10 commandments and 7 mortals. Mortal sins - the most terrible sins in Orthodoxy

Seven deadly sins and ten commandments

In this short article, I will not pretend to be absolutist statements, including that Christianity is somehow more important than other world religions. Therefore, I reject in advance all possible attacks in this vein. The purpose of the article is to provide information about the seven deadly sins and ten commandments noted in Christian doctrine. The degree of sinfulness and importance of the commandments can be disputed, but at least it is worth paying attention to.

But first, about why I suddenly decided to write about it. The reason for this was the film "Seven", in which one comrade imagined himself to be an instrument of the Lord and decided to punish the chosen individuals, as they say, point by point, that is, each for some mortal sin. I just suddenly discovered to my shame that I could not list all seven deadly sins. So I decided to fill this gap by publishing on my website. And in the process of searching for information, I found a connection with the ten Christian commandments (which also does not interfere with knowing), as well as some other interesting materials. Below, it's all put together.

Seven deadly sins

There are seven deadly sins in Christian teaching, and they are called so because, despite their seemingly harmless nature, if they are regularly practiced, they lead to much more serious sins and, consequently, to the death of an immortal soul falling into hell. Deadly sins not based on biblical texts and not are a direct revelation of God, they appeared in the texts of theologians later.

First, the Greek theologian monk Evagrius of Pontus compiled a list of the eight worst human passions. They were (in descending order of severity): pride (pride), vanity (vainglory), spiritual laziness (acedia), anger (anger), despondency (sadness), greed (avarice), voluptuousness (lust) and gluttony (gluttony). The order in this list was determined by the degree of a person's orientation towards himself, towards his ego (that is, pride is the most selfish property of a person and therefore the most harmful).

At the end of the 6th century, Pope Gregory I the Great reduced the list to seven elements, introducing the concept of vanity into pride, spiritual laziness into despondency, and also adding a new one - envy (envy). The list was slightly rearranged, this time according to the criterion of opposing love: pride, envy, anger, despondency, greed, gluttony and voluptuousness (that is, pride is more opposed to love than others and therefore is the most harmful).

Later Christian theologians (in particular, Thomas Aquinas) objected to just such an order of mortal sins, but it was he who became the main one and is valid to this day. The only change in the list of Pope Gregory the Great was the replacement in the 17th century of the concept of despondency with laziness (sloth). See also A Brief History of Sin (in English).

Due to the fact that representatives of the predominantly Catholic Church took an active part in compiling and finalizing the list of the seven deadly sins, I dare to assume that this is not applicable to the Orthodox Church, and even more so to other religions. However, I believe that regardless of denominations and even for atheists, this list will be useful. Its current version is summarized in the following table.

The most harmful of them is clearly considered pride. At the same time, the belonging of some items of this list to sins (for example, gluttony and lust) is questioned. And according to one sociological survey, the "popularity" of mortal sins is as follows (in descending order): anger, pride, envy, gluttony, voluptuousness, laziness and greed.

It may seem interesting considering the impact of these sins on human body from point of view modern science. And, of course, the matter could not do without a "scientific" justification of those natural properties of human nature that were included in the list of the worst.

Ten Commandments

Many people confuse mortal sins with the commandments and try to illustrate the concepts of "thou shalt not kill" and "thou shalt not steal" by referring to them. There are some similarities between the two lists, but there are more differences. The Ten Commandments were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and are described in the Old Testament (in the fifth book of Moses called Deuteronomy). The first four commandments deal with the relationship of God and man, the next six deal with man with man. Below is a list of commandments in a modern interpretation, with original quotations (given from the Russian edition of 1997, approved by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia) and some comments by Andrey Koltsov.

1. Believe in the only God. “I am the Lord your God… you shall have no other gods before me”- initially it was directed against paganism (polytheism), but over time it lost its relevance and became a reminder to honor the one God even more.
2. Do not create idols for yourself. “Do not make for yourself an idol and no image of what is in heaven above and what is on the earth below, and what is in the waters below the earth, do not worship them and do not serve them; for I am the Lord your God…”- initially it was directed against idolatry, but now the "idol" is interpreted broadly - this is everything that distracts from faith in God.
3. Do not use the name of God in vain. "Don't take the name of the Lord your God in vain..."- that is, you can’t “swear”, say “my God”, “by God”, etc.
4. Remember the day off. “Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy ... six days you work and do all your work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God”- in some countries, including Russia, this is Sunday; in any case, one day of the week should be devoted entirely to prayers, thoughts about God, you can’t work, since it is understood that a person works for himself.
5. Honor your parents. "Honor thy father and thy mother..."- after God, one should honor the father and mother, since they gave life.
6. Dont kill. "Dont kill" God gives life and only He can take it away.
7. Don't commit adultery. "Do not commit adultery"- that is, a man and a woman should live in a marriage, and only in a monogamous one; for the eastern countries, where all this happened, a rather difficult condition.
8. Don't steal. "Don't steal"- by analogy with "thou shalt not kill", only God gives us everything, and only He can take it back.
9. Do not lie. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor"- initially it concerned judicial oaths, later it began to be interpreted broadly, as “do not lie” and “do not slander”.
10. Do not envy. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor covet your neighbor’s house, nor his field, nor his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, [or any of his cattle,] nor anything that your neighbor has”- sounds better in the original.

Some believe that the last six commandments form the basis of the Criminal Code, since they do not say how to live, but only how not necessary.

People who are far from the Church, who have no experience of spiritual life, often see only prohibitions and restrictions in Christianity. This is a very primitive view.

In Orthodoxy, everything is harmonious and natural. In the spiritual world, as well as in the physical world, there are laws that, like the laws of nature, cannot be violated, this will lead to great damage and even catastrophe. Both physical and spiritual laws are given by God Himself. We constantly collide in our Everyday life with warnings, restrictions and prohibitions, and no sane person would say that all these prescriptions are unnecessary and unreasonable. The laws of physics contain many dire warnings, as do the laws of chemistry. There is a well-known school saying: “First water, then acid, otherwise big trouble will happen!” We go to work - there are their own safety rules, they must be known and observed. We go out into the street, get behind the wheel - we must follow the rules traffic in which there are a lot of prohibitions. And so everywhere, in any area of ​​life.

Freedom is not permissiveness, but the right to choose: a person can do incorrect choice and get hurt a lot. The Lord gives us great freedom, but at the same time warns of dangers on the path of life. As the apostle Paul says: Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is useful(1 Cor 10:23). If a person ignores spiritual laws, lives as he wants, disregarding either moral standards or the people around him, he loses his freedom, damages his soul and causes great harm to himself and others. Sin is a violation of very subtle and strict laws of spiritual nature; it harms first of all the sinner himself.

God wants people to be happy, love Him, love each other and not harm themselves and others, therefore He gave us commandments. They express spiritual laws, they teach how to live and build relationships with God and people. Just as parents warn their children about danger and teach them about life, so our Heavenly Father gives us the necessary instructions. The commandments were given to people in the Old Testament, we talked about this in the section on the Old Testament biblical history. New Testament people, Christians, are required to keep the ten commandments. Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill(Matthew 5:17), says the Lord Jesus Christ.

Main law spiritual world — the law of love for God and people.

All ten commandments speak of this. They were given to Moses in the form of two stone slabs - tablets, on one of which the first four commandments were written, speaking of love for the Lord, and on the second - the remaining six. They talk about respect for others. When our Lord Jesus Christ was asked: What is the greatest commandment in the law?- He replied: Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is like it: love thy neighbor as thyself; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets(Mt 22:36-40).

What does it mean? That if a person has really achieved true love for God and neighbor, he cannot break any of the ten commandments, because they all talk about love for God and people. And to this perfect love we must strive.

Consider ten commandments of the law of God:

1. I am the Lord your God; Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; do not worship them and do not serve them.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; Six days you work and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days on earth may be long.
6. Dont kill.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

First Commandment

I am the Lord your God; Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

The Lord is the Creator of the universe and the spiritual world. He is the Origin of all that exists. Our whole beautiful, harmonious and very complex world could not have arisen by itself. Behind all this beauty and harmony is the Creative Mind. To believe that everything that exists came into being on its own, without God, is nothing but madness. The fool said in his heart: "There is no God"(Ps 13:1), says the prophet David. God is not only the Creator, but also our Father. He cares, provides for people and everything He created, without His care the world could not exist.

God is the Source of all blessings, and a person should strive for Him, for only in God does he receive life. We need to conform all our actions and actions to the will of God: whether they are pleasing to God or not. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). The main means of communion with God are prayer and the Holy Mysteries, in which we receive the grace of God, Divine energy.

Let us repeat: God wants people to glorify Him correctly, that is, Orthodoxy.

For us, there can be only one God, glorified in the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we, Orthodox Christians, cannot have other gods.

The sins against the first commandment are:

• atheism (negation of God);
• lack of faith, doubt, superstition, when people confuse faith with unbelief or all sorts of signs and other remnants of paganism; those who say: “I have God in my soul” also sin against the first commandment, but at the same time they do not go to church and do not approach the Sacraments or rarely approach;
• paganism (polytheism), belief in false gods, satanism, occultism and esotericism; this includes magic, witchcraft, healing, extrasensory perception, astrology, divination and turning to people involved in all this for help;
• false opinions that contradict the Orthodox faith, and falling away from the Church into schism, false teachings and sects;
• renunciation of faith, hope in one's own strength and in people more than in God; this sin is also associated with lack of faith.

Second Commandment

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; do not worship them and do not serve them.

The second commandment forbids worshiping the creature instead of the Creator. We know what paganism and idolatry are. Here is what the apostle Paul writes about the Gentiles: calling themselves wise, went mad, and glory imperishable God changed into an image like a corruptible man, and birds, and quadrupeds, and reptiles ... They replaced the truth of God with a lie ... and served the creature instead of the Creator(Rom 1:22-23, 25). The Old Testament people of Israel, to whom these commandments were originally given, were the guardians of faith in the True God. He was surrounded on all sides by pagan peoples and tribes, and in order to warn the Jews not to adopt pagan customs and beliefs in any case, the Lord establishes this commandment. Now there are few pagans, idolaters among us, although there is polytheism, worship of idols and idols, for example, in India, Africa, South America, and some other countries. Even here, in Russia, where Christianity has been around for over a thousand years, some people are trying to revive paganism.

Sometimes one can hear an accusation against the Orthodox: they say that icon veneration is idolatry. The veneration of holy icons cannot in any way be called idolatry. Firstly, we offer prayers of worship not to the icon itself, but to the Person Who is depicted on the icon, to God. Looking at the image, we ascend with the mind to the Prototype. Also, through the icon, we ascend in mind and heart to the Mother of God and the saints.

Sacred images were made in the Old Testament at the command of God Himself. The Lord commanded Moses to place in the first movable Old Testament temple (tabernacle) the golden images of the Cherubim. Already in the first centuries of Christianity in the Roman catacombs (meeting places of the first Christians) there were wall images of Christ in the form good shepherd, Mother of God with raised hands and other sacred images. All these frescoes were found during excavations.

Although there are few direct idolaters left in the modern world, many people create idols for themselves, worship them and make sacrifices. For many, their passions and vices have become such idols, requiring constant sacrifices. Some people fell into their captivity and can no longer do without them, they serve them as their masters, for: who is defeated by whom, that is the slave(2 Peter 2:19). Let us recall these idols of passion: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity, pride. The Apostle Paul compares serving the passions with idolatry: covetousness...is idolatry(Col 3:5). Indulging in passion, a person stops thinking about God and serving Him. He forgets about the love of neighbors.

The sins against the second commandment also include a passionate attachment to some business, when this hobby becomes a passion. Idolatry is also the worship of a person. Many people in modern society popular artists, singers, athletes are treated as idols, idols.

Third Commandment

Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

To pronounce the name of God in vain means - in vain, that is, not in prayer, not in spiritual conversations, but during idle conversations or out of habit. An even greater sin is to pronounce the name of God in jest. And it is an absolutely grave sin to pronounce the name of God with the desire to blaspheme God. Also a sin against the third commandment is blasphemy, when holy objects become the subject of ridicule and reproach. Failure to fulfill the vows made to God, and frivolous oaths with the invocation of the name of God are also a violation of this commandment.

The name of God is sacred. He must be treated with reverence.

Saint Nicholas of Serbia. Parable

One goldsmith was sitting in his shop at a workbench and, while working, constantly remembered the name of God in vain: either as an oath, or as a favorite word. A certain pilgrim returning from holy places, passing by a shop, heard this, and his soul was indignant. Then he called out to the jeweler to come out into the street. And when the master left, the pilgrim hid. The jeweler, seeing no one, returned to the shop and continued to work. The pilgrim called out to him again, and when the jeweler left, he pretended not to know anything. The master, angry, returned to his room and began to work again. The pilgrim called out to him for the third time, and when the master came out again, he again stood in silence, pretending that he had nothing to do with it. The jeweler in a rage attacked the pilgrim:

“Why are you calling me in vain? What a joke! I have work up to my throat!

The pilgrim replied peacefully:

- Truly, the Lord God has even more work to do, but you call on Him much more often than I do you. Who has the right to be more angry: you or the Lord God?

The jeweler, ashamed, returned to the workshop and has kept his mouth shut ever since.

Fourth Commandment

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; Work six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

The Lord created this world in six days and, having completed the creation, blessed the seventh day as a day of rest: sanctified it; for in him he rested from all his works, which God created and created(Gen 2, 3).

In the Old Testament, Sabbath was the day of rest. In New Testament times, Sunday became a holy day of rest, when the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ is remembered. It is this day that is the seventh and most important for Christians. Sunday is also called Little Easter. The custom of honoring Sunday the day is coming from the time of the holy apostles. On Sunday, Christians must attend the Divine Liturgy. On this day it is very good to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Sunday we dedicate to prayer, spiritual reading, pious activities. On Sunday, as a day free from ordinary work, you can help your neighbors or visit the sick, help the weak, the elderly. It is customary on this day to thank God for the past week and prayerfully ask for blessings on the work of the coming week.

You can often hear from people who are far from the Church or who have few churches that they do not have time for home prayer and church visits. Yes, a modern person is sometimes very busy, but even busy people have a lot of free time to often and for a long time talk on the phone with friends and relatives, read newspapers, sit at the TV and computer for hours. Spending evenings like this, they do not want to devote even a very small time to the evening prayer rule and to read the Gospel.

People who honor Sundays and church holidays, pray in the temple, regularly read morning and evening prayers, as a rule, manage to do much more than those who spend this time in idleness. The Lord blesses their labors, multiplies their strength and gives them His help.

Fifth Commandment

Honor your father and your mother, that your days on earth may be long.

Those who love and honor their parents are promised not only a reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, but even blessing, prosperity and long life in earthly life. Honoring parents means respecting them, showing obedience to them, helping them, taking care of them in their old age, praying for their health and salvation, and after their death, for the repose of their souls.

People often ask: how can you love and honor parents who do not take care of their children, neglect their duties, or fall into serious sins? We do not choose our parents, the fact that we have them like this, and not some others, is the will of God. Why did God give us such parents? In order for us to show the best Christian qualities: patience, love, humility, the ability to forgive.

Through our parents, God gave us life. Thus, no care for parents can compare with what we received from them. Here is what St. John Chrysostom writes about this: “As they gave birth to you, you cannot give birth to them. Therefore, if in this we are inferior to them, then we will surpass them in another respect through respect for them, not only according to the law of nature, but also primarily before nature, according to the feeling of the fear of God. The will of God resolutely requires that parents be honored by their children, and rewards those who do this with great blessings and gifts, and punishes those who violate this law with great and grave misfortunes. By honoring our father and mother, we learn to honor God Himself, our Heavenly Father. Parents can be called co-workers with the Lord. They gave us a body, and God gave us an immortal soul.

If a person does not honor his parents, he can very easily come to disrespect and deny God. At first he does not respect his parents, then he ceases to love the Motherland, then he denies the Mother Church and gradually comes to the denial of God. All this is interconnected. It is not for nothing that when they want to shake the state, destroy its foundations from within, they first of all take up arms against the Church—faith in God—and the family. Family, respect for elders, customs and traditions (translated from Latin - broadcast) hold society together, make the people strong.

sixth commandment

Dont kill.

Murder, taking another person's life, and suicide are among the gravest sins.

Suicide is a terrible spiritual crime. This is rebellion against God, who has given us the precious gift of life. Committing suicide, a person passes away in a terrible stupefaction of the spirit, mind, in a state of despair and despondency. He can no longer repent of this sin; there is no repentance beyond the grave.

A person who negligently takes the life of another is also guilty of murder, but his guilt is less than that of the one who consciously encroaches on the life of another. Also guilty of the murder is the one who contributed to this: for example, the husband who did not dissuade his wife from having an abortion, or even himself contributed to this.

People, bad habits who by vices and sins shorten their lives and harm their health, also sin against the sixth commandment.

Any harm done to a neighbor is also a violation of this commandment. Hatred, malice, beatings, bullying, insults, curses, anger, malevolence, rancor, malevolence, unforgiveness of insults - all these are sins against the commandment "Thou shalt not kill", because everyone who hates his brother is a murderer(1 Jn 3:15), says the word of God.

In addition to bodily murder, there is no less terrible murder - spiritual, when someone seduces, seduces a neighbor into unbelief or pushes him to commit a sin and thereby destroys his soul.

St. Philaret of Moscow writes that “not every taking of life is a lawful murder. It is not unlawful to kill when a life is taken away by office, such as: when a criminal is punished by death by justice; when they kill the enemy in the war for the Fatherland.

seventh commandment

Don't commit adultery.

This commandment forbids sins against the family, adultery, all carnal relations between a man and a woman outside of legal marriage, carnal perversions, as well as impure desires and thoughts.

The Lord established the marriage union and blessed the carnal fellowship in it, which serves procreation. Husband and wife are no longer two, but one flesh(Gen 2:24). The presence of marriage is another (albeit not the most important) difference between us and animals. Animals don't get married. People have marriage, mutual responsibility, obligations to each other and to children.

What is blessed in marriage is a sin outside of marriage, a violation of the commandment. The marriage union unites a man and a woman in one flesh for mutual love, the birth and upbringing of children. Any attempt to steal the joys of marriage without mutual trust and the responsibility that a marriage union implies is a serious sin, which, according to the testimony of Holy Scripture, deprives a person of the Kingdom of God (see: 1 Cor 6, 9).

An even greater sin is the violation marital fidelity or the destruction of someone else's marriage. Cheating destroys not only marriage, but also defiles the soul of the one who cheats. You can't build happiness on someone else's grief. There is a law of spiritual balance: having sowed evil, sin, we will reap evil, our sin will return to us. Shameless talk and not keeping one's feelings are also a violation of the seventh commandment.

eighth commandment

Don't steal.

It is a violation of this commandment to appropriate someone else's property, both public and private. The types of theft can be varied: robbery, theft, deceit in trade affairs, bribery, bribery, tax evasion, parasitism, sacrilege (that is, the appropriation of church property), all kinds of scams, fraud and fraud. In addition, any dishonesty can be attributed to sins against the eighth commandment: lies, deceit, hypocrisy, flattery, sycophancy, human pleasing, since by this people try to gain something (for example, the favor of their neighbor) dishonestly.

“You can’t build a house with stolen goods,” says a Russian proverb. And again: "No matter how the rope winds, there will be an end." Cashing in on the appropriation of someone else's property, a person will sooner or later pay for it. A sin committed, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is sure to return. A man familiar to the authors of this book in the yard accidentally hit and scratched the fender of a neighbor's car. But he didn't say anything to him and didn't make amends. Some time later, in a completely different place, far from his home, his own car was also scratched and fled the scene. The blow was inflicted on the same wing, which he spoiled to a neighbor.

The love of money leads to the violation of the commandment “Thou shalt not steal”. It was she who led Judas to betrayal. Evangelist John directly calls him a thief (see John 12:6).

The passion of covetousness is overcome by cultivating non-covetousness in oneself, mercy to the poor, diligence, honesty and growth in spiritual life, for attachment to money and other material values ​​​​always comes from lack of spirituality.

ninth commandment

Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

With this commandment, the Lord forbids not only direct false testimony against one's neighbor, for example, in court, but also any lie spoken against other people, such as: slander, false denunciations. The sin of idle talk, so common and everyday for modern man, is also very often associated with sins against the ninth commandment. In idle talk, gossip, gossip, and sometimes slander and slander are constantly born. During an idle conversation, it is very easy to say too much, to divulge other people's secrets and secrets entrusted to you, to put your neighbor in a difficult position. “My tongue is my enemy,” people say, and indeed our language can be of great benefit to us and our neighbors, or it can do much harm. The apostle James says that with our tongue we sometimes we bless God and the Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God(James 3:9). We sin against the ninth commandment not only when we slander our neighbor, but also when we agree with what others have said, thereby participating in the sin of condemnation.

Judge not lest ye be judged(Mt 7:1), the Savior warns. To condemn means to judge, to boldly admire the right that belongs only to God. Only the Lord, who knows the past, present and future of man, can judge His creation.

The story of the Monk John of Savva

Once a monk from a neighboring monastery came to me, and I asked him how the fathers live. He answered: "All right, according to your prayers." Then I asked about a monk who did not enjoy a good reputation, and the guest said to me: “He has not changed at all, father!” Hearing this, I exclaimed: "Bad!" And as soon as I said this, I immediately felt as if in ecstasy and saw Jesus Christ crucified between two thieves. I was rushing to worship the Savior, when suddenly He turned to the upcoming Angels and said to them: “Put him out, this is the Antichrist, for he condemned his brother before My Judgment.” And when, according to the word of the Lord, I was cast out, my mantle was left in the door, and then I woke up. “Woe is me,” I then said to the brother who had come, “this day is angry with me!” "Why is that?" he asked. Then I told him about the vision and noticed that the mantle I left behind meant that I was deprived of the protection and help of God. And from that time I spent seven years wandering in the wilderness, neither eating bread, nor going under shelter, nor conversing with people, until I saw my Lord, who returned the mantle to me.

That's how scary it is to pass judgment on a person.

tenth commandment

Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

This commandment forbids envy and grumbling. It is impossible not only to do evil to people, but even to have sinful, envious thoughts against them. Any sin begins with a thought, with a thought about something. A person begins to envy the property and money of his neighbors, then a thought arises in his heart to steal this good from his brother, and soon he embodies sinful dreams into action.

Envy of the wealth, talents, and health of our neighbors kills our love for them; envy, like acid, corrodes the soul. An envious person finds it difficult to communicate with others. He is pleased with the sorrow, the grief that befell those whom he envied. That is why the sin of envy is so dangerous: it is the seed of other sins. An envious person also sins against God, he does not want to be content with what the Lord sends him, he blames his neighbors and God for all his troubles. Such a person will never be happy and satisfied with life, because happiness does not depend on earthly goods, but on the state of the human soul. The kingdom of God is within you (Lk 17:21). It begins here, on earth, with the correct spiritual dispensation of man. The ability to see the gifts of God in every day of one's life, appreciate them and thank God for them is the key to human happiness.

deadly sins: gluttony, anger, envy, lust, greed, pride and laziness. Everyone knows, but not all of us consider each of the seven on the list a sin. Someone is guided by their personal views, someone based on the realities of the current society. Someone does not understand, someone is cunning, someone does not believe, but the main thing is that no one notices how these seven of us are slowly making slaves of our vices and multiplying and expanding the “range” of our sins. Further details.

There are seven deadly sins in Christian teaching, and they are called so because, despite their seemingly harmless nature, if they are regularly practiced, they lead to much more serious sins and, consequently, to the death of an immortal soul falling into hell. Deadly sins are not based on biblical texts and are not a direct revelation of God, they appeared in the texts of theologians later.

First, the Greek theologian monk Evagrius of Pontus compiled a list of the eight worst human passions. They were (in descending order of seriousness): pride, vanity, spiritual laziness, anger, despondency, greed, voluptuousness and gluttony. The order in this list was determined by the degree of a person's orientation towards himself, towards his ego (that is, pride is the most selfish property of a person and therefore the most harmful).

At the end of the 6th century, Pope Gregory I the Great reduced the list to seven elements, introducing the concept of vanity into pride, spiritual laziness into despondency, and also adding a new one - envy. The list was slightly rearranged, this time according to the criterion of opposing love: pride, envy, anger, despondency, greed, gluttony and voluptuousness (that is, pride is more opposed to love than others and therefore is the most harmful).

Later Christian theologians (in particular, Thomas Aquinas) objected to just such an order of mortal sins, but it was he who became the main one and is valid to this day. The only change in the list of Pope Gregory the Great was the replacement in the 17th century of the concept of despondency with laziness.

The word translated as "blessed", is synonymous with the word "happy". Why does Jesus not put a person's happiness on a par with what he has: success, security, power, etc.? He says that happiness is the result of a certain inner state, which does not depend on what is happening around, even if a person is slandered and persecuted. Happiness is a consequence of the relationship with the Creator, because it was He who gave us life and knows better than anyone what its meaning is, and hence happiness. Envy appears only when a person does not love and therefore is not happy. A void appears in the soul, which some unsuccessfully try to fill with things or thoughts about them.

A. In the Old Testament
- examples of envy (Gen 37:11; Numbers 16:1-3; Ps 105:16-18)
- commandment not to envy (Proverbs 3:31; Proverbs 23:17; Proverbs 24:1)

B. In the New Testament
- examples of envy (Mt 27:18; Mark 15:10; Phil 1:15-17)
- negative consequences of envy (Mark 7:20-23; Jas 3:14-16)
- positive consequences of envy (Rom 11:13-14)
envy among other sins (Rome 1:29; Gal 5:20; 1 Peter 2:1)
- love does not envy (1 Corinthians 13:4)

ANGER

If a person sees himself in a mirror in a fit of anger, rage, he will simply be horrified and will not recognize himself, his appearance has changed so much. But anger darkens not only and not so much the face as the soul. An angry person becomes possessed by a demon of anger. Very often, anger gives rise to one of the most terrible sins - murder. Of the reasons that cause anger, I would like to note, first of all, self-conceit, self-esteem, inflated self-esteem - a common cause of resentment and anger. It's easy to be calm and condescending when everyone praises you, but just touch your finger, you can immediately see what we are worth. Hot temper, irascibility can, of course, be the result of an overly temperamental character, but still character cannot serve as an excuse for anger. An irritable, ardent person must know this trait of his and fight it, learn to restrain himself. Envy can be considered as one of the causes of anger - nothing irritates so much as the well-being of one's neighbor ...

Two wise men lived in the same skete in the Sahara desert, and one of them said to the other: “Come on, or something, we will scold you, otherwise we will soon cease to understand properly what passions torment us.” "I don't know how to start a fight", - answered the second hermit. “Let’s do this: I will put this bowl here, and you will say:“ This is mine. ” I will answer: “She belongs to me!” We'll start arguing, and then we'll fight.". And so they did. One said that the bowl was his, and the other objected. "Let's not waste time, said the first one. — Take it for yourself. You didn't think too well about the quarrel. When a person realizes that he has an immortal soul, he will not argue over things..

Dealing with anger is not easy. Pray to the Lord before you do your deeds and the mercy of the Lord will deliver you from anger.

A. Human anger

1. The anger of people like
— Cain (Gen 4:5-6)
— Jacob (Gen 30:2)
— Moses (Ex 11:8)
— Saul (1 Samuel 20:30)
— David (2 Samuel 6:8)
— Neaman (2 Kings 5:11)
— Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:6)
- And she (Jonah 4:1,9)

2. How to control our anger
- we must refrain from anger (Ps 36:8; Eph 4:31)
- we must be slow to anger (Jas 1:19-20)
- we must control ourselves (Proverbs 16:32)
- in our anger we must not sin (Ps 4:5; Eph 4:26-27)

3. We can be cast into hellfire because of anger. (Matthew 5:21-22)

4. We must allow God to avenge sin (Ps 93:1-2; Rom 12:19; 2 Thess 1:6-8)

B. The Wrath of Jesus

- to injustice (Mark 3:5; Mark 10:14)
- on blasphemy in the Temple of God (John 2:12-17)
- at the last trial (Rev 6:16-17)

C. The Wrath of God

1. God's Wrath Is Righteous (Rom 3:5-6; Rev 16:5-6)

2. Causes of His Wrath
- idolatry (1 Samuel 14:9; 1 Samuel 14:15; 1 Samuel 14:22; 2 Chronicles 34:25)
- sin (Deut 9:7; 2 Kings 22:13; Rom 1:18)
- unbelief (Ps 77:21-22; John 3:36)
- bad attitude towards others (Ex 10:1-4; Amos 2:6-7)
- refusal to repent (Isaiah 9:13; Isaiah 9:17; Rom 2:5)

3. Expression of His anger
- temporary sentences (Numbers 11:1; Numbers 11:33; Isaiah 10:5; Cry 1:12)
- on the day of the Lord (Rom 2:5-8; Sof 1:15; Soph 1:18; Rev 11:18; Ps 109:5)

4. The Lord owns His wrath
God is slow to anger (Ex 34:6; Ps 102:8)
- God's mercy is greater than His wrath (Ps 29:6; Isaiah 54:8; Hos 8:8-11)
- God will turn away His wrath (Ps 77:38; Isaiah 48:9; Dan 9:16)
believers are delivered from the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Rom 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9)

IDLENESS

Idleness is the avoidance of physical and spiritual work. Despondency, which is also part of this sin, is a state of objectless discontent, resentment, hopelessness and disappointment, accompanied by a general breakdown. According to John of the Ladder, one of the creators of the list of seven sins, despondency is "Deceiver of God, as if He is merciless and inhumane". The Lord endowed us with Reason, which is able to stimulate our spiritual quest. Here again it is worth quoting the words of Christ from Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" ( Matthew 5:6) .

The Bible does not speak of laziness as a sin, but as an unproductive character trait. Laziness refers to the lethargy and inaction of a person. The lazy one should follow the example of the industrious ant (Proverbs 6:6-8) ; lazy is a burden to other people (Proverbs 10:26) . Making excuses, the lazy one only punishes himself, because. their arguments are stupid (Proverbs 22:13) and testify of his stupidity, causing ridicule of people (Proverbs 6:9-11; Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 18:9; Proverbs 19:15; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 24:30-34) . Unmerciful judgment will be subjected to those who lived only for themselves and did not realize the talent bestowed on him (Matthew 25:26 and next.).

GREED

You won't find the word "greed" in the Bible. However, this does not mean that the Bible has ignored the problem of greed. Quite the contrary, the Word of God takes a very close and careful look at this human vice. And it does this by decomposing greed into its components:

1. Love of money (there is a love of money) and covetousness (the desire for enrichment). “... for know that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God” ( Eph 5:5) .
Love of money, being the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10) , is the foundation of greed. All other components of greed and all other human vices originate in the love of money. The Lord teaches us not to be covetous: “Have a non-money-loving disposition, being content with what you have. For I myself said: I will not leave you, nor forsake you. Heb 13:5) .

2. Covetousness and bribery
Covetousness is the demand and collection of interest on loans, the extortion of gifts, bribes. Bribe - reward, remuneration, payment, retribution, profit, self-interest, profit, bribe. Bribery is bribery.

If the love of money is the foundation of greed, then covetousness is the right hand of greed. About this vice, the Bible says that it comes from the heart of man: “Further [Jesus] said: What comes out of a man defiles a man. For from within, out of the human heart, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, malice, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness - all this evil comes from within and defiles a person ”( Mark 7:20-23) .

The Bible calls covetous and bribe-takers ungodly: "The wicked one takes a gift from his bosom to pervert the ways of justice" ( Ecclesiastes 7:7). “By oppressing others, the wise become foolish, and gifts spoil the heart” ( Proverbs 17:23) .

The Word of God warns us that the covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malakia, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor blasphemers, nor predators - will not inherit the Kingdom of God ”( 1 Corinthians 6:9-10) .

“He who walks in righteousness and speaks the truth; who despises covetousness from oppression, keeps his hands from taking bribes, stops his ears so as not to hear of bloodshed, and closes his eyes so as not to see evil; he will dwell on high; his refuge is impregnable rocks; bread will be given to him; his water will not run out" ( Isaiah 33:15-16) .

3. Greed:
Greed is the thirst for profit. The nature of a greedy person is well described in the book of the prophet Amos. “Hear this, you who are hungry to devour the poor and destroy the poor, you who say: when will the new moon pass so that we can sell grain, and the Sabbath to open the granaries, reduce the measure, increase the price of the shekel and deceive with false weights to buy the poor with silver and the poor for a pair of shoes, and sell the cuttings from bread ”( Amos 8:4-6). “These are the ways of everyone who hungers for the good of others: it takes the life of the one who has taken it” ( Proverbs 1:19) .

Ex 20:17) . In other words, this commandment addresses a person with a call: "Don't be greedy!"

4. Stinginess:
“At the same time, I will say: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; but whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each give according to the disposition of the heart, not with grief and not with compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9:6-7) . Is stinginess different from greed? These words are almost synonymous, but there are still some differences between them. Avarice, first of all, is aimed at preserving what is available, while greed and greed are focused on new acquisitions.

5. Greed
“For the wicked boasts in the lust of his soul; the greedy man indulges himself" ( Ps 9:24). "The greedy one will ruin his house, but the one who hates gifts will live" ( Proverbs 15:27) .

Covetousness is a sin for which the Lord punished and punishes people: “For the sin of his greed, I was angry and struck him, hid my face and was indignant; but he turned away and went in the way of his heart" ( Isaiah 57:17) . The Word of God warns Christians “So that you do nothing with your brother unlawfully and greedily: because the Lord is the avenger for all this, as before we told you and testified” ( 1 Thessalonians 4:6) .

The absence of greed is an obligatory feature of true servants of God: “But the bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, chaste, decent, honest, hospitable, instructive, not a drunkard, not a brawler, not quarrelsome, not greedy, but quiet, peace-loving, not avaricious…” ( 1 Tim 3:2-3); “Deacons must also be honest, not bilingual, not addicted to wine, not greedy…” ( 1 Tim 3:8) .

6. Envy:
“An envious person hurries to wealth, and does not think that poverty will befall him” ( Proverbs 28:22). “Do not eat food from an envious person and do not be tempted by his delicious dishes; for whatever thoughts are in his soul, so is he; “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit the piece that you ate, and you will waste your kind words in vain ”( Proverbs 23:6-8) .

The Tenth Commandment forbids us to desire the good of others: “Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. Ex 20:17) . However, it is known that such desires most often arise in people because of envy.

7. Selfishness:
We already had a fairly deep conversation about egoism. We will not return to it, we will only recall that the components of egoism are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and worldly pride. We have called this the triune nature of egoism: “For everything that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of this world” ( 1 John 2:16) .

Greed is an integral part of selfishness, for the lust of the eyes is everything that the insatiable eyes of man desire. It is against the lust of the eyes that the tenth commandment warns us: “Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's. Ex 20:17) . So, selfishness and greed - two boots - a pair.

8. Gluttony:
The Word of God warns that the eyes of man are insatiable: “Hell and Abaddon are insatiable; so insatiable are human eyes" ( Proverbs 27:20). “Insatiability has two daughters: “come on, come on!” ( Proverbs 30:15) “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and he who loves wealth will not benefit from it. And this is vanity!” ( Ecclesiastes 5:9) “And I turned and saw still vanity under the sun; the person is alone, and there is no other; he has neither son nor brother; and all his labors have no end, and his eye is not saturated with wealth. “For whom, then, do I labor and deprive my soul of good?” And this is vanity and a bad deed!” ( Ecclesiastes 4:7-8) .

The main reason for greed is spiritual emptiness: spiritual hunger and thirst with which a person is born into the world. Spiritual emptiness was formed in the soul of a person as a result of spiritual death, which became a consequence of his fall into sin. God created man perfect. When a person lived with God, he was not greedy, but without God, greed became a trait of a person's character. Whatever he does, he is unable to fill this spiritual void. “All the labors of a man are for his mouth, but his soul is not satisfied” ( Ecclesiastes 6:7) .

A greedy person, not understanding the reason for his dissatisfaction, tries to drown it out with material goods and wealth. He, the poor fellow, does not understand that spiritual poverty cannot be filled with any material goods, just as spiritual thirst cannot be quenched with a bucket of water. All that such a person needs is to turn to the Lord, who, being the only source of living water, is able to fill the spiritual void in the soul.

Today the Lord speaks to each of us through the prophet Isaiah: “Thirsty! go all to the waters; even you, who have no silver, go and buy and eat; go buy wine and milk without silver and without price. Why should you weigh out silver for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to Me and eat good, and let your soul enjoy fatness. Incline your ear and come to Me: listen, and your soul will live, and I will give you an everlasting covenant, unchanging mercies promised to David" ( Isaiah 55:1-3) .

Only the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is able to satisfy the spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst of everyone who comes to Him: “Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst" John 6:35) .

Of course, it is impossible to get rid of greed in one day, especially if you have been in the slavery of this vice for a long time. But it's definitely worth a try. (Deut 24:19-22; Mt 26:41; 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Col 3:2; Rom 12:2; 1 Tim 6:6-11; 3 John 1:11; Heb 13:5-6)

The next time you have a desire to profit from someone or there is a reluctance to share with someone, remember the words of Christ: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35)

A. Covetousness

- in the Old Testament (Ex 20:17; Deut 5:21; Tue 7:25)
- in the New Testament (Rom 7:7-11; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5)

B. Greed Leads to Other Sins (1 Tim 6:10; 1 John 2:15-16)

- deceit (Jacob) (Gen 27:18-26)
adultery (David) (2 Kings 11:1-5)
disobedience to God (Achan) (Joshua 7:20-21)
- hypocritical worship (Saul) (1 Samuel 15:9-23)
- murder (Ahav) (1 Samuel 21:1-14)
- theft (Gehazi) (2 Kings 5:20-24)
- troubles in the family (Proverbs 15:27)
- lies (Ananias and Sapphira) (Acts 5:1-10)

C. Being satisfied with what you have is a remedy for greed.

- commanded (Luke 3:14; 1 Tim 6:8; Heb 13:5)
- Paul's experience (Php 4:11-12)

GLUTTONY

Gluttony is a sin against the second commandment (Ex 20:4) and there is one kind of idolatry. Since gluttons place sensual pleasure above all else, then, according to the apostle, their god is the womb, or, in other words, the womb is their idol: “Their end is destruction, their god is the womb, and their glory is in shame, they think about earthly things” ( Phil 3:19) .

Sweets can become an idol, an object of desire and constant dreams of a person. This is undoubtedly gluttony, but already in my thoughts. This is also something to watch out for. “Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” ( Mt 26:41) .

Gluttony literally means immoderation and greed in food, bringing a person to a bestial state. The point here is not only in food, but also in the unrestrained desire to consume more than is required. However, the fight against the vice of gluttony involves not so much a strong-willed suppression of the urge to eat, but a reflection on its true place in life. Food is certainly important for existence, but it should not become the meaning of life, thereby replacing worries about the soul with caring for the body. Let us remember the words of Christ: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your soul what you will eat or drink, nor about your body what you will wear. Is not the soul greater than food, and the body than clothing? Mt 6:25) . This is very important to understand, because in contemporary culture gluttony is defined more as a medical ailment than as a moral concept.

voluptuousness

This sin is characterized not only by extramarital sexual intercourse, but also by the very craving for carnal pleasures. Let's look at the words of Jesus Christ: “You have heard what the ancients said: do not commit adultery. But I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28) . A person whom the Lord endowed with Will and Reason must be different from animals that blindly follow their instincts. Also, lust should be attributed to different kinds sexual perversions (bestiality, necrophilia, homosexuality, etc.), which in their essence contradict human nature. (Ex 22:19; 1 Tim 1:10; Lev 18:23-24; Lev 20:15-16; Deut 27:21; Gen 19:1-13; Lev 18:22; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

A list of sins is contrasted with a list of virtues. Pride - humility; greed - generosity; envy - love; anger - kindness; voluptuousness - self-control; gluttony - moderation and abstinence, and laziness - diligence. Thomas Aquinas singled out Faith, Hope and Love among the virtues.

Just sketches for now, to compress, cut and peel later. As they say, dashing trouble began ...

Seven deadly sins:

• Pride (I am my own sky and moon...)
• Covetousness (give me pills for greed, and more, more ..)
• Fornication (I'll put them together...)
• Envy (well, neighbors ... in a one-room two-room apartment they hide ...)
• Gluttony (I love pasta… cakes, salads, sprats…)
• Anger (wah, nah, zah… it was last summer…)
• Despondency (everything will be fine ... it will not get worse ...)

• Love (... any phrase with a candy wrapper Love)
• Non-possession (no, Bobik ...)
• Chastity (modesty is not a vice...it is a virtue)
• Humility (hit one, turn another)
• Abstinence (I want, I can, but I will not take ...)
• Gentleness (wait a minute, wait a minute, I'm writing down...)
• Sobriety (watch yourself, be careful...)

Deadly sins that are absolutely undesirable to commit:

• Pride (arrogance)
• Envy
• Gluttony (Gluttony)
• Fornication (Lust)
• Anger (Anger)
• Greed (Greed)
• Despondency (Idleness)

So 7 virtues as opposed to 7 deadly sins:

• Humility (Shame)
• Sympathy (Goodwill)
• Asceticism in food
• Chastity
• Kindness (Meekness)
• Unselfishness (Generosity)
• Vitality (Industriousness)

Theological interpretation from St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)
http://voliaboga.narod.ru/stati/08_03_04_poiasnenie_dobrodet.htm

The Book of Proverbs (965 - 717 BC) says that the Lord hates seven things that are repugnant to Him:

• proud look
• lying tongue
• Hands shedding innocent blood
• A heart that forges evil plans
• Feet running fast to villainy
• False Witness Telling Lies
• Sowing discord between brothers

• Γαστριμαργία
• Πορνεία
• Φιλαργυρία
• Ἀκηδία
• Κενοδοξία
• Ὑπερηφανία

• Fornication
• Avaritia
• Tristitia
• Vanagloria
• Superbia

• luxuria (lust)
• gula (gluttony)
• avaritia (greed)
• acedia (despondency)
• ira (anger)
• invidia (envy)
• superbia (pride)

However, in Orthodoxy there is a concept of 8 sinful passions:

• Gluttony,
• Fornication,
• love of money,
• Anger,
• sadness
• despondency,
• Vanity,
• Pride.

Conditionally, one can try to present the concept of the distortion of natural human properties and passions, as follows:

Natural good from God - Sinful passion:

• Pleasure from moderate food intake - a distortion of God-given ability, becomes a passion for gluttony
• Pleasure in an honest marriage from the physical union of the flesh with the wife - a distortion of God-given ability, becomes a passion for fornication
• Possession of the material world for the glory of God as an increase in love - a distortion of the God-given ability, becomes a passion for greed
• Righteous anger at evil and untruth, protection of one's neighbor from evil - a distortion of God-given ability, becomes a passion of anger (unrighteous) at the dissatisfaction of needs
• Pleasure from moderate rest after work - a distortion of a God-given ability, becomes a passion for sadness (boredom, laziness)
• Joy in the soul, regardless of external circumstances - a distortion of God-given ability, becomes a passion for despondency (despair, thoughts of suicide)
• Joy from the created creation (realized thought, word, action), which is based on
• A good beginning - a distortion of a God-given ability, becomes a passion for vanity
• Love for God and neighbor, humility - a distortion of a God-given ability, becomes a passion for pride

Theological virtues

• Hope
• Love

• Wisdom
• Justice
• Courage
• Moderation

• Pride - Humility
• Stinginess - generosity
• Impurity -- Chastity
• Envy - benevolence
• Intemperance - Moderation
• Anger - Meekness
• Laziness - diligence

Theological virtues (English Theological virtues, French Vertus théologales, Spanish Virtudes teologales) are categories that postulate the ideal qualities of a person.
Composition of three Christian virtues- faith, hope, love - formulated in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (~50 AD)
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theological_virtues

Cardinal virtues (from Latin cardo "rod") - a group of four basic virtues in Christian moral theology, based on ancient philosophy and having parallels in other cultures. The classic formula includes prudence, justice, moderation and courage.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_virtues

In the Catholic catechism, the seven catholic virtues refer to the combination of two lists of virtues, the 4 cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, restraint or temperance, and courage or fortitude, (from ancient greek philosophy) and the 3 theological virtues of faith , hope, and love or charity (from the letters of Paul of Tarsus); these were adopted by the Church Fathers as the seven virtues.
The seven heavenly virtues were derived from the Psychomachia ("Contest of the Soul"), an epic poem written by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (c. AD 410) entailing the battle of good virtues and evil vices. The intense popularity of this work in the Middle Ages helped to spread the concept of holy virtue throughout Europe. Practicing these virtues is considered to protect one against temptation from the seven deadly sins, with each one having its counterpart. Due to this they are sometimes referred to as the contrary virtues. Each of the seven heavenly virtues matches a corresponding deadly sin
There is still a good sign, but to bite it you have to mess around a lot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_virtues

The text of the ten commandments according to the Synodal translation of the Bible.

• I am the Lord your God; Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
• Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth. Don't worship them and don't serve them; for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, punishing children for the guilt of their fathers to the third and fourth [kind], who hate
• Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
• Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces his name in vain.
• Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Work six days, and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: on it you shall do no work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger that is in your dwellings. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
• Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
• Dont kill.
• Don't commit adultery.
• Don't steal.
• Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

Parchment with the text of the Decalogue from the Esnoga Sephardic synagogue. Amsterdam. 1768 (612x502 mm)

Comparison of the texts of Ex. 20:1-17 and Deut. 5:4-21 (by reference) in the original language, with a translation into English language(KJV), allows you to more accurately understand the content of the commandments.

• Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain [literally "falsely" - that is, during the oath], for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain [falsely]. In the original, this means “do not wear (Heb. תשא, tisa) the name of the Lord falsely (wasted, conceited, illegal).” The original verb נשא nasa" means "lift, carry, take, lift up". Once again, the expression "to bear a name" is used in a similar way only in Ex. in the sanctuary, the names of the tribes of the sons of Israel, carved on two onyx stones.Thus, whoever professes faith in the God of Israel, according to the commandment, becomes the bearer of His name, bearing responsibility for how he represents God to others.The texts of the Old Testament describe cases when the name God is defiled by people's hypocrisy and false representations of God or His character.Joseph Telushkin, a contemporary Orthodox rabbi, also writes that this commandment means much more than the prohibition of accidentally mentioning God's name.He points out that a more literal translation of "lo tissa" would be "You do not must bear" rather than "You must not take", and that understanding this helps everyone understand why the commandment is equated with others such as "Thou shalt not kill" and "Do not commit adultery."
• Don't kill. Original: "לֹא תִרְצָח". The verb "רְצָח" used denotes immoral premeditated murder (cf. murder), as opposed to any murder at all, such as in an accident, in self-defence, in war, or by order of the court (cf. kill). (Since the Bible itself prescribes the death penalty by court order as a result of the violation of certain commandments, this verb cannot mean murder at all, under any circumstances)
• Do not commit adultery [in the original, this word usually refers only to sexual relations between married woman and a man who is not her husband]. According to another opinion, all the so-called "prohibitions of incest" belong to this commandment, including male and bestiality.
• Don't steal. The prohibition against theft of property is also stated in Leviticus 19:11. Oral tradition interprets the contents of the commandment "Thou shalt not steal" in the Ten Commandments as a prohibition against kidnapping a person for the purpose of enslavement. Since the previous commandments “Thou shalt not kill” and “Thou shalt not commit adultery” speak of sins punishable by death, one of the principles of interpretation of the Torah prescribes that continuation be understood as a severely punishable crime.
• “Thou shalt not covet…” This commandment includes the prohibition against theft of property. According to Jewish tradition, theft is also “theft of an image”, that is, the creation of a false idea about an object, event, person (deceit, flattery, etc.)

Eastern philosophy also had its lists of the main virtues.
In Confucianism, they stood out as such

• jen (philanthropy),
• and (fairness, sense of duty),
• whether (decency),
• zhi (knowledge, intelligence)
• and xin (truthfulness).

• master and servant
• parents and children,
• husband and wife
• senior and junior
• between friends.

Yama (Skt. यम) - (in yoga) these are ethical restrictions or universal moral precepts. Yama is the first step of Ashtanga yoga (eight limb yoga) described in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

"Yama" includes five basic principles (according to the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali):

• ahimsa—non-violence;
• satya - truthfulness;
• asteya - non-appropriation of someone else's (non-stealing);
• brahmacharya - abstinence; controlling lust and maintaining chastity before marriage; internal composure, promiscuity;
• aparigraha - non-covetousness (rejection of gifts), non-hoarding, non-attachment.

Niyama (Skt. नियम) - spiritual principles in dharmic religions; "accepting, cultivating, fulfilling and developing positive virtues, good thoughts and accepting these virtues as one's system." The second step of Ashtanga Yoga.

The Niyama stage consists of five basic principles:

• Shaucha - purity, both external (cleanliness) and internal (purity of mind).
• Santosha - modesty, contentment with the present, optimism.
• Tapas - self-discipline, diligence in achieving a spiritual goal.
• Svadhyaya - knowledge, the study of spiritual and scientific literature, the formation of a culture of thinking.
• Ishvara pranidhana - accepting Ishvara (God) as one's goal, the only ideal in life.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy: a list in order and the commandments of God. Many believers, reading the holy scriptures, often pay attention to such an expression as "seven deadly sins." These words do not refer to any specific seven deeds, because the list of such deeds can be much longer. This number indicates only the conditional grouping of actions into seven main groups.

Gregory the Great was the first to propose such a division as early as 590. The church also has its own division, in which there are eight main passions. Translated from Church Slavonic the word "passion" means suffering. Other believers and preachers believe that there are 10 sins in Orthodoxy.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy

The mortal sin is the most serious of all possible sins. It can be redeemed only by repentance. Committing such a sin does not allow a person's soul to go to heaven. Basically, in Orthodoxy there are seven deadly sins.

And they are called mortal because their constant repetition leads to the death of the immortal soul of a person, and therefore its entry into hell. Such actions are based on biblical texts. Their appearance in the texts of theologians dates back to a later time.

Mortal sins in Orthodoxy. List.

1. Anger, anger, revenge. This group includes actions that, in contrast to love, bring destruction.
2. lust e, debauchery, fornication. This category includes acts that lead to an excessive desire for pleasure.
3. Laziness, idleness, despondency. They include unwillingness to perform both spiritual and physical work.
4. Pride, vanity, arrogance. Unbelief in the divine is arrogance, boasting, excessive self-confidence.
5. Envy, jealousy. This group includes dissatisfaction with what they have, confidence in the injustice of the world, the desire for someone else's status, property, qualities.
6. Gluttony, gluttony. The need to consume more than necessary is also referred to as passion.
7. love of money greed, greed, avarice. Most of all, attention is drawn to when the desire to increase one's material condition occurs at the expense of spiritual well-being.

The list of sins for confession in Orthodoxy

Confession is referred to as rituals that help to get rid of sins and purify the soul. The clergy believe that if repentance is supported by almsgiving, fervent prayer and fasting, then after it a person can return to the state in which Adam was before the fall.

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You can go to confession in any situation, but often it is a temple during a divine service or another time that the priest will appoint. A person who wishes to repent must be baptized, go to Orthodox Church, recognize the foundations of Orthodoxy and desire to repent of their sins.

To prepare for confession, repentance and faith are essential. It is recommended to fast and read penitential prayers. A repentant person needs to confess his sins, than to show the recognition of his sinfulness, while highlighting those passions that are especially characteristic of him.

It will not be superfluous to name specific sins that burden his soul. Here is a short list of sins to confess:

• Resentment against God.
• Caring only for worldly life.
• Violation of the Law of God.
• Condemnation of the clergy.
• Unbelief, lack of faith, doubts about the existence of God, about the truth of the Orthodox faith.
• insulting God, Holy Mother of God, saints, holy church. The mention of the Name of God is in vain, without reverence.
• Violation of fasts, church regulations and prayer rules.
• Failure to keep promises made to God.
• Lack of Christian love.
• Non-attendance or rare visit to the temple.
• Envy, malice, hatred.
• Homicide, abortion. Suicide.
• Lies, deceit.
• Lack of mercy, failure to help those in need.
• Pride. Condemnation. Resentment, not a desire to reconcile, forgive. rancor.
• Greed, covetousness, money-grubbing, bribery.
• Temptation for any sin.
• Extravagance.
• Superstition.
• Use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs..
• Entering into direct communication with evil spirits.
• Fornication.
• Gambling.
• Divorce.
• Self-justification.
• Laziness, sadness, gluttony, despondency.

This is not a complete list of sins. It can also be extended. In conclusion of the confession, one can say this: I have sinned (a) in deed, in word, in thoughts, with all the feelings of the soul and body. Do not list all my sins, according to their multitude. But in all my sins, both expressed and forgotten, I repent.

The most terrible sin in Orthodoxy

Often people argue about which sin is the most terrible, and which God is willing to forgive. It is generally accepted that suicide is considered the most serious sin. He is considered incorrigible, because having passed away, a person can no longer beg forgiveness from God for his soul.

There is no clear ranking of sins in Orthodoxy. After all, if a small sin is not repented of and repented of, it can lead to the death of a person’s soul and burden him.

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You can often hear about original sin in Orthodoxy. This is the name of the act of Adam and Eve, which they committed. Since it was committed in the first generation of people, it was recognized as the first sin of all mankind. This sin damaged human nature and is passed on to posterity by inheritance. In order to reduce its influence on a person or even lose it, it is recommended to baptize children and accustom them to the church.

Sodom sin in Orthodoxy

So it is customary to call a sinful thought, act or aspiration, which is based on a person’s sexual attraction to a representative (representatives) of his gender. Often the clergy attributed this sin as one of the types of fornication, although some drew a fairly clear line between such concepts.

In turn, the sin of fornication in Orthodoxy is classified as a mortal sin. After all, it is believed that when connecting with a person, not only physical, but also spiritual intimacy occurs. And all this remains on our soul. She becomes unclean. In the middle, everything seems to be burned out.

That is why it is necessary every time to think about your carnal desires, and think about what it can lead to.

We cannot atone for sins in Orthodoxy on our own. But we have hope that the Lord has given us. To ease your hardships, you need to pray earnestly. It is necessary to go to the temple and confess before God and the priest.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. Cast out from me all misfortunes that tempt carnal passions. In redemption, I fall down, I forget about sins in vanity. Forgive me the sins that happened, and they are still not forgotten. Those sins that are still smoldering in the soul, too often smell of illness. May your will be done. Amen".

The Lord is always with you!

Deadly sin- this is the most serious of possible sins, which can only be expiated by repentance. For committing a mortal sin, the soul of a person may be deprived of the opportunity to go to heaven. Interested in this topic, many people ask how many mortal sins there are in Orthodoxy. There are seven deadly sins in Christian teaching, and they are called so because, despite their seemingly harmless nature, if they are regularly practiced, they lead to much more serious sins and, consequently, to the death of an immortal soul falling into hell. Deadly sins are not based on biblical texts and are not a direct revelation of God, they appeared in the texts of theologians later.

If we begin to live like those who die every day, then we will not sin (St. Anthony the Great, 88, 17).

Seven deadly sins list
LOVE OF MONEY
PRIDE
FORNICATION
ENVY
Gluttony (Gluttony)
ANGER
DESCRIPTION

The history of the appearance of the list of seven sinful acts or 7 deadly sins

Acts considered mortal Orthodox faith distinguishes the degree of severity, and the possibility of their redemption. Speaking of sinful deeds, especially more attention should be paid to the seven deeds that are considered mortal. Many have heard about this, but not everyone knows which of the sinful deeds will be on this list, and what will distinguish them. Sin is called mortal not from the head, because Christians believe that when committing these sins, human souls can die.

It is worth noting that seven deadly sins, although the opinion of society is not sure of this, the Bible does not describe, because their direction of the concept appeared later than the compilation of the Holy Letter began. It is believed that the monastic works, whose name is Eugarius of Pontus, could serve as a basis. He compiled a list, which included at first eight sins of man. It was later reduced to seven positions.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy: a list in order and God's commandments

Why were the sins so

It is clear that these sinful acts or the seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy are not as terrible as theologians thought. They are not such that they cannot be redeemed, they can be confessed, it is just that their commission can contribute to the fact that people become more bad, further and further away from God. With more effort, one can live in such a way that one does not break one of the ten commandments, but living in such a way that one does not commit one of the seven sinful deeds is hard. Essentially, sinful acts and mortal sins in Orthodoxy in the amount of shadow laid in people by mother - nature.

Under specific circumstances, people are able to survive, defying the doctrine of sinful deeds, but, ignoring this, believe that this cannot achieve good results. When you haven't heard anything about what is meant by the seven deadly sins, the short-explanatory list below may reveal the issue.

Seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy

It is common for a person to want a lot of money, making every effort to get material assets. However, he does not think whether they are needed in general. These unfortunates are blindly engaged in collecting jewelry, money, property. They try to get more than they have without knowing the limit, without even wanting to know it. This sin is called the love of money.

Self-esteem, self-respect. Many people can accomplish anything by trying to be higher than others. More often, the actions that are performed are certainly necessary for this. They delight society, and in those who are subject to a sense of pride, a fire is born that burns all the feelings that are considered the best that are inside the soul. After a certain period of time, a person tirelessly thinks only about his beloved.

3. Fornication.(That is, sexual life before marriage), adultery (that is, adultery). Dissolute life. Not keeping feelings, especially
sense of touch, which is an audacity that destroys all virtues. Cursing and reading voluptuous books. Voluptuous thoughts, indecent conversations, even a single glance directed with lust at a woman, are reckoned with fornication.

The Savior says this about it: “You have heard what the ancients said: do not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”(Matthew 5:27-28).
If he who looks at a woman with lust sins, then the woman is not innocent of the same sin, if she dresses up and adorns herself with the desire to be looked at, seduced by her, "For woe to that man by whom the offense comes."

4. Envy. Feelings of envy may not always be white color. Often it can become a cause that contributes to the emergence of discord and crime. Not everyone can easily accept the existence of the fact that someone has been able to achieve better conditions for living. History gives many examples when the feeling of envy led to murder.

5. Gluttony. People who eat a lot, overeat at the same time, can not cause anything pleasant. Food is necessary in order to sustain life, in order to be able to perform meaningful actions in relation to beauty. But those who are subjected to a sinful deed in gluttony believe that they were certainly born for those purposes, so that they eat.

6. Anger. Hot temper, irritability, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreaming of revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, clouding the mind with it: obscene
shouting, arguing, cruel, abusive and caustic words. Slander, remembrance, malice, indignation and resentment of one's neighbor, hatred, enmity, revenge, condemnation. Unfortunately, we do not always manage to restrain ourselves, our anger, when the wave of emotions overflows. First of all, it is chopped from the shoulder, and then it is only observed that the consequences are irreversible. We must fight our passions!

7. Despondency. Sloth for everyone good deed especially for prayer. Too much restful sleep. Depression, despair (which often leads a person to suicide), lack of fear of God, complete carelessness about the soul, neglect of repentance until last days life.

Fight against sin

You need to fight with your passions, tame your emotions, because this leads to a deplorable end! Sin must be fought initial stage its birth! After all, the deeper sin enters our consciousness, our soul, the harder it becomes to fight it. Judge for yourself, in any business, illness, education, work, the longer you put off work, the harder it is to catch up!

And most importantly, forgive the help of God! After all, it is very difficult for a person to overcome sin! The devil plots intrigues, trying to ruin your soul, in every possible way pushing it to sin. These 7 deadly sins it's not that hard not to commit if you ask the Lord to help you fight them! One has only to take a step towards meeting the Savior and He will immediately come to the rescue! God is merciful and does not leave anyone!

ARTICLE 1. CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY

The Eight Deadly Sins and how to deal with them

"Ladder" of St. John of the Ladder

In the old days in Russia, the “Philokalia”, “The Ladder” of St. John of the Ladder and other soulful books have always been a favorite reading. Modern Orthodox Christians, unfortunately, rarely pick up these great books. It's a pity! After all, they contain answers to questions that are often asked in confession even today: “Father, how not to get irritated?”, “Father, how to deal with despondency and laziness?”, “How to live in peace with loved ones?”, “Why Do we keep returning to the same sins?”

These and other questions must be heard by every priest. These questions are answered by the theological science, which is called asceticism. She talks about what passions and sins are, how to deal with them, how to find peace of mind, how to acquire love for God and neighbor. The word “ascetic” immediately evokes associations with ancient ascetics, Egyptian hermits, and monasteries. In general, ascetic experiments, the fight against passions are considered by many to be a purely monastic affair: we are, they say, weak people, we live in the world, we already somehow ... This, of course, is a deep delusion. Everyone is called to the daily struggle, the war against passions and sinful habits. Orthodox Christian without exception. The apostle Paul tells us about this: “Those who are Christ’s (that is, all Christians. - Auth.) have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24).

Just as soldiers take an oath and give a solemn promise - an oath - to defend the Fatherland and crush its enemies, so a Christian, as a warrior of Christ in the sacrament of baptism, swears allegiance to Christ and "renounces the devil and all his deeds," that is, from sin. This means that we have to fight with these fierce enemies of our salvation - fallen angels, passions and sins. The fight is not for life, but for death, the fight is difficult and daily, if not hourly. Therefore, "we only dream of peace."

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy: a list in order and God's commandments

I will take the liberty of saying that asceticism can be called in some way Christian psychology. After all, the word "psychology" in translation from Greek means "science of the soul". This is a science that studies the mechanisms of human behavior and thinking. Practical psychology helps a person cope with his bad inclinations, overcome depression, learn to get along with himself and people. As you can see, the objects of attention of asceticism and psychology are the same.

Saint Theophan the Recluse said that it was necessary to compile a textbook on Christian psychology, and he himself used psychological analogies in his instructions to the questioners. The trouble is that psychology is not unified scientific discipline such as physics, mathematics, chemistry, or biology. There are many schools, directions that call themselves psychology. Psychology includes the psychoanalysis of Freud and Jung, as well as newfangled trends like neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Some directions in psychology are completely unacceptable for Orthodox Christians. Therefore, one has to collect some knowledge bit by bit, separating the wheat from the chaff.

I will try, using some knowledge from practical, applied psychology, to rethink them in accordance with the teachings of the holy fathers on the fight against passions.

Before we start talking about the main passions and methods of dealing with them, let's ask ourselves the question: "Why are we fighting our sins and passions?".

Recently I heard how a well-known Orthodox theologian, a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy (I won’t name him, because I respect him very much; he was my teacher, but in this case I fundamentally disagree with him) said: “worship, prayer, post - all this, so to speak, scaffolding, supports for the construction of the building of salvation, but not the goal of salvation, not the meaning Christian life. And the goal is to get rid of passions.” I cannot agree with this, since getting rid of passions is also not an end in itself, but speaks of the true goal. Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky: "Acquire the spirit of peace - and around you thousands will be saved."

That is, the goal of a Christian's life is the acquisition of love for God and neighbor. The Lord Himself speaks of only two commandments, on which all the law and the prophets are based. This "Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" And "Love your neighbor as yourself"(Matthew 22:37, 39). Christ did not say that these are just two of the ten, twenty other commandments, but said that "on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets"(Matthew 22:40). These are the most important commandments, the fulfillment of which is the meaning and purpose of the Christian life. And deliverance from passions is also only a means, like prayer, worship and fasting. If getting rid of passions were the goal of a Christian, then we would not be far from Buddhists, who are also looking for dispassion - nirvana.

It is impossible for a person to fulfill the two main commandments while passions dominate him. A person who is subject to passions and sins loves himself and his passion. How can a vain, proud man love God and his neighbors? And who is in despondency, anger, serving the love of money? The questions are rhetorical.

Serving passions and sin does not allow a Christian to fulfill the most important, key commandment of the New Testament - the commandment of love.

Passion and suffering

From the Church Slavonic language, the word "passion" is translated as "suffering". Hence, for example, the word "passion-bearer", that is, suffering suffering, torment. And indeed, nothing torments people so much: neither illnesses, nor anything else, as their own passions, rooted sins.

First, passions serve to satisfy the sinful needs of people, and then people themselves begin to serve them: "Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34).

Of course, in every passion there is an element of sinful pleasure for a person, but, nevertheless, the passions torment, torment and enslave the sinner.

The most striking examples of passionate addiction are alcoholism and drug addiction. The need for alcohol or drugs not only enslaves the soul of a person, but alcohol and drugs become a necessary component of his metabolism, a part of the biochemical processes in his body. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a spiritual and physical addiction. And it needs to be treated in two ways, that is, healing both the soul and the body. But at the core lies sin, passion. An alcoholic, a drug addict has a family falling apart, he is expelled from work, he loses friends, but he sacrifices all this to passion. A person addicted to alcohol or drugs is ready for any crime to satisfy his passion. No wonder 90% of crimes are committed under the influence of alcoholic and narcotic substances. That's how strong the demon of drunkenness is!

Other passions can enslave the soul no less. But with alcoholism and drug addiction, the enslavement of the soul is further enhanced by bodily dependence.

People who are far from the Church, from the spiritual life often see only prohibitions in Christianity. Like, they came up with some kind of taboos, restrictions, in order to complicate people's lives. But in Orthodoxy there is nothing accidental, superfluous, everything is very harmonious and natural. In the spiritual world, as well as in the physical world, there are laws that, like the laws of nature, cannot be violated, otherwise it will lead to damage and even catastrophe.

Some of these laws are expressed in commandments that protect us from trouble. Commandments, moral prescriptions can be compared with signs warning of danger: “Beware of high voltage!”, “Do not climb in, it will kill you!”, “Stop! Zone of radiation contamination” and the like, or with inscriptions on containers with poisonous liquids: “Toxic”, “Toxic” and so on.

Of course, we are given freedom of choice, but if we do not pay attention to disturbing inscriptions, then we will only need to be offended by ourselves. Sin is a violation of very subtle and strict laws of spiritual nature, and it harms, first of all, the sinner himself. And in the case of passions, the harm from sin intensifies many times over, for sin becomes permanent, takes on the character of a chronic illness.

The word passion has two meanings.

First, as he says Reverend John Ladder, “passion is already called the vice itself, which from a long time has nested in the soul and through skill has become, as it were, its natural property, so that the soul already voluntarily and by itself strives for it” (Ladder. 15: 75). That is, passion is already something more than sin, it is sinful dependence, slavery certain kind vice.

Secondly, the word "passion" is a name that unites a whole group of sins. For example, in the book “Eight Major Passions with Their Subdivisions and Branches,” compiled by St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov), eight passions are listed, and after each there is a whole list of sins united by this passion. For example, anger: irascibility, acceptance of angry thoughts, dreaming of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, clouding of his mind, incessant screaming, argument, swear words, stress, pushing, murder, remembrance of malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and resentment of one's neighbor .

Most of the holy fathers speak of the eight passions:

1. gluttony,
2. fornication,
3. love of money,
4. anger,
5. sadness,
6. despondency,
7. vanity,
8. pride.

Some, speaking of passions, combine sadness and despondency. In fact, these are somewhat different passions, but we will talk about this below.

Sometimes the eight passions are called deadly sins . Passions have such a name because they can (if they completely take over a person) disrupt spiritual life, deprive them of salvation and lead to eternal death. According to the holy fathers, behind every passion there is a certain demon, dependence on which makes a person a prisoner of a certain vice. This teaching is rooted in the Gospel: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, he walks through dry places, looking for rest, and not finding it, he says: I will return to my house from whence I came out, and when I come, I find it swept and cleaned; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and having entered, they dwell there, and the last for that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:24-26).

Western theologians, such as Thomas Aquinas, usually write about the seven passions. In the West, in general, the number "seven" is of particular importance.

Passions are a perversion of natural human properties and needs. In human nature there is a need for food and drink, a desire for procreation. Anger can be righteous (for example, to the enemies of the faith and the Fatherland), or it can lead to murder. Thrift can be reborn into avarice. We mourn the loss of loved ones, but this should not grow into despair. Purposefulness, perseverance should not lead to pride.

A Western theologian gives a very good example. He compares passion to a dog. It's very good when the dog sits on a chain and guards our house, but it's a disaster when he climbed on the table with his paws and devoured our dinner.

Saint John Cassian the Roman says that the passions are divided into sincere, that is, coming from spiritual inclinations, for example: anger, despondency, pride, etc. They feed the soul. AND bodily: they are born in the body and nourish the body. But since man is soul-bodily, the passions destroy both the soul and the body.

The same saint writes that the first six passions seem to come from one another, and "the excess of the previous gives rise to the next." For example, from excessive gluttony comes prodigal passion. From fornication - love of money, from love of money - anger, from anger - sadness, from sadness - despondency. And each of them is treated by expelling the previous one. For example, to win prodigal passion, need to bind gluttony. To overcome sadness, one must suppress anger, and so on.

Vanity and pride stand out in particular. But they are also interconnected. Vanity gives rise to pride, and pride must be fought by defeating vanity. The Holy Fathers say that some passions are committed by the body, but they are all born in the soul, they come out of a person’s heart, as the Gospel tells us: “Evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies come from the heart of a person. » (Matthew 15:18-20). The worst thing is that passions do not disappear with the death of the body. And the body, as an instrument with which a person most often commits a sin, dies, disappears. And the inability to satisfy one's passions is what will torment and burn a person after death.

And the holy fathers say that there passions will torment a person much more than on earth - without sleep and rest, they will burn like fire. And not only bodily passions they will torment people, not finding satisfaction, like fornication or drunkenness, but also spiritual ones: pride, vanity, anger; because there, too, will not be able to satisfy them. And the main thing is that a person will also not be able to fight with passions; this is possible only on earth, because earthly life is given for repentance and correction.

Truly what and whom a person served in earthly life, so he will be in eternity. If he serves his passions and the devil, he will remain with them. For example, for a drug addict, hell will be an endless, never-ending "withdrawal", for an alcoholic - an eternal hangover, etc. But if a person served God, was with Him on earth, he can hope that he will be with Him there too.

Earthly life is given to us as a preparation for eternity, and here on earth we determine what about for us it is more important that about is the meaning and joy of our life - the satisfaction of passions or life with God. Paradise is a place of the special presence of God, an eternal feeling of God, and God does not place anyone there by force.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin gives one example - an analogy that makes it possible to understand this: “On the second day of Easter 1990, Vladyka Alexander of Kostroma served the first service since the time of persecution in the Ipatiev Monastery. Until the last moment, it was not clear whether the service would take place - such was the resistance of museum workers ...

When Vladyka entered the temple, the museum workers, led by the director, stood in the porch with angry faces, some with tears in their eyes: “Priests are defiling the temple of art…” procession I was holding a cup of holy water. And suddenly Vladyka said to me: “Let's go to the museum, let's go to their offices!”. Come in. Vladyka says loudly: “Christ is Risen!” - and sprinkles museum workers with holy water. In response, faces twisted with anger. Probably, in the same way, the theomachists, having crossed the line of eternity, will themselves refuse to enter paradise - it will be unbearably bad for them there.

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