Podcast Summary: "Short Stuff: The S7VEN Deadly Sins"

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Host: Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant
Date: January 21, 2026
Episode Type: Short Stuff (Mini-Episode)
Topic: The Seven Deadly Sins—Origins, Evolution, and Place in Pop Culture

Episode Overview

This "Short Stuff" installment dives into the origins, history, and transformation of the Seven Deadly Sins. Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss how this famous catalog of vice has shifted meanings, explore its unexpected place in pop culture, and reveal its evolution from monastic self-help to a backbone of Christian moral teaching. The episode is characteristically witty, skeptical, and full of memorable asides and trivia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Seven Deadly Sins in Pop Culture (01:10–02:24)

• The sins are a "big thing in pop culture" (01:19), infamously central to the film Se7en, and even linked to a fan theory about Gilligan’s Island.
• "The professor is pride... The Skipper is anger or wrath... Ginger, obviously lust... Mr. Howell, obviously greed... Mrs. Howell, gluttony and partially sloth... Mary Ann is envy... Gilligan is sloth." (01:51–02:10)
  • This theory received some backing from series creator Sherwood Schwartz.
• The idea is "fun," say both Josh and Chuck, demonstrating how the concept persists in playful places.

2. Name Changes and Early History (02:26–03:26)

• The sins weren't always called the "Seven Deadly Sins". Alternate names: "capital vices," "cardinal sins," "capital sins," and "vice sins."
• "They've been called everything... the Roman Catholics are nuts for this kind of stuff." (02:34)
• The original list was not seven—there were eight, and their names have morphed over time (e.g., "pride" was once "vainglory," "sloth" was "melancholy").
• "It actually doesn’t appear in the Bible." (03:18)

3. Origins Outside the Bible (03:26–05:18)

• Despite its connection to Christianity, the list is not in the Bible. The original concept of sin comes from Adam and Eve, but no enumerated list exists in scripture.
• The list was first developed in the 4th century CE by monk Evagrius Ponticus.
  • "He was the guy that gets credit as the first person to kind of write these things out and get it out on mass." (05:27)
• Vainglory is jokingly described as a great band name ("Metal, for sure." - 03:33).

4. Evagrius Ponticus and the Eight Evil Thoughts (05:35–06:54)

• Evagrius’s original list had eight vices: gluttony, lust (which included all sorts of desires, not just sexual), greed (then called avarice), anger, sloth, sadness, vainglory, and pride.
• He wrote this in his work Antirrheticus.
• Initially, the list was advice for monks, not laypeople: "He basically was creating this list of what to avoid if you're a monk." (06:27)
• Chuck jokes, "I promise I'm not thinking of them, I'm just writing about them." (06:46)

5. Transformation for the Masses (09:29–10:21)

• The shift from monastic guide to public doctrine happened thanks to later figures, especially Pope Gregory I (aka St. Gregory the Great).
• Gregory’s influential Moralia in Job (late 6th century) repackaged and clarified the list: "This is where his seven principal vices were laid out." (10:21)
• The episode highlights how definitions and included sins evolved, e.g., "melancholy," "avarice," and "vainglory" had slightly different meanings.

6. The Tree of Vices & Confession Culture (10:51–12:45)

• In the Medieval era, the "Tree of Vices" painted in churches helped parishioners visually identify and confess the correct sins.
• Confession became systematized (at least once a year after the Fourth Lateran Council, 1214).
• "You just go up and trace your finger and be like, oh, okay. Yeah, I guess I did that. I did revel in my neighbor’s misfortune that time he stepped into a bear trap. Oh, my God, I thought that was hilarious." (12:32)

7. Impact of the Black Death and Cultural Permeation (12:45–13:21)

• The Black Death amplified obsession with sin and the afterlife.
• Seven Deadly Sins entered the Canterbury Tales and European sermons: "It was just kind of really latched on these seven deadly sins in particular as kind of the hot thing in Catholicism." (13:21)

8. Modern Updates to the Sins (13:21–14:06)

• In 2008, the Vatican updated “deadly sins” to reflect modern concerns: genetic modification, human experiments, polluting the environment, social injustice, causing poverty, obscene wealth, drug use.
• "That's what they tell me at the Vatican." (14:02 – Josh)
• Josh quips on these modern additions: "It doesn't seem like a deadly sin. Yeah, well, you know, they were on a roll." (13:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pop Culture’s Embrace:
  "It's just a big thing in pop culture. It was even a sort of interpretation of Gilligan's Island..." — Chuck (01:35)
• Origin Not in Scripture:
  "Regardless of how totally associated it is with Catholicism and Christianity in general, it actually doesn't appear in the Bible." — Josh (03:18)
• Monk Humor:
  "He did his best to not think any unholy thoughts. I'll bet that was more difficult than you'd think." — Josh (05:42)
• Confession Scene:
  "You just go up and trace your finger and be like, oh, okay. Yeah, I guess I did that. I did revel in my neighbor's misfortune that time he stepped into a bear trap. Oh, my God, I thought that was hilarious." — Josh (12:32)
• Modern Sins List:
  "In 2008, the Catholic Church were like, hey, we've updated some more. Seven deadly sins for the aughts, I guess is probably how they put it." — Josh (13:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Seven Deadly Sins in Pop Culture: 01:10–02:24
• Name Origins and Evolution: 02:26–03:26
• Out of the Bible, Into the World: 03:26–05:18
• Evagrius Ponticus and the First List: 05:35–06:54
• From Monk's Guide to Church Law: 09:29–10:21
• Tree of Vices and Annual Confession: 10:51–12:45
• Obsession Post-Black Death: 12:45–13:21
• Modern Deadly Sins: 13:21–14:06

Tone and Style

• The episode features the hosts' trademark informal, conversational banter. Joking asides, pop culture references, and self-deprecating humor make the history lively and accessible.
• There is a gentle skepticism about church authority combined with a clear enjoyment of historical trivia and oddities.

Conclusion

Josh and Chuck wrap up by encouraging listeners to "look out for the seven deadly sins" and—tongue-in-cheek—"don't do those." (14:12) The episode provides a brisk, humorous, and insightful primer on the Seven Deadly Sins’ unlikely journey from ancient monastic self-help to universal shorthand for human moral failure—and pop culture trope.