(Greek: deka, ten; logos, word)
An extra-biblical term which is a literal translation of the phrase "ten words" (Exodus 34); it designates the Ten Commandments which God imposed on His people in the desert of Sinai. The Decalogue, which is to be found in two sections (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5), is invested with full Divine authority, so that obedience to it is the test of holiness for the Chosen People and the individual. Christ resolves the Decalogue into two great commandments, love of God and of one's neighbor. (Matthew 22)