Classifications of sin

[David Dietrich]

I'm interested in learning about how various sins have been classified by Christian tradition. This would include answering questions like which sins come first and what they lead to, how they are arranged hierarchically, and what their opposing virtues are.

Thank you,
David

[Olga]

I am happy to be corrected on this, but my understanding is that "classification" of sins (such as The Seven Deadly Sins, or dividing them into "mortal" and "venal") arose in the Roman Catholic church. The only ranking of sins I have come across in the Orthodox Church is the distinction between the "unforgivable" sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and all other sins, which are forgivable by God.

[Antonios]

Dear David,

I would concur with Olga that there isn't much of a 'classification' system in regards to sin, but the fathers of the Church do speak a good amount about what passions lead to other passions.

For example, pride is often called the 'mother' of the passions, since it gives 'birth' to all of the remaining passions.

Another example would be the three temptations Christ overcame while being tested by Satan (that is, vainglory (pride), avarice, and gluttony) which are descrobed by Evagrius as the "three groups of demons who fight on the front line". Through these passions, all the other passions gain entrance.

A final example would be the passions of laziness, forgetfulness, and ignorance, which lead to insensibility, or otherwise known as, spiritual death.

Of course, these are just a few examples. Similar such themes can be found extensively in the writings of the Philokalia and in the Ladder of Divine Ascent.

I hope this was helpful!

In Christ,
Antonios

[Nicolaj]

Another example would be the three temptations Christ overcame while being tested by Satan (that is, vainglory (pride), avarice, and gluttony) which are described by Evagrius as the "three groups of demons who fight on the front line". Through these passions, all the other passions gain entrance.

Thanks Antonios and Olga for this fine and compact overview!

And as Antonios marks very well the three Temptations which Jesus overcame. And again we see here the temptation of gluttony which is the breaking of the fast!

This opens the doors for the evil forces to live in the house where originally was the place for the Divine, as Jesus marks so well in his answer to Satan!

Christos voskrese! Nicolaj

[Nina]

In addition to what is said wonderfully above, we can also notice what St. Nikodimos the Agiorite wrote. It speaks mostly about two forms of temptations, but if the pertaining sins follow then it can relate to this thread:



Temptations come to man in two kinds. One is the pleasurable kind, and therefore occurs with both our own will and the collaboration of the demons. [62] The other is the sorrowful and painful kind, which appears bitter to us, for it occurs without our will. The devil works on his own to bring about this kind. [63] St. Nikodimos

You may find this passage here (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/cfc_lordsprayer.aspx).

[David Dietrich]

Thank you very much for your input, the Philokalia and Ladder will be very good places to start. As to pride, I have also read that it is the "mother of passions," but is this indicating that pride is the first or last (or both) of the passions?

[Antonios]

Dear David,

I think just as pride was the cause of Adam's fall, so too it is often considered the first (that is, the begettor) of the remaining passions.

In Christ,
Antonios

[Antonios]

Dear David,

The process as I understand it originated with pride, which then overcame loving obedience and gave birth to disobedience, which then led to envy, then eventually murder. The remaining armies of various demons branch from a particular step of this road to perdition.

This may suggest some hierarchy, and perhaps there is in fact one, as St. Paul's teaching states about the principalities and powers we battle.

The various battles in spiritual warfare have their ranking commander, and what a sinner needs to realize is that satan feeds our greatest resistance to God by distorting and corrupting our greatest gift from God, which is love. He can cause the most amount of damage by tempting us to make our selves as god and direct all our love to our own fallen selves, and not to its proper source, towards the Glory and Majesty of the Our Creator who sent His Only Son to eliminate death by the most supreme act of love imaginable. And the fruit of this Love is Life, embraced and sustained in His loving communion.

As for the sequence of temptations and resulting passions, when satan's moves can be anticipated, (a gift of God to those who have spiritually progressed through the practice of guarding of the heart and divine sobriety), then the battle is not against powers or principalities, but against our own very self. For if this battle alone is won, then the remaining ones will be much more easy. But if we fail at this first, very basic one, in fact, the very First Commandment, than there will be hell to pay for our self-willed estrangement.

The saints to whom we pray for, such as St. Nicholas whom we recently celebrated, overcame their pride and thus demons had no hold on them. Their love and zeal and passion was towards our God, and this all-embracing love permeated their entire being. So much so, in fact, that none of the damning passions could potentially strengthen. For those holiest of saints, even the roots of those passions were pulled out and discarded and no trace of them remained. May these beloved brothers and sisters of ours who worship before the throne of Christ continue to pray for our souls and for the entire world!

In Christ,
Antonios

[Andreas Moran]

I tend to classify sins for myself according to how easy they are to avoid or hard to combat. The case of the devil's first temptation of Christ is interesting. To suggest that He turn a stone into bread was very reasonable: not a case of giving in to gluttony - Our Lord was very hungry. The suggestion was only 'bread': basic food, nothing tasty. No one would have seen the miracle, either, so it wouldn't impress anyone. The grosser sins are easy to recognise (though that doesn't necessarily make them easier to avoid), but subtle, oh-so-reasonable sins can catch us from behind like a sneaky dog.

[David Dietrich]

So it seems that pride lies at the center giving rise to rebellion, envy, murder, and then on into all the rest. What particular tactics are used to subdue each kind of sin? Gluttony is quelled through fasting and pride by thanksgiving, but what of the others?

[Andreas Moran]

I was taught that all sins are merely aspects of pride. The Holy Fathers say that self-condemnation is the antidote to pride. Christ, during His life on earth, was without pride and so could not condemn Himself. In place of self-condemnation, He emptied Himself of His glory: this kenosis was from love. His commandment to us is to love 'as I have loved you'. Our kenosis is self-condemnation, the descent to the depths of humility. Only thus can we obey His commandment. Unlike Christ, we have to expel pride before we can love. Pride causes sin. Humility is the opposite of pride. Love is the fruit of humility. As Elder Sophrony puts it, 'When we hate ourselves for the evil that lives in us, then it is that the boundless horizons of the love commanded of us are revealed' ('We shall see Him as He is', p. 145.)


So it seems that pride lies at the center giving rise to rebellion, envy, murder, and then on into all the rest. What particular tactics are used to subdue each kind of sin? Gluttony is quelled through fasting and pride by thanksgiving, but what of the others?

It follows that the basic tactic for all sins is self-condemnation, leading to humility, leading to love. All by God's grace.

[Antonios]

So it seems that pride lies at the center giving rise to rebellion, envy, murder, and then on into all the rest. What particular tactics are used to subdue each kind of sin? Gluttony is quelled through fasting and pride by thanksgiving, but what of the others?

Dear David,

The books I would suggest would be the Ladder of Divine Ascent, Unseen Warfare, the Arena, and the Philokalia. These are probably among the greatest works on spiritual warfare which exist.

Methods in defeating the passions vary, however, and often times are specifically tailored to an individual's own abilities with the close guidance and supervision of one's spiritual father. Thus, if you haven't found one yet, this should be your next step.

In Christ,
Antonios

[Moses Ibrahim]

This is a chart I received from a Russian Orthodox priest... can't remember when or from who but nonetheless I think it may help. and excuse the sloppiness of printing-screen to upload the file.