From First Movements to the Seven Cardinal Sins: Evagrius

 

Evagrius'' "practices," with their Stoic influences, could be taken as a form of psychotherapy.

"Richard Sorabji"

"PART IV: From Stoic Agitations to Christian Temptations"

"23: From First Movements to the Seven Cardinal Sins: Evagrius"

"Evagrius wrote a number of treatises on how to deal with what Origen following the Stoics had called first movements and on how to work towards the Stoic ideal of apatheia or freedom from emotion. I shall start with the best known the Practical Treatise.3 That he is talking of first movements in the new Origenist sense I shall argue shortly. He talks of eight thoughts (logismoi) which assail you: there is the thought of gluttony (gastrimargia) the thought of fornication (porneia) the thought of avarice (philarguria) the thought of distress (lupē) the thought of anger (orgē) the thought of listless depression (akēdia) the thought of vainglory or vanity (kenodoxia) and the thought of pride (huperēphania).4 In later Christians these eight became the seven cardinal sins by a series of adjustments" (Richard Sorabji).

23: From First Movements to the Seven Cardinal Sins: Evagrius


First Movements: Insights from the Ancient Stoics