Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor.
Over and above our own body, spouse, and temporal
possessions, we have yet another treasure, namely, honor and good report [the
illustrious testimony of an upright and unsullied name and reputation], with
which we cannot dispense. For it is intolerable to live among men in open shame
and general contempt. Therefore God wishes the reputation, good name, and
upright character of our neighbor to be taken away or diminished as little as
his money and possessions, that every one may stand in his integrity before
wife, children, servants, and neighbors. And in the first place, we take the
plainest meaning of this commandment according to the words (Thou shalt not
bear false witness), as pertaining to the public courts of justice, where a
poor innocent man is accused and oppressed by false witnesses in order to be
punished in his body, property, or honor.
Now, this appears as if it were of little concern
to us at present; but with the Jews it was quite a common and ordinary matter.
For the people were organized under an excellent and regular government; and
where there is still such a government, instances of this sin will not be
wanting. The cause of it is that where judges, burgomasters, princes, or others
in authority sit in judgment, things never fail to go according to the course
of the world; namely, men do not like to offend anybody, flatter, and speak to
gain favor, money, prospects, or friendship; and in consequence a poor man and
his cause must be oppressed, denounced as wrong, and suffer punishment. And it
is a common calamity in the world that in courts of justice there seldom
preside godly men.
For to be a judge requires above all things a
godly man, and not only a godly, but also a wise, modest, yea, a brave and bold
man; likewise, to be a witness requires a fearless and especially a godly man.
For a person who is to judge all matters rightly and carry them through with
his decision will often offend good friends, relatives, neighbors, and the rich
and powerful, who can greatly serve or injure him. Therefore he must be quite
blind, have his eyes and ears closed, neither see nor hear, but go straight
forward in everything that comes before him, and decide accordingly.
Therefore this commandment is given first of all
that every one shall help his neighbor to secure his rights, and not allow them
to be hindered or twisted, but shall promote and strictly maintain them, no
matter whether he be judge or witness, and let it pertain to whatsoever it
will. And especially is a goal set up here for our jurists that they be careful
to deal truly and uprightly with every case, allowing right to remain right,
and, on the other hand, not perverting anything [by their tricks and technical
points turning black into white and making wrong out to be right], nor glossing
it over or keeping silent concerning it, irrespective of a person's money,
possession, honor, or power. This is one part and the plainest sense of this
commandment concerning all that takes place in court.
Next, it extends very much further, if we are to
apply it to spiritual jurisdiction or administration; here it is a common
occurrence that every one bears false witness against his neighbor. For
wherever there are godly preachers and Christians, they must bear the sentence
before the world that they are called heretics, apostates, yea, seditious and
desperately wicked miscreants. Besides the Word of God must suffer in the most
shameful and malicious manner, being persecuted blasphemed, contradicted,
perverted and falsely cited and interpreted. But let this pass; for it is the
way of the blind world that she condemns and persecutes the truth and the
children of God, and yet esteems it no sin.
In the third place, what concerns us all, this
commandment forbids all sins of the tongue whereby we may injure or approach
too closely to our neighbor. For to bear false witness is nothing else than a
work of the tongue. Now, whatever is done with the tongue against a fellow-man
God would have prohibited, whether it be false preachers with their doctrine
and blasphemy, false judges and witnesses with their verdict, or outside of
court by lying and evil-speaking. Here belongs particularly the detestable,
shameful vice of speaking behind a person's back and slandering, to which the
devil spurs us on and of which there would be much to be said. For it is a
common evil plague that every one prefers hearing evil to hearing good of his
neighbor; and although we ourselves are so bad that we cannot suffer that any
one should say anything bad about us, but every one would much rather that all
the world should speak of him in terms of gold, yet we cannot bear that the
best is spoken about others.
Therefore, to avoid this vice we should note that
no one is allowed publicly to judge and reprove his neighbor, although he may
see him sin, unless he have a command to judge and to reprove. For there is a
great difference between these two things, judging sin and knowing sin. You may
indeed know it, but you are not to judge it. I can indeed see and hear that my
neighbor sins, but I have no command to report it to others. Now, if I rush in,
judging and passing sentence, I fall into a sin which is greater than his. But
if you know it, do nothing else than turn your ears into a grave and cover it,
until you are appointed to be judge and to punish by virtue of your office.
Those, then, are called slanderers who are not
content with knowing a thing, but proceed to assume jurisdiction, and when they
know a slight offense of another, carry it into every corner, and are delighted
and tickled that they can stir up another's displeasure [baseness], as swine
roll themselves in the dirt and root in it with the snout. This is nothing else
than meddling with the judgment and office of God, and pronouncing sentence and
punishment with the most severe verdict. For no judge can punish to a higher
degree nor go farther than to say: "He is a thief, a murderer, a traitor," etc.
Therefore, whoever presumes to say the same of his neighbor goes just as far as
the emperor and all governments. For although you do not wield the sword, you
employ your poisonous tongue to the shame and hurt of your neighbor.
God therefore would have it prohibited that any
one speak evil of another even though he be guilty, and the latter know it
right well; much less if he do not know it, and have it only from hearsay. But
you say: Shall I not say it if it be the truth? Answer: Why do you not make
accusation to regular judges? Ah, I cannot prove it publicly, and hence I might
be silenced and turned away in a harsh manner [incur the penalty of a false
accusation]. "Ah, indeed, do you smell the roast?" If you do not trust yourself
to stand before the proper authorities and to make answer, then hold your
tongue. But if you know it, know it for yourself and not for another. For if
you tell it to others, although it be true, you will appear as a liar, because
you cannot prove it, and you are, besides acting like a knave. For we ought
never to deprive any one of his honor or good name unless it be first taken
away from him publicly.
False witness, then, is everything which cannot
be properly proved. Therefore, what is not manifest upon sufficient evidence no
one shall make public or declare for truth; and in short, whatever is secret
should be allowed to remain secret, or, at any rate, should be secretly
reproved, as we shall hear. Therefore, if you encounter an idle tongue which
betrays and slanders some one, contradict such a one promptly to his face, that
he may blush thus many a one will hold his tongue who else would bring some
poor man into bad repute from which he would not easily extricate himself. For
honor and a good name are easily taken away, but not easily restored.
Thus you see that it is summarily forbidden to
speak any evil of our neighbor, however the civil government, preachers, father
and mother excepted, on the understanding that this commandment does not allow
evil to go unpunished. Now, as according to the Fifth Commandment no one is to
be injured in body, and yet Master Hannes [the executioner] is excepted, who by
virtue of his office does his neighbor no good, but only evil and harm, and
nevertheless does not sin against God's commandment, because God has on His own
account instituted that office; for He has reserved punishment for His own good
pleasure, as He threatens in the First Commandment, -- just so also, although
no one has a right in his own person to judge and condemn anybody, yet if they
to whose office it belongs fail to do it, they sin as well as he who would do
so of his own accord, without such office. For here necessity requires one to
speak of the evil, to prefer charges, to investigate and testify; and it is not
different from the case of a physician who is sometimes compelled to examine
and handle the patient whom he is to cure in secret parts. Just so governments,
father and mother, brothers and sisters, and other good friends, are under
obligation to each other to reprove evil wherever it is needful and
profitable.
But the true way in this matter would be to
observe the order according to the Gospel, Matt. 18, 15, where Christ says: If
thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee
and him alone. Here you have a precious and excellent teaching for governing
well the tongue, which is to be carefully observed against this detestable
misuse. Let this, then, be your rule, that you do not too readily spread evil
concerning your neighbor and slander him to others, but admonish him privately
that he may amend [his life]. Likewise, also, if some one report to you what
this or that one has done, teach him, too, to go and admonish him personally if
he have seen it himself; but if not, that he hold his tongue.
The same you can learn also from the daily
government of the household. For when the master of the house sees that the
servant does not do what he ought, he admonishes him personally. But if he were
so foolish as to let the servant sit at home, and went on the streets to
complain of him to his neighbors, he would no doubt be told: "You fool, what
does that concern us? Why do you not tell it to him ?" Behold, that would be
acting quite brotherly, so that the evil would be stayed, and your neighbor
would retain his honor. As Christ also says in the same place: If he hear thee,
thou host gained thy brother. Then you have done a great and excellent work;
for do you think it is a little matter to gain a brother? Let all monks and
holy orders step forth, with all their works melted together into one mass, and
see if they can boast that they have gained a brother.
Further, Christ teaches: But if he will not hear
thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established. So he whom it concerns is always to be
treated with personally, and not to be spoken of without his knowledge. But if
that do not avail, then bring it publicly before the community, whether before
the civil or the ecclesiastical tribunal. For then you do not stand alone, but
you have those witnesses with you by whom you can convict the guilty one,
relying on whom the judge can pronounce sentence and punish. This is the right
and regular course for checking and reforming a wicked person. But if we gossip
about another in all corners and stir the filth, no one will be reformed, and
afterwards when we are to stand up and bear witness, we deny having said so.
Therefore it would serve such tongues right if their itch for slander were
severely punished, as a warning to others. If you were acting for your
neighbor's reformation or from love of the truth, you would not sneak about
secretly nor shun the day and the light.
All this has been said regarding secret sins. But
where the sin is quite public so that the judge and everybody know it you can
without any sin avoid him and let him go, because he has brought himself into
disgrace, and you may also publicly testify concerning him. For when a matter
is public in the light of day, there can be no slandering or false judging or
testifying; as, when we now reprove the Pope with his doctrine, which is
publicly set forth in books and proclaimed in all the world. For where the sin
is public, the reproof also must be public, that every one may learn to guard
against it.
Thus we have now the sum and general
understanding of this commandment, to wit, that no one do any injury with the
tongue to his neighbor, whether friend or foe, nor speak evil of him, no matter
whether it be true or false, unless it be done by commandment or for his
reformation, but that every one employ his tongue and make it serve for the
best of every one else, to cover up his neighbor's sins and infirmities, excuse
them, palliate and garnish them with his own reputation. The chief reason for
this should be the one which Christ alleges in the Gospel, in which He
comprehends all commandments respecting our neighbor, Matt. 7, 12: Whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.
Even nature teaches the same thing in our own
bodies, as St. Paul says, 1 Cor. 12, 22: Much more, those members of the body
which seem to be more feeble are necessary; and those members of the body which
we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and
our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. No one covers his face, eyes,
nose, and mouth, for they, being in themselves the most honorable members which
we have, do not require it. But the most infirm members, of which we are
ashamed, we cover with all diligence; hands, eyes, and the whole body must help
to cover and conceal them. Thus also among ourselves should we adorn whatever
blemishes and infirmities we find in our neighbor, and serve and help him to
promote his honor to the best of our ability, and, on the other hand, prevent
whatever may be discreditable to him. And it is especially an excellent and
noble virtue for one always to explain advantageously and put the best
construction upon all he may hear of his neighbor (if it be not notoriously
evil), or at any rate to condone it over and against the poisonous tongues that
are busy wherever they can pry out and discover something to blame in a
neighbor, and that explain and pervert it in the worst way; as is done now
especially with the precious Word of God and its preachers.
There are comprehended therefore in this
commandment quite a multitude of good works which please God most highly, and
bring abundant good and blessing, if only the blind world and the false saints
would recognize them. For there is nothing on or in entire man which can do
both greater and more extensive good or harm in spiritual and in temporal
matters than the tongue, though it is the least and feeblest member.
