Early Eight/Seven Deadly Sin Lists: Evagrius, John Cassian, Gregory the Great

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I had occasion to pull together the early lists in Greek and Latin of the eight and then seven deadly sins in Evagrius, John Cassian, and Gregory the Great for a footnote in something I'm writing. So just in case anyone would like to have them, here they are:

Evagrius of Pontus (c. 345-399)


Evagrius’s list runs as follows: 

(1) Gluttony (γαστριμαργία / gula), 
(2) Fornication (πορνεία / luxuria), 
(3) Avarice (φιλαργυρία / avaritia), 
(4) Anger (ὀργή / iracundia), 
(5) Sadness [=dejection] (λύπη/ tristitia), 
(6) Acedia [=sloth] (ἀκηδία / akēdia),
 (7) Vainglory (κενοδοχια / vana gloria), 
(8) Pride (ὑπερηφανία / superbia). 

De octo spiritibus malitiae 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17. Conveniently in English in Evagrius of Pontus: The Greek Ascetic Corpus (trans., intro, comm., Robert E. Sinkewicz; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), 66-69. Evagrius follows basically the same order of presentation in his Antirrhētorikos, except that he reverses the order of ὀργή and λύπη (See ET: Evagrius of Pontus, Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons (Cistercian Studies Series 229; trans. & intro., David Brakke; Abbey of Gethsemane, Trappist, KY: Cistercian Publications / Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009).

John Cassian (365-433)



Conferences 5:2. Same list in same order as in Evagrius’s De octo spiritibus malitiae.

Gregory the Great (540-604)



Gregory’s list: 

Vain glory (inanis gloria), 
Envy (invidia), 
Anger (ira), 
Melancholy (tristitia), 
Avarice (avaritia), 
Gluttony (ventris ingluvies), 
Lust (luxuria).

Expositio in Librum Job, sive Moralium 31.45.87. ET: Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job (3 vols.; Oxford: John Henry Parker/London: F. and J. Rivington, 1844-1850), 3:490.

Testament of Reuben


Traditionally Gregory is said to have originated the Seven Deadly Sins by reducing Evagrius and Cassian's list to Seven. However we already find a list of seven spirits/sinful inclinations in the Jewish Christian Greek Testament of Reuben 3:1-6. Here is T Reuben's list:

(1) πορνεία [porneia], 
(2) ἀπληστία [aplēstia]),
(3) μάχη [maxē]),
(4) ἀρεσκεία [areskeia]/ μαγγανεία [magganeia], 
(5) ὑπερηφανία [hyperēphania]) 
(6) ψεῦδος [pseudos], 
(7) ἀδικία [adikia].

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