How the Seven Deadly Sins Began as ‘Eight Evil Thoughts’
The idea of listing the vices began in the fourth century.
In the fourth century, a Christian monk named Evagrius Ponticus wrote down what’s known as the “eight evil thoughts”: gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, sloth, sadness, vainglory and pride.
An error occurred
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“They’re called ‘mortal’ or ‘deadly’ because they lead to the death of the soul,” says Richard G. Newhauser, an English professor at Arizona State University who has edited books about the seven deadly sins. “Committing one of these mortal sins and not confessing, not doing penance and so on, will result in the death of the soul. And then you’ll be in hell for eternity, or your soul will be in hell for eternity.”
Thomas Aquinas Revisits the List
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Fast forward to the 13th century, when theologian Thomas Aquinas again revisited the list in Summa Theologica (“Summary of Theology”). In his list, he brought back “sloth” and eliminated “sadness.” Like Gregory, Aquinas described “pride” as the overarching ruler of the seven sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church’s current capital sins are basically the same as Aquinas’, except that “pride” replaces “vainglory.”
Vainglory / Pride
Engraving of the Seven deadly sins.
Lists of the seven sins often use vainglory and pride interchangeably. But technically, they’re not the same thing, says Kevin M. Clarke, a professor of scripture and patristics at St. Patrick's Seminary and University who has edited a book of historical writings on the seven deadly sins.
“Vainglory is kind of like that vice that makes us check our ‘like’ counts on social media,” he says. “Vainglory is where we seek human acclaim.” In contrast, “pride is a sin where I essentially take spiritual credit for what I’ve done,” instead of “ascribing one’s good deeds to God.”
Avarice
Envy
Gregory articulated this when he added envy to his list of vices, writing that envy engendered “exultation at the misfortunes of a neighbour, and affliction at his prosperity.”
Wrath
Lust
Gluttony
Early Christian theologians understood gluttony to include drinking too much alcohol and desiring too much fine food, in addition to overeating.
Sloth
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About the author
Becky Little is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Bluesky.
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Citation Information
- Article Title
- How the Seven Deadly Sins Began as ‘Eight Evil Thoughts’
- Author
- Becky Little
- Website Name
- History
- Date Accessed
- March 06, 2026
- Publisher
- A&E Television Networks
- Last Updated
- May 28, 2025
- Original Published Date
- March 25, 2021
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