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Seven deadly sins

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#ieronymus $osch%s The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things

&'varice& ()*+),, -y .esus !olana /he Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of o-0ectiona-le vices (part of 1hristian ethics, that have -een used since early 1hristian times to educate and instruct 1hristians concerning fallen

humanity%s tendency to sin /he currently recogni2ed version of the sins are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony /he 1atholic 1hurch divides sin into two categories: venial sins, in which guilt is relatively minor, and the more severe mortal sins /heologically, a mortal or deadly sin is -elieved to destroy the life of grace and charity within a person and thus creates the threat of eternal damnation &Mortal sin, -y attacking the vital principle within us 3 that is, charity 3 necessitates a new initiative of 4od%s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished 5for 1atholics6 within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation &5+6 /o 1atholics the seven deadly sins do not -elong to an additional category of sin 7ather, they are the sins that are seen as the origin (&capital& comes from the Latin caput, head, of the other sins ' &deadly sin& can -e either venial or mortal, depending on the situation8 -ut &they are called %capital% -ecause they engender other sins, other vices &5)6 $eginning in the early +9th century, the popularity of the seven deadly sins as a theme among :uropean artists of the time eventually helped to ingrain them in many areas of 1atholic culture and 1atholic consciousness in general throughout the world ;ne means of such ingraining was the creation of the mnemonic &!'L<4<'& -ased on the first letters in Latin of the seven deadly sins: superbia, avaritia, luxuria, invidia, gula, ira, acedia 5=6

Contents

+ $i-lical lists ) >evelopment of the traditional !even !ins = #istorical and modern definitions of the seven deadly sins o = + Lust o = ) 4luttony o = = 4reed o = 9 !loth o = ? Wrath o = @ :nvy o = A Pride 9 #istorical sins o 9 + 'cedia o 9 ) Bainglory ? 1atholic !even Birtues @ 'ssociations with demons A Patterns C 1ultural references o C + Menninger on the >eadly !ins o C ) 1ul-ertson on the >eadly !ins D !ee also +* 7eferences ++ Further reading +) :Eternal links

Biblical lists
<n the $ook of Prover-s (Mishlai,, Fing !olomon stated that the Lord specifically regards &siE things the Lord hateth, and the seventh #is soul detesteth & namely:596 + ) = 9 ? @ A ' proud look ' lying tongue #ands that shed innocent -lood ' heart that devises wicked plots Feet that are swift to run into mischief ' deceitful witness that uttereth lies #im that soweth discord among -rethren

While there are seven of them, this list is considera-ly different from the traditional one, with only pride clearly -eing in -oth lists 'nother list, given this time -y the :pistle to the 4alatians (4alatians ?:+D3)+,, includes more of the traditional seven sins, although the list is su-stantially longer: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, &and such like& 5?6 !ince !aint Paul goes on to say that the persons who commit these sins &shall not inherit the Fingdom of 4od&, they are usually listed as (possi-le, mortal sins rather than 1apital Bices

Development of the traditional Seven Sins

'n allegorical image depicting the human heart su-0ect to the seven deadly sins, each represented -y an animal (clockwise: toad G avarice8 snake G envy8 lion G wrath8 snail G sloth8 pig G gluttony8 goat G lust8 peacock G pride,

/he modern concept of the !even >eadly !ins is linked to the works of the 9th century monk :vagrius Ponticus, who listed eight evil thoughts in 4reek as follows:5@6

HIJKLMNILOPI (gastrimargia, gluttony QRLSTPI (porneia, prostitution, fornication UMVILOWLPI (philargyria, avarice XTLYZISPI (hyper[phania, hu-ris 3 in the Philokalia, this term is rendered as self3esteem \]XY (lyp[, sadness 3 in the Philokalia, this term is rendered as envy, sadness at another%s good fortune LO^ (org[, wrath _TSR`RaPI (kenodoEia, -oasting bY`PI (ak[dia, acedia 3 in the Philokalia, this term is rendered as dejection.

/hey were translated into the Latin of Western 1hristianity (largely due to the writings of .ohn 1assian5A6,, thus -ecoming part of the Western tradition%s spiritual pietas (or 1atholic devotions,, as follows:5C6

4ula (gluttony, Fornicatio (fornication, lust, 'varitia (avarice/greed, !uper-ia (hu-ris, pride, /ristitia (sorrow/despair/despondency, <ra (Wrath, Banagloria (vainglory, 'cedia (acedia/shay/sloth,

/hese &evil thoughts& can -e collected into three groups:5C6

lustful appetite (4luttony, Fornication, and 'varice, irasci-ility (Wrath, intellect (Bainglory, sorrow, Pride, and >iscouragement,

<n '> ?D*, a little over two centuries after :vagrius wrote his list, Pope 4regory < revised this list to form the more common Seven Deadly Sins, -y folding (sorrow/despair/despondency into acedia, vainglory into pride, and adding envy 5D6 <n the order used -y -oth Pope 4regory and -y >ante 'lighieri in his epic poem The Divine !o"edy, the seven deadly sins are as follows: + ) = 9 ? @ A luxuria (lechery/lust,5+*65++65+)6 gula (gluttony, avaritia (avarice/greed, acedia (acedia/discouragement/sloth, ira (wrath, invidia (envy, superbia (pride,

/he identification and definition of the seven deadly sins over their history has -een a fluid process and the idea of what each of the seven actually encompasses has evolved over time 'dditionally, as a result of semantic change:

socordia sloth was su-stituted for acedia

<t is this revised list that >ante uses /he process of semantic change has -een aided -y the fact that the personality traits are not collectively referred to, in either a cohesive or codified manner, -y the $i-le itself8 other literary and ecclesiastical works were instead consulted, as sources from which definitions might -e drawn 5citation needed6 Part << of >ante%s Divine !o"edy, #urgatorio, has almost certainly -een the -est known source since the 7enaissance 5citation needed6 /he modern 7oman 1atholic 1atechism lists the sins in Latin as &superbia, avaritia, invidia, ira, luxuria, gula, pigritia seu acedia&, with an :nglish translation of &pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth/acedia& 5+=6 :ach of the seven deadly sins now also has an opposite among corresponding seven holy virtues (sometimes also referred to as the contrary virtues, <n parallel order to the sins they oppose, the seven holy virtues are humility, charity, kindness, patience, chastity, temperance, and diligence

Historical and modern definitions of the seven deadly sins

Lust

Lust !ankt $artholomcus church (7eichenthal,, pulpit (+CD9, Main article: Lust Lust or lechery (carnal &luxuria&, is an intense desire <t is usually thought of as eEcessive seEual wants, however the word was originally a general term for desire /herefore lust could involve the intense desire of money, fame, or power as well <n >ante%s #urgatorio, the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/seEual thoughts and feelings <n >ante%s $n%erno, unforgiven souls of the sin of lust are -lown a-out in restless hurricane3like winds sym-olic of their own lack of self control to their lustful passions in earthly life

Gluttony
Main article: 4luttony

Excess ('l-ert 'nker, +CD@, >erived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony (Latin, gula, is the over3indulgence and over3 consumption of anything to the point of waste <n 1hristian religions, it is considered a sin -ecause of the eEcessive desire for food, and its withholding from the needy 5+96 $ecause of these scripts, gluttony can -e interpreted as selfishness8 essentially placing concern with one%s own interests a-ove the well3-eing or interests of others Medieval church leaders (e g , /homas 'duinas, took a more eEpansive view of gluttony,5+96 arguing that it could also include an o-sessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and eEcessively costly foods 5+?6 'duinas went so far as to prepare a list of siE ways to commit gluttony, including:

#raepropere 3 eating too soon Laute 3 eating too eEpensively &i"is 3 eating too much 'rdenter 3 eating too eagerly (-urningly, Studiose 3 eating too daintily (keenly, Forente 3 eating wildly (-oringly,

Greed
Main article: 4reed

+D*D painting The (orship o% )a""on -y :velyn >e Morgan Greed (Latin, avaritia,, also known as avarice or covetousness, is, like lust and gluttony, a sin of eEcess #owever, greed (as seen -y the church, is applied to a very eEcessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of material possessions !t /homas 'duinas wrote that greed was &a sin against 4od, 0ust as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things & <n >ante%s Purgatory, the penitents were -ound and laid face down on the ground for having concentrated too much on earthly thoughts &'varice& is more of a -lanket term that can descri-e many other eEamples of greedy -ehavior /hese include disloyalty, deli-erate -etrayal, or treason,5citation needed6 especially for personal gain, for eEample through -ri-ery !cavenging5citation needed6 and hoarding of materials or o-0ects, theft and ro--ery, especially -y means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may -e inspired -y greed !uch misdeeds can include simony, where one attempts to purchase or sell sacraments, including #oly ;rders and, therefore, positions of authority in the 1hurch hierarchy 's defined outside of 1hristian writings, greed is an inordinate desire to acduire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth 5+@6

Sloth
Main article: !loth (deadly sin,

Sloth #arable o% the (heat and the Tares -y '-raham $loemaert, Walters 'rt Museum Sloth (Latin, Socordia, can entail different vices While sloth is sometimes defined as physical la2iness, spiritual la2iness is emphasi2ed Failing to develop spiritually is key to -ecoming guilty of sloth <n 1hristian faith, sloth re0ects grace and 4od

!loth has also -een defined as a failure to do things that one should do $y this definition, evil eEists when good men fail to act ;ver time, the &acedia& in Pope 4regory%s order has come to -e closer in meaning to sloth /he focus came to -e on the conseduences of acedia rather than the cause, and so, -y the +Ath century, the eEact deadly sin referred to was -elieved to -e the failure to utili2e one%s talents and gifts 5citation needed6 :ven in >ante%s time there were signs of this change8 in his #urgatorio he had portrayed the penance for acedia as running continuously at top speed

rath
Main article: Wrath

rath, -y .aco- Matham rath (Latin, ira,, also known as &rage&, may -e descri-ed as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger Wrath, in its purest form, presents with self3destructiveness, violence, and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries Wrath may persist long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead Feelings of anger can manifest in different ways, including impatience, revenge, and vigilantism

Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self3interest, although one can of course -e wrathful for selfish reasons, such as 0ealousy, (closely related to the sin of envy, >ante descri-ed vengeance as &love of 0ustice perverted to revenge and spite& <n its original form, the sin of anger also encompassed anger pointed internally rather than eEternally /hus suicide was deemed as the ultimate, al-eit tragic, eEpression of hatred directed inwardly, a final re0ection of 4od%s gifts
5citation needed6

Envy
Main article: :nvy

Envy 'rch in the naive with a gothic fresco from +?++ of a man with a dog3head, which sym-oli2es envy (>al-yneder 1hurch, >enmark, Like greed and lust, Envy (Latin, invidia, is characteri2ed -y an insatia-le desire :nvy is similar to 0ealousy in that they -oth feel discontent towards someones traits, status, a-ilities, or rewards /he difference is the envious also desire that entity and covet it :nvy can -e directly related to the /en 1ommandments, specifically &eeither shall you desire anything that -elongs to your neigh-our& >ante defined this as &a desire to deprive other men of theirs & <n >ante%s Purgatory, the punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire -ecause they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others -rought low 'duinas descri-ed envy as &sorrow for another%s good& 5+A6

!ride
Main article: Pride

$uilding the /ower of $a-el was, for >ante, an eEample of pride Painting -y Pieter $rueghel the :lder <n almost every list, pride (Latin, superbia,, or hubris (4reek,, is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and the source of the others <t is identified as a desire to -e more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and eEcessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward 4od, >ante%s definition was &love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one%s neigh-our & <n .aco- $idermann%s medieval miracle play, !enodoxus, pride is the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to the damnation of the titulary famed Parisian doctor <n perhaps the -est3known eEample, the story of Lucifer, pride (his desire to compete with 4od, was what caused his fall from #eaven, and his resultant transformation into !atan <n >ante%s Divine !o"edy, the penitents were forced to walk with stone sla-s -earing down on their -acks to induce feelings of humility

Historical sins
"cedia
Main article: 'cedia

"cedia mosaic, $asilica of eotre3>ame de Fourvifre "cedia (Latin, acedia, (from 4reek IbY`PI, is the neglect to take care of something that one should do <t is translated to apathetic listlessness8 depression without 0oy <t is related to melancholy: acedia descri-es the -ehaviour and "elancholy suggests the emotion producing it <n early 1hristian thought, the lack of 0oy was regarded as a willful refusal to en0oy the goodness of 4od and the world 4od created8 -y contrast, apathy was considered a refusal to help others in time of need When /homas 'duinas descri-ed acedia in his interpretation of the list, he descri-ed it as an uneasiness o% the "ind, -eing a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and insta-ility >ante refined this definition further, descri-ing acedia as the

%ailure to love *od with all one+s heart, all one+s "ind and all one+s soul8 to him it was the "iddle sin, the only one characterised -y an a-sence or insufficiency of love !ome scholars5who,6 have said that the ultimate form of acedia was despair which leads to suicide

Vainglory
Main article: Banity Vainglory (Latin, vanagloria, is un0ustified -oasting Pope 4regory viewed it as a form of pride, so he folded vainglory into pride for his listing of sins 5citation needed6 /he Latin term gloria roughly means boasting, although its :nglish cognate 3 glory 3 has come to have an eEclusively positive meaning8 historically, vain roughly meant %utile, -ut -y the +9th century had come to have the strong narcissistic undertones, of irrelevant accuracy, that it retains today 5+C6 's a result of these semantic changes, vainglory has -ecome a rarely used word in itself, and is now commonly interpreted as referring to vanity (in its modern narcissistic sense,

Catholic Seven Virtues

/he 7oman 1atholic 1hurch also recogni2es seven virtues, which correspond inversely to each of the seven deadly sins Vice Lust 4luttony 4reed !loth Wrath :nvy Pride Latin Luxuria *ula 'varitia 'cedia $ra $nvidia Superbia Virtue 1hastity /emperance 1harity >iligence Patience Findness #umility Latin !astitas Te"perantia !aritas $ndustria #atientia -u"anitas -u"ilitas

"ssociations #ith demons

<n +?CD, Peter $insfeld paired each of the deadly sins with a demon, who tempted people -y means of the associated sin 'ccording to $insfeld%s classification of demons, the pairings are as follows:

Lucifer: Pride (super-ia, Mammon: 4reed (avaritia, 'smodeus: Lust (luEuria, Leviathan: :nvy (invidia, $eel2e-u-: 4luttony (gula or gullia, !atan: Wrath (ira, $elphegor: !loth (acedia,

/his contrasts slightly with an earlier series of pairings found in the fifteenth century :nglish Lollard tract Lanterne o% Light, which differs in pairing $eel2e-u- with :nvy, '-adon with !loth, $elphegor with 4luttony and matching Lucifer with Pride, !atan with Wrath, 'smodeus with Lust and Mammon with 'varice 5+D6

!atterns
'ccording to a )**D study -y a .esuit scholar, the most common deadly sin confessed -y men is lust, and for women, pride 5)*6 <t was unclear whether these differences were due to different rates of commission, or different views on what &counts& or should -e confessed 5)+6

Cultural references
/he seven deadly sins have long -een a source of inspiration for writers and artists, from morality tales of the Middle 'ges to modern manga series and video games

$enninger on the Deadly Sins

<n his +DA= -ook, (hatever .eca"e o% Sin,, Farl Menninger argued that the traditional list of the seven deadly sins was incomplete8 that most modern ethicists would include cruelty and dishonesty and pro-a-ly would rate these as more serious than some of the more traditional sins such as gluttony or sloth

Culbertson on the Deadly Sins

<n his +D*C -ook, -ow one is not to be, 'ndrew 1ul-ertson argues that two further vices should -e added to the deadly sins: fear and superstition Fear, in 1ul-ertson%s description, amounts to the modern psychiatric condition called >elusional disorder, while superstition is, &$elief in things that one does not understand, to the point of giving money to frauds and spiritual confidence men &

See also

'rishadvargas in #indu religion 1ardinal virtues :nneagram of Personality Five poisons in $uddhism Fnightly Birtues ;pus 'vantra !even, a +DD? film that uses the sins as a thematic plot device /he !even !ins of Memory /heological virtues