What Is Hypocrisy?

There are two quotes from Abba Poemen (who may be one of the early Christian hermits, or merely an invented name under which many of their sayings were collected; "poemen" comes from a Greek word meaning "shepherd"), which I wish to call attention to here, concerning the matter of hypocrisy. The first shows deep sympathy for the hypocrite himself, while the second makes a very important distinction in defining hypocrisy. Both, I believe, may alter our view of what it means to be hypocritical.

"Someone who teaches without doing what one teaches resembles a spring, which cleanses and gives drink to everyone else, but is not able to purify itself."


Here we see that a hypocrite may yet be a formidable teacher, capable of inspiring the hearts and souls of others, though unable to inspire himself to true devotion. Looked upon in this way, we may conclude that it is better to be a hypocrite, and to speak the truth without practicing it, than to neither speak nor practice. Nevertheless, we may turn some people away from the truth if we cannot exhibit it by our actions, as well as our words. They will disbelieve the teaching, and not merely the teacher, when they see that it has not been fully embraced by the very one who presumes to teach it. Nevertheless, this may still be more commendable than the effect of a man who neither speaks nor enacts true wisdom. For even the words of such men are crooked, and the truth is already compromised by their speech, to say nothing of their actions.


"A hypocrite is one who teaches one's neighbor to do something without making any effort to do it oneself."


The key word here is "any". We tend to think of a hypocrite as one who does not live up to the bar he has set for himself and for others. But, in truth, a hypocrite is one who does not practice what he preaches, and to practice a teaching is not the same as to fulfill it. We practice in order that we may fulfill.

Moreover, it is supremely difficult to judge whether or not a man is practicing virtue, just as it is difficult to tell if a person who plays the trumpet terribly is in fact practicing or merely fooling around. If he is capable of a great deal more, then it is clear that he is just making noise. But if he is truly a beginner, then, for all we know, the noise we hear may be a sincere effort on his part, and a real improvement on his last "performance".

For this reason, and for other reasons as well, we ought to refrain, as much as possible, from judging, and leave the matter to God, who can see the things which we cannot, and who alone is fit to judge the spiritual state of another. For the Christian teaching assures us that the true virtue of a man is not evidenced in the virtue he possesses, but in the virtue he endeavors to possess. It is not the height to which you have ascended on the ladder of virtue, which indicates your true stature, but, rather, the effort you are making in order to ascend. And, as stated above, this is not something which human eyes can ascertain. The most we can do is to try our best, wherever we find ourselves. And remember that what Tolstoy called "the stationary righteousness of the Pharisees" is ultimately further from God than the confession of a repentant sinner.