Ten Commandments Elliott Friedman argues that the Ten Commandments at Exodus 20:1–17 "does not appear to belong to any of the major sources. It is likely to be an independent document, which was inserted here by the Redactor." In his view, the Covenant Code follows that version of the Ten Commandments in the northern Israel E narrative. In the J narrative in Exodus 34 the editor of the combined story known as the Redactor (or RJE), adds in an explanation that these are a replacement for the earlier tablets which were shattered. "In the combined JE text, it would be awkward to
Book of Commandments he had to revise the passage to bring it into accord with his subsequent translation of the Bible and claim to be sole prophet in the Church. An apologist would reply that this misunderstanding of the original text is precisely why it had to be clarified. Note that the units of the "Book of Commandments" are chapters, while the "Doctrine and Covenants" has sections. Chapters of the book correspond exactly to modern "D&C" sections except for the revisions discussed above. Book of Commandments The Book of Commandments is the earliest published volume said to contain the revelations of Joseph Smith