Early Christian Teaching on Lying and False Witness

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Direct teaching

There are, says he; and many of them, too, from which the servant of God must restrain himself — theft, lying, robbery, false witness, overreaching, wicked lust, deceit, vainglory, boastfulness, and all other vices like to these.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Direct teaching

You shall not covet the things of your neighbour, Exodus 20:17 you shall not forswear yourself, Matthew 5:34 you shall not bear false witness, Exodus 20:16 you shall not speak evil, you shall bear no grudge.

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching

...y. You shall not worship idols. You shall not corrupt boys. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother." Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5. And so on. These things must be kept, along with whatever else is commanded in reading the Bible. And by Isaiah He commands us: "Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean. Put away wickedness from your souls before my eyes. Learn to do good. Seek judgment. Rescue the wronged. Judge for the orphan, and justify the widow. And come, and let us reason together," says the Lord. And we will find many examples in other places also. For example, about prayer, Scripture says, "Good works are an acceptable prayer to the Lord." And the manner of prayer is described: "If you see the naked, cover him, and do not overlook those who belong to your own seed. Then your light shall break forth early, and your healing shall spring up quickly; and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall surround you." What, then, is the fruit of such prayer? "Then you shall call, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking, He will say, 'I am here.'"

Tertullian, Against Marcion Direct teaching

you shall not bear false witness; you shall not covet what is your neighbour's;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

You shall not bear false witness; for he that falsely accuses the needy provokes to anger Him that made him. Proverbs 14:31

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

...t in your gates, and let none of you imagine evil in his heart against his brother, and do not love false oaths: for all these things I hate, says the Almighty." Moreover, David also says similarly: "Who is the person that desires life and longs to see good days? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil, and do good: seek peace, and pursue it."

Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews Supporting witness

False witness you shall not utter; Honour your father and mother;

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Direct teaching

For if false witness by falsehood is injurious to him against whom it is spoken, and deceives him in whose presence it is spoken, we must therefore never speak falsely, because falsehood always deceives or injures.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Direct teaching

...e law not to bear false witness, and this also has a broader meaning. For if false witness, through falsehood, harms the person against whom it is spoken, and deceives the person in whose presence it is spoken, then we must never speak falsely, because falsehood always deceives or harms. Therefore, a man is not just if he speaks falsely in idle conversation, even when he does no injury. Nor is it lawful for him to flatter, because flattery is harmful and deceitful. Instead, he will guard the truth everywhere. And although this may be unpleasant for the present, nevertheless, when its benefit and usefulness appear, it will produce not hatred, as the poet says, but gratitude.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

It is a part of the same law not to utter false witness, and this also itself has a wider meaning.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

as certainly lying and perjury in affirming and swearing are contrary to duty.

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

...wells in you, will be glorified, because the Lord is truthful in every word, and in Him there is no falsehood. Therefore, those who lie deny the Lord and rob Him, because they do not give back to Him the deposit they received. For they received from Him a spirit free from falsehood. If they give this spirit back to Him as untruthful, they defile the Lord's commandment and become robbers." When I heard these words, I wept very bitterly. When he saw me weeping, he said to me, "Why are you weeping?" And I said, "Because, sir, I do not know if I can be saved." "Why?" he said. And I said, "Because, sir, I have never spoken a true word in my life. Instead, I have always spoken deceitfully to everyone, and I have presented a lie as the truth to everyone. No one ever contradicted me, but my word was believed. How then can I live, since I have acted this way?" And he said to me, "What you feel is indeed right and sound, for as a servant of God you ought to have walked in truth, and not joined an evil conscience to the spirit of truth, or caused grief to the holy and true Spirit." And I said to him, "Never, sir, have I listened to these words so carefully." And he said to me, "Now you hea

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

And he said to me, Now you hear them, and keep them, that even the falsehoods which you formerly told in your transactions may come to be believed through the truthfulness of your present statements.

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

Still, I said, I do not fully understand about the time of deceit, luxury, and torture. Explain it to me more clearly. He answered and said to me, “Your foolishness continues, and you do not want to purify your heart and serve God. Be careful,” he added, “so that the time is not completed and you are found foolish. Now listen,” he added, “as you wish, so that you may understand these things. “A person who lives in luxury and is deceived for one day, and who does whatever he wants, is clothed with great foolishness and does not understand what he is doing until the next day. For he forgets what he did the day before. For luxury and deceit have no memory, because of the foolishness with which they are clothed. But when punishment and torture cling to a man for one day, he is punished and tortured for a year, because punishment and torture have strong memories. Therefore, while he is tortured and punished for a whole year, he finally remembers his luxury and deceit, and knows that he suffers evil because of them. Therefore, every person who lives in luxury and is deceived is tormented in this way, because, although they have life, they have given themselves over to death.” “What kinds

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

..."Do you see this shepherd?" I said, "I see him, sir." He answered, "This is the angel of luxury and deceit. He wears out the souls of God's servants and turns them away from the truth. He deceives them with evil desires, and through these they will perish. They forget the commandments of the living God and walk in deceit and empty luxury. So they are ruined by this angel, some being brought to death and others to corruption." I said to him, "Sir, I do not know what these words mean: 'to death, and to corruption.'" He said, "Listen. The sheep you saw happy and jumping around are those who have torn themselves away from God forever and have given themselves over to the luxuries and deceits of this world. Among them there is no return to life through repentance, because they have added to their other sins and have blasphemed the name of the Lord. Therefore such people are appointed to death. And the sheep you saw not jumping, but feeding in one place, are those who have given themselves over to luxury and deceit, but have committed no blasphemy against the Lord. These have been turned away from the truth. Among them there is hope of repentance, by which it is possible to live. Corr

Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching

...ered together and made a plot. They took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. They looked for false witnesses to testify against him, so that they might put him to death, but they found none. Many false witnesses came, but their testimony did not agree. At last two false witnesses came and said, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple of God that is made with hands, and after three days I will build another not made with hands.'" But even then, their testimony did not agree. But Jesus was silent. The chief priest stood up in the middle and asked Jesus, "Do you answer nothing? What is this that these men testify against you?" But Jesus was silent and answered him nothing. Then they brought him into their assembly and said to him, "If you are the Messiah, tell us." He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe me. And if I ask you, you will not answer me a word, nor let me go." Then the chief priest said to him, "I put you under oath by the living God: tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him, "You have said that I am he." They all said to him, "Then are you now the Son of God?" Jesus said, "You have said that I am he.

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

And the words of Matthew are as follow: And the high priest and the council sought false witness against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none, although many false witnesses came forward.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

Matthew 26:59b And they sought false witnesses who should witness against him, that they might put him to 22, 23 death, and they found not;

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

At last two false witnesses came and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and after three days to build it up.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...adversary to Caesar. These bulls and dogs in their madness threw these reproaches at Him until very early in the morning. Then they led Him away to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. And when they had done the same things to Him there, on the day of Preparation they handed Him over to Pilate the Roman governor. They accused Him of many great things, none of which they could prove. Then the governor, as if tired of them, said, "I find no cause against Him," Luke 23:14; John 18:38. But they brought two lying witnesses and wanted to accuse the Lord falsely. Yet when these men were found to disagree, and their testimony did not match, they changed the charge to treason, saying, "This man says that He is a king, and forbids paying tribute to Caesar," Luke 23:2. They themselves became accusers, witnesses, judges, and authors of the sentence, crying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him," Luke 23:21. This fulfilled what was written by the prophets concerning Him: "Unjust witnesses were gathered together against me, and injustice lied to itself." And again, "Many dogs surrounded me, the assembly of the wicked laid siege against me." And elsewhere, "My inheritance became to me like a lion in a f

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

And do you not fear the judgment of God when you are giving testimony to heretics in opposition to the Church, although it is written, A false witness shall not be unpunished?

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

Let Celsus, however, who has been already often convicted of false witness and irrational accusations, see whether he is not guilty of falsehood in these also, or whether he has not extracted and introduced into his treatise, statements taken from the writings of those who are foreigners and strangers to our Christian faith.

Julius Africanus, Extant Writings Supporting witness

..., and we declare and have believed this, and both hope for and preach that very thing, we are false witnesses of God, in saying that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up?" And if he who glorifies God the Father is thus afraid lest he should seem to be a false witness in telling a wonderful fact, how should not he rightly be afraid who tries to establish the truth by a false statement, preparing an untrue opinion? For if the generations are different, and trace no genuine seed down to Joseph, and if all has been said only to establish the position of Him who was to be born, to confirm the truth, namely, that He who was to come would be king and priest, while at the same time no proof is given, but the dignity of the words is lowered to a weak hymn, it is clear that no praise comes to God from that, since it is falsehood. Rather, judgment returns upon the one who asserts it, because he boasts of what is unreal as though it were real. Therefore, so that I may also expose the ignorance of him who speaks in this way, and keep anyone from stumbling at this folly, I will set forth the true history of these matters.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

... God's? The Lord Himself teaches this and says that testimony is not true when someone appears as a witness about himself, because each person would naturally favor himself. No one would bring forward harmful and hostile things against himself. But there can be a simple confidence in the truth if someone else is the one who announces and witnesses what has been said about us. He says, "If I bear witness of myself, my testimony is not true; but there is another who bears witness of me" (John 5:31-32). But if the Lord Himself, who will soon judge all things, was unwilling to be believed on His own testimony, and instead chose to be approved by the judgment and testimony of God the Father, how much more should His servants observe this. They are not only approved by the judgment and testimony of God, but even glory in it. But among you, the invention of hostile and malicious men has prevailed against the divine decree and against our conscience, which rests on the strength of its faith. It is as if, among fallen and profane persons placed outside the Church, from whose hearts the Holy Spirit has departed, there could be anything other than a corrupt mind, a deceitful tongue, poison

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...if the slanderous charge is false, and you who are the pastors, 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 con

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching

..., since the confirmation of both breaking and fulfilling agreements is shown by actions. Certainly, lying and perjury in making statements and swearing are contrary to duty. But the one who lives justly and does not fail in any of his duties, when the judgment of truth is closely examined, swears truth by his actions. Therefore, testimony by the tongue is unnecessary in his case.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

A man whose character has been proved in this kind of godliness is far from being ready to lie or to swear an oath. For an oath is a final statement made by calling on the divine name. How can someone who is already faithful show himself unfaithful, as if he needed an oath? Should not his life itself be a sure and final oath? He lives, walks, and shows the trustworthiness of what he says by a steady and reliable life and speech. And if the wrong belongs to the judgment of the person who does and says something, and not to the suffering of the person who has been wronged, then he will neither lie nor swear falsely, and so do wrong in relation to the Deity, knowing that by nature the Deity cannot be harmed. Nor will he lie or commit any transgression for the sake of his neighbor, whom he has learned to love, even if that person is not a close friend. Therefore, even more, he will not lie or swear falsely for his own sake, since he could never willingly be found doing wrong to himself.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...time, either from necessity or from habit, he may not fall into false swearing. He will say nothing deceitful and nothing with pretense. He will not refuse what he has promised, and he will not promise what he is unable to do. He will envy no one, since he is content with himself and with what he has. Nor will he take anything from another person, or wish harm to that person, on whom perhaps the gifts of God have been poured out more abundantly. He will not steal, and he will not desire anything that belongs to another. He will not lend his money at interest, because that is to seek profit from the troubles of others. However, he also will not refuse to lend if someone's need forces that person to borrow. He must not be harsh toward a son or toward a slave. He must remember that he himself has a Father and a Master. He will act toward them in the same way he would want others to act toward him. He will not accept excessive gifts from those who have fewer resources than he does. For it is not right that the wealth of the rich should be increased by the losses of the miserable.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

You shall not forswear yourself; for it is said, You shall not swear at all.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

The Prohibition of Conjuring, Murder of Infants, Perjury, and False Witness.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

The prohibition of conjuring, the murder of infants, perjury, and false witness.

Justin Martyr, The Second Apology Supporting witness

For if he assails us without having read the teachings of Christ, he is thoroughly depraved, and far worse than the illiterate, who often refrain from discussing or bearing false witness about matters they do not understand.

Tertullian, Apology Background

...nity to answer and debate. In fact, it is against the law to condemn anyone undefended and unheard. Christians alone are forbidden to say anything in excuse of themselves, in defense of the truth, or to help the judge reach a righteous decision. All that is cared about is getting what public hatred demands: the confession of the name, not examination of the charge. In your ordinary judicial investigations, when a man confesses the crime of murder, or sacrilege, or incest, or treason, to take the very points of which we are accused, you are not content to pass sentence at once. You do not take that step until you have thoroughly examined the circumstances of the confession: what the real character of the deed is, how often, where, in what way, when he did it, who were privy to it, and who actually took part with him in it. Nothing like this is done in our case, though the falsehoods spread about us ought to be sifted in the same way. Then it might be found how many murdered children each of us had tasted, how many incests each of us had hidden in darkness, and what cooks and what dogs had witnessed our deeds. Oh, how great would be the glory of the ruler who could bring to light