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Objection 1: It would seem that it is not lawful to swear. Nothing
forbidden in the Divine Law is lawful. Now swearing is forbidden
(Mt. 5:34), "But I say to you not to swear at all"; and
(James 5:12), "Above all things, my brethren, swear not."
Therefore swearing is unlawful.
Objection 2: Further, whatever comes from an evil seems to be
unlawful, because according to Mt. 7:18, "neither can an evil
tree bring forth good fruit." Now swearing comes from an evil, for
it is written (Mt. 5:37): "But let your speech be: Yea,
yea: No, no. And that which is over and above these is of evil."
Therefore swearing is apparently unlawful.
Objection 3: Further, to seek a sign of Divine Providence is to
tempt God, and this is altogether unlawful, according to Dt.
6:16, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Now he that
swears seems to seek a sign of Divine Providence, since he asks God
to bear witness, and this must be by some evident effect. Therefore
it seems that swearing is altogether unlawful.
On the contrary, It is written (Dt. 6:13): "Thou shalt
fear the Lord thy God . . . and shalt swear by His name."
I answer that, Nothing prevents a thing being good in itself, and
yet becoming a source of evil to one who makes use thereof
unbecomingly: thus to receive the Eucharist is good, and yet he that
receives it "unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself"
(1 Cor. 11:29). Accordingly in answer to the question in
point it must be stated that an oath is in itself lawful and
commendable. This is proved from its origin and from its end. From
its origin, because swearing owes its introduction to the faith whereby
man believes that God possesses unerring truth and universal knowledge
and foresight of all things: and from its end, since oaths are
employed in order to justify men, and to put an end to controversy
(Heb. 6:16).
Yet an oath becomes a source of evil to him that makes evil use of it,
that is who employs it without necessity and due caution. For if a man
calls God as witness, for some trifling reason, it would seemingly
prove him to have but little reverence for God, since he would not
treat even a good man in this manner. Moreover, he is in danger of
committing perjury, because man easily offends in words, according to
James 3:2, "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man." Wherefore it is written (Ecclus. 23:9): "Let not thy
mouth be accustomed to swearing, for in it there are many falls."
Reply to Objection 1: Jerome, commenting on Mt. 5:34,
says: "Observe that our Saviour forbade us to swear, not by God,
but by heaven and earth. For it is known that the Jews have this most
evil custom of swearing by the elements." Yet this answer does not
suffice, because James adds, "nor by any other oath." Wherefore
we must reply that, as Augustine states (De Mendacio xv), "when
the Apostle employs an oath in his epistles, he shows how we are to
understand the saying, 'I say to you, not to swear at all'; lest,
to wit, swearing lead us to swear easily and from swearing easily, we
contract the habit, and, from swearing habitually, we fall into
perjury. Hence we find that he swore only when writing, because
thought brings caution and avoids hasty words."
Reply to Objection 2: According to Augustine (De Serm. Dom.
in Monte i. 17): "If you have to swear, note that the necessity
arises from the infirmity of those whom you convince, which infirmity
is indeed an evil. Accordingly He did not say: 'That which is over
and above is evil,' but 'is of evil.' For you do no evil; since
you make good use of swearing, by persuading another to a useful
purpose: yet it 'comes of the evil' of the person by whose infirmity
you are forced to swear."
Reply to Objection 3: He who swears tempts not God, because it is
not without usefulness and necessity that he implores the Divine
assistance. Moreover, he does not expose himself to danger, if God
be unwilling to bear witness there and then: for He certainly will
bear witness at some future time, when He "will bring to light the
hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of
hearts" (1 Cor. 4:5). And this witness will be lacking to
none who swears, neither for nor against him.
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