Early Christian Teaching on Gossip and Slander
Early Christians taught that gossip, slander, whispering, and backbiting are sins that damage peace and must be avoided. Hermas, Ignatius, Clement of Rome, Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all speak against harmful talk. Bible passages like James 4:11, Ephesians 4:31, Romans 1:29-30, and Proverbs 11:13 fit this same teaching. The pattern is clear: believers should guard their words and refuse to spread rumors or secret talk.
149 early-church witnesses · 237 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about gossip, slander, backbiting, and whispering?
Early Christians clearly treated gossip, slander, whispering, and backbiting as sins to avoid. Hermas, Ignatius, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all warn against evil speaking, whispering, and speaking abusively about others. The teaching is broad across the early centuries and lines up closely with Bible passages like James 4:11, Ephesians 4:31, Romans 1:29-30, Proverbs 11:13, and 1 Timothy 5:13.
The main pattern is not debate over the topic but a steady call to silence harmful talk, keep peace, and avoid spreading secrets or accusations. A few texts are more indirect or about false accusers and heretics, but the core moral teaching is still strong and consistent. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christians warned that gossip and slander are sinful, not harmless speech.
- Hermas, Ignatius, Clement of Rome, and Cyprian all treat whispering and backbiting as behavior Christians should reject.
- Bible passages used by the Fathers connect bad speech with strife, secrets, and harm to neighbors.
- The early teaching stresses peace, self-control, and careful speech.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians condemn gossip and slander?
Yes. Hermas, Ignatius, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and Cyprian all warn believers to turn away from whispering, backbiting, evil-speaking, and slander. The Bible passages tied to this teaching also say to put away slander and not go about as a talebearer.
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Direct teaching
...fulness, haughtiness, insolence, lies, backbiting, hypocrisy, remembering wrongs, and every kind of slander. These are the deeds that are most wicked in human life. Therefore, the servant of God must restrain himself from all these deeds. For he who does not restrain himself from these cannot live to God. Listen now to the deeds that go along with these." "Are there, sir," I said, "any other evil deeds?" "There are," he says, "and many of them too, from which the servant of God must restrain himself: theft, lying, robbery, false witness, cheating, wicked desire, deceit, vainglory, boastfulness, and all other vices like these. Do you not think these are truly wicked? They are extremely wicked for the servants of God. The servant of God must restrain himself from all of these. Restrain yourself, then, from all these things, so that you may live to God, and you will be counted among those who restrain themselves in these matters. These, then, are the things from which you must restrain yourself."
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Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Direct teaching
...m us all unrighteousness and iniquity, along with all covetousness, strife, evil practices, deceit, whispering, and evil-speaking, all hatred of God, pride and arrogance, vanity and ambition. For those who do such things are hateful to God; and not only they who do them, but also those who take pleasure in those who do them. For the Scripture says, “But to the sinner God said, Why do you proclaim my statutes, and take my covenant into your mouth, seeing you hate instruction, and cast my words behind you? When you saw a thief, you agreed with him, and you shared with adulterers. Your mouth has overflowed with wickedness, and your tongue devised deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought, wicked one, that I would be like you. But I will reprove you, and set yourself before you. Consider now these things, you that forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, like a lion, and there be none to deliver. The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and there is a way by which I will show him the salvation of God.”
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Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians Direct teaching
...s, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, and false witness; "not returning evil for evil, or reviling for reviling," or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but remembering what the Lord said in His teaching: "Judge not, that you be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven to you; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you again;" and once more, "Blessed are the poor, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”
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Proverbs 26:22 Direct teaching
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
More related quotations from this section 8 shown
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
Hear, says he: from adultery and fornication, from unlawful revelling, from wicked luxury, from indulgence in many kinds of food and the extravagance of riches, and from boastfulness, and haughtiness, and insolence, and lies, and backbiting, and hypocrisy, from the remembrance of wrong, and from all slander.
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Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Supporting witness
Be ye sober. Lay aside, every one of you, all malice and beast-like fury, evil-speaking, calumny, filthy speaking, ribaldry, whispering, arrogance, drunkenness, lust, avarice, vainglory, envy, and everything akin to these.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
...blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, without self-control, fierce, hating the good, traitors, reckless, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a kind of form of religion, but denying its power. Of this sort are those who creep into houses and lead captive foolish women loaded down with sins, who are led away by various lusts; always learning, and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. And as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these also resist the truth; but they will proceed no further, for their folly will be made plain to all men, just as theirs also was." Whatever was predicted has been fulfilled. And as the end of the world is drawing near, these things have come to test both men and the times. Error deceives as the adversary rages more and more. Senselessness exalts itself, envy burns, covetousness blinds, impiety corrupts, pride puffs up, discord stirs up strife, and anger rushes headlong.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...sure stir up sexual desires. Therefore, spectacles and plays that are full of vulgarity and endless gossip must be forbidden. For what shameful act is not shown in the theaters? And what shameless word is not brought out by the clowns? Those who take pleasure in the evil found in these things impress clear images of it on themselves at home. On the other hand, those who are resistant to these things and are not affected by them will never stumble when it comes to pleasures of luxury.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
that is, not to receive a loquacious, whispering, garrulous man, who cannot contain what has been communicated to him.
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
But if you listen, you will partake of the sin of him who speaks evil, if you believe the slander which you hear;
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
For slander is evil and an unsteady demon.
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
And their followers are called Sorrow, Wickedness, Wantonness, Anger, Falsehood, Folly, Backbiting, Hatred.
Did early Christians think whispering breaks church unity?
Yes. Clement of Rome says to stand far off from whispering and evil-speaking, and Hermas says slander keeps people in conflict instead of peace. The Bible passages also connect whispering and slander with strife, lying lips, and division among brothers.
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Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Direct teaching
...clothe ourselves with concord and humility, ever exercising self-control, standing far off from all whispering and evil-speaking, being justified by our works, and not our words. For [the Scripture] says, “He that speaks much, shall also hear much in answer. And does he that is ready in speech deem himself righteous? Blessed is he that is born of woman, who lives but a short time: be not given to much speaking.” Let our praise be in God, and not of ourselves; for God hates those that commend themselves. Let testimony to our good deeds be borne by others, as it was in the case of our righteous forefathers. Boldness, arrogance, and audacity belong to those that are accursed by God; but moderation, humility, and meekness to such as are blessed by Him.
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Direct teaching
...person. But if you listen, you will share in the sin of the one who speaks evil, if you believe the slander you hear. For if you believe it, you too will have something to say against your brother. In this way, then, you will be guilty of the sin of the one who slanders. For slander is evil, and it is an unstable demon. It never stays in peace, but always remains in conflict. Keep yourself from it, and you will always be at peace with everyone. Put on holiness in which there is no evil cause of offense, but only deeds that are fair and joyful. Practice goodness. And from the rewards of your labor, which God gives you, give to all who are in need with simplicity, without hesitating about whom you should give to or not give to. Give to everyone, for God wants His gifts to be shared among all. Those who receive will give an account to God of why and for what they received. For the suffering who receive will not be condemned, but those who receive under false pretenses will suffer punishment. Then the one who gives is guiltless. For just as he received from the Lord, so he has carried out his service with simplicity, without hesitating about whom he should give to and whom he should
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
Now hear also about those who turned in branches that were half-withered and cracked. Those whose branches were half-withered to that same degree are the wavering. For they are neither alive nor dead. And those whose branches were half-withered and cracked are both wavering and slanderers, speaking abusively against those who are absent, and never at peace with one another, but always in conflict. And yet repentance is possible for these also, he continued. You see, he said, that some of them have repented, and there still remains in them, he continued, a hope of repentance. And all of them, he added, who have repented will have their dwelling in the tower. And those among them who have been slower to repent will dwell within the walls. And all who do not repent at all, but remain in their deeds, will utterly perish. And those who turned in their branches green and cracked were always faithful and good, though they were jealous of one another about the chief places and about fame. Now all these are foolish for giving in to such rivalry. Yet they also, being naturally good, when they heard my commandments, purified themselves and quickly repented. So their dwelling was in the tower.
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Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Supporting witness
Let us clothe ourselves with concord and humility, ever exercising self-control, standing far off from all whispering and evil-speaking, being justified by our works, and not our words.
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Proverbs 16:28 Supporting witness
A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
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Proverbs 6:19 Supporting witness
a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
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Acts 20:30 Supporting witness
Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
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Psalms 41:7 Supporting witness
All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
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Psalms 35:20 Supporting witness
For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.
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Psalms 50:20 Supporting witness
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
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Psalms 139:20 Supporting witness
They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain!
More related quotations from this section 5 shown
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Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Supporting witness
...de, each of you, all malice and beast-like fury, evil-speaking, slander, filthy speaking, lewdness, gossip, arrogance, drunkenness, lust, greed, vanity, envy, and everything similar to these. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Presbyters, be subject to the bishop; deacons, to the presbyters; and you, the people, to the presbyters and the deacons. Let my soul be with those who maintain this good order; and may the Lord be with them continually!
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
...ises that a swallow should not be kept in the house. That means you should not receive a talkative, whispering, chatty person who cannot keep to himself what has been told to him. For the swallow, the turtle-dove, and the sparrows of the field know the times of their coming in, as Scripture says in Jeremiah 8:6. And a person should never live with trivial things. The murmuring of the turtle-dove also points to the ungrateful slander of fault-finding, and so it is rightly driven out of the house.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
Let spectacles, therefore, and plays that are full of scurrility and of abundant gossip, be forbidden.
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Colossians 3:8 Supporting witness
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
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Psalms 15:3 Supporting witness
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
Did early Christians warn against habitually talking badly about others?
Yes. Clement of Alexandria says a whispering, garrulous person should not be welcomed, and the Apostolic Constitutions call evil-speaking and similar speech foreign to a Christian. Scripture passages like Romans 1:29-30 and Titus 1:10 also list whisperers, backbiters, and idle talkers among sinful behaviors.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
XII. Now, as concerning envy, or jealousy, or evil-speaking, or strife, or the love of contention, we have said already to you, that these are alien from a Christian, and chiefly in the case of widows.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background
The Prohibition of Evil-Speaking and Passion, of Deceitful Conduct, or Idle Words, Lies, Covetousness, and Hypocrisy.
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Romans 1:29 Direct teaching
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
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Romans 1:30 Direct teaching
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
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Titus 1:10 Supporting witness
For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
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1 Timothy 5:13 Direct teaching
And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.
More related quotations from this section 11 shown
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Proverbs 20:19 Direct teaching
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
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Proverbs 11:13 Direct teaching
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
And besides, Paul the apostle writes, and says the same thing: Whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, injurious, proud, boasters of themselves, inventors of evil things, who, although they knew the judgment of God, did not understand that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only they which commit those things, but they also which consent unto those who do these things.
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...s and partakers in other men's sins. And besides, Paul the apostle writes and says the same thing: "Whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, abusive, proud, boasters of themselves, inventors of evil things, who, although they knew the judgment of God, did not understand that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only they which commit those things, but they also which consent to those who do these things." Romans 1:30-32. Since they, he says, who do such things are worthy of death, he makes clear and proves that not only those are worthy of death, and come into punishment, who do evil things, but also those who consent to those who do such things. While they are mingled in unlawful communion with the evil and sinners, and the unrepenting, they are polluted by contact with the guilty. And being joined in the fault, they are thus not separated in its penalty. For this reason, we not only approve, but applaud, dearly beloved brothers, the religious solicitude of your integrity and faith. And we exhort you as much as we can by our letters not to mingle in sacrilegious communion with profane and polluted priests, but to maintain the sound and sincere constancy of your
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Leviticus 19:16 Supporting witness
Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the LORD.
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James 4:11 Supporting witness
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
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Ephesians 4:31 Supporting witness
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
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Titus 3:2 Supporting witness
To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
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Proverbs 17:4 Supporting witness
An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
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1 Peter 2:1 Supporting witness
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
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Matthew 12:34 Supporting witness
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Common Questions
Did early Christians think gossip was a sin?
Yes. Hermas, Ignatius, Clement of Rome, and Cyprian all warn against whispering, evil-speaking, backbiting, and slander.
What Bible passages did early Christians use against slander?
Common passages include James 4:11, Ephesians 4:31, Romans 1:29-30, Proverbs 11:13, and 1 Timothy 5:13.
Did early Christians tell believers to stay away from people who spread rumors?
Yes. Clement of Alexandria says not to receive a whispering, garrulous person who cannot keep a secret.
Source Index for Gossip, slander, backbiting, and whispering
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 237 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 149
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Unknown, Unknown Work
Bible Passages 80 shown of 88
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.