment also includes those that stand in the stead of parents, such as officials who govern or have authority over us, in the case of children such persons as household servants or teachers, and in the case of all of us, the prince and governors. “For all authority flows and is propagated from the authority of parents.”⁵³ Even the pagans recognized this link between parent and government, in that they called their rulers patres patriae, that is fathers of their country. Christians ought to honor those in charge of their country similarly as did the pagans.⁵⁴ Thus the commandment comprehends three kinds of fathers, “fathers in blood,” “fathers in office,” and “spiritual fathers.”⁵⁵

Implied in the commandment is not only the behavior of the child to the parent, or the citizen to his leader, but also the behavior of the one in authority to the one under his authority. Those in authority must recognize that they exercise authority in God’s name, and that they have serious obligations of obedience to God, and to their charges.⁵⁶ The Fourth Commandment is particularly to be stressed among the young and the “common man,” so as to assure that they remain “orderly, faithful, obedient, and peaceable.”⁵⁷

Du sollt nicht toedten zorniglich,
Nicht hassen noch selbst raechen dich,
Geduld haben und sanften Muth
Und auch dem Feind thun das Gut’.
Kyrioleis!
Kill thou not out of evil will,
Nor hate, nor render ill for ill;
Be patient and of gentle mood,
And to thy foe do thou good.
Have mercy, Lord.

Detail: Cranach's 5th Commandment

The Fifth Commandment forbids the intentional taking of innocent human life. It is a rather straightforward command, and Cranach has no trouble showing it being violated. In his illustration, Cranach shows the devil in his most active, hideous form. The pale, yellow and murderous devil raises his right hand in exact imitation of the human murderer who, dressed in the devil’s yellow breeches, wields, in his right hand, a sword freshly drawn from its scabbard. One almost gets the sensation that the murderer is Satan’s marionette. It is as if Satan is pulling all the strings of his puppet while he revels in his dance of death, a dance that celebrates two deaths. The first, the earthly existence of the murderer’s victim; the second, the death of the soul of the murderer, who by his violent act spurns both love of God and love of neighbor, the basis of all the commandments.

In Luther’s discussion of it, the Fifth Commandment places us out of our house, and it, along with the remaining commandments, puts us among our neighbors and the way we would to live with them and among them.⁵⁸ The Fifth Commandment, therefore, does not apply to the government, which retains the power to kill. “For God has delegated his authority to punish evildoers to the government.”⁵⁹

The Fifth Commandment’s prohibition applies to individuals only. With respect to individuals, however, the Fifth Commandment goes beyond the prohibition of the murder of another. We must not kill “neither with hand, heart, mouth, signs, gestures, help, nor counsel.”⁶⁰ Anger is thus prohibited by this commandment, as are all of its manifestations. “[T]his commandment aims at this, that no one offend his neighbor on account of any evil deed, even though eh have fully deserved it.”⁶¹ Not only does the commandment prohibit acts that cause wrong, but the commandment also addresses omissions: in other words, it requires us to act when our failure to act could cause bodily or other harm.⁶² Implicit, therefore, in this commandment are the corporal works of mercy.⁶³

Dein’ Eh’ sollt du bewahren rein,
Dass auch dein Herz kein andere mein’,
Und halten keusch das Leben dein
Mit Zucht und Maessigkeit fein.
Kyrioleis!
Be faithful to thy marriage vows,
Thy heart give only to thy spouse;
Thy life keep pure, and lest thou sin,
Use temperance and discipline.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 6th Commandment

In displaying the Sixth Commandment, Cranach tastefully shows the act of adultery only in its incipience; the adulterers are not in flagrante delicto, or in such compromising state as sometimes one would see in the medieval stonework on churches. Such incipient act is nevertheless enough to constitute a violation of the Sixth Commandment, at least as it was interpreted by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. There is no parvity of matter in an act of infidelity, at least if one follows the teachings of the successor of Moses. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt.5:27-28) The sin can be committed while wearing clothes of velvet, and even in the utmost of discretion, as is suggested by the nobly-clothed couple’s hiding behind a thick tree trunk. Yet it remains a foul deed of the devil, as Cranach shows by the approving visage of the devil, who peers over the left shoulder of the nobleman, as if he were a leering voyeur. God is unseen in Cranach’s depiction. But God, who is in heaven, sees nevertheless, but in a manner wholly different.

Luther insists that the Sixth Commandment “is directed . . . against all manner of unchastity, whatever it may be called; and not only is the external act forbidden, but also every kind of cause, incitement, and means, so that the heart, the lips, and the whole body may be chaste and afford no opportunity, help, or persuasion to unchastity.”⁶⁴ At its core, the commandment is aimed at glorifying and honoring the state of marriage, as by this commandment, God “both sanctions and guards it.”⁶⁵

Du sollt nicht stehlen Geld noch Gut,
Nicht wuchern Jemands Schweiss und Blut;
Du solt aufthun dein’ milde Hand
Den Armen in deinem Land.
Kyrioleis!
Steal not; oppressive acts abhor;
Nor wring their life blood from the poor;
But open wide thy loving hand
To all the poor in the land.
Have mercy, Lord.

Detail: Cranach's 7th Commandment

You shall not steal states the Seventh Commandment. As if to show the common violation of this commandment, Cranach shows three pilfering thieves breaking and entering into their slumbering victims’ home. The thief in the foreground, who is actively encouraged by the devil, eyes carefully the man whose goods he appropriates, his conscience clearly darkened and unable to see the gross injustice of his acts. Perhaps he also stands watch for his fellow thieves shown in the background. The two burglars in the background of the panel talking in hushed tones, no doubt in their criminal argot, cooperate in removing goods, which to them is nothing other than contraband. In the foreground a family crest, probably that of the donor.

Luther spent significant effort in describing the Seventh Commandment, which was central to the functioning of society. The Seventh Commandment ought to be stressed “among craftsmen and merchants, farmers and employees . . . because among such people many kinds of dishonesty and thievery occur.”⁶⁶ The Seventh Commandment protects property, and comes only after one’s person and spouse have been addressed in the earlier commandments. By this commandment, God “has commanded that one on shall subtract from, or curtail, his neighbor’s possessions.”⁶⁷

Significantly, all sorts of “thievery” are comprehended by this prohibition, and the commandment applies to “swivel-chair robbers,” as well as “land- and highway-robbers.”⁶⁸ For “to steal is to signify not only to empty our neighbor’s coffers and pockets, but to be grasping in the market, in all stores, booths, wine- and beer-cellars, workshops, and, in short, wherever there is trading or taking and giving of money for merchandise or labor.”⁶⁹ The efforts at getting the advantage in a trade in the marketplace at the expense of the other party is “the commonest craft and the largest guild on earth, and if we regard the world through all conditions of life, it is nothing else than a vast, wide stall, full of great thieves.”⁷⁰ Condemned are the efforts of those who “change the open free market into a carrion pit of extortion and a den of robbery, where the poor are daily overcharged, new burdens and higher prices are imposed, and everyone uses the market according to his caprice, and is even defiant and brags as though it were his fair privilege and right to sell his goods for a s high a price as he please, and o one had a right to say a word against it.”⁷¹ Though such cheating has its own reward, as God is not mocked, to curb such excesses in the market and protect the poor from their would-be oppressors, God has also instituted princes and government.⁷²

Du sollt kein falscher Zeuge sein,
Nicht luegen auf den Naechsten dein,
Sein’ Unschuld sollt auch retten du
Und seine Schand’ decken zu.
Kyrioleis!
Bear not false witness nor belie
Thy neighbor by foul calumny.
Defend his innocence from blame;
With charity hide his shame.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 8th Commandment

The Eight Commandment of Cranach makes it incumbent upon us not to bear false witness. To show this Eight Commandment, Cranach places us in a courtroom, which is supposed to be the forum where wrongs are righted and falsehood uncovered. The judge wears his symbols of power, a heavy green robe and a spitzhut, a pointed hat with an ornate, gold band. Before the judge is a book of laws, or perhaps a book of judgments. Clearly, we are in the middle of the judicial process, and one claimant, by his simple clothing apparently the poorer, is in the right—as is made clear by the angel behind him. The other, probably of greater influence (expensive robes) and power (sword), is in the wrong. He attempts to support his wrong through false witness, a forged certificate of some kind.⁷³ The Devil, formally dressed in goat’s hair, obviously approves the perjury. Interestingly, the wrongdoer in this square is the same as that in the some of the other commandments. It is as if Cranach wished to tell us: falsus in unus, falsus in omnibus.⁷⁴

The Eight Commandment protects the honor and good name of our neighbor, which is a species of his property.⁷⁵ The commandment controls the “work of the tongue.”⁷⁶ False witness is “everything which cannot be properly proved.”⁷⁷ This commandment has a central role to play in the public courts of justice.

The Eight Commandment goes beyond the court system, however, and, unless we have authority over him, prohibits individuals from judging and reproving our neighbor, and this even if we see him sin. “I can indeed see and hear that my neighbor sins, but I have no command to report it to others.”⁷⁹ “[N]o one has a right in his own person to judge and condemn anybody,” teaches Luther, “yet if they to whose office it belongs fail to do it, they sin as well as he who would do so of his own accord, without office.”⁸⁰

Du sollt dein’s Naechsten Weib und Haus
Begehren nicht, noch etwas d’raus,
Du sollt ihm wuenschen alles Gut’,
Wie dir dein Herz selber thut.
Kyrioleis!
Thy neighbor’s house desire thou not,
His wife, nor aught that he hath got,
But wish that his such good may be
As thy heart doth wish for thee.
Have mercy, Lord!

Detail: Cranach's 9th Commandment

The penultimate commandment, the Ninth, sanctions those who covet their neighbor’s goods. To wealthy burghers are in the middle of a business transaction, and their wealth is in front of them as they negotiate. The barefoot peasant or craftsman hordes his tiny earnings, and, encouraged by the demon behind him, covets the greater wealth of his neighbors. In the foreground, a family crest, probably that of one of the donors.

Since Luther treats the Ninth and Tenth Commandments together, they will be discussed in the next section.

Detail: Cranach's 10th Commandment

The Tenth Commandment forbids the coveting of our neighbor’s wife. Cranach places his depiction of the violation of this commandment in a married couple’s bed chambers. In the portrayal of the Tenth Commandment, Cranach painted a bedroom from the late middle ages, perhaps one not too different from the time of Luther. The initiator approaches the woman, who appears cooperative. The husband appears half-awake, as if suspecting that something may be amiss. The devil—ubiquitous when evil is being done—hovers between the two sinners.

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments are treated by Luther together. “These two commandments are given quite exclusively to the Jews,” although “in part they also concern us.”⁸¹ The commandments were meant to apply to the interior forum of the Jew, in addition to the external forum handled by earlier commandments.⁸² Unfortunately, human nature is such that no one wants to see anyone have as much as he has, and we all are acquisitive by nature.⁸³ Therefore, these commandments “are especially directed against envy and miserable avarice, God wishing to remove all causes and sources whence arises everything by which we do injure to our neighbor.”⁸⁴ Unfortunately, this avarice frequently shows up in our court systems:

Luther concludes his teaching on the Ten Commandments by stressing the need to have them depicted in many places, both private and public. In this Cranach was complying with the instructions of his religious mentor.

Unfortunately, more and more commonly, the Ten Commandments appear to be a legal embarrassment, and our secularized courts and the ACLU and their ilk—who have much to learn from the Ten Commandments—appear resolved to banish them the eyes of the public or, at least, from the eyes of their own conscience. But "‘tis vain to act against the King,"⁸⁷. and they will never be able to accomplish what they seek, for the Law they seek to banish from the public square is also found in their hearts—though they try to suppress the Law even there. Cranach’s Ten Commandments are painted in their hearts. But withal the secularist’s conscience bears witness to that Law, and his (or her) silent thoughts—which he suppresses—do not defend him, but accuse him.⁸⁸ Not only the lips of Lutheran congregations, but all the laws of this country should sing:

Die Gebot, all’ uns geben sind,
Dass du dein Suend’, o Menschenkind,
Erkennen sollt, und lernen wohl,
Wie man für Gott leben soll.
Kyrioleis!
Das helf’ uns der Herr Jesus Christ,
Der unser Mittler worden ist:
Es ist mit unserm Thun verlor’n,
Verdienen doch eitel Zorn.
Kyrioleis!
God these commandments gave therein
To show thee, child of man, thy sin
And make thee also well perceive
How man unto God should live.
Have mercy, Lord!
Help us, Lord Jesus Christ, for we
A Mediator have in Thee.
Our works cannot salvation gain;
They merit but endless pain.
Have mercy, Lord!

Endnotes

¹ This quotation is from a hymn by Martin Luther. The English translation by Richard Massie: “That man a godly life might live, / God did these Ten Commandments give / By His true servant Moses, high, / Upon the Mount Sinai. / Have mercy, Lord!” The opening stanzas were put to music by J. S. Bach in his Chorale “Dies sind die heil’gen zehn Gebot’” (BWV 298). See also Bach’s Prelude by the same name (BWV 635). ⇑

² Lucas Cranach (the Elder) was a contemporary of Luther. His son, also Lucas Cranach, is called Lucas Cranach the Younger. ⇑

³ Joseph Leo Koerner, The Moment of Self-Portraiture in German Renaissance Art (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993), 516 n. 11 (from a Latin obituary cited in Christian Schuchardt, Lukas Cranach. Leven und Werke [Leipzig, 1861], 1:20)). ⇑

⁴ Koerner, 364-65. ⇑

⁵ The panel is 160 cm. x 340 cm ⇑

⁶ The giving of the Decalogue (fm. δεκάλογος=Greek for “Ten Words”) to Moses is documented in two places in the Old Testament, Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. They have been organized and numbered in slightly different ways by Jew, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. ⇑

⁷ See Genesis, Chapters 6-9, esp. Gen. 8:21, 9:8-11 ⇑

⁸ Interestingly, the German text used by Cranach differs from the German text adopted by Luther in his Small and Large Catechisms. Cranach’s text is compared to Luther’s text in the Appendix to this reflection. ⇑

⁹ Koerner, 365. Luther did not post his famous ninety-five theses on the Wittenberg Church door until October 31, 1517. ⇑

¹⁰ LC, No. 311 (einen Ausbund göttlicher Lehre). Luther’s teaching on the Ten Commandments come from his Small Catechism (herein “SC”) and Large Catechism (herein “LC”). The English texts come from the Luther Church Missouri Synod web pages, http://lcms.org/bookofconcord/smallcatechism.asp and http://lcms.org/bookofconcord/largecatechism/3_tencommandments.asp. The German texts were obtained from http://www.stmichael-online.de/der_kleine_katechismus.htm and from http://www.luther.glaubensstimme.de/luther55.html. This paper does not purport to be an analysis of Luther’s doctrine on the Ten Commandments. Indeed, much of his teaching in the Catechisms I have ignored, as there is much childish vituperative and diatribe against monasticism, Carthusians in particular, and against the papacy and other spiritual and hierarchical organs of Catholicism. Exposure to Luther’s spirit leaves me with much distaste. I have gone through the tares and the wheat in Luther’s Catechisms, and I have tried to glean what was edible. ⇑

¹¹ SC, Preface. ⇑

¹² LC, No. 311. ⇑

¹³ SC, Table of Duties; see also Rom. 13:9. ⇑

¹⁴ LC, No. 103, 223. There are two narratives in the Old Testament regarding the Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Moreover, there are more than ten injunctions, there being fourteen or fifteen. However, the Scriptures speak of “ten” commandments, and therefore fitting the various commands in the two scriptural narratives has given rise to various divisions. ⇑

¹⁵ Even Jerome nods. Jerome apparently translated the Hebrew word קרן (qeren) in Exodus 34:29 (also Exodus 34:35) as “horns,” in Latin cornuta. Cumque descenderet Moyses de monte Sinai, tenebat duas tabulas testimonii, et ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua ex consortio sermonis Domini. The noun can men either “horns” or “rays of light.” In its verbal form, it literally means “display or grow horns,” but may, depending upon the context, also mean “shine.” St. Paul clearly did not understand the word qeren as did Jerome. Cf. 2 Cor. 3:7-13 See generally Ruth Mellinkoff, The Horned Moses in Medieval Art and Thought (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970), 1-2. ⇑

¹⁶ LC, Nos. 5-9. ⇑

¹⁷ LC, No. 10 (große Kunst, Klugheit, Gewalt, Gunst, Freundschaft und Ehre). Not surprisingly, Luther excoriates those who invoke the saints under the “blindness” of the papacy, presuming wrongly that there is necessarily a false dichotomy between the cult of saints and the worship of God. LC, No. 11, 15. “Thus it is with all idolatry . . . which stands gaping at something else, and seeks help and consolation from . . . saints . . . and neither cares for God, nor looks to Him . . . .” LC, No. 21. As if one cannot both invoke the saint and care for God and look to God ⇑

¹⁸ LC, No. 4. ⇑

¹⁹ LC, No. (dass man ihn nicht mit Fingern ergreifen und fassen noch in Beutel stecken oder in Kasten schließen kann.) ⇑

²⁰ LC, No. 23 (Apfelgott). ⇑

²¹ LC, No. 13, 14. ⇑

²² LC, No. 47. ⇑

²³ LC, No. 27. ⇑

²⁴ LC, No. 326 (als die Schale oder Bügel im Kranz). ⇑

²⁵ LC, No. 329 (das Haupt und Quellborn ist, so durch die andern alle geht, und wiederum alle sich zurückziehen und hangen in diesem). ⇑

²⁶ LC, No. 31 (dass ein Mensch ein rechtes Haupt habe). ⇑

²⁷ LC, No. 326 ⇑

²⁸ LC, No. 327. ⇑

²⁹ Of course, Luther’s evangelical vows as an Augustinian friar—to chastity, poverty, and obedience—were apparently excepted (as were those of his wife, who was a nun prior to her marriage to Luther). He married, owned personal property, and disobeyed his religious superiors are all violations of his religious vows. In a letter to Melanchthon, Luther states: “Be a sinner and sin boldly . . . .” Dr. Luther followed his own advice, and, on this front, cannot be accused of hypocrisy. ⇑

³⁰ LC, No. 50. ⇑

³¹ LC, No. 64. ⇑

³² LC, No. 51. ⇑

³³ LC, No. 53. ⇑

³⁴ LC, No. 54 ⇑

³⁵ LC, No. 61. ⇑

³⁶ LC, No. 76. ⇑

³⁷ LC, No. 55 ⇑

³⁸ LC, No. 59. ⇑

³⁹ LC, No. 79. ⇑

⁴⁰ LC, No. 82. ⇑

⁴¹ LC, No. 83. ⇑

⁴² LC, No. 85 ⇑

⁴³ LC, No. 87. ⇑

⁴⁴ LC, No. 94 (die Kraft und Macht dieses Gebotes steht nicht im Feiern, sondern im Heiligen). ⇑

⁴⁵ LC, No. 92. ⇑

⁴⁶ LC, No. 106 (Denn es ist ein viel höheres Ding ehren denn lieben, da es nicht allein die Liebe begreift, sondern auch eine Zucht, Demut und Scheu, als gegen eine Majestät, allda verborgen.) LC, No. 133; cf. Eph. 6:2-3. ⇑

⁴⁷ LC, No. 133; cf. Eph. 6:2-3. ⇑

⁴⁸ LC, No. 107. ⇑

⁴⁹ LC, N. 130. ⇑

⁵⁰ LC, No. 110. ⇑

⁵¹ LC, No. 111. ⇑

⁵² LC, No. 135, 137; cf. No. 149. Willst du nun nicht Vater und Mutter gehorchen und dich lassen ziehen, so gehorche dem Henker. Gehorchst du dem nicht, so gehorche dem Streckebein, das ist der Tod. ⇑

⁵³ LC, No. 141 (Denn aus der Eltern Obrigkeit fließt und breitet sich aus alle andere.); see also No. 150 (“civil government . . . is all embraced in the estate of fatherhood and extends farthest of all relations.”) (Desgleichen ist auch zu reden von Gehorsam weltlicher Obrigkeit, welche (wie gesagt) alle in den Vaterstand gehört und am allerweitesten um sich greift). ⇑

⁵⁴ LC, No. 142. ⇑

⁵⁵ LC, No. 158 (Also haben wir dreierlei Väter in diesem Gebote vorgestellt: des Geblüts, im Hause und im Lande. Darüber sind auch noch geistliche Väter . . . .). ⇑

⁵⁶ LC, Nos. 167-69. ⇑

⁵⁷ SC, Preface. ⇑

⁵⁸ LC, No. 180. ⇑

⁵⁹ LC, No. 181 (Denn Gott sein Recht, Übeltäter zu strafen, der Obrigkeit an der Eltern statt befohlen hat.) ⇑

⁶⁰ LC, No. 182. ⇑

⁶¹ LC, No. 186 ⇑

⁶² LC, No. 189. ⇑

⁶³ LC, No. 191; Cf. Matt. 25:42 ff. ⇑

⁶⁴ LC, No. 202-03. ⇑

⁶⁵ LC, No. 206 ⇑

⁶⁶ SC, Preface. ⇑

⁶⁷ LC, No. 223. ⇑

⁶⁸ LC, No. 229 (Darum heißen sie auch Stuhlräuber, Land- und Straßendiebe, nicht Kastenräuber noch Meucheldiebe, die aus der Barschaft zwacken, sondern die auf dem Stuhl sitzen und heißen große Junker und ehrsame, fromme Bürger, und mit gutem Schein rauben und stehlen). ⇑

⁶⁹ LC, No. 224. ⇑

⁷⁰ LC, No. 227-28 (Und wenn man die Welt jetzt durch alle Stände ansieht, so ist sie nichts anders denn ein großer, weiter Stall voll großer Diebe). ⇑

⁷¹ LC, No. 240. ⇑

⁷² LC, No. 249. ⇑

⁷³ It apparently reads mit meinem amtlichen Wissen. Chronacherus mpr. 1516.” (“with my official knowledge. Chronacherus mpr. 1516”). I have not been able to discover the significance of the reference. See http://unterkunft.wittenberg.de/seiten/lutherha/gebot_8.html. ⇑

⁷⁴ False in one thing, false in everything. ⇑

⁷⁵ LC, No. 255. ⇑

⁷⁶ LC, No. 263. ⇑

⁷⁷ LC, No. 271. ⇑

⁷⁸ LC, No. 257, 258, 259-61. Und zum ersten ist . . . auf öffentliches Gericht gestellt, da man einen armen, unschuldigen Mann verklagt und durch falsche Zeugen unterdrückt, damit er gestraft werde an Leib, Gut oder Ehre. . . . Und ist eine Gemeinde Plage in der Welt, dass im Gericht selten fromme Leute sitzen. Denn es gehört vor allen Dingen ein frommer Mann zu einem Richter, und nicht allein ein frommer, sondern auch ein weiser, gescheiter, ja auch ein kühner und kecker Mann. Also auch gehört ein kecker, dazu vornehmlich ein frommer Mann zum Zeugen. Denn wer alle Sachen recht richten und mit dem Urteil hindurch reißen soll, wird oftmals gute Freunde, Schwäger, Nachbarn, Reiche und Gewaltige erzürnen, die ihm viel dienen oder schaden können; darum muss er gar blind sein, Augen und Ohren zugetan, nicht sehen noch hören denn stracks vor sich, was ihm vorkommt, und demnach schließen. Darauf ist nun erstlich dies Gebot gestellt, dass ein jeglicher seinem Nächsten helfe zu seinem Rechten und nicht hindern noch beugen lasse, sondern fordere und stracks darüber halte, Gott gebe, es sei Richteroder Zeuge, und treffe an, was es wolle. Und sonderlich ist hiermit unsern Herrn Juristen ein Ziel gesteckt, dass sie zusehen, recht und aufrichtig mit den Sachen umgehen; was recht ist, recht bleiben lassen, und wiederum nicht verdrehen noch vermänteln oder schweigen, unangesehen Geld, Gut, Ehre oder Herrschaft. Das ist ein Stück und der gröbste Verstand dieses Gebots von allem, das vor Gericht geschieht. ⇑

⁷⁹ LC, No. 265. ⇑

⁸⁰ LC, No. 274. ⇑

⁸¹ LC, No. 292. ⇑

⁸² LC, No. 293. ⇑

⁸³ LC, No. 297. ⇑

⁸⁴ LC, No. 310. ⇑

⁸⁵ LC, No. 299 (Dazu helfen auch Juristen und Rechtsprecher, so das Recht lenken und dehnen, wie es zur Sache helfen will, die Worte zwacken und zu Behelf nehmen, unangesehen Billigkeit und des Nächsten Notdurft. Und Summa, wer in solchen Sachen der geschickteste und gescheiteste ist, dem hilft das Recht am besten, wie sie auch sprechen: vigilantibus jura subveniunt.) ⇑

⁸⁶ LC, No. 331-32. ⇑

⁸⁷ Friedrich von Schiller, Wilhelm Tell (Sir Theodore Martin, trans.)(New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1909), Act II, sc. i, l. 127 ⇑

⁸⁸ Cf. Rom. 2:14-15. ⇑