The Ten Commandments or the Tablets of the Law

The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are inscribed upon these Tables of the Law. They were received from God on Mount Sinai by Moses and conveyed by him to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness after their departure from Egypt in the 13th century BC. The Ten Commandments are preceded or followed by the two commandments of the Summary of the Law, drawn from the Gospel.

The Tables of the Law replaced the crucifix in Catholic churches. Indeed, the representation of the cross was deemed liable to encourage idolatry, whereas the Law was regarded as the “instruction manual” for the freedom granted by the liberating God, rather than as a means of attaining salvation. Today, Reformed temples feature an open Bible surmounted by a cross.

The Tables of the Law were often accompanied by additional panels bearing the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed (Credo), formerly known as the Articles of the Christian Faith. Each commandment, each petition of the prayer, and each article of the Creed constitutes a chapter heading of Calvin’s catechism. Temples thus served both for worship and for catechesis.

This painted wooden panel, preserved by the Société de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Français, depicts Moses presenting the Tables of the Law. In the background, Mount Sinai is visible, along with the encampment of the Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf. The prologue appears at the head of the Ten Commandments. These are followed, on the second tablet, by the Summary of the Law.

There exists a twin panel in the Catholic church of Pont-l’Évêque, which once housed the Order of the Blessed Sacrament. This panel was recovered following the destruction of the temple at Pont-l’Évêque.

On this panel preserved in the Musée Calvin in Noyon, Moses appears in the upper left, presenting the Tables of the Law. Aaron, Moses’ brother, is depicted on the right in priestly vestments, holding Moses’ staff. The Ten Commandments are preceded by the prologue.

This mural depicting the Tables of the Law is located in the Château de Chamerolles (Loiret), built by Lancelot Du Lac, husband of Louise de Coligny, aunt of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny. It was his grandson, Lancelot Du Lac, a captain in the Admiral’s personal company, who arranged the chapel, which preserves the earliest known Reformed temple decoration in France: it dates from the early second half of the 16th century. The text of the Decalogue is taken from the 1588 Geneva Bible. It is written in gold lettering on an azure background in the colours of the royal coat of arms. The Summary of the Law appears at the end of the second tablet. Restoration work was carried out between 1980 and 1990.