muned with him, and "he gave unto Moses . . . . two
tables of testimony, tables of stone, _written with the finger of
God_."[58:2]

When Moses came down from off the Mount, he found the children of Israel
dancing around a golden calf, which his brother Aaron had made, and, as
his "anger waxed hot," he cast the tables of stone on the ground, and
broke them.[58:3] Moses again saw the Lord on the Mount, however, and
received two more tables of stone.[58:4] When he came down this time
from off Mount Sinai, "the skin of his face did shine."[58:5]

These two tables of stone contained the _Ten Commandments_,[59:1] so it
is said, which the Jews and Christians of the present day are supposed
to take for their standard.

They are, in substance, as follows:

1--To have no other God but Jehovah.
2--To make no image for purpose of worship.
3--Not to take Jehovah's name in vain.
4--Not to work on the Sabbath-day.
5--To honor their parents.
6--Not to kill.
7--Not to commit adultery.
8--Not to steal.
9--Not to bear false witness against a neighbor.
10--Not to covet.[59:2]

We have already seen, in the last chapter, that Bacchus was called the
"_Law-giver_," and that his laws were written on _two tables of
stone_.[59:3] This feature in the Hebrew legend was evidently copied
from that related of Bacchus, but, the idea of his (Moses) receiving the
commandments from the Lord on a _mountain_ was obviously taken from the
_Persian_ legend related of Zoroaster.

Prof. Max Mueller says:

"What applies to the religion of Moses applies to that of
Zoroaster. It is placed before us as a complete system from
the first, _revealed by Ahuramazda_ (Ormuzd), _proclaimed by
Zoroaster_."[59:4]

The disciples of Zoroaster, in their profusion of legends of the master,
relate that one day, as he prayed _on a high mountain_, in the midst of
thunders and lightnings ("fire from heaven"), the Lord himself appeared
before him, and delivered unto him the "Book of the Law." While the King
of Persia and the people were assembled together, Zoroaster came down
from the mountain unharmed, bringing with him the "Book of the Law,"
which had been revealed to him by Ormuzd. They call this book the
_Zend-Avesta_, which signifies the _Living Word_.[59:5]

According to the religion of the Cretans, Minos, their law-giver,
ascended a _mountain_ (Mount Dicta) and there received from the