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Mortal vs. Venial Sin in the Fathers

Is there a scriptural basis for the Roman Catholic belief that there are different degrees of sin. A Greek Orthodox friend says that his faith has nosuch distinction. In addition, can you refer me to a source in tradition that discusses mortal vs. venial sin prior to thed schism of the 11th century.

Dear Steven,

Are there different degrees of sin, i.e., are some sins worse than others? What does Scripture say about this? What do Christian writers earlier than the 11th century say? These are your three questions.

We do not need divine revelation to answer the first question. Reason and experience alone tell us that, for example, an angry, impatient retort is a milder fault than deliberate murder or child abuse or peddling drugs to children. When anybody tells me that his theology does not recognize different degrees of sin, I simply don't believe him. Or rather, I surmise that in real life he simply ignores his theology and goes along with experience and common sense.

As always, Catholic theology starts with reason, experience and commonsense and never departs from these norms. God created our nature and our environment, and His revelation and saving grace do not conflict with our realities, but redeem and heal them. Hence in dealing with sin, Catholics observe and recognize differences among sins and call serious sins "mortal" and trifling sins "venial". (This is our vocabulary, developed through the centuries). Scripture, of course, approves this distinction and makes use of it, clearly teaching that some sins are worse than others. See Jeremiah 7:26, Lamentations 4:6, Ezechiel 16:44-58, 1 John 5:16-17, Matthew 11:22, John 19:11.

Some sins are so great that they exclude the sinner from God's Kingdom (1st Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21); others are less serious, deserving temporal but not eternal fire (1st Corinthians 3:11,15). Daily small faults are found even in holy people (Ecclesiastes 7:21; James 3:2; 1st John 1:8).

Before the 11th century, the degrees of gravity among sins were recognized with ever growing clarity by Origen (Commentary on John), Ambrose (On Penance), Jerome (Against Jovininian), Caesarius of Arles (Sermon 104), and especially Augustine (Sermon 351; On the Spirit and Letter, 27, 48; Treatise on John's Epistle to the Parthians 1, 6; Enchiridion, 64).

You can find patristic evidence for every Catholic doctrine in the 3-volume set Faith of the Early Fathers, edited by William Jurgens.

When individuals or groups leave the Catholic Church they thereby inevitably "unhook their life supports". They loosen their grip on one or other aspect of Christian truth and so lose that part of God's revelation. So it has happened with some Christian groups who do not perceive anymore that there are indeed distinctions of seriousness among sins.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father Mateo

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