Isn’t lying acceptable and even the “right thing to do” in some circumstances?

I became keenly interested in this question when writing my books oon early Christian forgeries (Forged and Forgery and Counterforgery) — canonical and non-canonical writings by authors claiming to be Peter, Paul, John, or even Jesus, knowing full well they were, well, someone else.  Contrary to what you sometimes hear, this was decidedly (and repeatedly) talked of as a kind of “lying” throughout the ancient world, intentional attempts to deceive others.

But isn’t intentional deception the right thing to do sometimes?

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[1] For a popular treatment, see Sissela Bok, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life, 3rd ed. (New York: Vintage Books, 1999).