Oath

Lore & Background

The concept of oaths is deeply rooted within Judaism. It is found in Genesis 8:21, when God swears that he will "never again curse the ground because of man and never again smite every living thing." The first person in the biblical narrative to have taken an oath is held to be the chief servant of Abraham, who effected his oath by placing his hand under Abraham's thigh. The foundational text for oath making is in Numbers 30:2, which distinguishes between a neder (vow) and a shvua (oath). In the Roman tradition, oaths were sworn upon Iuppiter Lapis or the Jupiter Stone. According to Cyril Bailey, the fetial struck a sacrificial pig with the silex while saying, "Do thou, Diespiter, strike the Roman people as I strike this pig here to-day." The punisher of broken oaths was the infernal deity Orcus. In Hindu epics, oaths called pratigya are taken seriously; King Dasharatha took an oath for his Queen Kaikeyi and had to exile his son Rama, while Devrata took an oath of celibacy and loyalty, earning the name Bhishma. Germanic warrior culture was significantly based on oaths of fealty. A prose passage in the eddic poem Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar describes great vows taken at the bragarfull, where the sacred boar was brought in and men laid their hands thereon. Such Norse traditions are directly parallel to the "bird oaths" of late medieval France, such as the voeux du faisan.

Reader's Guide

The oath has served as a foundational element across multiple cultures and legal systems, linking religion, morality, and political organization. In Jewish tradition, it is rooted in divine and patriarchal promises, with a clear legal distinction between vows affecting objects and oaths affecting the person. Roman tradition used the Jupiter Stone as a divine witness to treaties and oaths of office, with severe consequences for perjury from the god Orcus. Greek tradition, as noted by Lycurgus of Athens, held that the oath is what holds democracy together, forming the basis of civil, criminal, and international law. Christian tradition presents a significant tension: while some denominations, particularly Quakers and Anabaptist groups, interpret Christ's words in Matthew 5:34–37 as forbidding all oaths, others do not. This opposition led to legal persecution, such as Quakers being imprisoned for refusing loyalty oaths, and eventually to legal reforms allowing solemn affirmations as a substitute. Islamic tradition mandates fulfillment of oaths and provides specific atonement for violations. Modern law continues to use oaths in court testimony and government appointments, while also permitting affirmations for those who object on religious or ethical grounds.

Did You Know?

• The word 'oath' comes from Anglo-Saxon āþ, meaning 'judicial swearing, solemn appeal to deity in witness of truth or a promise'.
• In Roman tradition, the punisher of broken oaths was the infernal deity Orcus.
• Quakers' founder George Fox challenged a judge to point to any Bible passage where Jesus or his apostles took oaths; the judge could not.
• Only President Franklin Pierce has chosen to affirm rather than swear at his inauguration in the United States.