Septem Peccata Mortalia et Septem Virtutes Caelestes (Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues)

The seven deadly sins, or the capital vices or cardinal sins, originated from Tertullian, an early Christian author from Carthage (a Roman city in the province of Africa called Tunis today). Tertullian is most famous for his use of the word trinity to describe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The sins were further expanded upon by Evagrius of Solitary, a Christian monk from Heraclea. It was later reformed into what it is today by Pope Gregory I. The seven heavenly virtues are the diametric opposite of the seven deadly sins. The seven heavenly virtues were created by Saint Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan from 374-397. He created them by combining the four cardinal virtues with the three theological virtues. In classical Christian theology, every sin has its virtue and vice versa. They are usually paired as such: pride with humility, greed with charity, lust with chastity, envy with kindness, gluttony with temperance, wrath with patience, and sloth with diligence. Every sin and virtue is also said to have a demon or angel that holds dominion over that aspect of life. While the seven deadly sins and heavenly virtues are not used as much in Catholicism today, they still have made a profound impact on popular culture over the years. The seven deadly sins are more popular, often appearing in television, film, music, and video games like manga and the song “7” by Prince. 

Superbia et Mens Humilis (Pride and Humility)

Pride, or hubris, is considered the oldest and the worst of the sins. Pride is usually described as a feeling of pleasure achieved through one’s actions. A famous proverb from the Book of Proverbs 16:18, states “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”.  The demonic association with pride is Lucifer. This reflects the idea of pride being the worst sin as Lucifer was the first angel to fall and is considered the leader of Hell. Lucifer is seen in popular culture from books to movies to musicals to music. Pride’s opposite is humility. Humility is a modest of one’s importance. It is usually considered a synonym for humbleness. Humility’s angelic representation is considered to be St. Raphael the Archangel (Hebrew: Azaeiah and Arabic: Israfil). He was mentioned in 1 Enoch and was not directly mentioned in either the New Testament or the Quran; however, he was identified as the angel who stirred the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-4) and the angel who stands with a trump waiting to announce the Day of Judgment (Quran 6:73). St. Raphael is enumerated in popular culture like in Paradise Lost by John Milton and in Supernatural. 

Avaritia et Caritas (Greed and Charity)

Greed is considered to be the want for material possessions to a large degree. Dante Alighieri’s Inferno from his Divine Comedy states “That ignoble life, Which made them vile before, now makes them dark, And to all knowledge indiscernible”. The demonic association with greed is Mammon. Mammon was never mentioned in the bible and was first mentioned by St. Cyprian (a bishop of Carthage) and St. Jerome of Stridon (known for writing the Vulgate). Mammon is seen plenty in popular culture. For example, The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth and The Simpsons. Greed’s antithesis is considered charity. Charity is defined as “generosity and helpfulness, especially toward the needy and suffering” (Merriam-Webster). Charity is seen as the ultimate perfection because it reflects God and his nature. Charity’s angelic association is St. Michael the Archangel. His first mention was in early Jewish works where he is the chief of angels. He is one of the seven archangels named in the Book of Enoch. Archangel Michael is seen throughout history in images and sculptures. St. Michael is enumerated in popular culture like in Paradise Lost by John Milton and in Supernatural. 

Luxuria et Castitas (Lust and Chastity)

Lust, or lechery, is considered to be the intense want for something, usually sexual. Interestingly, lust is considered the least serious deadly sin. From Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; you shall not covet your neighbor’s house or his field of his male slave or his female slave or his ox or his draft animal or any animal of his or whatever belongs to him”. The demonic association with lust is Asmodeus. Asmodeus was never mentioned in the bible but is mentioned in the Talmud, the Malleus Maleficarum, and the Ars Goetia. Asmodeus is seen plenty in popular culture. For example, Helluva Boss and Nie bój żaby (a Polish sitcom, The Lousy World). Lust’s antithesis is considered chastity. Chastity is defined as “the quality or state of abstaining from all sexual intercourse” (Merriam-Webster). Chastity’s angelic association is St. Uriel the Archangel. He appears in the Second Book of Esdras in the Biblical Apocrypha. He is also mentioned in the Book of Enoch. St. Uriel is enumerated in popular culture like in Supernatural.

Invidia et Humanitas (Envy and Kindness)

Envy is considered to be the want for someone’s desires. The demonic association with envy is Leviathan. Leviathan is a sea serpent mentioned throughout the Bible, like Psalms, the Book of Job, and the Book of Isaiah. Leviathan is seen plenty in popular culture. For example, the term Leviathan can refer to any sea monster or whale as in Mody-Dick by Herman Melville. Envy’s antithesis is considered kindness. Kindness is defined as “an act of kind assistance” (Merriam-Webster). Kindness’s angelic association is Ramiel the Archangel. He is mentioned in 2 Baruch and is one of the seven archangels from 1 Enoch 20:8. He also presides over holy visions and guides souls to Heaven. Unfortunately, Archangel Remiel is not seen much in popular culture.

Gula et Temperantia (Gluttony and Temperance)

Gluttony is considered to be the overindulgence of anything, especially something that ultimately hurts the person. According to Thomas Aquinas, there are five types of gluttony: Laute (eating expensive food), Studios (eating dainty food), Nimis (overconsumption), Praepropere (eating too soon), and Ardenter (eating too eagerly). The demonic association with gluttony is Beelzebub. Beelzebub is mentioned in the Books of Kings, Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Beelzebub is seen plenty in popular culture. For example, Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Gluttony’s antithesis is considered temperance. Temperance is defined as “habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions” (Merriam-Webster). Temperance’s angelic association is the angel Cassiel. Cassiel is one of the seven archangels and is the angel of Saturn. Cassiel is in popular culture like Rachel Caine’s The Outcast Season.  

Ira et Patientia (Wrath and Patience)

Wrath is considered to be the feeling of uncontrolled anger, rage, and hatred. According to the Catholic Church, anger becomes wrath when directed at an innocent person. The demonic association with wrath is Satan. Satan is mentioned in the Books of Job and Zechariah. Satan is seen plenty in popular culture, often appearing in video games, film, and television. Wrath’s antithesis is patience. Patience is defined as “the capacity, habit, or fact of being patient” (Merriam-Webster). Patience’s angelic association is the angel Azrael. He is seen as the angel of death in Islam. He is not mentioned in Judaism or Christianity. Due to Azrael’s limited effect on Western religion, he has no modern representations.

Acedita et Diligentia (Sloth and Diligence)

Sloth is considered to be the feeling of laziness and wanting to do nothing productive. The demonic association with sloth is Belphegor. Beelzebub is seen plenty in popular culture. For example, Supernatural and Belphegor is the name of a metal band. A palindromic prime number was named Belphegor’s prime after Belphegor. The number is 1,000,000,000,000,066,600,000,000,000,001 or 10^30+666*10^14+1. Sloth’s antithesis is considered diligence. Diligence is defined as a “steady, earnest, and energetic effort: devoted and painstaking work and application to accomplish and undertaking” (Merriam-Webster). Diligence’s angelic association is St. Gabriel the Archangel. He is one of the seven archangels and in the Gospel of Luke, tells Zachariah the birth of John the Baptist. St. Gabriel is in popular culture like Supernatural.