Set in Stone: America’s Embrace of the Ten Commandments

In what reads like a partial biography of the laws handed down to Moses, Weissman Joselit, a professor of Judaic studies and history at George Washington University, studies the Ten Commandments with regard to their place in modern American culture. The well-researched book explores America’s desire to make the commandments part of its fabric well after the new nation’s laws were inspired by them. Americans engraved the commandments on permanent fixtures in government buildings and lined up to see them in blockbuster films. Eventually, some began questioning whether sentiments with religious roots had a place in public spaces and courts, and slowly public favor began to turn in favor of greater separation between church and state. Weissman Joselit includes a wide range of fascinating information, such as how the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in the architecture of synagogues in New York affected their congregations. This is a useful addition to literature considering Christianity in American culture from the mid-19th to the early 21st century, told through a narrow historical lens. Agent: Josh Getzler, HSG Agency. (May)