List of the Seven Deadly Sins Described in the Holy Bible
The seven deadly sins are not a formal biblical list but appear throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, including the New Testament letters. The sins were grouped together at roughly the same time as the Bible was translated into Latin by St. Jerome (348-420). The list was codified by Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) in the sixth century as a set of values to avoid.
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Pride
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Pride is the first of the three spiritual sins, which are considered more dangerous than the four corporal or bodily sins. Pope Gregory the Sixth felt pride was the most serious sin because it bred all others. In his 13th century "Summa Theologica," St. Thomas Aquinas reasserted that pride is rebellion against God's authority. He argued that some sins arise from everyday temptations and are forgivable. They become deadly sins when they originate from pride and thus become spiritual sins.
Envy
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Envy, desiring what others have, is the second of the three spiritual sins. Aquinas characterized it as sorrow for the good of another while Dante, in the "Inferno," described it as love of your own good fortune twisted into wanting that of someone else's.
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Wrath
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Wrath (hatred or anger) is loss of self-control and a desire to do harm. It is regarded as the cause of other sinful behavior, such as revenge, violence and unwillingness to forgive. The term is used instead of anger, which sometimes can be justified. Dante characterized wrath as a love of justice twisted into spite and revenge.
Sloth
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Sloth, the first of the corporal sins, is generally regarded as laziness and avoiding work. However, it originally referred to sadness and apathy due to failure to recognize God's gifts. Dante referred to it as failure to love God. Now it is regarded as an inability or unwillingness to act or care.
Greed or Avarice
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Greed or avarice is a desire for wealth or power. The Bible regards it as the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Aquinas wrote that greed was a sin against God. Dante assigned those guilty of greed to the fourth circle of Hell, making the sinners repulsive beyond recognition.
Gluttony
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Gluttony, overindulgence resulting in waste, was regarded by Dante as excessive love of pleasure. Pope Gregory the Great and Thomas Aquinas both said it can include eating too lavishly, too soon or too eagerly, as well as too much.
Lust
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Lust, the last of the corporal sins, was described by Dante as excessive love of others that detracted from love of God. It was regarded as including unlawful, depraved thoughts and desires for extramarital sex or unnatural sexual encounters. Extreme examples are rape and sodomy, which are regarded as mortal sins.
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