John Martin - The Great Day of His Wrath - Google Art Project

Christian hamartiology Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

, the sins that cry to Heaven for Vengeance ( la, peccata clamantia, lit. "screaming sins") are four specific

sins In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

which are listed by the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. While the Bible only refers to specific acts by Biblical characters as "crying to Heaven for Vengeance", in

Western Christianity Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity ( Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic ...

, these references are expanded upon and treated as establishing a category of particularly serious sins. Along with the

seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...

and the

eternal sin In Christian hamartiology, eternal sin, the unforgivable sin, unpardonable sin, or ultimate sin is the sin which will not be forgiven by God. One eternal or unforgivable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), also known as the sin unto deat ...

s, the sins that cry to Heaven for Vengeance are the most serious transgressions against the

Law of Christ "The law of Christ" () is a New Testament phrase. The related Bible verses are in the Pauline epistles at and parenthetically ( "being under the law to Christ") at . Some Christians hold the belief that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the in ...

Catholic Church

The expression is referenced in the Jewish Bible, particularly in ("The Lord said to Cain ... the voice of thy brother's blood crieth to me from the earth"), , , and . The sins are numbered as being either four or seven; they are listed as follows: * The "blood of Abel": homicide, infanticide, fratricide, patricide, and matricide * The "sin of the Sodomites": non-procreative sexual acts (

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sodo ...

). (''cf''. '').'' * The "cry of the people oppressed in Egypt, the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan": Oppression of the poor. * The "injustice to the wage earner": taking advantage of and defrauding workers (''cf''. '').'' Laurence Vaux's 1583 work, ''A Catechisme of Christian Doctrine'', explains them as follows Tom Hoopes of

Benedictine College Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, United States. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College (founded 1858) for men and Mount St. Scholastica College (founded 1923) for ...

explicates the sins that cry to heaven for vengeance with respect to modern political thought: The sins that cry to Heaven for Vengeance are referenced in the Douay Catholic Catechism of 1649, a compendium of Catholic doctrine. The concept is present in

Catholic moral theology Catholic moral theology is a major category of doctrine in the Catholic Church, equivalent to a religious ethics. Moral theology encompasses Catholic social teaching, Catholic medical ethics, sexual ethics, and various doctrines on individua ...

Reformed Churches

Reformed theologian William M'Gavin opined that "the four sins that cry to heaven for vengeance; these are, wilful murder—sin of Sodom—oppression of the poor—to defraud servants of their wages" are greater in gravity than the

Other interpretations

Many churches, particularly ones considered progressive, understand the "sin of Sodom" to be oppression of the poor, in light of ("This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy").

Justin R. Cannon Justin Russell Cannon (born July 9, 1984) is an American Episcopal priest, an author, and a theologian. Cannon was the founding director of Inclusive Orthodoxy, an affirming outreach ministry to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans Christians. The m ...

, "The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality". Retrieved 24 April 2020. Source: http://inclusiveorthodoxy.yolasite.com/resources/The%20Bible-PDF.pdf

References

{{reflist, 4 Catholic theology and doctrine Christian terminology Sin Christian hamartiology

Catholic Church

Reformed Churches

Other interpretations

See also

References