Early Christian Views on Bribery and Corruption
Early Christians rejected bribery, favoritism, and judgment for gain. Clement of Alexandria, Justin Martyr, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all repeat Bible warnings that gifts blind judges and twist justice. Their teaching is clear: leaders must not sell decisions, excuse the guilty for money, or use power for profit.
161 early-church witnesses · 265 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about bribery and corruption?
Early Christian writers strongly rejected bribery, favoritism, and money-driven judgment. Clement of Alexandria, Theophilus, Justin Martyr, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all use Bible warnings to say leaders must not take gifts, twist justice, or judge for gain. The core pattern is broad and consistent: gifts that buy decisions are treated as sinful, shameful, and dangerous to both church leaders and civil rulers.
The Bible passages most often echoed are Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19, Isaiah 5:23, and Proverbs 17:23, with especially clear anti-bribery language in Cyprian and the Apostolic Constitutions. Some cards are only indirect or repeat general warnings about greed, so the evidence is strongest for rejecting bribery and corruption in judgment, not for every possible modern form of corruption.
Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christian writers said judges and church leaders must not take gifts or show favoritism.
- Bribery was tied to blind judgment, false words, and harm to the innocent.
- Bible passages like Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19 were the main texts they repeated.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians condemn bribery and taking gifts in judgment?
Yes. Clement of Alexandria, Theophilus of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all say gifts must not be taken to bend judgment or excuse wrong. Their teaching matches the Bible warnings in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Proverbs that gifts blind the wise and pervert righteous words.
-
Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
For gifts blind the eyes of those who see, and corrupt just words. Rescue the wronged.
-
Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching
you shall not justify the wicked; and you shall not take a gift, for gifts blind the eyes of them that see and pervert righteous words.
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
No more do we wish to live like the rulers of your people, whom God reproaches when He says, ‘Your rulers are companions of thieves, lovers of bribes, followers of the rewards.’ Now, if you know certain amongst us to be of this sort, do not for their sakes blaspheme the Scriptures and Christ, and do not assiduously strive to give falsified interpretations.
-
Exodus 23:8 Direct teaching
And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
-
Deuteronomy 16:19 Supporting witness
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
-
Isaiah 5:23 Supporting witness
Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man!
-
Proverbs 29:4 Supporting witness
The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
-
Proverbs 21:14 Supporting witness
A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.
-
Proverbs 17:23 Supporting witness
A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
-
Exodus 23:7 Supporting witness
Thou shalt abstain from every unjust thing: thou shalt not slay the innocent and just, and thou shalt not justify the wicked for gifts.
-
2 Chronicles 19:7 Supporting witness
And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, and be wary, and do your duty: for there is no unrighteousness with the Lord our God, neither is it for him to respect persons, nor to take bribes.
-
1 Samuel 8:3 Supporting witness
And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
More related quotations from this section 13 shown
-
Deuteronomy 27:25 Supporting witness
“‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
-
Acts 1:23 Supporting witness
Thy princes are rebellious, companions of thieves, loving bribes, seeking after rewards; not pleading for orphans, and not heeding the cause of widows.
-
Ezekiel 22:12 Supporting witness
In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.
-
Julius Africanus, Extant Writings Supporting witness
and do you bid us take your bribes, and conceal the things which have been communicated to us by the Divinity who is above the heavens, and neglect the commandments of our proper King?
-
Malchion, Epistle Against Paul of Samosata Supporting witness
Nor need we say anything of such matters as this, that, whereas he was formerly poor and beggarly, having neither inherited a single possession from his fathers, nor acquired any property by art or by any trade, he has now come to have excessive wealth by his deeds of iniquity and sacrilege, and by those means by which he despoils and concusses the brethren, casting the injured unfairly in their suit, and promising to help them for a price, yet deceiving them all the while and to their loss, taking advantage of the readiness of those in difficulties to give in order to get deliverance from what troubled them, and thus supposing that gain is godliness.
-
Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
cajoling the people, loving gifts, pursuing rewards, robbing the poor of the rights of judgment, that they might have the widow for a prey and the fatherless for a spoil.
-
Arnobius, Against the Heathen Background
For where the giver is venal and mercenary, there it must needs be that favour is granted according to the greatness of the gift by which it is purchased, and that a favourable decision is given to him from whom far the greater reward and bribe, though this be shameful, flows to him who gives it.
-
Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Background
Justice also was evaded by stealth, since they who themselves presided over the administration of the laws, corrupted by, gifts and rewards, made a traffic of their sentences, either to the escape of the evil or to the destruction of the good.
-
Arnobius, Against the Heathen Background
...fered, they will give their favor to the rich man and turn their eyes away from the poor man, whose gifts were limited not by his attitude, but by the lack of his means? For where the giver is open to payment and greedy for gain, favor must be granted according to the size of the gift by which it is bought. A favorable judgment must be given to the one from whom the much greater reward and bribe comes, shameful though this is, to the one who receives it. What if, on the other hand, two nations were drawn up against each other in war, and both enriched the altars of the gods with equal sacrifices, and each asked that divine power and help be given to them against the other? Must it not again be believed that, if the gods are persuaded to help by rewards, they would be at a loss between both sides, frozen in place, and unable to see what to do, since they would understand that their favor had been pledged by accepting the sacrifices? For either they will give help to this side and to that side, which is impossible, because in that case they will be fighting against themselves and striving against their own favor and wishes; or, after the price of their help has been paid and recei
-
Arnobius, Against the Heathen Background
..., dolls, ponies, and puppets, so they can be distracted by them, do the immortal gods receive these gifts from you in the same way, so that for them they may lay aside their resentment and be reconciled to those who offended them? And yet I had thought that the gods—if it is right to believe that they really are moved by anger—set aside their anger and resentment, and forgive the sins of the guilty without any price or reward. For this especially belongs to deities: to be generous in forgiving, and to seek nothing in return for their gifts. But if this cannot be, it would be much wiser for them to remain stubbornly offended than to be softened by being corrupted with bribes. For the number of those who sin increases when hope is given that they can pay for their sin, and people hesitate very little to do wrong when the favor of those who pardon offenses can be bought.
-
Commodianus, Writings Background
How gifts and presents corrupt the judges, thence, thence follows the law.
-
Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Background
or if I have received from the hand of any a bribe or [so much as] a shoe, speak out against me, and I will restore it to you.” And when the people had said to him, “Thou hast not tyrannized, neither hast thou oppressed us neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand,” he called the Lord to witness, saying, “The Lord is witness, and His Anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand.
-
Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Background
Deuteronomy 32:5-6 He says also by Isaiah, Your princes are disobedient, companions of thieves, loving gifts, following after rewards, not judging the orphans. Isaiah 1:23
Did early Christians think bishops and church leaders should refuse bribes?
Yes. Cyprian says a bishop who seeks office through bribery is corrupt, and the Apostolic Constitutions warn bishops and judges not to take gifts or show partiality. Peter of Alexandria also says some people sacrificed their goods rather than keep filthy gain, which fits the same moral warning.
-
Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching
...unity. Whoever he may be, and whatever he may be, if he is not in the Church of Christ, he is not a Christian. Even if he boasts about himself and proclaims his philosophy or eloquence with lofty words, yet if he has not kept brotherly love and ecclesiastical unity, he has lost even what he once had. Unless, perhaps, he seems to you to be a bishop who, after a bishop had been appointed in the Church by sixteen fellow bishops, strives through bribery to be made a corrupt and outsider bishop by the hands of deserters. And although there is one Church, which Christ has spread throughout the whole world into many members, and also one episcopate spread abroad through the united number of many bishops, he still tries, in spite of God's tradition and in spite of the joined and firmly connected unity of the Catholic Church everywhere, to make a merely human church. He also sends his new apostles through very many cities, so that he may set up some new foundations of his own choosing. And although in every city and throughout all the provinces bishops have already been ordained—men advanced in years, sound in faith, proved in trial, and condemned in persecution—this man dares to create
-
Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
Neither for this purpose is it necessary to pay a price either in the way of bribery or of labour;
-
Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
... along with the deacons, accept that falsehood as truth, either because you show favoritism or take bribes, being willing to do what pleases the devil, and so drive out of the Church the one who is accused but is innocent of the crime, you will give an account on the day of the Lord. For it is written, "You shall not slay the innocent and the righteous." Exodus 23:7-8. "You shall not take gifts to strike the soul, for gifts blind the eyes of the wise and destroy the words of the righteous." And again, "They justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him." Isaiah 5:23. Be careful, therefore, not to condemn anyone unjustly, and so help the wicked. For woe to him who calls evil good, and good evil, bitter sweet, and sweet bitter, who puts light for darkness, and darkness for light. Isaiah 5:20. Take care, therefore, lest in any way you become acceptors of persons, and so fall under this word of the Lord. For if you condemn others unjustly, you pass sentence against yourselves. For the Lord says, "With the judgment you judge, you will be judged; and as you condemn, you will be condemned." Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:37. If, therefore, you judge witho
-
Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
...self does not have a good conscience, and shows favoritism for the sake of shameful gain, and takes bribes, and spares the open offender, and allows him to remain in the Church, he disregards the voice of God and of our Lord, which says, "You shall carry out exactly right judgment. You shall not show partiality in judgment. You shall not justify the ungodly. You shall not receive gifts against anyone's life, for gifts blind the eyes of the wise and twist the words of the righteous." Exodus 23:8 And elsewhere He says, "Take away from among yourselves that wicked person." And Solomon says in his Proverbs, "Cast out a pestilent fellow from the congregation, and strife will go out with him." Proverbs 22:10
-
Peter of Alexandria, The Genuine Acts of Peter Direct teaching
...hem. Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption, 1 Corinthians 15:50. By flesh, he did not mean flesh itself, but the irrational impulse toward the lustful pleasures of the soul. And therefore, when he says, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God," he adds the explanation, "Neither does corruption inherit incorruption." Now corruption is not the thing that is corrupted, but the thing that corrupts. For when death prevails, the body sinks into corruption. But when life still remains in it, it stands uncorrupted. Therefore, since the flesh is the boundary between corruption and incorruption, not being either corruption or incorruption, it was overcome by corruption because of pleasure, although it was the work and possession of incorruption. Therefore it became subject to corruption. When, then, it had been overcome by corruption and was handed over to death for chastisement, He did not leave it to be overcome and handed over as an inheritance to corruption. Instead, by conquering death again through the resurrection, He restored it to incorruption, so that corruption might not inherit
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
...ice of their goods so that they might not hurt or destroy their soul, which others, for the sake of filthy profit, have not done. And yet the Lord says, "What is a man profited, if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" Matthew 16:26 And again, "You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24 In these things, then, they have shown themselves to be servants of God, since they have hated, trodden under foot, and despised money, and have thus fulfilled what is written: "The ransom of a man's life is his riches." Proverbs 13:8 For we also read in the Acts of the Apostles that those who, in place of Paul and Silas, were dragged before the magistrates at Thessalonica, were released with a heavy fine. For after they had been very troublesome to them for his name, and had troubled the people and the rulers of the city, "having taken security," he says, "from Jason and the others, they let them go. And the brothers immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night to Berea." Acts 17:9-10
-
Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...witness of truth is shown and proved to them. For if they see that it is decided and decreed by our judgment and sentence that the baptism with which they are baptized there is regarded as just and lawful, they will think that they also justly and lawfully possess the Church and the other gifts of the Church. Then there will be no reason for them to come to us, since, if they have baptism, they will also seem to have the rest. But further, when they know that there is no baptism outside, and that no forgiveness of sins can be given outside the Church, they hurry to us more eagerly and readily, and beg for the gifts and benefits of the Church our Mother, being sure that they can in no way attain the true promise of divine grace unless they first come to the truth of the Church. Nor will heretics refuse to be baptized among us with the lawful and true baptism of the Church, when they learn from us that they too were baptized by Paul, though they had already been baptized with the baptism of John, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles.
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
For they have sustained the loss and sacrifice of their goods that they might not hurt or destroy their soul, which others for the sake of filthy lucre have not done;
More related quotations from this section 3 shown
-
Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
for gifts do blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
-
Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
Exodus 23:7-8 You shall not take gifts to smite the soul: for gifts blind the eyes of the wise, and destroy the words of the righteous.
-
Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Background
Proverbs 4:2 It must be noted, that he names the law a good gift, on account of the man who takes gifts into his bosom unrighteously.
Common Questions
Did early Christians teach that bribery is sinful?
Yes. Early Christian writers repeatedly said judges and church leaders must not take gifts, show favoritism, or twist justice for money.
Which Bible verses did early Christians use against bribery?
Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19, Isaiah 5:23, and Proverbs 17:23 were among the main verses they repeated.
Did they only warn civil rulers, or church leaders too?
Both. Cyprian and the Apostolic Constitutions warn church leaders not to take bribes or condemn the innocent for gain.
Source Index for Bribery and corruption
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 265 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 161
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 104
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
-
Book 79 1:53