SECTION 2 



THE SEVEN CAPITAL SINS 



The so-called capital sins (peccata capitalia) 

 must not be conceived as transient acts. They 

 are rather the fundamental vices from which all 

 sins flow, or the bad habits that manifest them- 

 selves in actual sins. 1 Hence the capital sins 

 are neither by nature nor in their concrete mani- 

 festation always mortal, and it is a mistake to 

 call them "deadly." The specific character and 

 gravity of each may be determined by the pres- 

 ence or absence of certain marks or characteris- 

 tics. 



The capital sins are usually enumerated in the 

 following order : Pride, covetousness, lust, envy, 



1 Cfr. Hugh of St. Victor, Summa alia vitia oriuntur et praecipue se- 



Sent., tr. 3, c. 16: "De istis quasi cundum originem causae Unalis, quae 



septem fontibus omnes animarum est formalis origo, et ideo vitium 



corruptiones emanant. Nee dicuntur capitale non solum est principium 



haec capitalia, quod maiora sint aliis, aliorum, sed etiam est directivum 



quum alia aeque magna sint vel ma- et quodammodo ductivum aliorum. 



iora, sed capitalia a quibus oriunUir Semper enim ars vel habitus, ad 



omnia alia. Nullum enim est, quod quern pertinet -finis, principatur et 



ab aliquo horum non est exortum." imperat circa ea quae sunt ad finem. 



(Migne, P. L., CLXXVI, 113). — Unde S. Gregorius huiusmodi vitia 



St. Thomas, Summa Theol., ia 2ae, capitalia ducibus exercituum com- 



q. 84, art. 3: "Dicitur peccatum parat." {Moral., 1. 31, c. 45, n. 87- 



capitale, prout metaphorice significat 88; Migne, P. L., LXXVI, 620 



principium vel directivum aliorum. sq.). 

 Et sic dicitur vitium capitale, ex quo 



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