Question III: Whether it is lawful to swear by creatures

It was the opinion of St. Jerome on Matthew 5 that it was forbidden by Christ to swear by creatures. Alphonsus de Castro followed him, V. Iuram. haeresi 1. and it seems Innocent III cap. etsi Christus, de Iureiurando.

Yet the true sentiment is that it is lawful to swear by creatures. So St. Bonaventure here, St. Thomas ad primum, whom all the others follow, as Azorius says Tom. 1. lib. 11. cap. 3. quaestio 5.

But Azorius notes, from St. Bonaventure in corpore, that one can swear by creatures in two ways; first by them as invoked as witnesses of truth, as if divine, in which manner the pagans swore AEdepol, Mehercule; and this contains blasphemy, evidently because that is ascribed to creatures which is proper to God, to be the infallible author of truth; and this is forbidden cap. Clericum, 22. quaest. 1. by the Fourth Council of Carthage et cap. si quis per creaturas.

In the other way one swears by creatures, not resting in them, but invoking God, who shines forth in creatures as the workman, as the author of all truth and goodness; in creatures also this is lawful, as I shall show below.

I ASSERT, that it is lawful to swear by creatures.

It is PROVED by St. Bonaventure first. Joseph Genes. 43. swore by the health of Pharaoh, and Paul prima Corinth. 11. by the glory of the Corinthians: Daily I die by your glory. So St. Augustine understands it serm. 28. de verbis Apostoli in Glossa ordinaria. Others however read: I die on account of, etc. But the Greek text has, Per. So St. Bonaventure also reads it in Bibliis pauperum, cap. 18.

It is PROVED secondly by St. Bonaventure, because an oath is commonly administered by the Church upon the Gospels; but the Gospel is a creature.

You will OBJECT first Matth. 5. Christ says: Swear not by heaven, because it is the throne of God: nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet, etc. The Gloss says this is superstitious.

St. Bonaventure ANSWERS that an oath by creatures is forbidden in the first way, by attributing to them something Divine; but that to swear in the second way is lawful, with due moderation, as above.

You will OBJECT secondly. Pope Pius forbids swearing by a hair Dei 22. quaest. 1.

St. Bonaventure ANSWERS: he condemns those who ascribe members to God; and those who swear contumeliously by the members of Christ.