OATH. An oath is defined in the Eyelid. Brit. (nth ed.) as " an asseveration or promise made under non human penalty or sanction." It is sanctified by reference or appeal to a sacred person (God, for instance) or object (such as the Bible), and involves a curse in penalty of violation. If it is taken falsely, the sacred person or object will exact vengeance. Sometimes it is accom panied by some action, such as the lifting up of the right hand, or by some special ceremonial, which adds solemnity to the occasion. There are many examples of oaths in the Old Testament. The occasions are very varied. Among the old Arabs the sacred obligation to treat a guest as inviolable was often confirmed by oath at a sanctuary. The oath is a kind of covenant. When Hannibal made a covenant with Philip of Macedon, he swore before all the deities of Carthage and of Hellas, including " the sun, the moon, and the earth, rivers, meadows (?) and waters " (Robertson Smith, Rog.). In Babylonia the oath was the most solemn feature in con nection with legal documents. In the earliest days it is taken in the name of the king, who, as representing the deity, has the quality of sanctity attached to him. " In
the days of Hammurapi, the gods either take the place of the king or the name of the king is added to that of the gods, and frequently also the name of the city or temple in which the document is drawn up. The change points to the growing secularization of the royal office, leading to the substitution of the gods as a more solemn affirmation. The oath was taken by the ' raising' of the hand, and the place where it was taken was naturally in the temple. Before the civil courts, sitting outside of the temple, no oath could be taken, and when it became necessary in a suit brought before such a tribunal to introduce the oath, the case was transferred to the temple' judges " (Morris Jastrow, Ci v.). Some Christian sects (such as the Friends and the Moravians) consider that they are forbidden by passages in the New Testament (Matthew v. 34, James v. 12) to take any oath, even in a Conrt of Justice.