Abstract
Kevin Clarke’s volume is the first in a series from CUA Press dedicated to collecting the “sayings” of the Church Fathers on central themes in theology and spirituality. After a brief introduction to the project, C. outlines the tradition of the deadly or capital sins, including a summary treatment of variations in categories and definitions. He hopes the texts speak to a world that has begun, in the words of Popes Pius XII and Francis, to “lose the sense of sin” (21).
The subsequent chapters include excerpts relevant to gluttony, lust, greed, anger, sloth, envy and sadness, and vainglory and pride. It also occasionally includes sayings about opposing virtues or practices (e.g., poverty for greed, and charity for envy and sadness). C. makes judicious and representative selections, drawing on prominent Greek, Latin, and Syriac fathers, as well as lesser lights. Almost all of the translations come from CUA’s well-known Fathers of the Church Series. The attractive layout encourages browsing and meditation, and C. inserts occasional, generally clarifying, footnotes. The arrangement might suggest that even well before any formal list emerged around the turn of the fourth century, all of the authors in the volume operated with a notion of “seven deadly sins”; however, C.’s introduction should correct that impression.
The result is a pleasing and accessible volume, fit for a broad readership. To be sure, scholars might wonder why C. chose particular headings for certain excerpts. It is not entirely clear, for instance, why almsgiving is linked to anger (rather than, say, greed or envy), and some of the texts in the concluding collection would seem better suited for a specific sin. Nevertheless, C.’s volume is a noble effort to recover the ancient Christian tradition of compiling apothegmata or “utterances” of the Fathers for spiritual nourishment; it should also introduce new audiences to the riches hidden in the mystical treasury of the early church.