Acts of Apollonius, 6, on Swearing

Acts of Apollonius, 6, on Swearing 

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Source: Musurillo, Herbert. 1972. The Acts of the Christian Martyrs, p. 92-93. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

[Printed and translated from 11th century Greek manuscript]

Προσέτι δὲ καὶ μηδὲ ὅλως ὀμνύναι ἀλλ' ἐν πᾶσιν ἀληθεύειν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προστετάγμεθα· ὅρκος γὰρ μέγας ἐστὶν ἡ ἐν τῷ ναὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Χριστιανῷ ὀμνύναι αἰσχρόν· ἐκ γὰρ ψεύδους ἀπιστία, καὶ δἰ ἀπιστίαν πάλιν ὅρκος. βούλει δὲ ὀμνύναι με ὅτι καὶ βασιλέα τιμῶμεν καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κράτους αὐτοῦ εὐχόμεθα; ἡδέως ἂν ὀμόσαιμι ἀληθεύων τὸν ὄντως θεὸν τὸν ὄντα [τὸν] πρὸ αἰώνων, ὃν χεῖρες οὐκ ἐποίησαν ἀνθρώπων, τοὐναντίον δὲ αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπον ἀνθρώπων ἔταξεν βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

Further, we have been ordered by Him never to swear and in all things to tell the truth. It is already considered a great oath when truth is affirmed by a ‘yes’; hence it is wicked for a Christian to swear; for from deceit comes distrust, and through distrust in turn comes the oath, Would you want me to swear that we pay honour to the emperor and pray for his authority. If so, then I should gladly swear, calling upon the one, true God, the one existing before all the ages, who was not fashioned by human hands, but rather appointed a man among men to be ruler over the earth.

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Source: Conybeare, F. C. 1894. The Apology and Acts of Apollonius: And Other Monuments of Early Christianity, p. 37-38. Swan Sonnenshein & Co.

[Translated from 5th century Armenian manuscript]

“It is best to swear not at all, but in all things to live in peace and truth ; for a great oath is the truth, and for this reason is it a bad and an ill thing to swear by Christ ; but because of falsehood is there disbelief, and because of disbelief there is swearing. I am willing to swear in truth by the true God that we, too, love the Emperor, and offer up prayers for his Majesty."

Ptolemy the Gnostic, Letter to Flora 4.1 (Recorded in Epiphanius’ Panarion, 1.2.33, 6.1.) on Swearing

Ptolemy the Gnostic, Letter to Flora 4.1 (Recorded in Epiphanius’ Panarion, 1.2.33, 6.1.) on Swearing

Written c. 155 CE.

Source: Frank Williams, trans., The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis: Book I (sects 1-46), 2nd and Revised Ed., p. 220. (BRILL, 2009).

Thus even the Law which is acknowledged to be God’s is divided into three—into the part which is fulfilled by the Savior (for “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness” are included in his prohibition of anger, lust and oaths).

Οὕτως γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ εἶναι νόμος ὁμολογούμενος εἰς τρία διαιρεῖται, εἴς τε τὸ πληρούμενον ἀπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος (τὸ γάρ «οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐκ ἐπιορκήσεις» ἐν τῷ μηδ' ὀργισθῆναι μηδὲ ἐπιθυμῆσαι μηδὲ ὀμόσαι περιείληπται)·[PG 41:565]