Seven+Deadly+Sins

=**Seven Deadly Sins **= Pride. Lust. Gluttony. Greed. Wrath. Envy. Sloth

Hieronymus Bosch's //The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things//

The seven deadly sins as, classified by the Roman Catholic Church today include: (1) vainglory or pride, (2) greed, or covetousness, (3) lust, or inordinate or illicit sexual desire, (4) envy, (5) gluttony, usually including drunkenness, (6) wrath or anger, and (7) sloth. The role of the seven individually in the life of the medieval Christian is basically the same as it is today. Pride is still pride. Lust is still lust. The seven sins are as basic to human nature as the desire for nourishment and sleep. However, this paper is aimed at discussing the role of the seven deadly sins as a unit. What part did the seven deadly sins play in the life of the medieval Christian, and has that role changed in the last 7000 years? Are the seven deadly sins still relevant today, in the lives of Christians? The seven originated from Egypt in the fourth century works of Evagrius Ponticus’ (d. 399) as a system of eight “evil thoughts.” The were then brought to the west by John Cassian (d. 433/435) in the early fifth century to be used by coenobitic monks. The monks then transformed them into a system of 8 chief or principle vices. It was not until the work of Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604) that the were condensed to seven, with pride as their source. Then it was not until the early 13th century that the seven principle vices became known as “deadly sins” (x, Newhauser). The Catholic Church divided sins into two categories: venial sins and capital or mortal sins. Venial sins were considered relatively minor and could be forgiven simply through sacrament. Mortal sins, the seven deadly sins, were much more severe and it was believed that these sins brought the threat of eternal damnation. It was this reasoning that, by the fourteenth century “the teaching on the seven capital vices (deadly sins) had become the most widespread articulation of the moral tradition of Latin Christendom” (xi, Newhauser). During Medieval times, the church had certain minimum requirements which like the deadly sins, “were constantly in flux” (Newhauser). The requirements included requirements for knowledge, standards for the observance of sacraments, and other spiritual requirements (tithes, work on the Sabbath, fasting ). The seven were often included in the minimum knowledge requirements of the laity. “The laity should know the ten commandments, the seven deadly sins, and possess a ‘rudimentary understanding’ of the seven sacraments (Tanner/Watson, 401). These requirements were set for Christians and were necessary for salvation. The reality of the laity’s knowledge however was that “the low end of religious knowledge could be quite low, and that often the ecclesiastical authorities preferred not to pry into the situation too closely… stemmed not only from the practical considerations of administering such a large body… but also from protecting the laity both from easy charges of heresy and from impossibly high prerequisites for salvation“(Tanner/Watson, 403). The seven deadly sins have been a great source of inspiration in literature and art. The have inspired the great works in Medieval times such as Dante’s //The Divine Comedy,// and Chaucer’s //Canterbury Tales.// They continue to inspire today and can be seen referenced in the popular movie Se7en, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, and in the manga and popular children’s cartoon Digimon. Are the seven deadly sins still a part of society today? Of Course. They are a part of the Bible and as such part of Christianity all over the world. However just as society as a whole is more accepting today, Christianity as a whole is as well, and most Christians would not consider falling to one of the seven deadly sins a sentence to Hell. They could however see how a combination of the sins could pave quite a road there.

Seven Deadly Sins Glossary
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SDS Biblical References
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=Scholarly Articles & Precis:=

[|Least of the laity: the minimum requirements for a medieval Christian] //Journal of Medieval History//, //Volume 32, Issue 4//, //December 2006//, //Pages 395-423// Norman Tanner, Sethina Watson Cruz, Eduardo R. "Paul Tillich's Realistic Stance Toward the Vital Trends of Nature." //Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science// 36.2 (2001): 327. //Academic Search Complete//. EBSCO. Web. 15 June 2010. Barbieri, Richard. "The Seven Deadly Sins." //Independent School// 66.3 (2007): 126-128. //Academic Search Complete//. EBSCO. Web. 15 June 2010. Camille, Alice, and Heather Grennan Gary. "Still deadly after all these years." //U.S. Catholic// 69.8 (2004): 43-45. //Religion and Philosophy Collection//. EBSCO. Web. 7 July 2010.

Dyson, Michael Eric. Pride : The Seven Deadly Sins. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2006. p 9-27. [].

Schumacher, Meinolf (2005): "Catalogues of Demons as Catalogues of Vices in Medieval German Literature: 'Des Teufels Netz' and the Alexander Romance by Ulrich von Etzenbach." In //In the Garden of Evil: The Vices and Culture in the Middle Ages//. Edited by Richard Newhauser. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies ​ "**seven deadly sins**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 16 Jun. 2010 <[]>.

Dreisbach, Donald F. 1993. //Symbols and Salvation: Paul Tillich's Doctrine of Religious Symbols and his Interpretation of the Symbols of the Christian Tradition.// Lanham, Md.: Univ. Press of America

Schlumpf, Heidi. "Who's afraid of the Seven Deadly Sins?." //U.S. Catholic// 65.2 (2000): 22. //Religion and Philosophy Collection//. EBSCO. Web. 8 July 2010.