The Seven Deadly Sins was first postulated by Tertullian (155AD – 220AD), an early Christian author from Carthage, one of the largest African cities of the Roman Empire. The seven sins are pride, greed, sloth, gluttony, lust, wrath and envy. These have been extensively characterized in Christian Literature.

Later, Evagrius Ponticus developed a comprehensive list in 375 AD of eight evil thoughts (logismoi) or eight terrible temptations, from which all sinful behavior springs. This list was intended to serve a diagnostic purpose: to help readers identify the process of temptation, their own strengths and weaknesses, and the remedies available for overcoming temptation.

The eight patterns of evil thought are:

• gluttony
• fornication
• avarice (extreme greed for wealth and material gain)
• sorrow
• discouragement
• anger
• vainglory
• and pride.

In her book, Vainglory, Rebecca DeYoung offers some helpful illustrations of how these two vices differ from each other. The seven deadly sins are often illustrated as a tree with pride as the root and “vainglory was the first main branch on the tree. The difference, roughly, is that pride is about position and power, and vainglory is about attention and acknowledgment.”

At this point of writing, I am still refining my thoughts about the matter. I am inclined to include 7 more ideas of sin, which lead and tempt men into astray. In the near future, we may conclude the list with 12.

• acedia (the neglect to take care of something that one should do, lack of action)
• lutulentum (the state of being dirty, foul, messy)
• apathy (lack of emotion)
• atheism (rejection of God)
• an desunt nobis (lack of purpose)
• indulgence (to give excessive attention)
• ignorance

Comment: This article is still in progress, just as Life and God’s Plan is.