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Self-Help from the Middle Ages

What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living

Author Peter Jones
Hardcover
$30.00 US
Doubleday Publishing | Doubleday
On sale Mar 03, 2026 | 240 Pages | 9780385551687
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From medieval historian Peter Jones comes a groundbreaking guide to navigating contemporary life through the wisdom of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Watching the snow from his apartment window in Siberia, Peter Jones could only describe his feeling as coldness— both physically and emotionally. He knew modern psychology would define his malaise as depression, but as a professor of medieval history, he also knew there was a time when people described these struggles in very different terms. He turned to the Middle Ages, what he calls the “golden age of self-help,” and discovered the timeless wisdom of the Seven Deadly Sins.

In The Seven Deadly Sins, Jones takes us with him on a captivating journey through medieval history, revealing how the past can illuminate and transform our modern lives. He explores each of the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust—demonstrating how these ancient concepts can serve as a powerful framework for understanding our own psychological and emotional struggles. He delves into the lives of historical figures, from saints and scholars to kings and commoners, uncovering the rich tapestry of medieval thought that sought to navigate the complexities of the human mind.

Jones offers a fresh and gripping exploration of European ideas, making a compelling case for its enduring relevance in our quest for self-awareness and personal growth. It turns out that the Seven Deadly Sins was never about purging our temptations and vices, it was about identifying them, accommodating them, and learning to recognize our human essence in the process. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, The Seven Deadly Sins invites readers to rediscover a lost map of the mind and harness its power to confront the challenges of contemporary life.
PETER JONES received a PhD in Medieval History from New York University in 2014. He has taught for thirteen years at universities including University College London, NYU, the University of Toronto, and Complutense University of Madrid (where he is currently a Marie Curie fellow). For four years he taught at the School of Advanced Studies at the University of Tyumen in Siberia, where he was Chair of History. He has received research fellowships from the Warburg Institute, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, and Brown University, as well as Marie Curie. His first book, Laughter & Power in the Twelfth Century was published by OUP in 2019. View titles by Peter Jones

About

From medieval historian Peter Jones comes a groundbreaking guide to navigating contemporary life through the wisdom of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Watching the snow from his apartment window in Siberia, Peter Jones could only describe his feeling as coldness— both physically and emotionally. He knew modern psychology would define his malaise as depression, but as a professor of medieval history, he also knew there was a time when people described these struggles in very different terms. He turned to the Middle Ages, what he calls the “golden age of self-help,” and discovered the timeless wisdom of the Seven Deadly Sins.

In The Seven Deadly Sins, Jones takes us with him on a captivating journey through medieval history, revealing how the past can illuminate and transform our modern lives. He explores each of the Seven Deadly Sins—Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust—demonstrating how these ancient concepts can serve as a powerful framework for understanding our own psychological and emotional struggles. He delves into the lives of historical figures, from saints and scholars to kings and commoners, uncovering the rich tapestry of medieval thought that sought to navigate the complexities of the human mind.

Jones offers a fresh and gripping exploration of European ideas, making a compelling case for its enduring relevance in our quest for self-awareness and personal growth. It turns out that the Seven Deadly Sins was never about purging our temptations and vices, it was about identifying them, accommodating them, and learning to recognize our human essence in the process. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, The Seven Deadly Sins invites readers to rediscover a lost map of the mind and harness its power to confront the challenges of contemporary life.

Author

PETER JONES received a PhD in Medieval History from New York University in 2014. He has taught for thirteen years at universities including University College London, NYU, the University of Toronto, and Complutense University of Madrid (where he is currently a Marie Curie fellow). For four years he taught at the School of Advanced Studies at the University of Tyumen in Siberia, where he was Chair of History. He has received research fellowships from the Warburg Institute, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, and Brown University, as well as Marie Curie. His first book, Laughter & Power in the Twelfth Century was published by OUP in 2019. View titles by Peter Jones

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