Exploring Black's Association With The 7 Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital or cardinal sins, are a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. They are as follows: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Each of these sins is associated with a different colour, and while there is some variation between sources, black is most commonly associated with avarice, envy, and pride.

Black is associated with avarice

Avarice is commonly understood as the inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth. This can include food, money, land, or other animate or inanimate possessions. It can also refer to a desire for social value, such as status or power.

The concept of avarice has been explored by various thinkers throughout history, including St. Thomas Aquinas, who considered avarice "a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, inasmuch as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things." Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem "Inferno" depicts those committed to the deadly sin of avarice as being punished in the fourth circle of Hell. They are portrayed as misers, hoarders, and spendthrifts, constantly battling one another.

Avarice is often associated with negative consequences, such as obstruction of competitors, social detachment, and dissatisfaction. Erich Fromm described avarice as "a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction." It is considered a destructive force that can hinder spiritual progress and harm society.

The colour black is often used to symbolise avarice, reflecting the seriousness and darkness associated with this particular sin.

Black symbolises envy

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, envy can be understood in three stages. In the first stage, the envious person attempts to lower another's reputation. The second stage involves either "joy at another's misfortune" if the envious person succeeds in defaming the other person or "grief at another's prosperity" if they fail. The third stage is hatred, as "sorrow causes hatred".

Envy is associated with various symbols, including animals, flowers, and ancient runes. For example, the thorn bush represents jealousy because it is a harmful part of something beautiful. The evil eye, represented by a menacing eye, symbolises the curse of those who feel jealous and want harm to come to others. The spider web represents jealousy as it symbolises the feeling of being caught in a self-created mess of dishonesty. Dark clouds are another symbol of envy, representing the feeling of a dark shadow being cast over one's life.

Colours are also associated with envy. While green is commonly linked to envy in English-speaking cultures, with phrases like "green with envy" and the "green-eyed monster", yellow is considered the true colour of jealousy. This association is seen in yellow flowers like hyacinths and roses, which are said to represent envy and infidelity.

Pride is linked to the colour black

Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, also known as the cardinal sins or capital vices, within the teachings of Christianity. The seven deadly sins are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

Pride is considered the original and worst of the seven deadly sins, as well as the source of the other capital sins. It is the opposite of humility and is also referred to as hubris or futility. It is the "anti-God" state, where the ego and the self are directly opposed to God. Pride can lead to evil, just like greed, according to St. Thomas Aquinas.

The colour black has been associated with pride, along with the sins of avarice and envy. However, there is no definitive colour scheme for the seven deadly sins, and some sources suggest that pride is associated with other colours such as red, white, blue, or even green.

The colour black has also been linked to the positive concept of Black pride, a movement that encourages Black people to celebrate their culture and African heritage. This movement arose in the United States during the civil rights movement as a response to white racism, emphasising racial pride, economic empowerment, and the creation of political and cultural institutions.

In summary, while pride is one of the seven deadly sins and has been associated with the colour black, there is no consistent colour scheme across sources, and black also holds positive connotations in the context of Black pride.

Black is a colour of wrath

Black is a colour often associated with wrath, one of the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins, also known as the cardinal sins, are a grouping of vices within Christian teachings. They are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

Wrath is defined as uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred. It is often associated with a desire for vengeance. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, anger becomes the sin of wrath when it is directed at an innocent person, when it is excessively strong or prolonged, or when it desires excessive punishment.

The colour black has long been associated with darkness, mystery, and the unknown. It can represent power, elegance, and formality, but also evil, menace, and death. In the context of the seven deadly sins, black signifies the absence of colour and the absence of light, reflecting the negative and destructive nature of wrath.

The association of black with wrath highlights the seriousness and intensity of this emotion. It serves as a reminder that uncontrolled anger and rage can lead to destructive behaviours and a separation from God. The colour black can also symbolize the emptiness and void that may be experienced when consumed by wrath.

In contrast to other colours often associated with positivity and light, such as white or yellow, black represents the shadow side of human nature. This colour association with wrath serves as a warning and a reminder to control and channel anger in a healthy manner, lest it consume the individual and lead them down a path of sin and immorality.

Gluttony is sometimes represented by black

While the seven deadly sins are most often associated with the colour red, some sources suggest that gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins, is sometimes represented by the colour black.

The seven deadly sins are a classification of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. They are: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. Gluttony is defined as the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. This definition is broad and can be applied to the consumption of food, as well as other behaviours such as the obsessive anticipation of meals and the overindulgence of delicacies and costly foods.

The colour black is often associated with darkness, and in the context of the seven deadly sins, it can be argued that black represents the absence of moral or spiritual goodness. Gluttony, as one of the seven deadly sins, can be seen as a moral failing or a lack of self-control. As such, the colour black can be used to symbolise the negative aspects of gluttony, such as excess, greed, and a lack of restraint.

Additionally, black has been associated with gluttony in art and literature. For example, in Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy", gluttony is depicted as a dark and hellish scene, with black being a prominent colour. The use of black in this context helps to create a sense of foreboding and warns of the negative consequences of indulging in gluttony.

Furthermore, in some cultural and religious traditions, black has been associated with death and mourning. This association can be linked to the idea of gluttony leading to physical or spiritual death. Overindulgence and overconsumption can have negative consequences for both the body and the soul, and the colour black can serve as a reminder of the potential outcome of unchecked gluttony.

While not as common as the colour red, the colour black can be used to symbolise gluttony in the context of the seven deadly sins. This association highlights the negative aspects of gluttony and serves as a warning against excess and lack of self-control.

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