One of the great concerns of human beings has always been the management of their conduct, in accordance with ethical canons that allow them to be in good standing with God and with society. Below are the 7 deadly sins that he must avoid, to achieve this end.
List of deadly sins
Depending on their organizational purpose, institutions have a set of norms, structures, and rules that, in some way, attempt to define the lines of action within which the people who live and work within the organizational structure operate. These can be considered ethical parameters within which the people who inhabit that social environment must operate. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend reading the following article: Rites of Christianity
Getting out of them would imply a personal cost for those who violate the norm, but it also has an impact on the company or social group where it works. The Catholic Church, in its organization, was full of drawbacks, all generated by the siege and persecution to which it was subjected, since the state that had power at the time considered Christians dangerous, violating their values and customs.
That same state later gave the Catholic Church formality, granting it a social function, providing the people with spiritual advice, seeking popular support that would guarantee the permanence in power of that state; we refer to what was called the Roman Empire. It is from this moment, when the church, already next to the political power, began to consolidate itself as an organizational structure.
This situation implied that the church will generate guiding principles that regulate its operation, not only internally, which has to do with its religious officials and the different roles and levels of responsibility they fulfill; For the church, the behavior of its parishioners was also very important.
In this regard, it should not be forgotten that the churches have the purpose of cultivating souls, forming the human spirit, so that it can be a receiver of God and emulate him in his sacrifice for humanity, that is, for all. According to this orientation, in their early stages as a formal church, they were able to put forward the thesis of the 7 deadly sins.
The meaning of this approach was to perfect the socializing function of the Catholic Church at that time; theoreticians, theologians identified 7 deadly sins, that is, 7 anomalies of behavior that did not match the Catholic Christian ideal; Already at this time, it was required that every person who considered himself subject to Christianity, should then seek a moral consonant with that ideal.
The determination of a sinful behavior and capital step, deserves an explanation; when we talk about sin, we refer to all that behavior that goes against the laws of behavior, proposed by God our Lord, for this there are a series of parameters that qualify an action as sinful, for example, the 10 commandments of God , to get out of these proposals, would be unobjectionably to fall into sin.
But its capital condition does not respond to the fact that the sins are very great or important, or that they generate more damage. It is called capital, because another great quantity of sins is concentrated in them; for example, the one who suffers from anger, can kill, steal, be arrogant, be arrogant; that is, it is a sin that in its essence involves many other negative actions that are considered sin.
The discrimination of 7 deadly sins, involved a process of evolution in terms of its study and subsequent disclosure to the congregation. The determination on capital sin, in turn, has other edges that are important to point out, such as: an analogous relationship is established between vicious behavior and sin, that is, for a Christian to indicate, specify a vice, it is enough to point to the execution of a sin.
This behavior is defined by the church as capital sin, when the human being desires something in an extraordinary way, this impulse of great force leads him to carry out countless sins. Another precision with the deadly sin, or the 7 deadly sins, is that these are present in the structural constitution of the human being, they are part of the innate elements of him, therefore, there is a natural propensity to look for them.
Two figures within the Catholic Church dedicated themselves to exploring this topic in depth: Saint Cassian and Saint Gregory the Great . The former identified eight deadly sins (wrath, pride, greed, lust, sloth, envy, gluttony, and sadness). The latter studied Cassian 's approach , proposing seven deadly sins and removing sadness from the list, arguing that it was a subset of sloth. A historical overview of these figures follows.
The discussion within the church, about the inappropriate behavior of Christians, was maintained for a long time, the results of these considerations of an academic nature, but also religious liturgical, many specialists describe it as dynamic, typical of the evolution of the church, that seeks to plant itself in the minds and hearts of its believers.
These circumstances were always moderated by a contextual awareness that impacts beliefs of any kind, in this case, religious. Delimiting the fact that the previous situation is caused by the lack of precision and clarity in the holy book the Bible, about the sins of man. It is important to point out that the work of research, analysis and making proposals on the vices of the human being remains in the hands of the intellectuals of the church.
The 8 deadly sins
The assertions about the 8 deadly sins were said to have been first pointed out by an African theologian around 300 AD; later, writings appeared from another person, the monk Evagrius Ponticus , who wrote in Greek about "the evil vices", reaffirming the existence of 8 deadly sins.
The Gospel divided them into two groups, one of three and the other of four; that of three marks in the human being the need to have or possess; here we find: gluttony and drunkenness, greed and lust. The other group of four sins refers to the vices generated by frustration, against oneself, here we find: anger, laziness, sadness and pride.
Then around that same time, Saint Cassian appeared , who dedicated himself to studying Evagrius ' proposal , giving it greater depth and spreading its content. For this saint there are 8 capital sins: gluttony and drunkenness (gastrimargia), avarice (philarguria), lust (fornicatio), vainglory (cenodoxia), anger, sloth (acedia), pride (superbia) and sadness.
Later, between 500 and 700 AD, other authors appeared such as Columbanus of Luxeuil and Alcuin of York , both of whom dedicated themselves to studying the capital sins, agreeing with Saint Cassian in proposing the existence of 8 capital sins.
7 deadly sins
From 500 AD onwards, the seven deadly sins were discussed. The champion of this proposal was the Holy Father Gregory the Great, who, based on the proposal of the monk Evagrius , assumed a new classification, disregarding sadness as a sin, leaving the list as follows: lust, anger, pride, envy, greed, sloth, and gluttony.
Later, two giants of Western cultural history, Saint Bonaventure and the great Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 7th century, confirmed Saint Gregory the Great 's thesis of seven deadly sins. However, Saint Thomas changed the order of the sins: vainglory, avarice, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, and wrath. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend reading the following article: Branches of Christianity
As has been observed, different positions have been presented, confirming the approach taken by Saint Gregory the Great . Recall that the Holy Father removed sadness as a capital sin, considering it to be encompassed by sloth as a vice. Dante Alighieri also shares this same perspective, describing Hell in his Divine Comedy and outlining Saint Gregory's classification of the seven capital sins.
It cannot be left aside, what happened in the middle of the Renaissance, when authors of other Christian currents appear, such as Protestantism, who also highlight the importance of the 7 deadly sins, indicating the terrible punishments they would suffer in hell, the souls who dare to infringe them.
Meaning of the 7 deadly sins
The good conduct of citizens, as a guarantee of balance and peace within a community, rests on compliance with the moral precepts and rules that govern it. In this regard, the Catholic Church in its regulatory role of society, has characterized the sins that the congregation must avoid, since these constitute the triggering genesis of disruptive behaviors and on the margin of Divinity. A summary of these is presented below.
Pride
In general terms, pride is understood as that need or desire of man, to be above the rest, as if he were more important and attractive than anyone, even under this condition, not recognizing the attributes and values of other people. In this regard, the Catholic Church has considered pride, as the most powerful of the capital sins, by virtue of the errors that it can trigger; hence, its consideration as "original sin".
Besides the church, other authors have addressed the topic of pride, according to their own vision, such is the case of John Milton in whose work (paradise lost), he exemplifies pride, as the sin committed by Lucifer when he tried to equal himself in gifts to the figure of God.
Another author, Jonathan Edwards , agreeing with the Catholic Church, considers pride to be the root of all sin, adding, as a particularly negative aspect of this sin, the disturbing effect it has on the peace and tranquility of the soul, distancing mortals from Christ our Lord. Difficult to eradicate, pride can hide behind a facade of false humility.
In other areas, pride is identified with those situations where the person, thanks to an overvaluation of his self, considers himself superior in many ways compared to other people, even believing himself capable of achieving anything, regardless of the context. Behind this consideration lies a great need for achievement to reach a high personal status.
Pride, a sin that leads a person to value himself exaggeratedly, with respect to his peers, leads directly to vanity, turning him into a person focused on the banal. In general, this condition leads the person to show special pride in his enormous abilities, even if they are somewhat banal. Pride here refers to that particularity of never admitting the mistake made, or apologizing.
Contrary to the pride of the arrogant, there would be the pride derived from having satisfactorily fulfilled tasks linked to the common good. The absence of humility and simplicity under the influence of pride, can lead the person to become a haughty, arrogant and arrogant person.
Pride has a variety of manifestations, but of all, a very significant one is the so-called vainglory or cenodoxy. This expression of pride alludes to situations where the person, who feels possessed of lofty material and spiritual goods, feels the immense desire to be praised, as if this were someone very special. For the Bible this is an unacceptable expression of vanity. Greed (filargyria) and love of power (filargy) are born from cenodoxy.
Wrath
When a person, due to certain circumstances, experiences an exacerbated hatred that can lead him to commit reprehensible actions, due to the emotional lack of control that he presents, we are surely facing the deadly sin called anger. There may be many reasons that lead someone to this state of imbalance, more importantly, it revolves around its manifestations, which can cause personal and collective damage.
The lack of acceptance of a reality can lead to states of anger, as well as those actions that the person considers an injustice committed against him by some authority. In any case, the lack of control generated, probably due to the lack of tolerance as a desirable attribute, can lead the individual to develop feelings of hatred, revenge, discriminatory acts and even commit crimes such as homicide and genocide.
Avarice
Equivalent to lust and gluttony, this deadly sin has to do with excesses; that is, with the fact of coveting a series of material goods, beyond what is necessary. The person involved in this sin would be capable of executing any illicit or despicable action, in order to reach his goal.
When the Catholic Church speaks of this sin, it emphasizes the prevalence of materialism beyond reasonable limits as a capital sin; in fact, Saint Thomas Aquinas , in his reflections, considers it reprehensible to give greater importance to the material (temporal) than to the spiritual (transcendental). According to Dante, avarice is punished in purgatory by forcing people to recite on a stone acts of avarice and the corresponding virtues they must cultivate.
Greed is a powerful capital sin, since it inspires the execution of sinful actions, to the detriment of the person and with collateral damage. Fraud and theft as crimes committed in society, usually plagued with violence, qualify within this sin; as well as bribery or deception to procure some material benefit. To a more serious degree would be simony, an act of greed for the pretense of obtaining spiritual favors in exchange for something material.
Envy
Envy is a capital sin similar to greed, in terms of the exacerbated desire to obtain something from another person, without considering if they really need it; only that in this case, the excessive ambition not only refers to some material good, in this case, the range of action is extended, since anything tangible or not, can be the object of envy.
The person full of envy, wants to have something, which he thinks he deserves, and does not have, or at least to the extent of his aspirations. That something, which as we said before, can be anything, belongs to another person, a circumstance that fills the envious person with rage and hatred, who in the depths of his being, aspires to take it away, harboring the desire to see the other suffer before him. the loss of their material good or intangible attribute, as the case may be.
In the field of literature, Dante defines envy as the desire to deprive the other of what belongs to him, also indicating that, in purgatory, the envious are punished by closing and sewing their eyes, as retaliation for having seen and enjoyed of the dispossession of other people. In other words, for having committed the sin of envy.
Lust
The sexual activity of man has always been a matter of interest in the general field, given its link to reproduction and pleasure. All religions have taken care to address this issue, from a spiritual and moral perspective, at the service of healthy coexistence in society. Lust as capital sin has to do precisely with this dimension of the human being, that is, the exercise of his sexuality.
For the Catholic Church, lust has to do with the uncontrolled desire to have sexual relations, coupled with the excess of thoughts associated with sexuality. The person involved in this type of sin is prone to commit disruptive actions, which would range, for example, from cheating on the partner (adultery), to acts of rape against someone (subjecting the other to sexual activity without their consent). consent).
Lust, regardless of whether it is understood as compulsion or addiction, is a sin that all religions invite people not to commit, given its implications within any community. With a different orientation, Dante seems not to consider it a sin, but rather, an expression of general love towards any individual; in addition. lust has also been raised, as an act of possession of one person towards another.
Regarding this topic, the Royal Spanish Academy in its dictionary, offers two connotations to this term: lust (vice), as the inappropriate use of sexual activity, caused by uncontrolled sexual desires; and lust as the unbridled desire for something.
Gluttony
The explanation of gluttony as a capital sin must be framed in two different moments. In ancient times, gluttony was associated with any type of excess, which led the person to compulsively consume something unnecessarily, however, today, gluttony is basically linked to the compulsive appetite for food and drinks. This is why gluttony and gluttony are mentioned as equivalent.
In this regard, Dante , from the field of literature, when referring to this sin, says that in purgatory, the people who in life had been the object of gluttony, now had to remain suffering hardship, at the foot of two trees laden with fruit, which they could not reach to alleviate their hunger.
Concluding this point, it can be said that the excessive and irrational consumption of something that causes compulsive behavior, regardless of its properties, falls into the realm of gluttony and must be corrected, given its destructive nature. An emblematic example of this is the consumption of alcohol and other substances harmful to health.
Laziness
Laziness is the deadly sin that presents the most difficulty when it comes to its explanation, unlike the previous ones, which can be objectified through examples that facilitate their understanding, laziness has a subjective character, which lends itself to confusion. In fact, leisure, as it is also known, is not considered a sin or fault in many areas.
In a simple way, and in a very general way, it is said that laziness is a kind of inability present in some people, to take care of themselves in their needs and understand the obligation they have to do so. In a more specific sense, laziness or heartburn is linked to the believer's discouragement in the face of his spiritual obligations, which involve overcoming a series of obstacles through life.
Seen in this way, and this is how it is considered in the religious sphere, spiritual obligations, mandatory demands by God for our salvation, should not be evaded, on the contrary, their fulfillment coupled with practices associated with piety, and the different Christian virtues guarantee the permanence of the person, in harmony with God.
In this sense, being aware of this, and yet expressing sadness and discouragement in the face of these demands, constitutes a cardinal sin. Neglecting the spiritual health that comes from fulfilling the Lord's commands, using the contingencies of life as a pretext, confronts us with God's charity, because by neglecting him, we are neglecting ourselves.
Laziness as a deliberate practice of spiritual abandonment, which leads the person to ignore eternal life in the shelter of God, and surrender to material pleasures, is then considered a deadly capital sin, since it implies ignoring the presence of the Lord as creator. and driver of our lives.
Art and literature
The theme of the 7 deadly sins is an argument that has been used as a source of inspiration for many artists from different disciplines (painting, cinema, theater, sculpture), as well as poets and writers, who are attracted by the fruitfulness of the theme. , peering into the bowels of human nature.
Simply mentioning Dante Alighieri 's Divine Comedy and David Fincher 's film Seven (1995) , written by Andrew Kevin Walker , is enough to illustrate the impact the seven deadly sins have had on the world of art and literature. However, there are other works that deserve further consideration in their treatment of the seven deadly sins.
We could begin by mentioning the poem Psychomachia by Aurelius Prudentius, a work that corresponds to the first stage of consolidation of the Catholic Church as an institution (3009 AD); already in what is considered the full historical period of the Renaissance, we have the book of Good Love by Juan Ruiz the Archpriest of Hita, also in this same period we can mention the book of Pedro López de Ayala , the Rimado de Palacio.
In the 15th century, we can see how, through the painting of Hieronymus Bosch, he presents an illustration of the 7 deadly sins, in a work that translates with great naturalness the religious liturgical sense that surrounds the 7 deadly sins, showing in a stark way the role of our Lord Jesus Christ , with the souls that are in purgatory, purifying their vices.
The literary genre has also been used to stage aspects related to the 7 deadly sins, in this theatrical artistic field that had a significant boom in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, with one of its most famous exponents being the Spanish writer and playwright Calderón de la Barca.
Virtues according to the Catholic Church
The reflection generated in the Catholic Church around the 7 deadly sins was very fruitful; In this regard, their intellectuals tried to give the religious institution a body of ideas, which not only explains the vices of the human being, but also gives them spiritual and moral tools, to face the weakness of man in the face of the stimulus that incited him to sin.
In this sense, the Catholic Church proposes a series of virtues that perfectly oppose the seven deadly sins. That is, it establishes for each deadly sin an equivalent opposing virtue, equivalent in energy and strength, to confront the respective vice. The list of the seven virtues appears in the work of Aurelius Clemens Prudentius , entitled Psychomachia. This work was published between 399 and 400 AD.
In the aforementioned work, nothing is exalted other than the eternal struggle between good and evil; later, after Pope Gregory the Great proposed the definitive consideration of the 7 capital sins, the cultivation of virtues then became very important, becoming the spiritual protective shields against the 7 capital sins.
The relationship proposed by the Catholic Church is as follows: in the face of pride, they posit humility as a principle, that is, the condition of the human being, according to which he does not believe he is better than others; before greed, it opposes generosity, custom in the human being, characterized by providing help, offering, caring for and understanding others. Regarding generosity, it is important to highlight that this implies love for your fellow man as well as for yourself;
Regarding lust, chastity is proposed, behavior that assumes sexual desires with due measure, estimating that sexual energy must be controlled at will; Regarding anger, it is proposed to face it with patience, a human condition that allows us to solve any difficulty.
For gluttony, its control is contemplated through temperance, personal balance when facing pleasures; envy is faced with charity, represented by friendly behaviors, solidarity, dedication to others; Finally, for laziness, it is suggested to oppose with diligence, that is, try to do things diligently, with the best of spirits, always promoting the best in the activity.
Relationship of sins and the devil
The different approaches made by intellectuals and theologians associated with Christianity definitely enjoy great fertility; as well as, great thinkers have used the theme of the 7 deadly sins, to produce artistic works of great value.
Factors associated with the Catholic Church, with a notable intellectual presence, contributed proposals on various aspects of the religious and spiritual field. Such is the case of the German theologian Peter Binsfeld, who in the 11th century (1589) conducted research attempting to demonstrate the presence of demons on Earth, using the presence and practices of witches and sorcerers as evidence.
Motivated by this action, he wrote the famous book called "Confessions of sorcerers and witches" (1589), where he describes the scope of this practice, at the time; but also, that same year he proposes an extremely interesting analogy, associating the 7 deadly sins to a demonic figure. From this association arises a list of sins with their corresponding evil entity.
Lust is represented by Asmodeus , gluttony by Beelzebub , greed by Mammon , sloth by Belphegor , wrath by Amon , envy by Leviathan , while pride and arrogance are embodied by Lucifer himself . If you enjoyed our article, we invite you to explore more interesting topics on our blog, such as: What are the Sacraments?