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Interesting. What is the sin of slander

Slander, like no one else, St. John Chrysostom suffered from it. He suffered disgrace and exile, accused by Empress Eudoxia on the slander of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria himself, who wants to put his man on the episcopal chair. To those who heard an unverified rumor or information discrediting anyone, St. John said: “Never accept slander against your neighbor, but stop the slanderer with these words: “Let go, brother, I sin every day with even more serious sins, how can we condemn others?" The saint even suggested extreme measures: “Let us drive away the slanderer, so that, taking part in someone else’s evil, we will not cause death to ourselves.” But the Monk Ephraim the Syrian believed that "if the enemy disposes to slander, we will protect ourselves with silence."

How to escape slander

The saint advised his brothers in misfortune: “For many, it seems more unbearable than all deaths when enemies spread bad rumors about them and bring suspicion on them ... If this is true, correct yourself; if it's a lie, laugh at it. If you are aware of what is said behind you, then come to your senses; if you don’t realize it, leave it unattended, it’s better to say: be glad and rejoice, according to the word of the Lord (Matt. 5:11).

Prayer can save you from many troubles and sorrows. St. Maximus the Confessor, even in the case of slander, suggests not to lose heart, but to pray: “To the extent that you pray for the slanderer, God will reveal to those who have been offended the truth about you.”

Nothing can be said about an absent brother with the intention of slandering him - this is slander, even if what was said was fair (9, 54).

... But there are two cases in which it is permissible to speak badly (but the truth) about someone: when it is necessary to consult with others who are experienced in this, how to correct the sinner, and when it is necessary to warn others (not verbose), who, out of ignorance , can often be in a community with a bad person, considering him good ... Whoever, without such a need, says something about another with the intention of slandering him, he is a slanderer, even though he spoke the truth. Saint Basil the Great (10, 192).

If the complaint is unfair, then it becomes slander... St. Gregory the Theologian (15, 333).

If you are subjected to slander and afterward the purity of your conscience is revealed, do not be proud, but with humility serve the Lord, who has delivered you from human slander (25, 194).

Do not grieve your brother by slandering his brother, for it is not a matter of love to excite one's neighbor to the destruction of the soul (25, 197).

One should not trust anyone who speaks evil, because slander often comes from envy... (25, 208).

If the enemy disposes to slander, let us protect ourselves with silence (25, 233).

As a moth spoils clothes, so slander spoils the soul of a Christian. Rev. Ephraim the Syrian (26, 586).

If you have slandered someone, if you have become an enemy to someone, reconcile before the Judgment. Finish everything here so that you can see the Judgment without worries (35, 802).

For many, it seems more unbearable than all deaths when enemies spread bad rumors about them and bring suspicion on them ... If this is true, correct yourself; if it's a lie, laugh at it. If you are aware of what has been said about yourself, then come to your senses; if you do not realize it, leave it unattended, but it is better to say: be glad and rejoice, according to the word of the Lord (Matt. 5:11) (38, 860).

Remember that the one who hears slander about himself not only does not suffer harm, but will also receive the greatest reward (39, 269).

Let us drive away the slanderer, so that, taking part in someone else's evil, we do not cause death to ourselves (39, 723).

He who does not allow the slanderer to himself and himself delivers from this vain sin, and keeps the sinner from the injustice of the accusation against his neighbor, and finally saves the slandered from the accusation; thus, abhorring the services of the slanderer, he becomes the organizer of the world and the teacher of friendship (39, 723).

Never accept slander against your neighbor, but stop the slanderer with these words: "Let go, brother, I sin every day with even more serious sins, how can we condemn others?" Saint John Chrysostom (45, 965).

If someone speaks before you about his brother, humiliates him and shows malice, do not bow down against him, so that what you do not want will not befall you (66, 317).

Let us take care of the honor of our neighbor, whoever he may be, not allowing him to diminish in our opinion when he is reviled - this will save us from slander. Rev. Abba Isaiah (66, 347).

Every unfortunate person is worthy of mercy when he weeps over his misfortunes. But if he begins to slander others and harm them, then pity for his misfortunes will disappear; he is already recognized as worthy not of pity, but of hatred, as having used his misfortune for evil by interfering in other people's affairs. So, the seeds of this passion must be destroyed at the beginning, until they germinate and become indestructible, and do not give rise to danger for the one who is sacrificed to this passion (50, 300).

The Master Christ blessed those who for His sake endured reproof in open and secret deeds, if the accusers turn out to be liars. Therefore, one must know that for one who wishes to enter the highest degree of bliss, there must be another thing: that what is revealed about him should be false. One of these two is not so useful without the other... If, while suffering for the sake of Christ, we hear the truth about ourselves, then it is necessary to blush, because, deserving approval on the one hand, we are convicted on the other. And if we suffer, but not for the sake of Christ, then we receive a reward for patience, but we will not improve on the highest blessedness, which we would improve if both were combined (and suffering for Christ, and slander against us). Rev. Isidore Pelusiot (52, 223).

He who loves his neighbor can never tolerate slanderers, but flees from them as from fire. Saint John of the Ladder (57, 249).

As you pray for the slanderer. God will reveal the truth about you to those who are offended. Saint Maximus the Confessor (68, 243).

The soul of the slanderer has a tongue with three stings, for it stings itself, and the hearer, and the slandered. Abba Thalassios (68, 329).

Have you been slandered... although you are innocent? We must patiently endure. And this will go instead of penances for what you consider yourself guilty of. Therefore, slander for you is the grace of God. It is imperative to reconcile with the slanderers, no matter how difficult it may be. Bishop Theophan the Recluse (Collected letters, issue 3, 251).

By way of reproach and humiliation, Christ Himself preceded us, having committed no sin. How much and how cruelly the lips of the Pharisees blasphemed Him and what reproach they threw at Him like poisonous arrows, the holy Gospel testifies to this. It was not enough for them to say that He loves to eat and drink wine, that He is a friend of tax collectors and sinners, a Samaritan, that He has a demon and is mad, He Who in every way sought the lost, but called Him a liar, corrupting the people: "we found that He corrupts our people and forbids giving tribute to Caesar" (Lk. 23:2), the One Who taught them: "Give Caesar's things to Caesar, and God's things" (Mk. 12:17), Who by the power of His Godhead forbade and cast out demons. None of them escaped slander and reproach. The children of this world have found something to blaspheme even in an immaculate life, invented a deceitful language, with which to defame the immaculate. The prophet Moses, the legislator, the leader of Israel, the friend and interlocutor of God, suffered reproach from the assembly of Korah and Abiron (Num. 16) and from his other people. How many enemies threw poisonous arrows at David, the holy king of Israel and the prophet of God, is evident from the psalm: "All day long my enemies reproach me, and those who are angry at me curse me" (Ps. 101, 9 and further). A lying tongue cast the prophet Daniel into the lions' den as into a tomb (Dan. 6:16). How the apostles suffered from the whole world, to which they preached the mercy of God! Those who turned from delusion to truth, and from darkness to light, and from the kingdom of the devil to the Kingdom of God, were called seducers, corrupters, and troublemakers of the universe. The same was experienced by their successors, the saints, martyrs and other saints. Read church history and you will see how no one escaped them from slander. Even now the saints who live in the world endure the same thing from the evil world. For the world is constant in its malice: it does not love the truth, which the saints reveal both in word and life, and always clings to lies and untruth, which they abhor. You are not the first to suffer reproach and dishonor. You see that the saints endured and still endure (John 9:10-34).

Everything will end. Slandering and patience will end, those who blaspheme and endure blasphemy will each receive their own from the truth of God. Blasphemy will turn into eternal reproach and shame to those who blaspheme, and reproach to those who endure into eternal glory, when people will answer not only for blasphemy, but also for every idle word. “For it is righteous before God to repay those who offend you with sorrow, but to you who are offended, joy with us, at the appearance of the Lord Jesus from heaven,” writes the apostle (2 Thess. 1, b-7). The blasphemers and slanderers harm themselves more than the one who is blasphemed, for the name and glory of that person are temporarily darkened, and their own souls are destroyed. What is the duty of a Christian to answer them? Christ says: "Bless those who curse you... and pray for those who despitefully use you" (Matthew 5:44). When slander, reproaches and reproaches fall on you and you are exhausted from slanderous tongues, like a deer driven by dogs, run to the living source of Holy Scripture and seek coolness from it. God does not please those whom everyone praises, on the contrary, he says to them: "Woe to you when all people speak well of you!" (Luke 6:26).

But it appeases those who suffer reproach from the evil ones: "Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly for me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven" (Matt. 5, 11-12). Who will not be comforted, persecuted by unbridled tongues, when he only thinks of a great reward in heaven? Who will not be comforted by hearing such a promise, who will not agree to endure any temporary dishonor and reproach? A good hope will soften any sorrow, especially the hope for Eternal Life, glory and joy. All sorrow and dishonor of the present, even if they last a lifetime, death will put an end, but there is no end to future joy and glory. Then a person will forget all the troubles and misfortunes; one consolation, joy and unceasing joy will have without end. "As a mother comforts anyone, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem. And you will see this, and your heart will rejoice" (Isaiah 66:13-14). But you will say: this reward is promised to those who endure for the sake of Christ; true, but which of us suffers not as a murderer, or a thief, or a villain, but as a Christian, "do not be ashamed, but glorify God for such a fate" (1 Pet. 4, 15-16). For he will share this consolation with the saints as "a partner in tribulation and in the kingdom and in the patience of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:9).

"Those who love God ... everything works together for good," says the apostle (Rom. 8:28). For them, slander and reproach are turned to their advantage by the grace of God (Luke 18:14). For this reason, the soul, wounded by the slander and slander of lawless people, "hope in the Lord, be of good cheer, and let your heart be strengthened, and hope in the Lord" (Ps. 26:14). "Trust in him, and he will do, and bring out, like light, your righteousness and your justice, like noon" (Ps. 36, 5-6). Be silent, like a dumb man, as David did: "But I, like a deaf man, do not hear, and like a dumb man who does not open his mouth; and I became like a man who does not hear and has no answer in his mouth, for to You "Lord, I trust; You will hear. Lord, my God!" (Ps. 37:14-16). Do the same and God will speak for you. Just as a father according to the flesh, when he sees an outrageous scolding and offending children, who look at their father in silence, answers and protects them instead of them, so does God, the Heavenly Father, deal with us and those who offend us. For every insult and reproach that is inflicted on us is committed before God, as the Omnipresent and All-Seeing. When He sees that we, offended and reviled, endure, keep silent and look at Him alone, and commit this matter to His righteous Judgment, speaking with the prophet: "You will hear. Lord, my God" (Ps. 37, 16), then He will speak instead of us, intercede and protect us, and humble those who rise up against us. So did Saint David, who in all sorts of misfortunes resorted to the one God, and looked at Him, and sought help and protection from Him, as you can see from the psalms. Follow this prophet and shut your mouth, be silent, let God Himself speak instead of you. When you remain constantly in silence in this way, then reproach and humiliation, nothing but praise and glory, will come to you from God. The whole world is nothing before God, and therefore the humiliation of the whole world, not only some of the blasphemers, is nothing before the glory that God gives to his faithful servant. Blessed is not the one whom people, unjust judges, praise, but the one whom the Holy and Righteous God praises; and cursed is not the one whom people humiliate, but whom God humiliates (115, 535-537).

"To those who love God ... everything works together for good," says the apostle (Rom. 8:28). For them, slander and reproach are turned to their advantage by the grace of God. The chaste Joseph was thrown into prison by female slander, but in this way he was exalted to a high honor and saved the whole country from famine (Gen. 39 and 41). Moses fled from the wicked lips of Egypt and was a stranger in the land of Midian (Ex. 2, 15-22). But there he was vouchsafed to see the bush, miraculously burning in the wilderness, and to hear God talking to him from the bush (Ex. 3, 2-7). A slanderous tongue made many slanders to Saint David, but in this way he was prompted to prayer and composed many inspired psalms for the benefit of the Holy Church. The slander cast Daniel into a den to be devoured by lions, but innocence blocked the mouth of the beasts and glorified him more than before (Dan. 6:16-28). The Israelite Mordecai was plotted by Amanov's tongue to kill, but the opposite happened by God's providence: Mordecai became famous, Haman was hung on a tree that he had prepared for Mordecai's death, and so he himself fell into a pit that he dug for the innocent (Esther 7). The same judgments of God are taking place even now (104. 860-861).

We humble ourselves with slander and slander, and our conceit is destroyed. Thus is given us a slanderous tongue, like "an angel of Satan," so that we do not exalt ourselves (104, 865).

Many do not kill with their hands and do not stung, but stab and kill with their tongues, as with a tool, according to what is written about the “sons of men”, “whose teeth are spears and arrows, and whose tongue is a sharp sword” (Ps. 56, 5) . Many do not eat fish, meat, milk, which God did not forbid, but even blessed the faithful and those who knew the truth to accept with thanksgiving (1 Tim. 4:4-5), but they devour living people. Many do not give temptations with their deeds - this is good and commendable - but they spread temptations with their tongues, and from place to place they carry evil, like a sick infection and like a fire with the wind, from which there are many troubles and misfortunes (104, 867-868).

The slanderer harms the one whom he slanders, because with his tongue he stings him like a sword, and his glory, like a dog with his teeth, torments clothes: he does this and that. He harms himself, because he sins grievously. He harms those who listen to him, because he gives them a reason for slander and condemnation, and so he leads them to the same lawless deed in which he himself is. And just as from one infected person many people become infected and die in the body, so from one slanderer, the source of slander, many Christian souls become infected and die (104, 868).

Reproach and slander are either true or false. Truthful - if we are truly guilty of what we are reproached for, and therefore we accept what is worthy; then it is necessary to correct, so that the reproach will be abolished and become false. False reproach - when we are not to blame for what we are reproached for; and this reproach must be endured with joy and comforted by the hope of God's eternal mercies. In addition, although they are not guilty of what they reproach us for, they have sinned in another, and therefore we must endure. Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (104, 871).

What happens today if a husband begins to defame his wife? Does he answer for his words before people and before his wife's relatives? Is there any punishment? Usually not!
However, we already have quite a few examples of people being sued for libel. For example, the wife of the American president, Melania, was slandered last summer by the London newspaper Daily Mail. There was a court on this occasion in London. The newspaper apologized to the first American lady and must pay her compensation for moral damages in the amount, according to various sources, (this is not disclosed) from 3 to 150 million dollars.

God pays special attention to slander in His law and calls on the Jews not to ignore it, especially in the matter of infidelity. Here's what Scripture says:
“If anyone takes a wife and goes in to her and hates her and invents evil deeds against her and spreads a bad rumor about her and says, “I took this wife and went in to her and found no virginity in her ”, - then let the father of the maiden and her mother take and bring out the signs of the virginity of the maiden to the elders of the city, to the gate; and the father of the maiden will say to the elders:

“I gave my daughter to this man to wife, and now he hated her, and, behold, he brings vicious deeds against her, saying: “I did not find virginity in your daughter”; but here are the signs of my daughter’s virginity. And spread their clothes before the elders of the city.

Then let the elders of that city take the man and punish him, and impose on him a hundred shekels of fines of silver, and give him to the father of the maiden because he spread a bad rumor about the maiden of Israel; but let her remain his wife, and he may not divorce her all his life" (Deuteronomy 22:13-19).
An interesting punishment for a slanderous husband. Despite the assertion of the Bible that a man will leave his father and mother .., but the slanderer-husband must pay the moral damage to the father of the slandered girl. And yet, despite the fact that her husband hated her, he cannot divorce her all his life. Is God really so cruel that he forces a person to live with someone he cannot stand?
I think that God has internal spiritual mechanisms through which He replaces hatred in a person's heart with love. But the devil does the opposite. Remember David's son Amnon, who loved his half-sister so much that he couldn't sleep. But after his sin of violence, he hated her.
The devil plunges the soul into the darkness of death. God illuminates a person with the highest light of joy and love and brings him out of a crisis state.
But in general, it is better not to fall for the bait of slander, to love your wife and children and live happily ever after with them. And by the grace of God this is possible!
In conclusion, it must be recalled that God will judge all slanderers and liars at his terrible judgment. Unfortunately, and by and large, fortunately, all of them will be overthrown: "The fearful, and the unfaithful, and the vile, and the murderers, and the fornicators, and the sorcerers, and the idolaters, and all the liars, will have their fate in the lake, burning with fire and brimstone. This is the second death." (

Due to the fact that various speculations about the life of the Church and its hierarchs have now spread with particular force in society, the Neskuchny Sad magazine has learned what slander is and how to deal with it from ... the holy fathers of the Church.

Sandro Botticelli. Slander (1495)

What to do if you hear slander

Like no other, Saint John Chrysostom suffered from slander. He suffered disgrace and exile, accused by Empress Eudoxia on the slander of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria himself, who wanted to put his man on the episcopal chair. To those who heard an unverified rumor or information discrediting anyone, St. John said: “Never accept slander against your neighbor, but stop the slanderer with these words: “Let go, brother, I sin every day with even more serious sins, how can we condemn others?" The saint even suggested extreme measures: “Let us drive away the slanderer, so that, taking part in someone else’s evil, we will not cause death to ourselves.” But the Monk Ephraim the Syrian believed that "if the enemy disposes to slander, we will protect ourselves with silence."

How to escape slander

For the patience of slander, many holy fathers promise a reward. “Remember that the one who hears slander about himself not only does not suffer harm, but will also receive the greatest reward,” says John Chrysostom. But he also testifies that no matter how great the reward, it is not easy to endure slander: “Slander is hard, even if it is well rewarded. The marvelous Joseph was subjected to it, and many others. And the Lord commands us to pray that we will not be tempted... And besides, the slander of proud and strong people is especially difficult, because untruth, relying on strength, brings great harm. The saint advised his brothers in misfortune: “For many, it seems more unbearable than all deaths when enemies spread bad rumors about them and bring suspicion on them ... If this is true, correct yourself; if it's a lie, laugh at it. If you are aware of what is said behind you, then come to your senses; if you don’t realize it, leave it unattended, it’s better to say: be glad and rejoice, according to the word of the Lord (Matt. 5, 11).

Bishop Theophan the Recluse suggests that slander is a redeeming remedy:
“You have been slandered... even though you are innocent? We must patiently endure. And this will go instead of penances for what you consider yourself guilty of. Therefore, slander for you is the grace of God. It is imperative to reconcile with those who slandered, no matter how difficult it may be.

slander for the good

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk gives examples of how slander is turned into good and glory:
“To those who love God... everything works together for good,” says the apostle (Rom. 8:28). For them, slander and reproach are turned to their advantage by the grace of God. The chaste Joseph was thrown into prison by female slander, but in this way he was exalted to a high honor and saved the whole country from famine (Gen. 39 and 41). Moses fled from the wicked lips of Egypt and was a stranger in the land of Midian (Ex. 2, 15-22). But there he was vouchsafed to see the bush, miraculously burning in the wilderness, and to hear God talking to him from the bush (Ex. 3, 2-7). A slanderous tongue made many slanders to Saint David, but in this way he was prompted to prayer and composed many inspired psalms for the benefit of the Holy Church. The slander cast Daniel into a den to be devoured by lions, but innocence blocked the mouth of the beasts and glorified him more than before (Dan. 6:16-28). ... The same judgments of God are being made even now ”(104. 860-861).

And Christ was slandered

St. Tikhon notes that we are not the first to tolerate untruth on Earth: “Christ Himself preceded us through reproach and humiliation, having committed no sin. How much and how cruelly the lips of the Pharisees blasphemed Him and what reproach they threw at Him like poisonous arrows, the holy Gospel testifies to this. It was not enough for them to say that He loves to eat and drink wine, that He is a friend of tax collectors and sinners, a Samaritan, that He has a demon and is mad, He Who in every way sought the lost, but called Him a liar, corrupting the people: "we found that He corrupts our people and forbids giving tribute to Caesar" (Lk. 23:2), the One Who taught them: "Give Caesar's things to Caesar, and God's things" (Mk. 12:17), Who by the power of His Godhead forbade and cast out demons. None of them escaped slander and reproach. The children of this world have found something to blaspheme even in an immaculate life, invented a deceitful language, with which to defame the immaculate. The prophet Moses, the legislator, the leader of Israel, the friend and interlocutor of God, suffered reproach from the assembly of Korah and Abiron (Num. 16) and from his other people. How many enemies threw poisonous arrows at David, the holy king of Israel and the prophet of God, is evident from the psalm: "All day long my enemies reproach me, and those who are angry at me curse me" (Ps. 101, 9 and further). A lying tongue cast the prophet Daniel into the lions' den as into a tomb (Dan. 6:16). How the apostles suffered from the whole world, to which they preached the mercy of God! Those who turned from delusion to truth, and from darkness to light, and from the kingdom of the devil to the Kingdom of God, were called seducers, corrupters, and troublemakers of the universe. The same was experienced by their successors, the saints, martyrs and other saints. Read church history and you will see how no one escaped them from slander. Even now the saints who live in the world endure the same thing from the evil world. For the world is constant in its malice: it does not love the truth, which the saints reveal both in word and life, and always clings to lies and untruth, which they abhor. You are not the first to suffer reproach and dishonor. You see that the saints endured and still endure (John 9:10-34).”

How not to slander your neighbor

St. Basil the Great believes that sometimes the truth can turn out to be slander: “You can’t say anything about an absent brother with the intention of slandering him - this is slander, even if what was said was fair.” “... But there are two cases in which it is permissible to speak badly (but the truth) about someone: when it is necessary to consult with others who are experienced in this, how to correct the sinner, and when it is necessary to warn others (without verbosity), which, according to ignorance, they can often be in a community with a bad person, considering him to be kind ... Whoever, without such a need, says something about another with the intention of slandering him, he is a slanderer, even if he speaks the truth.

Saint John Chrysostom warns: “Slander destroys great houses; one slandered, and through him others cry and weep: his children, and neighbors, and friends. But for this, even slanderers are bad. The Lord does not accept their prayers from them, and their candles are extinguished, and their offerings are not accepted, and the wrath of God rests on them, as David says: the Lord will consume all the flattering lips, the tongue is eloquent.

St. Gregory the Theologian advises to pay attention to why we complain about others: "If the complaint is unfair, then it becomes slander...".

And the Monk Abba Isaiah does not advise by slander to save oneself from disasters and human malice: “Every unfortunate person is worthy of mercy when he mourns his misfortunes. But if he begins to slander others and harm them, then pity for his misfortunes will disappear; he is already recognized as worthy not of pity, but of hatred, as having used his misfortune for evil by interfering in other people's affairs. So, the seeds of this passion must be destroyed at the beginning, until they germinate and become indestructible, and do not give rise to danger for the one who is sacrificed to this passion.

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slander - 1) groundless or deliberately false accusation of someone; 2) discrediting someone rumor or rumor, based (based) on a lie; 3) deliberate activity aimed at the formation and dissemination of false rumors that discredit someone's honor and dignity; 4) the favorite pastime of the devil.

Slander - perjury, violation of the 9th ().

Christianity teaches not to trust slander. Ask your friend, maybe he didn't do it; and if he did, then let him not do it ahead. Ask a friend, maybe he didn't say that; and if he said, then let him not repeat it. Ask a friend, for there is often slander () .

The first slander occurs in Genesis 3, when Satan slanders God, presenting the Creator as a liar. From this slander the fall of mankind occurred, therefore Satan is called the slanderer.
Word slander most often found in the books of Maccabees.

By slandering Christ, the Jewish high priests obtained a death sentence from the procurator of Judea. The slander against the early Christians often served as a cause of persecution. So, having slandered Christians in the burning of Rome, Nero initiated a new wave of persecution of Christianity throughout the empire.

The first were engaged in the refutation of slander against Christians.
The accusations against him were of a slanderous nature, which led him to condemnation, deprivation of the chair and exile.

During the period of Soviet persecution of Christianity, the state often resorted to slander to condemn the New Martyrs and Confessors. Thus, the holy martyr was shot on slanderous charges of creating a counter-revolutionary monarchist organization.

According to Canon 145 of the Council of Carthage, if the guilt of the cleric on one of the charges is not proven, subsequent charges are not considered. This rule counteracts the spread of slander.

Why is slander considered one of the worst sins?

Unlike many other types of sin that cause moral harm mainly to the sinner who commits them, slander can affect, and often affects, a huge number of people and even entire nations. Moreover, we are talking not only about those people who are subjected to slanderous accusations, but also about those who knowingly or frivolously participate in perjury: as a result, all of them can be brought before the court of Divine Truth (see:).

Slander against Christians accused of conspiracies against the Roman authorities, incest, cannibalism, worship of a donkey's head, contributed to the increase in hatred towards them both from powerful pagan fanatics and from common people. As a result, Christians were tortured, thrown into prison, killed by beasts, fire and sword. It goes without saying that in this state of affairs, the responsibility for innocent blood fell not only on the torturers and executioners, but also on the slanderers who provoked them.

Let's not forget that it was slander that prompted the friendly angels to rise up against God, as a result of which they were all cast down from heaven. The very name "" is interpreted in theology as an opponent and slanderer (see:).

If the complaint is unjust, it becomes slander.
saint

If you are subjected to slander and afterward the purity of your conscience is revealed, do not be proud, but serve the Lord with humility, who has delivered you from human slander.
Do not grieve your brother by slandering his brother, for it is not a matter of love to excite one's neighbor to the destruction of the soul.
Nor should one trust the one who speaks evil, because slander often comes from envy.
As a moth spoils clothes, so slander spoils the soul of a Christian.
reverend

As you pray for the slanderer, God will reveal the truth about you to the offender.
Rev.

The soul of the slanderer has a tongue with three stings, for it stings itself, and the hearer, and the slandered.
Abba Thalassios

Remember that he who hears slander about himself not only does not suffer harm, but will also receive the greatest reward. Never accept slander against your neighbor, but stop the slanderer with these words: “Leave it alone, brother, every day I sin with even more serious sins, how can we condemn others?” saint

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