Chapter 5 (154)
164 | THE SENTENCES, BOOK 3
4. AUGUSTINE, ON THE LORD'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. And so, when Christ says in the Gospel: J tell you not to swear at all,' "he is understood to have so commanded, lest any one should desire an oath as a good thing, and by the assiduous use of oaths sink into perjury." And when he added:
"Let your speech be, Yes, yes; No, no, this is good and desirable. For whatever is more than this comes from evil,' that is, if you are compelled to swear, understand it to come from the need of the weakness of those whom you are trying to persuade of something. This weakness 1s certainly an evil, from which we daily pray to be delivered, when we say: Deliver us from evil.' And so he did not say: Whatever is more is evil; for you are not doing what is evil when you make right use of an oath; but it comes from the evil of him ... who otherwise does not believe,'® that is, from weakness, which at times is punishment, and at times punishment and fault." In this passage, then, the Lord forbade the evil, counselled the good, allowed the necessary.
Chapter 5 (154) 1. ON THE OATH WHICH IS SWORN BY CREATURES. It is also asked whether it is lawful to swear by creatures. It seems not, since it is written in the Law: You shall render your oaths to the Lord,' and Christ commands in the Gospel not to swear at all, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by Jerusalem, nor by your own head.
2. JEROME, ON MATTHEW: "To Jews, as if to children, it was allowed to swear by the Creator,' and (AUGUSTINE) "it was commanded that, if they should have to swear, they should do so only by the Creator, and not by a creature," because "those who swore by the angels or the elements venerated creatures with honour, and it was better to extend this to God than to creatures.'* And so he forbade this to the weak; but he did not forbid it to the saints, who in creatures venerated only the Creator. Hence Joseph swore by the health of Pharaoh,' and so revered God's judgement in the one by whom he had been placed in the depths. But Christ forbade swearing by creatures, lest there should be believed to be something divine in 'Mt. 5, 34.
Mt. 5, 37.
Ibid.
™t. 6, 13.
'Ibid.
°Cf. Bk 2 dist. 36 cl.
'Mt. 5, 33; cf. Deut. 23, 31 and Ps. 49, 14.
"Mt, 534-36.
Jerome, /n Matthaeum 5, 33.
'Tbid.
°Cf. Gen. 42, 15-16.