Sins & Virtues

Sins & Virtues

    Over the next 7 days I will be comparing the 7 Deadly Sins against the Heavenly Virtues. For tonight I want to just explain where we get both of these from. 

    The 7 Deadly Sins have had many different revisions to become the ones we know today.  They started in the Book of Proverbs and then later list in the Epistle to the Galatians.  In proverbs it reads:

“ There are six things the LORD hates, yes, seven^* are an abomination to him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that are quick to run to evil, The false witness who utters lies, and the one who sows discord among kindred.” ~ Proverbs 6: 16-19

In Galatians the list is longer then seven.

“Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,  occasions of envy,^* drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

~Galatians 5:19-21

  The ones we know as of today can be linked to the works of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus. He listed 8 of them.  The list is gluttony, fornication, avarice, self-esteem, envy, wrath, boasting and dejection. Later in 590 AD Pope Gregory revised the list to form the list we know of today. The Seven Deadly Sins are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. 

    The Seven Heavenly Virtues derive from the poem by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius called Psychomachia. Psychomachia is just under a thousand line poem that describes the conflict between virtues and vices.  The seven virtues are chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility. This is derived from the seven catholic virtues that are a combination between two list of virtues. The first four are called the cardinal virtues and they are prudence, justice, restraint and fortitude. The other three are called the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love. 

     I will be using the 7 Heavenly Virtues vs the 7 Deadly Sins to contradict one another and to show the path that we need to take and how to be careful along the way. Each day I will take one from each and write about them. I fell this will also help us to understand and use Lent more to our advantage. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and learn the virtues to avoid the deadly sins.