Dr. Kwame Nantambu

Real Origin of the Ten Commandments

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
December 18, 2009

As the religious tradition of Christmas approaches, this article seeks to unlock the mystery behind the origin of the Euro-Christian Ten Commandments that Moses was supposed to have received from God on Mount Sinai.

The fact of the matter is that Moses was a Black-Afrikan man who was born in ancient Kemet (Egypt) during the reign of Pharoah Harembab (1340-1320 B.C.); he spent most of his life in Egypt and married an Ethiopian woman named Zipporah. They had two sons Gershon and Elieyer.

According to Dr. ben-Jochannan, Moses, who was born of the tribe of Levi, was miraculously saved by his sister Miriam while floating down the Nile River in a bulrush basket. He was put down the Nile by his mother because the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses I was killing all of the Hebrew males born throughout the kingdom.

The fact is that as a Highpriest during the reign of Pharaoh Akhneton (XXVth Dynasty, 1370-1352 B.C.), Moses was not only familiar and knowledgeable with the "42 Negative Confessions" but also with the 10 categories of sins that existed in ancient Kemet (Egypt). He was also familiar with the spiritual concept of Monotheism that Pharaoh Akhneton had introduced to the people. Basically then, when he reached eastern Egypt (Mount Sinai). Moses prayed to Amun-Ra, the Sun God of Ancient Egypt. It was very easy for Moses to establish a new religion for his people as a result of his spiritual education and training in Western Kemet (Egypt). Moses then collapsed the "42 Negative Confessions" into the "Ten Commandments" and he continued to embrace the concept of Monotheism. Moses used the concept of fire to receive the "Ten Commandments" because in ancient Kemet (Egypt) the spiritual God-force was represented by fire. In other words, the religion of the followers of Moses today is Afrikan in origin, including Christianity.

The reality is that there is NO such event as the "EXODUS". That's a mythical lie. The historical truism is provided by Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan in his magnum opus titled African Origins of the Major Western Religions (1970) as follows:

It was only when Moses had to flee Pharaoh Ramses II's anger because he had murdered Ramses' representative-soldier-did Moses begin to plan the "EXODUS" of his fellow indigenous Egyptians of the Hebrew faith from Western to Eastern Egypt (from the Aswan end of the Nile River Delta to Mount Sinai) (p.153).

In Black Christian Nationalism : New Directions for the Black Church (1972), Dr. ben-Jochannan suggests that Ramses II supposedly "chased Moses all over the Egyptian desert to avenge his soldier (or guard) whom Moses killed." "Moses was charged with murder." (pp. 301-303). Moses was fleeing from the scene of his crime in Kemet (Egypt).

Moses was NOT freeing his people from the bondage of the tyrant Pharaoh Ramses II. He was attempting to free his people from the ensuing punishment that his crime would have precipitated. Moses committed a SIN.

In ancient Kemet (Egypt) at this time, the Jews, formerly called Hebrews (Haribus), had migrated from Asia as "a starving lot...(of) unfortunate nomads from Asia." "There is no evidence that those lowly Asian Jews had any formalized education of a standard in any way comparable with that which the indigenous Afrikans of Egypt had developed." "Nether is there any evidence that they had a set code of ethics and morals that were contrary, or in support, of those they met in the Afrikan land- Egypt." These Jews were only shepherds when they entered Egypt.

The Jews entered Egypt circa 1632 B.C. until their 'exodus' in 1232 B.C., during the reign of Ramses II, 1279- 1212 B.C. The Kemites (Egyptians) not only accepted their Asian brothers and sisters, the Haribus, as equals but also integrated them into every aspect of Egyptian society.

Prior to this accepted integration, these Jews "had not established a government anywhere, other than tribal groupings." In addition, the major pyramids had already been built by the Pharaoh Khufu, Khafra and Menkara at the Giza plateau - a period which expanded 2680-2258 B.C.

The fact of the matter is that the original "42 Declarations of Innocence" can be found in the sacred spiritual texts inscribed on the walls of the Temple of Unas in ancient Kemet. According to the Euro-Christian Holy Bible, Acts 7:22: "Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds."

When the Egyptian Moses took these ancient Kemetic laws to the Barbarians, he had to change them because he was speaking to a people who were living in the caves and hills of Europe and who had not lived a spiritual way of life. As such, Moses had to transfer the original Kemetic text "I have not..." to "Thou shall not..." that is, into Commandments.

These are the original Afrikan-Kemetic spiritual:

"42 Declarations of Innocence"

"42 Admonitions of Ma'at"

"42 Negative Confessions"

  1. I have not done iniquity.
  2. I have not robbed with violence.
  3. I have not stolen.
  4. I have done no murder, I have done no harm.
  5. I have not defrauded offerings.
  6. I have not diminished obligations.
  7. I have not plundered the Netcher.
  8. I have not spoken lies.
  9. I have not snatched away food.
  10. I have not caused pain.
  11. I have not committed fornication.
  12. I have not caused shedding of tears.
  13. I have not dealt deceitfully.
  14. I have not transgressed.
  15. I have not acted guilefully.
  16. I have not laid wasted the ploughed land.
  17. I have not been an eavesdropper.
  18. I have not set my lips in motion (against any man).
  19. I have not been angry and wrathful except for a just cause.
  20. I have not defiled the wife of any man.
  21. I have not defiled the wife of any man. (repeated twice)
  22. I have not polluted myself.
  23. I have not caused terror.
  24. I have not transgressed. (repeated twice)
  25. I have not burned with rage.
  26. I have not stopped my ears against the words of Right and Truth (Ma'at)
  27. I have not worked grief.
  28. I have not acted with insolence.
  29. I have not stirred up strife.
  30. I have not judged hastily.
  31. I have not been an eavesdropper. (repeated twice)
  32. I have not multiplied words exceedingly.
  33. I have not done neither harm nor ill.
  34. I have never cursed the King.
  35. I have never fouled the water.
  36. I have not spoken scornfully.
  37. I have never cursed the Netcher.
  38. I have not stolen.
  39. I have not defrauded the offerings of the Netcher.
  40. I have not plundered the offerings of the blessed dead.
  41. I have not filched the food of the infant, neither have I sinned against the Netcher of my native town.
  42. I have not slaughtered with evil intent the cattle of the Netcher.

These "Negative Confessions" represent the FIRST moral code of ethics invented with which to live by 24-7-365. Afrikans invented these moral codes in the B.C. era. These were developed before there was the Christian Holy Bible or an Islamic Qur'an.

It took the ancient Afrikans fifty (50) generations or 1,200 years to develop these moral, spiritual codes.

The reason why there were "42 Negative Confessions" is because there were 42 "Nomes" or Districts in ancient Kemet at that time.

At that time also, there were ten (10) categories of sins. Thus, the categories of sins that Moses, the Afrikan, used as the basis to formulate the so-called "Ten Commandments" already existed. The ten categories of sins in ancient Kemet (Egypt) are as follows:

  1. "General sins against people"
  2. "Crimes against a person"
  3. "Crimes against the Gods"
  4. "Crimes against the King"
  5. "Crimes against the Dead"
  6. "Crimes against animals"
  7. "Crimes against Property"
  8. "Fraud"
  9. "Faults of morals and character" (I)
  10. "Faults of morals and character" (II)

As such, it did not take a genius in rocket science or advanced calculus to collapse 42 into 10 and that's precisely what the former Egyptian High priest Moses did. Nothing more; nothing less.

These are the Derived Euro-Christian religious

"Ten Commandments"

  1. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (41)
  2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...
  3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord they God in vain... (7, 37, 41)
  4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy...
  5. Honor thy father and mother. (1, 12, 28)
  6. Thou shalt not kill. (4)
  7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (11, 20, 21)
  8. Thou shalt not steal. (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 39, 40)
  9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (8, 13, 18, 29)
  10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house or wife... (13, 20, 21, 29, 33)

Their derivative from the original ancient Kemetic "42 Negative Confessions" are shown at the end of each.

In other words, the modern-day Euro-Christian Ten Commandments did not come or were not received from God above; they are Afrikan-Kemetic in origin.

In this regard, it must be clearly understood that there is a vast difference between the original Afrikan spirituality and the derived Euro-Christian religion.

Spirituality is defined as the direct connection, relationship and interaction with the universe, cosmos, nature and that spiritual God-force, Amun-Ra_"the giver/creator of life." He is the spiritual God-force whose birthday was celebrated on 25 December in ancient times about 4,100 years before the birthday of Jesus "the Christ."

Religion is defined as the deification of a people's cultural experiences, politics and political power control intent.

And this is precisely why Moses had to change the "42 Negative Confessions" which represented a daily way of life and being into "Commandments" as a medium for power, force and control of his people's daily lives.

It must be stated quite categorically that in the B.C. era, Afrika was known as "the Land of the spiritual people". However, as a result of European supremacy, Afrika and Afrikans have been transformed globally into a "religious people" in the A.D. era to their powerless detriment. Afrikans have lost their original spirituality.

In the B.C. era, ALL the Gods were Black; now in the A.D. era, ALL the Gods are White. This represents European religious power-control supremacy at its zenith.

As such, in this new 21st century millennium, Afrikans on the Continent and the Diaspora including TnT must retrieve, recapture, relocate, reclaim, reconnect, reorient and re-enact their original spirituality 24-7-365 as the most potent weapon in their armory to survive and empower themselves.

Shem Hotep ("I go in peace").

Dr. Kwame Nantambu is a part-time lecturer at Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies and University of the West Indies.

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