Written Upon the Heart: The Ten Commandments for Today's Christian

Written on the Heart is a novel approach to exploring the Ten Commandments. The author, the Rev. Dr. Anthony Tomasino, uses his extensive knowledge of the history and culture of the Ancient Near East to bring life to the Ten Commandments -- what was the intent of these "laws" for the Israelite community, how might these ancient people have lived by these commandments. This history is written in a rich and entertaining prose style that makes the reading easy and enjoyable. This historical background is what sets this book apart from the numerous other treatments of the Ten Commandments. But this book goes beyond the meaty (and heady) aspects of history to also show that there is definitely a modern relevance for these ancient commandments. For each commandment, the author draws out a principle by which we should live in these modern days. I was particularly challenged by the author's discussion that obeying the Ten Commandments, as understood by the ancients, is really a minimum standard for obedience. It is really quite easy, for instance, to obey "You shall not murder." Following the principle underlying the commandment is altogether different -- because all humans bear the image of God, they are all due our respect and should be treated with dignity.