Several New Testament passages contain lists that have come to be labeled Catalogues of Vices and Virtues by scholars. The catalogue form was extremely popular with everyone in first century Hellenism. Plato wrote the earliest catalogue. They could easily be adapted for a range of philosophies and ethics. Philo, a hellenized Jew, also wrote several. There is surprisingly little difference between the Christian and non-Christian catalogues. The longest list is in the Epistle to the Galatians and every item is common among pagan catalogues except one. Catalogues vary by size, content, and style. There was, apparently, little interest in Christians for creativity, systemization, or completeness. Their primary function, therefore, was to show that Christian morality should approximately conform to the well accepted morality of Hellenism. Therefore, the catalogues should not be considered creedal or specifically Christian. The lists of vices are disordered and chaotic, compared to the organized order of the virtues, reflecting the multiplicity and haphazardness of evil and the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Early Christian Catalogues

• Romans 1:29-31
• Romans 13:13
• 1 Corinthians 5:10
• 1 Corinthians 6:9
• 2 Corinthians 12:20
• Galatians 5:19-23
• Ephesians 4:31
• Colossians 3:5, 8
• 1 Timothy 1:9
• 2 Timothy 3:2-5
• Titus 3:3
• 1 Peter 2:1
• 1 Peter 4:3
• 1 Peter 4:15
• Apocalypse of Peter
• Didache
• Letter to Barnabas

Resources

• Hans Dieter Betz, Galatians. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979. p281-283