Chapter 6 (149): 1. In What It Is Dangerous To Err, In What Not.—Augustine, In The
160 | THE SENTENCES, BOOK 3
to someone by telling a lie. As we said earlier,' it is possible to be of help by stealing and committing adultery."
4. THAT A LIE IS NOT SUCH ONLY WHEN IT DOES HARM.—AUGUSTINE,
ON LEVITICUS: "Moreover we cannot call it a lie only when someone is harmed by it; for when a falsehood is knowingly spoken by someone, it is a lie, whether anyone is harmed or not.""
5. HERE THE QUESTION POSED EARLIER IS RESOLVED.° See, from these authorities, it is clear that every lie is a sin. And yet it is not to every lie that that text is to be applied: You will destroy all who speak a lie;' nor the other one: The mouth that lies kills the soul.* Nor does it seem that every lie is forbidden by this precept, nor is the amusing lie included in the above discussion.
Chapter 6 (149)
1. IN WHAT IT IS DANGEROUS TO ERR, IN WHAT NOT.—AUGUSTINE, IN THE
ENCHIRIDION. It is also to be known that "in some things, it is a great evil to be deceived; in some it is a small evil, and in others none at all."!
"Some matters are of no relevance to our obtaining the kingdom of God, whether we believe them or not, and whether they are held to be true or false, and whether they are as we hold them to be: to err with regard to these, that is, to believe one of them instead of another is not to be thought to be a sin; or if it is one, then it is a very small and trifling sin.""
"But there are truths which, although they cannot be seen, must be believed, or it is impossible to come to eternal life."
2. WHAT ERROR IS. And although "error ought to be avoided with the greatest care, not only in greater, but even in smaller things, and even though error is only possible through ignorance, it does not follow that a man who is ignorant of a thing necessarily errs, but a man who thinks he knows what he does not know does err, because he accepts what is false as if it were true, which is characteristic of error. But it is very relevant in regard to what a man errs. For there are some things which it is better not to know than to know. And it has sometimes been advantageous for some to depart from the right way, but in travelling and not in morals.""*
3Above, cl n3.
"Augustine, Enchiridion, c22.
Augustine, Quaestiones in Heptateuchum, bk 3 q68.
°Posed at the end of dist. 37 c6 n2.
Pots, Js 'Wis. 1, 11.
'Augustine, Enchiridion, c19.
*Ibid., c21.
*Tbid., c20.
'Tbid., c17.