Chronicle of St. Benigne of Dijon

Chronicle of St. Benigne of Dijon

Written c. 1065 CE by an anonymous monk an the monastery St. Benigne. Records event surrounding the episcopal election to Lyons of a previous abbot of the monastery, Hallinard of Lyons, and his refusal to swear the oath of fealty to Emperor Henry III, in 1046 CE. 

Text Source: Chronique de l'abbaye de Saint-Bénigne de Dijon suivie de la Chronique de Saint-Pierre de Beze, ed. E. Bougard and Joseph Garnier, Analecta Divionensia 9 (Dijon, 1875), p. 188-190. 

Translation Source: Samuel R. Maitland. "Facts and Documents Illustrative of the History, Doctrine, and Rites of the Ancient Albigenses and Waldenses" (London, 1832) . p. 111-113

Therefore, on account of the gift of the bishopric, the Lord Halinardus elected thereto went to the court of the Emperor Henry, and with him some of the bishops who were suffragans, the archidiaconal legates, and the clergy of Lyons, who sought to have him for their pastor. The emperor, according to custom required from him, the oath of due fealty, for the episcopal dignity conferred. Hugh, Archbishop of Besangon, was the person who delivered the requisition. Halinardus, hearing these words, replied, "If I set aside the precepts of the eternal King, and of the rule to which I have bound myself by an oath, what confidence can be placed in me that I should keep the oath of the emperor; for the Lord says, in the gospel, swear not at all [Mt 5:34], and the rule of Father Benedict directs a monk not to swear [Rule of St. Benedict, 4:27] , and to estrange himself from secular affairs." These things being reported to the king, he was astonished, and approving in his own mind his consistency, but yet wishing to try his perseverance, he said, that he would by no means give him the archbishopric, if he did not obey his commands. But, he said, "It were better for me never to receive the priestly office, than to transgress the command of God." Upon this, the bishops of those parts, and especially Sigebaud, Bishop of Spires, where this took place, insisted, saying "who is this, that in the palace of a prince, presumes to disobey his commands, which none of us ever dared to do. Either let him swear fealty to the king, or be rejected." But Theodoric, Bishop of Metz, and Bruno, Bishop of Toul [Pope Leo IX from 1049 to 1054], and Richard, Bishop of Verdun, being his friends, persuaded the emperor that he ought not for this to give trouble to an ecclesiastic, whose mind they knew to be firm in the faith, and in other virtues. To this the emperor replied, "Persuade him, if he will not take the oath, at least to come forward, so that he may appear to have done it, lest the custom of our country should be made void." He answered, "It is the same thing, if I pretend, as if I do it — far be it from me." The emperor seeing him so firm, would not farther disturb him, and, confiding in his mere word and promise, gave him what was desired, and caused him to be ordained in his own presence, giving him whatever was necessary for the sacerdotal benediction. And, not only for him and the other bishops, but also for the levites and ministers of the altar, he so prepared all things, namely, vestments, books, cloths, and whatever was necessary, as if he had not been a prince, but a servant. For that religious king was very ecclesiastical; and very devout in matters concerning divine worship.

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.