What are the seven "deadly" sins?
The seven deadly sins (capital sins) are anger, avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride and sloth. It is more accurate to think of the “seven” as dispositions toward sinning rather than sins themselves.
Capital sins were first talked of during the first centuries of Eastern monasticism when lists were made to alert monks of vices that would harm monastic life. Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604) modified the list of sins to a close resemblance of what they look like today; however, he cited eight, not seven. (Pride and vainglory were listed as two separate capital sins.) He then made the sins applicable to all Catholics, not just monks.
Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) merged pride and vainglory and came up with the final list of the seven "deadly" sins we know today.
