Veritas is the Latin word meaning "truth". Several words are derived from it, including "verify" which means "to make sure that something is true". For more information, please click on http://wordinfo.info/unit/2283/page:1    Also, Veritas was the Roman goddess of truth. It is often used to refer to truth as a concept; you might refer to the "veritas" of a situation, meaning the truth or core of a situation.

In ancient Rome, there were personal virtues to which every citizen (and, ideally, everyone else), were well advised to aspire. They were the heart of the Via Romana — the Roman Way — and were thought to be those qualities which gave the Roman Republic the moral strength to conquer and civilize the world. There is a lot of merit in our following these virtues today, and they can be rods against which we can measure our own behavior and character, and we can strive to better understand and practice them in our everyday lives.

Veritas: This is truthfulness or honesty in dealing with others.  Let’s examine the concept of truthfulness from different perspectives.

Honesty in Word

A.The clarity of our language – Are we speaking in a way that is clear and distinct and unambiguous?  Is our communication intelligible, exact, simple?  Is it unclouded?  Consider water that is crystal clear.  Are we communicating in a way that exemplifies clear water?

B.The thoroughness of our language - Do we communicate in a complete manner?  Do we cover all of the important points?  Is our language executed without negligence or omissions?  Is it complete and perfect?  Is it extremely attentive to accuracy and detail?   Does the language we employ have a full command or mastery of an art, talent, etc., such as a thorough actress. 

C.The directness of our language -  Are we proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; is it straight; undeviating; not oblique, a direct route?   Is it proceeding in an unbroken line of descent, being lineal rather than collateral?  Does it progress without intervening persons, influences, factors, etc?  Is it immediate; personal and  direct with others? .  Is it straightforward; frank; candid?

D.The proper use of words in our language – Do we know what the definition of IS is?  Having experience in marketing I have an appreciation for the meaning behind words and language and how to evoke reactions based upon what you say and do.

Honesty in Deed

A.What are our motives in what we do? – Are we looking for a reward or affirmation?  Are we trying to bring about a particular outcome?  Is our behavior slanted ever so slightly to bring about that outcome?

B.Are we acting under compulsion? – Do we want to act on a particular matter or are we feeling compelled or forced to act in such a way as being brought kicking and screaming to the table? 

C.Are we sincere in what we do? – Are we giving an outward appearance that we are fine with a situation when in all actuality we can’t stand the fact that it is happening?  Are we someone’s best friend when we are with them but their worst enemy behind their back?

Honesty in Thought

A.Are we saying one thing but thinking another? – When our thoughts do not line up with our words, should we possibly wait a while before pursuing a situation so that our thoughts and words are more congruent?

B.Is our thought process thorough? – Are we giving an adequate amount of time to our thoughts so as to ensure that we are not lax in our considerations?

C.Are we sharp or muddled in our thoughts? – Are our minds clear enough to be able to properly consider the issues we must address?  Are our minds too filled with ancillary things which will serve to distract us or cloud our judgments?

D.Are we fully intellectually engaged in what is going on around us? – Sometimes tiredness, busyness, or general lack of interest can divide our minds and keep us from being fully engaged.

Truthful versus almost truthful…how we lose it by degrees

A.Not sharing everything that you know – Sometimes it is actually wise to not share everything that you know.  However not sharing everything that you know can actually work to alter the material facts of a situation into something different than what it is.

B.Changing words to change a meaning – Words convey a particular meaning.  When one word is substituted for another one the meaning of what is being said is slightly or moderately different.  It might be passable in a number of circumstances for the meaning to be slightly different.  However if someone’s life or reputation is on the line, even a slightly different meaning can have disastrous consequences.

C.Redefining a word to mean what you want it to mean – Think of this in terms of a word being matched with a mirror.  The mirror displays everything about what that word comprises.  Let’s say that there is only one mirror that can be matched with a particular word.  Then let’s say that the word is yanked away from being in front of that particular mirror and is forced to stand in front of a different mirror whose corresponding word has been shunted aside.  The new mirror does not go with that particular word and so therefore the image of that word is distorted in a manner that is not pleasing to view.

D.Longing for entertainment over challenge – I read a book by Brother Andrew about 15 years ago that had a quote I will always remember, the quote read, “A man must either be challenged or he must be entertained.”  When one is seeking entertainment, he is not necessarily seeking to improve or forward his mind, and probably at that moment, will not be considering how truthful a particular situation is.

E.Catering to emotions and feelings – There are times we don’t wish to tell the cold hard truth to someone because we don’t wish to hurt their feelings, or we are afraid they will react in an angry way.  Sometimes we are “telling those people what they want to hear.”  That is a lie that does not do them any favors and it often does not give more than short term benefit to us.

Let’s examine a citizen of Rome, who also happened to be Jewish, and a follower of a radical new First Century AD belief that was changing the world.  Paul was born Saul, a Roman citizen, who was from the city of Tarsus, a city in modern day Turkey, known for its intellectual environment.  He was raised in Jerusalem, sitting at the feet of Gamaliel, a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the mid 1st century AD. He was zealous for the following of Jewish customs until his famous encounter on the road to Damascus.

How did Paul exemplify what it means to be a Roman citizen, particularly as it relates to veritas?

How does Paul demonstrate honesty in word?

Galatians 2:11-14 - 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

Paul was pointing out the need to live a unified, consistent life.  One cannot be one thing to some people part of the time, and then change one’s behavior toward them based on outward circumstances.  In the case here, Christianity and Christian teachings are the same, and are to be applied to all adherents in an equal fashion.  If one is also going to propogate Christianity as truth, then one also needs to have that truth be consistent, not only as it relates to specific passages he is quoting from the Bible, but also in his expository words, his casual conversations, his physical behaviors when he is around others, his facial expressions, his learned attitudes, and his thoughts that take root at any given moment.

How does Paul demonstrate honesty in deed?

Acts 16: 22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their [j]robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.

35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.” 38 The policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. 40 They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.


In deed there are several things:  First, his willingness to not bring up his Roman citizenship before he and Silas are beaten.  It was the custom for regular inhabitants of Roman lands to be without any special rights, and therefore, he would have been acting completely in conformance with others who would have suffered a similar fate.  Second, the fact that he and Silas were singing praises to God in the middle of that prison when they were locked in as securely as they were, demonstrated a total abandonment to God Himself for their fate.  They were not going to let their circumstances impact their attitude.  Third, when the earthquake occurred and they were freed, they could have quickly gotten up and left, taking that as a definite sign from God that they had been freed and to quickly leave.  Instead, they cared about the fate of the jailor who would have immediately killed himself rather than to have faced a painful execution.  They considered his eternal condition to be paramount in that immediate time.  Fourth, when morning came, and the authorities told them they were free to go, Paul then asserted his rights as a Roman citizen where it is not legal for a citizen to be beaten without first having had a trial.

How does Paul demonstrate honesty in thought?

Philippians 3:2-11  2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul came from a background that had all of the trappings of prestige.  He was a Roman citizen, so he had privilege in Rome.  He was a Pharisee, and so had a privileged place in Jewish religious society.  He did all of the things that someone who was known as a good Jew would do.  However, he realized that all of the trappings of citizenship and Jewish customs did not make him right with God.  He had to recognize that he was absolutely nothing apart from Jesus Christ and that he would ultimately fail.

Veritas in one’s personal life exemplified in word, deed and thought is indeed a tall order.  Oftentimes we don’t see that trait practiced well in even one of those three areas.  We must realize that if we desire change in our society and better days in our future, one of the elements on the road toward getting there is truthfulness.  Without it, our beautiful luxury cars are “stuck in the mud”.


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The One Face of Veritas
Posted: June 1, 2012 by Chuck DeShazo

Veritas
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