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THE SEVEN
DEADLY SINS
And Why They're Not Always So Bad!
Unlike the Ten Commandments, the Seven Deadly Sins were not
handed down from the mountaintop set in stone. Over the
centuries, various sins have fallen on and off the "Deadly”
list (today, sadness and sloth are used almost
interchangeably), and their order has changed, depending on
which Christian theologian was doing the ranking. Evagrius
of Pontus considered gluttony the least serious offense,
for instance, while Pope Gregory the Great conceded that
honor to lust. For both men, pride — the fixation
with self — was the most egregious. Thomas aquinas
later argued the folly of any such ranking. His argument
resonated with us, so don't look for any deep meaning in
the order we've chosen. But do look for seven
thought-provoking essays by Johns Hopkins writers —
each accompanied by a bevy of compelling Hopkins stories
that consider the sins in all their ugliness . . . and
their occasional beauty.
Contributing writers: Kristi Birch, Maria
Blackburn, Amy Cowles, Sue De Pasquale, Dale Keiger, Anna
Leist, A&S '05, Holly Maddux, Jim Paterson, Catherine
Pierre, and Greg Rienzi
Lust
Gluttony
Envy
Pride
Sloth
Avarice
Anger
Return to September 2005 Table
of Contents
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