Hypocrisy (hnoKoiaic, ; but in James v, 12, two words, i'-Ko K{:iaiv,&& the A. V. justly) is the name for the successful or misuccessful endeavor of a person to impart to others, by the expression of his features or gestures, by his outward actions, and, in fine, by his whole appearance, a favorable opinion of his principles, his good intentions, love, unselfishness, truthfulness, and conscientiousness, while in reality these qualities are wanting in him. It is, therefore, a peciUiar kind of untruthfuhiess, which has its definite aims and means. It is precisely because these aims refer to the moral qualifications of the subject, because he speaks and acts as if an honest man, that hypocrisy has found room and opportunity in social life, in commerce and industn,', in politics, and, above all, in the field of revealed religion. This may appear paradoxical, because this, as well as the religion of the old covenant, places man before the face of an almighty Being who sees the heart, and -who
HYPOCRISY
449
HYPOCRITE
penetrates human thought even from its very beginning ; who perceives clearly its development and ripening ; so that the hypocrite, even if he should succeed in deceiv- ing men, can certainly have no benefit from his acts in the end. On the other hand, because religion consists not entirely in the performance of outward actions, but makes the worth of the person dependent on the right- eous state of his heart and mind, it creates the greater desire in him to acciuire the reputation of really having these qualttiea; and because these qualities, though they are of a purely spiritual nature, yet can only be mani- fested by outward acts, which, since they are material, strike the eye of the world, and may be enacted without the possession of the genuine mental and moral state, it results that there is here such a wide field for hypo- critical actions. We infer, therefore, from what we have said, that there is less opportunity for hypocrisy in heathenism than in Judaism; in Catholicism than in Protestantism. For wherever the principal weight is laid on the outward action, on the opus operatum, tliere.<me experiences far less the inclination to cover the inconsistency of the inner world by the outer world; while, on the other hand, where every thing depends on the inward state, and where, with the mere enact- ment of outward ceremony, God and conscience can- not be appeased, there originates in the unregenerate man the temptation to do what may give him at least the semblance of a quality which he reaUy does not pos- sess. When a frivolous, reckless fellow kneels at the Catholic altar to perform by feature and gesture his de- votions, no one would think of accusing him of hypoc- risy; while a Protestant, in a similar case, coidd not es- cape this judgment. Still, this does not fully solve the paradox how the hypocrite can hope to carry on his false game, while he knows very well that before the God of truth no one can pass for righteous who possess- es simply the semblance of righteousness, but does not connect therewith the belief in its power. It must here be remembered that, in the one case, the person endeav- ors to acquire for himself, in the community to which he belongs, the epithet of a pious man ; and, if he is satis- fied herewith, then, in regard to his future state, in view of that day which will bring every thing to light, he is either thoughtless and careless, or else totally unbeliev- ing. When his earthly scene has ended, the curtain drops for him, and all is over. But in another case the person is animated by the hope that, in virtue of those outward acts by which he thinks to do good, his pray- ing, almsgiving, etc., he may prevail before God ; this is the true Phariseeism, which dims the faculty of know- ing God, and not only deceives men, but counterfeits truth itself, and thereby cheats itself worst of all. A special means of detecting the real hypocrite is his un- merciful judgment over others. This has its ground in the fact that by such expressions he not only seeks to confirm his own standing, but it is also a self-deceit into which he falls; the more he finds to blame in others, the more confident he grows of his own worth, and the more easily he appeases his conscience in regard to the inconsistency of his moral state with his actions, and tlic incongruity of his secret with his open ways. Ethics finds among the different gradations of sin a certain state of hypocrisy which is far worse than absolute sub- jection to sin, inasmuch as in the latter state there may exist at least the earnest desire in the individual to rid liimself of his faults, although he no longer possesses the power to do so; the hypocrite, on the other liand, is ipnte contented with himself, and has no desire whatev- er to repent of the sin so deeply lodged in his heart, l)ut merely endeavors to hide it from God and men, in order to be able to gratify his sinfid inclinations the more se- curely under the cover of an assumed sanctity. In cer- tain respects the frivolous sinner is far better than the liypocrite, inasmuch as the former has at least no desire to deceive any one about his condition, and does not present himself to the world otherwise than he really is. Tliis formal truthfidness in the open sinner, however, is ] IV.— F F