Meaning & Analysis
Some people scrupulously observe a minor rule of etiquette or religious decorum, such as not spitting in church, while simultaneously committing a grave moral crime and act of sacrilege, like stealing from the altar.
Insights
Critique of Hypocrisy
The proverb is a powerful indictment of hypocrisy, exposing the practice of feigning righteousness through strict adherence to minor, often public, conventions while secretly committing major moral or ethical violations.
Misplaced Moral Priorities
It illustrates the concept of misplaced moral priorities, where individuals focus intensely on trivial matters of conduct, using them to distract from or justify their neglect of fundamental ethical principles.
Performance of Virtue
The proverb highlights the difference between genuine virtue and its mere performance. The scrupulous avoidance of a minor public infraction is contrasted with a major private crime, revealing a conscience concerned with appearances rather than true integrity.
Historical and Religious Symbolism
The proverb draws its power from the symbolic weight of the church altar in Christian culture, which represents the most sacred space of communion and divine presence. To rob it is not mere theft but a profound act of sacrilege and betrayal, making the hypocrite’s scrupulousness about a minor breach of decorum (spitting) all the more damning.
Psychological Insight
This proverb masterfully illustrates the psychological phenomenon of moral licensing, where individuals justify significant transgressions by meticulously observing trivial rules. This self-deception allows the hypocrite to maintain a veneer of righteousness while engaging in profound ethical violations.
Literary and Cultural Resonance
The proverb echoes the biblical critique of the Pharisees, whom Jesus condemned for 'straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel' (Matthew 23:24). It critiques those who focus on the superficial 'letter of the law' while violating its fundamental moral 'spirit'.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb is built on the stark antithesis between 'spitting in the church' (a minor offense) and 'robbing the altar' (a major sacrilege), creating a powerful and memorable contrast that underscores the hypocrite's flawed morality.
Irony
The word 'conscience' is used ironically, as it describes a moral faculty that is selectively and perversely applied only to trivialities, thereby highlighting its complete absence in matters of true importance.
Symbolism
The 'altar' serves as a potent symbol for the most sacred and inviolable principles of a belief system or community, while 'spitting' symbolizes a minor, superficial breach of social code.
Transcription
Quotations
Some . . make it a matter of conscience to spitt in the church, and at another time will beray the altar.
Many make a con-science to spit in the Church who shite after upon the Altar.
Some make Conscience of wearing a Hat in the Church, who make none of robbing the Altar.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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