The Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments

John Myhill suggests ‘Blessings and Grace not Orders and Tests’

by John Myhill 2nd May 2014

How do different faiths view the concepts of ‘commandment, beatitude and salvation’? I believe that we can move towards an understanding that can be helpful to Quakers. It has long been accepted that there are parallels between the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes along the following lines.  Parallels  From the exclusivity of ‘no other gods but me’ to the poor (or poor in spirit) entering the kingdom of Heaven, it is not hard to see Jesus teaching that cleverness and wealth are the gods chosen by most people; whilst those who choose poverty know their dependence on God.