# the list of the original sins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916 "2003-08-08T21:28:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/1 "2003-08-08T21:28:01Z")
what are the original sins and there order? thanks for all help ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/2 "2003-08-08T21:30:00Z")
Do you mean mortal sins? ---
**Author:** ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/3 "2003-08-08T21:32:28Z")
I mean the original sins of catholisism. Like audultry and glutny and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/4 "2003-08-08T21:41:09Z")
There is really only one Original Sin, although it is expressed in two ways: Being born/living (because all humans fail to live a perfect life). It also refers to the first sin (Eve’s with the apple), upon which the other definition, the inevitability of sin one, sprang. I think you may mean the Seven Deadly Sins. I don’t know what they all are. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/5 "2003-08-08T21:42:56Z")
Do you mean the seven deadly sins? If so they are: Pride Greed Envy Lust Wrath Sloth Gluttony Pride is normally considered the first ‘Capital Sin’ but I have seen several groupings of which of the others are more or less important. Check the study notes on **Dorothy Sayer’s** translations of **Dante’s** _Purgatory_ for a good treatment of the sins place in medieval thought. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/6 "2003-08-08T21:45:15Z")
The most common list of the “Seven Deadly Sins” includes pride, avarice, gluttony, lust, sloth, envy, and anger, but such lists have never really been “official”, just speculations or opinions of various theologians. See [“Sin” (II. Division of Sin: The Capital Sins or Vices)](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm#II) from the [1917 _Catholic Encyclopedia_](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/). According to that article, some theologians said there were _eight_ deadly sins…but they don’t say what the eighth one was. Now I’m all curious. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/7 "2003-08-08T21:58:45Z")
Have a look around [http://deadlysins.com](http://deadlysins.com) for a veritable smorgasbord of answers. I believe the sin of sloth was originally “melancholy.” ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/8 "2003-08-09T00:02:38Z")
What I was taught were the seven Deadly Passions were Pride (the worst and the root of the rest), Avarice, Envy, Lust, Anger, Despair, and Gluttony. As long as one did not act upon these Passions or entertain them in the mind, one did not automatically sin upon being beset by them. However, if one did not wrestle against them but instead let them “set up housekeeping”, then the passions became sin. Note that “Despair” is a bad translation of a Greek word that means something more on the order of “ill-thinking-ness”. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/9 "2003-08-09T00:48:57Z")
Right…they’re “Deadly sins” because they cause the commission of all sorts of sins. **MEBuckner** , I’m trying to track down the “eighth deadly sin” for you. For Cyprian, it seems to be either increduilty (doubt, scepticism) or schism. Evagerus Ponticus says that the eight deadly passions are gluttony, sexual excess, avarice, grief, wrath, weariness, vainglory, and pride. But, of course, Cecil could tell you that 🙂 [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010601.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010601.html) ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-the-original-sins/193916/10 "2003-08-09T01:17:09Z")
> [@](#): > > For Cyprian, it seems to be either increduilty (doubt, scepticism)… Uh-oh. Well, I knew they were gonna get me somehow.