Bonaventure, Collations on the Ten Commandments, 3.15-23

Bonaventure, Collations on the Ten Commandments, 3.15-23

Lectures given by Bonaventure in 1273.

Source: Bonaventure. 1995. St. Bonaventure’s Collations on the Ten Commandments, p. 52-55. Translated by Paul J. Spaeth. Works of Saint Bonaventure 6. St. Bonaventure, N.Y: The Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University.

Second Commandment: Literal Interpretation

15. "You shall not take the name of your God in vain." Just as the first commandment teaches the humble adoration of the highest majesty, so this second commandment teaches the faithful confession of the highest truth, and it forbids denying the truth. In the Old Testament it is said that the one who takes an oath in the name of God shall take an oath and shall not swear falsely. For to swear falsely is the same as to break an oath, and this is "to take the name of the Lord in vain."

Jeremiah says: "And you shall swear; as the Lord lives in truth and in judgment and in justice." And concerning this the Glossa says that "an oath should be accompanied by three things: truth, judgment, and justice.”

16. First I say that an oath should be made with truth. So it says: "You shall not take the name of your God in vain," that is, without truth. For it must be understood that there are two kinds of oaths, namely assertive and promissory, so that there is a kind of oath that is a witness and a kind of an oath that is a promise. The assetative oath is made in this way; I assert this to you and I testify by the witness of divine Truth.

17. An assertative oath should first have truth. And truth is present in an assertative oath when a person does not deny what is true, or does not affirm what is false, or does not knowingly assert what is doubtful, because speech is an indication of those things which are in the heart. But do you know what it amounts to when a person testifies to a falsehood by the witness of divine truth? This amounts to saying that he tells a lie and that the divine truth tells a lie together with him. And this is the first way of taking the name of God in vain, namely, when we deny the truth.

18. Secondly, an assertative oath should be made with justice. And it is made with justice when it is not made against a commandment of divine law, or against a rule of the Holy mother Church, or when it does not result in loss of one's own salvation or that of another. And anyone who swears in a way that is contrary to any of these three things swears rashly and sins in two ways, both because he swears the oath and because he keeps the oath.

19. Thirdly, an assertive oath should be accompanied by judgment. This means that there should be in the mind a discernment of truth and justice; namely, whether the oath would be true or false, just or unjust, fruitful or unfruitful. For if I swear without judgment, that is, without discerning about these three things, I swear rashly. These three characteristics should be in an assertative oath.

20 But the Manichees deride us and say that we should not swear at all, because it is said in the New Testament, specifically in Matthew: "You shall not swear," and then it goes on to say, "But I say to you do not swear at all. But let your speech be yes, yes; no, no."

But I reply that in certain cases or for certain reasons it is perfectly allowable to swear. The heretics do not pay attention well to the force of the words. For it is one thing to say, 'not to swear in any case,' and another thing to say, ‘not in all cases to swear.' Just as it one thing to say, 'a certain man does not run,' and another thing to say, 'no man runs.' Not to swear in any case is the same as saying never to swear. Not in all cases to swear is the same as saying not to swear in all instances but to do so only for specific reasons.

21. Secondly, the name of God should not be taken in vain in a promissory oath. A promissory oath is made in three ways: to promote good, to conserve fidelity, and to bring about mutual peace. In the first, inferiors swear to superiors. In the second, equals swear to equals. In the third, superiors swear to inferiors. By the first kind ·of oath the Apostle swore, saying in the first chapter of Romans: "God, whom I serve in my spirit, is my witness." By the second kind of oath Laban swore faithfulness to Jacob. By the third kind of oath superiors swear to protect the people.

From the first kind of oath comes a threefold usefulness: faith in understanding, love in affections, and peace in actions. For these three reasons an oath is made to promote good.

22. The second type of promissory oath is made to conserve fidelity, and this is done for three reasons: to restrain evil, to settle controversy, and to dispel disrepute. First, I say, it is done to restrain evil so that a person would not deny what is true or affirm what is false. And this is the reason for the usefulness of the oath. Secondly it is done to settle controversy. So the Apostle says in Hebrews: "An oath puts an end to all controversy." Thirdly it is made to dispel disrepute. So in Deuteronomy it says that the elders should purify themselves by an oath when a dead body has been found. For these three reasons an oath is made to conserve fidelity.

23. The third type of promissory oath is made to bring about mutual peace. In this is understood the prevention of all mortal sins, because36 "every true oath is dangerous, every false oath is evil, and no oath is safe."37 And so Ecclesiasticus says: "Do not let your mouth grow accustomed to swearing." This is the literal understanding of the words: "You shall not take the name of your God in vain."