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Questions · Ethics

Is lying under oath (perjury) a sin?

What Christian writers said, from about AD 357 to 1904.

45 passages · 15 writers · 7 centuries

The short answer

Few writers in this collection treat perjury at length. Of the 45 passages here, 34 state a position on it and 11 mention it in passing, in commentary on other texts. The 34 define perjury as swearing to what is false, place it under the third commandment as misuse of God's name, and rank it as a grave sin: Voragine (c. 1260) calls knowing false swearing deadly sin, Aquinas (c. 1265) calls it mortal sin when the speaker is aware of it, and Chrysostom (c. 400) writes that no perjurer can be saved. Augustine (c. 420) holds that no cause justifies perjury, and Augustine and Chrysostom warn that the habit of swearing leads to it. Writers differ on whether Christ forbade only false oaths or all oaths: Calvin holds that he did not abolish oaths, while Chrysostom and Maclaren (1904) write that he forbids all. After the patristic period, the only Orthodox statement is from Philaret of Moscow (1839), and the Catholic statements come from Aquinas and Voragine in the thirteenth century.

Perjury and the name of God

14 passages · 7 writers · 1200s to 1800s

Writers define perjury as a false oath and place it under the third commandment as misuse of God's name, calling him to witness a falsehood.

1265–1274

Hence the precepts of the decalogue include the prohibition of perjury, which is of more frequent occurrence than blasphemy, since man does not fall so often into the latter sin.

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II.Q122.A3

1563

A. That we neither blaspheme nor misuse the name of God by cursing, 1 perjury, 2 or unnecessary oaths, 3 nor share in such horrible sins by being silent bystanders.

Reformed Churches, Heidelberg Catechism 99

How grave perjury is

6 passages · 5 writers · 300s to 1700s

Writers rank false swearing as mortal or deadly sin, worse than lying, and describe its guilt, penalty, and effect on salvation.

c. 400–401

Consider what is the fate of false swearers, consider, and desist. It is impossible a swearer should not forswear himself, whether he will or not; and no perjurer can be saved. One false oath sufficeth to finish all, to draw down upon us the whole measure of vengeance.

John Chrysostom, A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 12

1260

If he swear false wittingly he is forsworn, and that is against the commandment and sinneth deadly, for he sweareth against his conscience, and that is when he sweareth by advice and by deliberation, but a man should swear truly and yet not for nought or for any vain or ill thing, ne maliciously.

Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend 25

Frequent oaths lead to perjury

4 passages · 2 writers · 300s

Writers argue that the habit of swearing leads to false swearing, and cite this as a reason to avoid oaths.

c. 386–430

For man, who, through a habit of swearing, may slip into perjury, is rightly forbidden to swear: for he will be farther from perjury in proportion as he is far from swearing. For the man who sweareth, may swear truly or falsely: but he who sweareth not, cannot swear falsely; for he sweareth not at all. … Thou callest God to witness: this is to swear, to call God to witness; and for this reason there must be anxiety, that thou mayest not call God to witness anything false.

Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 110

c. 386–430

Man is justly forbidden to swear: lest by the habit of swearing, since a man may be deceived, he fall into perjury. God alone swears securely, because He alone is infallible.

Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 89

387

For, in the first place, he who is continually swearing, whether willingly or unwillingly; knowingly or unknowingly; in jest or in earnest; being frequently carried away by anger and by many other things, will most surely become perjured. And no one can gainsay this; so evident and generally allowed is the fact, that the man who swears frequently, must also be a perjurer.

John Chrysostom, The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 16

387

For as it saith, “As a servant that is continually beaten will not be clear of a bruise, so he that sweareth and nameth God continually will not be purified of his sin.” It is impossible, utterly impossible, that the mouth which is practised in swearing, should not frequently commit perjury.

John Chrysostom, The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 16

Perjury and Christ's teaching on oaths

6 passages · 5 writers · 300s to 1900s

Writers read Matthew 5 and the Old Testament law as forbidding perjury, and they differ on whether Christ also forbids all swearing.

375–380

“Thou shalt not forswear thyself; for it is said, “Thou shalt not swear at all.” But if that cannot be avoided, thou shalt swear truly; for “every one that swears by Him shall be commended.”

Anonymous (ANF), Constitutions of the Holy Apostles 8.1

1904–1910

Perjury, a false oath, was all that had been forbidden. He forbids all.

Alexander Maclaren, Ezekiel, Daniel and the Minor Prophets; and Matthew Chaps. I to VIII 2.25

No cause justifies perjury

2 passages · 1 writer · 300s to 400s

Writers hold that no danger, loss, or benefit makes a false oath permissible.

c. 386–430

For persons possessing any faith—and how much more the Christian faith!—to be unfaithful to their oath, I do not say by doing something contrary to it, but by hesitating at all as to its fulfilment, is utterly wrong. … For assuredly a Christian, if urged by the menace of instant death to perjure himself by false testimony, ought to fear the loss of honour more than the loss of life.

Augustine of Hippo, Letters of St. Augustin 1.113

c. 420

Nor must any plea whatever be held out, for which it should be right that perjury should be committed, or, what is more execrable, that God should be blasphemed. For it does not follow that because the blaspheming is only in pretence and a lie, therefore He is not blasphemed. For at this rate it might be said that perjury is not committed, because it is by a lie that it is committed: for who can be by truth a perjurer?

Augustine of Hippo, Against Lying 39

Lying and perjury

2 passages · 2 writers · 1700s to 1900s

Writers connect false oaths to lying, and say that people who lie for their own advantage are drawn to perjury.

1755–1765

Ye shall not swear falsely - This is added, to shew how one sin draws on another, and that when men will lye for their own advantage, they will easily be induced to perjury.

John Wesley, Notes on the Bible 30.19

1904–1910

If lies were not so common, oaths would be needless. And oaths increase the evil from which they come, by confirming the notion that there is no sin in a lie unless it is sworn to.

Alexander Maclaren, Ezekiel, Daniel and the Minor Prophets; and Matthew Chaps. I to VIII 2.25

Passing mentions

Perjury as profaning God's name

3 passages · 3 writers · 1700s to 1800s

Passages that name perjury or false swearing among the ways God's name is profaned, in discussion of other texts.

1710

Those that profane the sacred forms of swearing or praying by using them in an impertinent irreverent manner take God's name in vain, and thereby show themselves enemies to him. Some make it to be a description of hypocrites: "They speak of thee for mischief; they talk of God, pretending to piety, but it is with some ill design, for a cloak of maliciousness; and, being enemies to God, while they pretend friendship, they take his name in vain; they swear falsely."

Matthew Henry, Commentary on Psalms 139.3

1755–1765

If a soul sin - This sin, though directly committed against man, is emphatically said to be done against the Lord, not only in general, for so every sin against man is also against the Lord, but in a special sense, because this was a violation of human society, whereof God is the author, and president, and defender: and because it was a secret sin, of which God alone was the witness and judge: and because God's name was abused in it by perjury.

John Wesley, Notes on the Bible 30.6

1873

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” The literal meaning of this command is doubtful. It may mean, “Thou shalt not utter the name of God in a vain or irreverent manner;” or, “Thou shalt not utter the name of God to a lie,” i.e., “Thou shalt not swear falsely.”

Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology III.19.7

God as avenger of false oaths

2 passages · 2 writers · 1500s to 1700s

Passages that say an oath calls on God to punish falsehood.

1540–1564

But here in passing, two things are to be noticed, — that we are to swear by God’s name when necessity requires, and that Christians are allowed to make an oath, because it is a lawful remedy for removing contentions. God in express words bids us to swear by his name; if other names are blended with it, the oath is profaned. For this there are especially three reasons: when there is no way of bringing the truth to light, it is not right, for the sake of verifying it, to have recourse to any but to God, who is himself eternal truth; and then, since he alone knows the heart, his own office is taken from him, when in things hidden, of which men can form no opinion, we appeal to any other judge; and thirdly, because in swearing we not only appeal to him as a witness, but also call upon him as an avenger of perjury in case we speak falsely.

John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews 6.5

1708

He that ratifies a promise with an oath imprecates the divine vengeance if he wilfully break his promise, and has reason to expect that divine justice will take him at his word.

Matthew Henry, Commentary on Joshua 9.3

False swearing named among sins or shown in examples

2 passages · 2 writers · 1500s to 1700s

Passages that list false swearing among other sins.

1540–1564

But as the Temple was the den of thieves, so it was also made the asylum of murderers, adulterers, and of idolaters. It seems then, that the Jews thought that by sacrifices they purchased immunity not only for theft, murder, adultery, false swearing, but also for idolatry, and that having sacrificed they were free to commit all these evils. How unaccountably strange is the conduct of deluded man!

John Calvin, Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations 7.5

1712

Will you swear falsely, a crime which all nations (who with the belief of a God have had a veneration for an oath) have always had a horror of?

Matthew Henry, Commentary on Jeremiah 7.1

Cautions and limits on oaths

4 passages · 3 writers · 300s to 1500s

Passages that mention perjury while discussing when oaths are lawful, rash, or unnecessary.

357–378

Any one who is arrested in the design of fulfilling an oath to injure another ought to shew repentance for the rashness of his oath, and must not confirm his wickedness under the pretext of piety. Herod was none the better for fulfilling his oath, when, of course only to save himself from perjury, he became the prophet’s murderer. Swearing is absolutely forbidden, and it is only reasonable that the oath which tends to evil should be condemned.

Basil of Caesarea, The Letters 199

c. 386–407

What, again, are falsehood and perjury? What necessity can they possibly imply? None whatever, nor any compulsion; it is a matter to which we proceed voluntarily. … Thus then an oath is unnecessary; and is in fact an evidence rather of distrust than of confidence.

John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians 3

c. 400–401

Shall I tell you why it was permitted the ancients to take oaths? (for to take false oaths, was not permitted to them either.) Because they swore by idols. But are you not ashamed to rest in laws, by which they in their infirmity were led on to something better?

John Chrysostom, A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 10

1559

Wherefore, it is not sufficient to abstain from perjury, unless we, at the same time, remember that an oath is not appointed or allowed for passion or pleasure, but for necessity; and that, therefore, a licentious use is made of it by him who uses it on any other than necessary occasions.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion II.8