The Origin of the Seven Deadly Sins

For those unaware of the cardinal sins, and have yet been introduced to the 1995 film, Se7en, the associated list currently includes: gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, wrath, and envy. Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth century Christian monk and ascetic, initially proposed the logismoi, a pattern of eight evil temptations that eventually succeed an individual into a sinner. Roughly two centuries later, Pope Gregory the Great revised the respective behaviors, and produced a more efficient list of seven. And thus, the Seven Deadly Sins were formally established.

According to Saint Cassian, a Christian theologian and the assumed disciple of Evagrius, each temptation in turn generates another sinful desire. But what interpretation translates the aforementioned temptations into capital sin. First and foremost, we have pride. Apparently, pride is the foundation of those whom refuse to obey God; the root of all evil. "Greed is a capital sin because we steal, cheat, and lie to satisfy it. Sloth is a capital sin because we ignore the dictates of charity out of our apathy to spiritual matters. Envy will induce us to harm others. A sin is also called capital if it enables us to commit many other sins. The money we accumulate through our greed empowers us to be gluttons or lechers, and to do other evil things" (Schimmel, 1997, pp. 25-26). Cardinal, or capital, as previously defined, evolves simple temptations into the Seven Deadly Sins. Over the centuries, the seven sins have been adopted into religious culture and traditions. Modern day believers associate the sins as a basic framework to righteousness.

For readers with further interest on the Seven Deadly Sins, I have included each respective temptation along with a brief synopsis on the nature, and how each is interpreted in past and present societies. Of course, none of the included details can be considered factual, as it is only referenced in popular religious texts that specific beliefs heavily rely upon. Unfortunately though, with adverse contradictions and numerous unanswered questions remaining, one must have faith and acknowledge it with an open mind.

S., Schimmel (1997). The Seven Deadly Sins: Jewish, Christian, and Classical Reflections on Human Psychology. (Oxford University Press)