Basil of Caesarea: Excerpts on Swearing

Basil of Caesarea: Excerpts on Swearing

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First Homily on Psalm 14, 5.

Written c. 363 - 378 CE. The attribution of this work to Basil has long been questioned, though is now widely accepted.

Source: Saint Basil, 2013. On Christian Doctrine and Practice, PPS 47, p. 98-100. Translated by Mark DelCogliano. Edited by John Behr. Yonkers, N.Y: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr.

He who swears an oath to his neighbour and does not repudiate him [Ps. 14.4].

Why does swearing good oaths here in the passage find a place among the brave deeds appropriate for the perfect man, but in the gospel such a thing is altogether forbidden? Who shall sojourn, and who shall dwell? He who swears an oath to his neighbour and does not repudiate him. But in the gospel it says: But I say to you, do not swear an oath at all [Mt. 5.34]. So then, what do we say? We say that the Lord has the same intention everywhere, guarding against sins before they are committed and cutting off wickedness from the moment it arises. For example, the ancient law said, you shall not commit adultery [Ex. 20.13], but the lord said, “You shall not lust.” Similarly, it said, you shall not murder [Ex. 20.15], but the Lord said, “you shall not get angry.” The same situation obtains in the present case too: The first passage is happy with good oaths, but the other eliminates the very possibility of perjury. For he who swears a good oath may still at some point be betrayed against his will, whereas he who does not swear an oath at all completely eliminates the danger of perjury.

Now in many passages what he calls an oath is the unwavering confirmation of some fact. For example: I have sworn an oath and made up my mind to obey the ordinances of justice [Ps. 118.106]. And: The Lord has sworn an oath and will not change [Ps. 109.4]. Here David did not bring in God to testify to his statements and remove doubts about his reliability, but rather God confirmed the grace promised to David with unshakable and unalterable decrees. So then, this passage can also be taken in the same way: He who swears an oath to his neighbour. In other words, he provides confirmation for his neighbour and does not repudiate him. And this agrees with what the Lord said: Let what you say be “Yes, yes”, “No, no” [Mt. 5.37]. Confirm facts such as these with a gesture of assent. Never let yourself be persuaded, even if everybody were to urge you, to confirm what is not the case, in contradiction to the truth of the matter. What is not fact must be followed with a denial; what is fact must be confirmed with an assent. Try to speak the very truth of the matter without entangling it in something else, using simple confirmations.

Let the untrustworthy person have the damage incurred by his untrustworthiness. For it is altogether disgraceful and foolish to accuse yourself of being unworthy of trust and to assert that security comes from oaths.

Now there are certain expressions which have the form of oaths but are not actually oaths; rather they are meant to show respect to the audience. For example, when Joseph was trying to win over the Egyptians, he swore an oath by the health of Pharaoh! [42.15]. And when the Apostle was telling the Corinthians about his love for them, he said: By my pride in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord! [1 Cor. 15.31]. Now he who believed the gospel did not contravene the gospel’s teaching. Rather, he used a simple statement in the form of an oath to show his pride in them, as if he valued them most of all.

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Address to Young Men on Greek Literature, 7.

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1934. Letters. 4: Letters 249 – 368, p.407. Translated by Roy Joseph Deferrari. The Loeb classical library 270. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.

But as for the action of Cleinias, one of the disciples of Pythagoras, it is difficult to believe that it is by mere chance that it coincides with our own principles, and not through its imitating them designedly. What was it, then, that Cleinias did?  Although it was possible by taking oath to escape a fine of three talents, he paid rather than swear, and that too though it would have been a true oath that he would have taken. He must have heard, it seems to me, our commandment forbidding the taking of an oath.

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A Discourse on Ascetical Discipline

How the monk should be equipped

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1950. Fathers of the Church, Volume 9  : Ascetical Works, p.34. Translated by M. Wagner. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

He should spend his time in good words and deeds, swear not at all, nor lend money for interest, nor sell grain and wine and oil for profit.

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De Baptismo, II. Q. 5

The attribution of this work to Basil has been questioned.

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1950. Fathers of the Church, Volume 9  : Ascetical Works, p, 401. Translated by M. Wagner. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

I think that for the faithful it suffices to recall the Lord's words in that part of His teaching following the pronouncement of the beatitudes, where He enumerates a long series of prohibitions, to some of which He attaches a threat, saying: 'whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say: Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say: 'Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire,' and there are many more such instances. To other precepts, however, He does not attach a threat, as when He said: 'Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart' ; and also: 'But I say to you not to swear at all' ; and a little farther on: 'But let your speech be yea, yea; no, no, and that which is over and above these is of evil.'

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An Ascetical Discourse

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1950. Fathers of the Church, Volume 9  : Ascetical Works, p, 215. Translated by M. Wagner. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

Oaths of all kinds should be banished from the monastic company. Let a nod of the head or verbal assent take the place of an oath on the part of both speaker and hearer.

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Letter 22

Concerning the Perfection of the Monastic Life

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1951. Fathers of the Church, Volume 13 : Letters, Volume 1 (1-185), p. 56-57. Translated by Agnes C. Way. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

The Christian ought to think thoughts befitting his heavenly calling and to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. The Christian should not exalt himself; nor be drawn away by anything from the remembrance of God and His will and judgments. The Christian, transcending in all things righteousness merely according to law, ought neither to swear nor to lie. He must not speak evil, act despitefully, nor quarrel, nor avenge himself, nor render evil for evil, nor give way to anger.  He should be patient, enduring anything whatsoever, and should rebuke the evil-doer at an opportune moment, not indeed in a passion of personal vengeance, but with a desire of a brother's correction according to the command of the Lord. He should say nothing against an absent brother with the intention of slandering him, since; indeed, it is slander even if the remarks are true. He must turn away from the slanderer of his brother.

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Letter 45

To a Fallen monk

Note: Some have questioned the authenticity of Letter 45, To a fallen monk, along with letter 46, To a fallen Virgin. Though most scholars consider Letters 45 and 46 authentic writings of Basil, they are considered as homilies, addressed to many, not to a specific monk/virgin.

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1951. Fathers of the Church, Volume 13 : Letters, Volume 1 (1-185), p. 117. Translated by Agnes C. Way. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

What intricate nets of the Evil One entangled you, bringing to nought your steadfast practices of virtue? Where are the good reports of your labors? They are gone. For, must we not now distrust them? In consequence of the present evidence, how can we refuse to believe things up to now unseen, especially knowing you have bound by terrible oaths souls fleeing for refuge to God, when anything that is beyond 'yes' or 'no' is scrupulously attributed to the Devil Therefore, you have at the same time become liable for a ruinous perjury, and by bringing into contempt the distinctive characteristic of asceticism you have transmitted the disgrace even to the Apostles and to our Lord Himself.

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Letter 85

Concerning the Fact That It Is Unnecessary to Take an Oath

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1951. Fathers of the Church, Volume 13 : Letters, Volume 1 (1-185), p. 193-194. Translated by Agnes C. Way. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

We do not cease protesting in every synod and urging in private conferences this matter-that, in the case of public taxes, collectors must not exact oaths of farmers. My last resort is to protest solemnly before God and man by letter concerning this same subject, that it is your duty to cease bringing death upon the souls of men, to contrive some other methods of exacting payment, and so to allow men to keep their souls unharmed. We are writing this to you, not on the ground that you need a verbal exhortation (for you have present with you inducements for fearing the Lord), but in order that through you all those who depend on you may be taught not to rouse the Holy One to anger, by evil practice reducing a forbidden act to a matter of indifference. For, men have no benefit at all from the oaths in the matter of exactions and they are taking upon their souls an admitted evil, since they become practiced in perjury, no longer striving to make the payment, but believing that the oath has been devised for them as a weapon of deceit and an opportunity for delay.

Should the Lord bring a swift retribution upon the perjurers, the collectors will have none to answer their summons, since the farmers will have been destroyed by divine vengeance. And, if the Master in His patience endures (and, as I previously said, those who have experienced the forbearance of the Lord often despise His goodness), let them not violate the law to no purpose, nor provoke the wrath of God against themselves. We have said what our duty lays on us; the disobedient will see to the consequence.

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Letter 188

To Amphilochius (1) On the Canons, Canon 10

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1955. Fathers of the Church, Volume 28 : Letters, Volume 2 (186-368), p.21-22. Translated by Agnes C. Way. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

( 10) Let not those be compelled to perjure themselves who have sworn that they will not receive ordination, if they have refused under oath. For, even though there seems to be some canon  which condones such men, we know by experience that men who forswear themselves do not fare well. Yet, it is necessary to consider also the form of the oath, the words, the spirit in which the oath was taken, and the slightest additions to the words, since, if there is no solution from any side, we must, by all means, dismiss them. However, the matter pertaining to Severus, or rather, the presbyter ordained by him, seems to have some such solution, if you agree with me. Order that district subject to Mesteia, to which the man was assigned, to pay tribute to Vasoda. Thus, that one  will not commit perjury, since he is not withdrawing from the district, and Longinus, having Cyriacus with him, will not desert the church nor will he damn his own soul by idleness. And, we think that we are not doing anything contrary to the canons by showing indulgence to Cyriacus, who, although he had sworn to remain at Mindana, accepted the transfer. For, his return will safeguard his oath. And the fact that he has yielded to the arrangement will not be considered as perjury for him, because it was not added to his oath that he would not withdraw even for a brief space from Mindana, but would remain for the future. But to Severus, who alleges forgetfulness, we shall grant pardon, saying that He who knows hidden things will not suffer His Church to be dishonored by such a man, who has acted uncanonically from the beginning, binding by oath, contrary to the Gospels, and teaching men to perjure themselves by their transfer, and, now, lying by pretending forgetfulness. Yet, since we are not the judge of hearts, but judge from what we hear, let us leave vengeance to the Lord, and ourselves receive him without discrimination, granting pardon for the human frailty of forgetfulness.

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Letter 199

To Amphilochius (2) On the Canons, Canon 29

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1955. Fathers of the Church, Volume 28 : Letters, Volume 2 (186-368), p. 54-55. Translated by Agnes C. Way. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

 (29) It is entirely proper to correct the action of rulers swearing to' wrong their subjects. The remedy is twofold: to teach them, first, not to swear rashly, and, secondly, not to persist in their wicked decisions. Therefore, if someone has been apprehended taking an oath for the injury of another, let him give evidence of repentance for the rashness of the oath, but let him not, of a truth, confirm his wickedness under a pretext of piety. It did not profit Herod to keep his oath, who, in order that he might not forswear, as he pretended, became the murderer of the Prophet. The oath, then, is once and for all forbidden, and it is more reasonable, surely, for the oath made for an evil purpose to be condemned. Therefore, he who has sworn must change his mind and not be eager to treat as valid his unholy act. Now, examine the absurdity more in detail. If someone would swear to dig out the eyes of his brother, would it be something good to bring such an oath to accomplishment? And, if someone would swear to commit a murder? If, in short, someone would swear under oath to transgress any commandment? 'I have sworn and am determined' not to commit the sin, but 'to keep the judgments of thy justice. As it is proper that the commandment be confirmed with unalterable judgments, so it is consistent that sin be canceled and wiped out in every way.

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Letter 207.4

To the Clergy of Neocaesarea

Source: Basil of Caesarea. 1955. Fathers of the Church, Volume 28 : Letters, Volume 2 (186-368), p. 84-85. Translated by Agnes C. Way. Baltimore, MD, USA: Catholic University of America Press.

But these things did not exist, it is said, in the time of the great Gregory. But neither did the litanies of which you now make use. And I do not say this to denounce you; in fact, I have prayed that all of you might live in tears and in continual penance. For we also do nothing else but offer up supplications for our sins, except that we appease our God, not so much with human words, as you do, but with the sayings of the Spirit. Whom do you have as witnesses that these things did not exist in the time of the wondrous Gregory, you who certainly have not preserved any of his practices until now? Gregory did not cover his head at prayer. In fact, how could he, since he was a true disciple of the Apostle, who said: 'Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraces his head,' and 'A man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God.' He avoided oaths, that pure soul, worthy of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, being satisfied with 'yes' and 'no' because of the command of the Lord, who said: 'But I say to you not to swear at all.'