{"id":312730,"date":"2026-02-02T11:59:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T11:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=312730"},"modified":"2026-02-01T06:37:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T06:37:28","slug":"covenantal-abrahamic-peace-and-dharmic-non-violence-toward-a-unified-framework-for-global-harmony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/02\/covenantal-abrahamic-peace-and-dharmic-non-violence-toward-a-unified-framework-for-global-harmony\/","title":{"rendered":"Covenantal Abrahamic Peace and Dharmic Non Violence: Toward a Unified Framework for Global Harmony"},"content":{"rendered":"

Integrating Abrahamic sacred law and dharmic ethical principles for 21st\u2011century peace, policy, and planetary care integrating tablets of stone and hearts of compassion: The meeting of covenantal law and dharmic virtue based on a comparative philosophical exploration of duty, non\u2011violence, and the laws that shape societies, using t<\/em>he Ark and the Ten Commandments across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Texts, Traditions, and Contemporary Societal Impact. [1]<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

This publication is suitable for general readership. Parental guidance is recommended for minors who may use this research paper as a resource material, for projects.<\/em><\/p>\n

The author, unconditionally apologises for any misrepresentation of the hermeneutics expressed in this publication, while promoting global peace propagation and religio-cultural cohesion.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0The author invites and welcomes any comments and discussions, by the readership. (vawda@ukzn.ac.za)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Peace tablets cast in Stone: The Ten Commandments, as revered and doctrinised by the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in antiquity. These tablets are a direct communication between The Divine and His creation.\u00a0 It encapsulates the period when the Divine spoke directly to his creations and they are literally \u201ccast in stone\u201d, for all of humankind to subscribe to, in order to ensure that community and global peace and harmony prevails. The Decalogue is the master template, provided by the Divine, as a moral and social guidance for all of humankind.\u00a0 It only remains for the shepherd to lead the flock appropriately so tha the sheep will not go astray, causing gross peace disruption.
Original Photograph Conceptualised by Mrs V. Vawda January 2026<\/p><\/div>\n

Prologue<\/strong><\/p>\n

This paper offers a comparative account of the Ark of the Covenant<\/strong> and the Ten Commandments (Decalogue)[2]<\/a><\/strong> across the three Abrahamic religions and traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and evaluates their contemporary societal impacts<\/strong>.[3]<\/a> It synthesises scriptural, historical, and legal\u2011ethical scholarship to show how a covenantal moral core ([4]<\/a>and by Qur\u2019anic m\u012bth\u0101q\/\u02bfahd<\/em> in Islam) continues to shape communal identity, law, human rights discourse, social policy, and interfaith praxis in the twenty\u2011first century.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Introduction: Covenant as the Grammar of Peace, Law, and Culture[6]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Scholars of Jewish ethics and law argue that covenant<\/strong>, more than contract, structures communal obligations, identity, and intergenerational responsibility; this framing remains central to understanding the Ark and Decalogue as a people\u2011forming moral architecture. In biblical thought, shalom<\/em> signifies comprehensive well\u2011being (wholeness, justice, flourishing), not mere absence of conflict, thereby locating peace within an integrative order of truth, law, and social repair. Parallel covenantal concepts in the Qur\u2019an (\u02bfahd, m\u012bth\u0101q<\/em>) form a normative framework governing God\u2013human and interhuman relations, including limits on the use of force and commitments to welfare and coexistence, resources vital for contemporary interfaith peacebuilding. [7]<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ark and Decalogue in Judaism: Presence, Law, and Memory<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Classical Narrative and Disappearance of the Ark and its Holy Contents[8]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In Jewish tradition the Ark (Aron ha\u2011Brit)<\/strong> was a gold\u2011overlaid acacia chest with a kaporet<\/em> (mercy\u2011seat) and cherubim, housing the tablets placed in the Holy of Holies<\/strong>; it was borne by Levites using poles as prescribed. The Ark\u2019s disappearance<\/strong> prior to the Babylonian destruction (586\u202fBCE) is recalled in two principal streams: a deuterocanonical account that Jeremiah hid the Ark, the Tent, and the incense altar in a cave and sealed the entrance<\/strong> until a future divine regathering, and rabbinic traditions that King Josiah concealed the Ark in a subterranean chamber beneath the Temple<\/strong>. Both place the Ark\u2019s absence before the First Temple fell. [9]<\/a>, [10]<\/a><\/p>\n

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The respectful transport of the Holy Ark, across the present-day Arabian Peninsula, to the present-day Damascus, for interconnectedness, security and national cultural cohesion.
Original Photograph Conceptualised by Mrs V. Vawda January 2026<\/p><\/div>\n

The Ten Commandments and Jewish Ethical Life[11]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Aseret ha\u2011Dibrot<\/strong> embody the covenant\u2019s core; their authority radiates through halakhic life and communal norms. Jewish readings of shalom<\/em> present a holistic ethic where bodily health, social justice, and fidelity to Torah form a single fabric of peace.<\/p>\n

Contemporary Societal Impacts in Judaism[12]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Liturgical and Educational Centrality[13]<\/a>:<\/strong> The weekly and festival lectionaries and synagogue catechesis keep Sinai\u2019s voice present; shalom<\/em> as wholeness informs pastoral care and social service cultures in Jewish communities worldwide.<\/li>\n
  2. Law and Public Ethics:<\/strong> Although modern states are secular, Jewish legal thought often engages civic debates via Decalogue\u2011aligned norms<\/strong> (truthful testimony, respect for life\/property) and the prophetic demand for justice as prerequisites for communal peace. [14]<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Memory Politics and Archaeology<\/strong>: The Ark\u2019s disappearance fuels heritage protection and scholarly caution against politicizing antiquities; Jewish scholarship emphasizes textual memory and ethical continuity over relic retrieval. [15]<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Interfaith Bridgework<\/strong>:Jewish covenantal ethics (e.g., no false witness<\/em>, Sabbath humanization<\/em>, Jubilee resets<\/em>) provide shared platforms with Christian social teaching and Islamic maq\u0101\u1e63id<\/em> frameworks for cooperative justice and anti\u2011corruption agendas. [16]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Ark and Decalogue in Christianity: Typology, Moral Grammar, and Public Theology<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Historical Reception<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Christianity inherits Israel\u2019s Sinai narrative and regards the Ark within salvation history; historically, the Second Temple<\/strong> (destroyed 70\u202fCE) [17]<\/a>did not<\/strong> contain the Ark, aligning with Jewish traditions of its earlier disappearance. The Temple\u2019s fall catalyzed a theological shift from sacrificial cult to ecclesial worship around word and sacrament, with the Decalogue retained as moral catechesis.<\/p>\n

    The Decalogue\u2019s Moral and Legal Influence<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Christian legal and moral theology appropriates the Ten Commandments<\/strong> as a universal moral grammar<\/strong> within natural\u2011law discourse. Legal historians warn against the claim that modern law is a direct codification of the Decalogue; yet they affirm its enduring influence on prohibitions against murder, theft, and perjury and on public arguments for truthfulness and human dignity. [18]<\/a><\/p>\n

    Contemporary Societal Impacts in Christianity<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Catechesis & Conscience Formation<\/strong>\u2014Global catechisms and preaching employ the Decalogue to form conscience, linking personal virtue to social justice agendas (e.g., truthful governance, protection of the poor, family policy).<\/li>\n
    2. Human\u2011Rights Advocacy<\/strong>, Scholars and church leaders locate theological convergences with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)<\/strong>, dignity, equality, and freedom, while acknowledging the UDHR\u2019s secular drafting amid multi\u2011tradition inputs. [researchgate.net]<\/a>, [pdfs.seman…cholar.org]<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. Law & Culture Debates<\/strong>\u2014The Decalogue surfaces in courtroom iconography and public controversies; careful scholarship clarifies influence vs. direct derivation, helping temper polarizing claims while preserving moral insight for civic discourse. [jewishvirt…ibrary.org]<\/a><\/li>\n
    4. Peace & Disarmament Imagination<\/strong>\u2014Isaian \u201cswords into ploughshares<\/strong>\u201d informs Christian peace witness, channelling budgets from militarization to human development and agriculture, a motif that also resonates in secular diplomacy. [eotcmk.org]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The Ark and the Covenant in Islam: From Relic to Normative M\u012bth\u0101q<\/em>; From Tablets to Maq\u0101\u1e63id[19]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Covenants in the Qur\u2019an and Islamic Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

      While the Qur\u2019an does not center a physical Ark cultus as in the Hebrew Bible, it presents a pervasive theology of covenants<\/strong>, \u02bfahd, m\u012bth\u0101q<\/em>, that binds believers to God and to others, structuring obligations for welfare, truth, equity, and restricting armed force to self\u2011defense and treaty violation<\/strong>. Recent scholarship systematizes these as part of the maq\u0101\u1e63id<\/strong> (higher objectives) of the Shar\u012b\u02bfa, articulating a covenantal architecture for peaceful coexistence and interreligious guarantees. [20]<\/a><\/p>\n

      Comparative Note on Tablets and Law<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Islam recognizes Moses and Sinai within a larger prophetology; covenantal obedience, not a single relic, anchors law and ethics. Contemporary legal\u2011theological work frames Qur\u2019anic covenants as legally cognizable<\/strong> structures analogous to contract yet transcending it, with offer\/acceptance patterns and public\u2011order consequences, thus dialoguing with Jewish\u2011Christian covenant models. [21]<\/a><\/p>\n

      Contemporary Societal Impacts in Islam<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Treaty\u2011Ethics and Peacebuilding<\/strong>:Modern Muslim scholars highlight covenants as bases for pluralism, minority protection, and limits on force<\/strong>, informing interfaith compacts, constitutional guarantees, and international engagement. [explainthat.org]<\/a><\/li>\n
      2. Human\u2011Rights Convergence<\/strong>:Covenant discourse interfaces with global rights norms (dignity, security, welfare), providing an Islamic rationale for commitments resonant with the UDHR while mediating tensions via maq\u0101\u1e63id<\/em> [explainthat.org]<\/a>, [researchgate.net]<\/a><\/li>\n
      3. Ethics of Truth and Commerce<\/strong>\u2014The Qur\u2019anic emphasis on honesty and fulfillment of pledges converges with Decalogue\u2011type prohibitions against false witness and theft, reinforcing anti\u2011corruption drives and fair\u2011dealing initiatives in Muslim\u2011majority contexts. [explainthat.org]<\/a>, [jewishvirt…ibrary.org]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The Decalogue and Modern Law: Influence without Reduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Legal historians and scholars of religion\u2013law relations differentiate moral influence<\/strong> from direct codification<\/strong>: while prohibitions against murder, theft, and perjury<\/strong> align with Decalogue norms and helped shape Western legal culture (via conscience formation, natural\u2011law reasoning, and iconography), modern legal systems are not<\/strong> mere reproductions of the Ten Commandments and draw from multiple sources (Roman law, common law, Enlightenment, etc.). This distinction is crucial for responsible public theology and constitutional discourse. [jewishvirt…ibrary.org]<\/a>, [sefaria.org]<\/a><\/p>\n

        Toward a Covenantal Peace Praxis in Plural Societies<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Convergences<\/strong><\/p>\n