Against Lying
Augustine's treatise against the practice of lying even for good purposes, arguing that Christians must never resort to falsehood regardless of circumstances. He addresses the particular question of whether it is permissible to lie to expose heretics, concluding that truth must always be upheld.
26 Chapters
Table of Contents
1
Against Lying
2
Introduction
3
Section 1. A great deal for me to read hast thou sent
4
Section 2. Perceivest thou not how much this reasoning aideth the very persons whom as great
5
Section 3. Which sentence dishonoreth the holy Martyrs, nay rather taketh away holy martyrdoms altogether.
6
Section 4. Of lies are many sorts, which indeed all
7
Section 13. Or haply is it so, that he who plots in this way to find
8
Section 14. Wherefore, that which is written, |Who speaketh the truth in his heart
9
Section 15. And as for that saying of the Apostle
10
Section 16. For there were even in the Apostles' times some who preached the truth not
11
Section 19. Some man will say, |So then any thief whatever is to be accounted equal
12
Section 21. If then to sin, that others may not commit a worse sin
13
Section 22. And to holy David indeed it might more justly be said
14
Section 24. Touching Jacob, however, that which he did at his mother's bidding
15
Section 25. Nor have I undertaken that in the present discourse
16
Section 27. There are some things of this sort even of our Saviour in the Gospel
17
Section 28. Hence is also that which thou hast mentioned that they speak of
18
Section 29. Because, therefore, lying heretics find not in the books of the New Testament any
19
Section 32. But, as for that which is written, that God did good to the Hebrew
20
Section 33. It remains then that we understand as concerning those women
21
Section 34. But some man will say, Would then those midwives and Rahab have done better
22
Section 35. Since these things are so, because it were too long to treat thoroughly of
23
Section 37. Add to this, and here is cause to cry out more piteously
24
Section 38. But infirmity pleadeth its part, and with favor of the crowds proclaims itself to
25
Section 40. But sometimes a peril to eternal salvation itself is put forth against us
26
Section 41. Either then we are to eschew lies by right doing