THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
Cyril. It is essential that we honor our commitments to God, and anyone who has made a promise should fulfill it without hesitation, as failing to do so is indeed serious and perilous, as I believe, and as the Holy Scriptures also declare. If we recognize how inappropriate it is to be charged with dishonesty, how could it not be disgraceful to make a declaration before God and later betray that promise? Hence, the law holds accountable anyone who has made a vow and postponed its fulfillment, as well as those who have entirely neglected to fulfill it. However, it absolves from blame those who possess nothing of their own but are constrained by necessary obligations and live under another's authority.
Read more (192 words)
The book of Numbers states: "And Moses spake unto the chiefs of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is what the Lord hath commanded: if a man make a vow unto the Lord, or swear by an oath, having put a vow upon his soul, he shall not break his word, but shall fulfil all that came out of his mouth. If a woman shall make a vow unto the Lord, and put a vow upon herself in her father's house, in her youth, and her father shall hear her vow, and the vow which she hath put upon her soul, and her father shall be silent concerning it, then all her vows shall take place, and every vow which she hath put upon her soul shall take place; But if her father, when he hears, forbid her, all her vows and her vows which she hath put upon her soul shall not come to pass, and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father hath forbidden her" (Num. 30:2-6). Furthermore, if a wife is bound to her husband according to the law, the same provisions apply (Num. 30:7-9).