Article IV. On Unjust Damaging By Words

Preliminary note. After we have treated of the vices which wound justice by deeds, whether in external goods or in goods pertaining to life itself, there remains to be treated the obligation of not violating justice also by words. Almost all these obligations are reduced to the eighth precept of the Decalogue: "You shall not speak false testimony against your neighbor."²¹⁵ Therefore, just as under injuries against the goods of the body we comprised the fifth precept, so now under injury by words we treat of the eighth precept of the Decalogue. - St. Thomas distinguishes between injuries by words which are done in judgment, and those which are caused outside judgment. Therefore he first treats of the injustice of the judge, of the accuser, of the defendant, of witnesses, and of advocates.²¹⁶ But since, for ecclesiastical judgments, all these things are determined in canon law, while for lay judgments there are usually norms determined most specially by the codes of diverse nations, we shall treat very briefly I. of injuries by words in judgment, namely, of the obligations and sins 1. of the judge, 2. of the accuser and the plaintiff, 3. of witnesses, 4. of the advocate, and 5. of the accused or defendant. Then we shall treat II. of injuries by words outside judgment, namely, 1. of truthfulness and its violation, 2. of lying, 3. of mental restriction, 4. of violation of a secret, 5. of wounding of honor, 6. of wounding of reputation, 7. of rash judgment.

²¹⁵ Ex. 20, 16.

²¹⁶ S. theol. 2, 2, q. 67-71.