Gluttony (Latin:gula, derived from theLatingluttire meaning 'to gulp down or swallow') means over-indulgence andover-consumption of anything to the point of waste.
InChristianity, it is considered a sin if the excessive desire for food leads to a lack of control over one's relation with food or harms the body.[1] Some Christiandenominations consider gluttony one of theseven deadly sins.
In Deut 21:20 and Proverbs 23:21, it is זלל.[2] TheGesenius Entry[3] (lower left word) has indications of "squandering" and "profligacy" (waste).
In Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34, it is φαγος (phagos transliterated character for character).[4] TheLSJ Entry[5] is tiny, and only refers to one external source, Zenobius Paroemiographus 1.73. The word could mean merely 'an eater', since φαγω means 'eat'.
Rambam, for example, prohibits excessive eating and drinking in Hilchot De'ot (e.g., halachot 1:4, 3:2, 5:1).[6] The Chofetz Chaim (Yisrael Meir Kagan) prohibits gluttony on the basis of Leviticus 19:26, inSefer Ha-Mitzvot Ha-Katzar (Prohibition #106).[7]
Church leaders from theascetic Middle Ages took a more expansive view of gluttony:
Pope Gregory I (St. Gregory the Great), adoctor of the Church, described the following ways by which one can commit the sin of gluttony:[8][9][10]
This fifth way is worse than all others, said St. Gregory, because it shows attachment to pleasure most clearly. To recapitulate, St Gregory the Great said that one may succumb to the sin of gluttony by: 1. Time (when); 2. Quality; 3. Stimulants; 4. Quantity; 5. Eagerness. He asserts that the irregulardesire is the sin, not the food: "For it is not the food, but the desire that is in fault".[11]
In hisSumma Theologica,St. Thomas Aquinas reiterated the list of five ways to commit gluttony:[12]
St. Aquinas concludes that "gluttony denotes inordinateconcupiscence in eating"; the first three ways are related to the food itself, while the last two related to the manner of eating.[12] He says thatabstinence from food and drink overcome the sin of gluttony,[13] and the act of abstinence isfasting.[14]: A2 (see:Fasting and abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church) In general, fasting is useful to restrain concupiscence of the flesh.[14]: A6
St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote the following when explaining gluttony:
Pope Innocent XI has condemned the proposition which asserts that it is not a sin to eat or to drink from the sole motive of satisfying the palate. However, it is not a fault to feel pleasure in eating: for it is, generally speaking, impossible to eat without experiencing the delight which food naturally produces. But it is a defect to eat, like beasts, through the sole motive of sensual gratification, and without any reasonable object. Hence, the most delicious meats may be eaten without sin, if the motive be good and worthy of a rational creature; and, in taking the coarsest food through attachment to pleasure, there may be a fault.[15]
An interpretation of the meaning of a part of a Qur'anic verse is as follows:
and eat and drink but waste not by extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not Al‑Musrifoon (those who waste by extravagance)
— al-A’raaf 7:31
TheSunnah encourages moderation in eating, and strongly criticizes extravagance.
The Prophet said: The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls, to keep him going. If he must do that (fill his stomach), then let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2380); classed as saheeh (truthful) by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2265).
Callimachus the famous Greek poet states, "All that I have given to my stomach has disappeared, and I have retained all the fodder that I gave to my spirit."[16]
Popular quote "Eat to live, not live to eat" is commonly attributed toSocrates.[17] A quotation fromRhetorica ad Herennium IV.28 : "Esse oportet ut vivas; non vivere ut edas"[18] ('It is necessary to eat in order to live, not to live in order to eat')[19] is credited by theOxford Dictionary of Proverbs toCicero.[20]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Innocent XI has condemned the proposition which asserts,.
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| Four cardinal virtues |
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| Three theological virtues |
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| Seven lively virtues versus Seven deadly sins | ||
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