Rule of Saint Ferréol of Uzès on Oaths

Rule of Saint Ferréol of Uzès, 23

Written late 6th century.

Source: PL 66:967 [Translation mine; first draft]




23. That the monk ought to cease and desist from swearing

The entire custom of swearing, if possible, is to be removed from the monks’ communication, so that even if, according to human frailty, he cannot avoid the sin of lying, at least he can avoid the damnation of perjury. I invite and remind those who study the sacred Word, that not at any time are oaths necessary. This vice should be shamefully avoided, as the Blessed Apostle warns us when he says: “Swear not, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath. But let your speech be, yea, yea: no, no: that you fall not under judgment.” And in a similar Divine Scripture: "A man that swears much shall be filled with iniquity: and a scourge shall not depart from his house."

This is strengthened by the great and manifest teaching of the Gospel, the greatest of all attests to the same, when the Lord says to his disciples: “Again you have heard that it was said to them of old, ‘Thou shalt not forswear thyself: but thou shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you not to swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God: Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king: Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil.” These examples we have provided should be sufficient to teach avoidance.



CAP. XXIII. Ut iurare monachus et desinat et desistat.   

Ut iurandi consuetudo ad integrum, si fieri potest, de monachorum interlocutione tollatur; ut etsi secundum humanam fragilitatem minus forsitan possunt mendacii cavere peccatum, possint saltem damnandum vitare periurium. Quos rogo simul atque commoneo, ut studeant in usum habere verba sacra, ne unquam sint necessaria sacramenta. Quemadmodum enim huius vitii debeant omnes vitare flagitium, beato apostolo monente didicimus; ait enim: Nolite iurare neque per coelum, neque per terram, neque aliud quodcunque iuramentum. Sit autem verbum vestrum, est est, non non: ut non sub iudicio decidatis (Luc. V). Et illud similiter Scripturae divinae: Vir multum iurans replebitur iniquitate, et non discedet de domo illius plaga (Eccli. XXIII). His namque magnis atque evidentissimis documentis etiam lectio Evangelii, quae est maxima plenitudo, similiter attestatur, dicente Domino ad discipulos: Audistis quia dictum est antiquis: Non periurabis; reddes autem Domino iuramenta tua. Ego autem dico vobis, non iurare omnino, neque per coelum, quia thronus Dei est; neque per terram, quia scabellum est pedum eius; neque per Hierosolymam, quia civitas est magni Regis; neque per caput tuum iuraveris, quia non potes unum capillum album facere aut nigrum. Sit autem sermo vester, est est, non non; quod autem his abundantius est, a malo est (Matth. V) . Sufficiat ergo nos propria inserenda monita exemplis docuisse vitanda.