Is Pride a Sin? Translation Issues with Ὑπερηφανία (Hyperēphania)

Ancient Greek and debunking the argument “[Gay] Pride is a sin”

Those who know much about language & translation between languages ought to know that there are often times when certain words just don’t have a good equivalent in another language. As we roll into “Pride Month” for the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important to discuss the exact difference between how the LGBTQ+ community uses the word “pride” and how early theologians Tertullian and Evagrius Ponticus thought of “pride.”

Let’s be clear at the outset:

The “7 Deadly Sins” idea is not “biblical.” In other words, the Bible never actually outlines the “most egregious” sins. The idea of identifying these 7 types of sins was part of Catholic philosophy and has since been ingrained in Western culture.

Nonetheless, conservative and even “liberal” Christians seemed to be bothered by having an entire month “devoted to” a word which is among these “7 deadly sins.” Obviously, conservative Christians are bothered by more than the word pride due to their belief that queerness and trans identity are unrepentant sin & the LGBTQ+ community is ruining the moral fabric of America. Liberal Christians (at my estimation) are just nervous about using a word that is included in a list of egregious sins.

However, if anyone were to even look remotely into the history of the 7 deadly sins, the multiple English definitions of the word pride, the common modern use of “pride", as well as the actual history and intent behind Pride Month — one would quickly and easily find that the early church theologians and the modern “Pride Festival” are NOT using the same meaning of pride.

The Roman early Christian thinker, Tertullian originated the classification of sins into 9 certain categories and Evagrius Ponticus reduced it to 8 and then future writers and translaters smashed together categories to reduce it to 7. Eventually this list would become part of the Catholic devotions.

Now here’s my favorite part, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of the original Greek and Latin words used by these authors. Ὑπερηφανία is the original Greek word used. This word is found specifically in Mark 7:22 and in many major, modern English translations is translated as “pride.” However, when you look further into the Greek definition of this word, a more nuanced picture of “pride” is revealed.

Ὑπερηφανία refers to excessive shining, self-absorption, arrogance, disdain.

Let’s break this down because we still have multiple English words that the definition throws out which can all mean pretty different “literal” things (whoa it’s almost like reading something literally can cause a mistranslated understanding of Biblical concepts).

This Greek root “hyper” should be something we are familiar with. Hyper is “excessive” or “overly.” Then there is “ephania” which comes from “phani” φανή. This is “to shine” or “be bright.” As the definition I gave above says, the overall Greek term used for “pride” actually means “excessive shining.” Let’s think deeper about what that conceptually means by using the other English words it can be somewhat translated into.

If I am “shining too brightly” in my self then I become self-absorbed. This would mean that I only think of what’s important for myself & fail to think of others. It would also mean that I have an incapability of allowing other people to shine brightly. The sin of “pride” or Ὑπερηφανία doesn’t mean I cannot shine at all. It simply means that I ought not shine over others and think of my “brightness” as more valid, important, or legitimate over another. It may also mean that I might see myself as inherently superior over other people. Ὑπερηφανία might lead me to believe in my own supremacy over another person (or persons). In other words, social supremacy of myself or people like me OVER another group is Ὑπερηφανία. This arrogance may lead me to have “disdain” for others. Disdain, in our English language, means to “feel that someone or something is unworthy of consideration or respect.”

In other words, when we live with the sin of Ὑπερηφανία we come to think of ourselves as the only people who deserve to “shine,” we are absorbed in our own self-importance, refuse to see the dignity in anyone else, view ourselves as superior, and feel that those who are different from us are not worth basic dignity and respect.

Eventually, this Greek term was translated into Latin for use in the Catholic devotions and the Latin word used as “pride” is “Superbia.” Aside from getting the song “Disturbia” by Rihanna stuck in my head, this word “Superbia” means “unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem.” This also gives a sense that the sinful and evil nature is something that goes beyond the English meaning of “pride.” Again, “superbia” does not imply humans ought to have NO self-esteem but it points the to evils which can occur when one has too much or an inordinate amount of it. This points us to condemnation of believing the “self” is more important, better than, and more worthy than “the other.” In other words, it points us back to supremacy and superiority. Surely, both Ὑπερηφανία and Superbia can lead to extremely dangerous outcomes. One individual believing that they are far more important than another person leads to the dehumanization of others. Naturally, that results in assault, murder, abuse, etc.

Now let’s get into the English & the true problem with asserting that “[Gay] Pride is a sin.” In fact, I don’t actually think the English concept of “pride” is a sin at all. In fact, its modern definition is entirely mismatched to the Greco-Roman and early-church concepts altogether.

English has more than 3 definitions for “pride” depending on the dictionary you use. Indeed, pride can point to an “excessively high opinion of one’s own dignity.” However, it also can mean “a consciousness of one’s own dignity.” It can also be defined as “deriving pleasure from achievements, relationships, or possessions that are associated with honor.” Merriam-Webster (in addition to several other major circulated dictionaries) also defines pride as this:

“respect and appreciation for oneself and others as members of a group and especially a marginalized group.”

Although it is obvious to me that LGBTQ+ Pride festivals are clearly using this last definition of “pride” — we can still break it down further if you’d like. Let’s consider the multiple definitions of “pride” in the context of “Gay Pride.” American LGBTQ+ Pride festivals (or Gay Pride) originate from a history of being persecuted by police forces in several major cities & specifically precipitated from Stonewall Riots in 1969.

In the mid-20th century, a number of gay & lesbian [sic] establishments in San Francisco were frequently and violently raided by police. Christian clergy actually attempted to protect many of the patrons and often protested against the SFPD’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ residents of SF. Then in 1969, the Stonewall Riot or Stonewall Uprising famously occurred at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. NYPD frequently raided LGBTQ+ establishments and beat staff and patrons. There was an err of superiority on the part of police and often there was no legitimate reason for the harassment. The infamous raid on Stonewall caused a days-long uprising, lead predominantly by transgender women of color, and resulted in a bolstering of LGBTQ+ community action and organizing.

The commemoration of this event would eventually turn into “Pride Festivals” nationwide and even globally. The essence of these festivals was the commemorate LGBTQ+ action and to assert the basic human dignity of LGBTQ+ people in a world which had disdain against them.

LGBTQ+ Pride festivals have no aspect of violently or seriously belittling and asserting power, domination, or superiority over straight & cisgender people. Plenty of allies also feel excited to celebrate Pride Month and they also feel empowered by the basic message of “Pride.”

There are currently over 500 proposed bills in the United States that seek to codify discrimination against LGBTQ+ youth & adults in areas of education, sports, healthcare, and public access to bathrooms or other types of public spaces. In various places all over the world, LGBTQ+ people can be incarcerated, tortured, and killed for their gender expression or their sexuality. Yet, somehow the LGBTQ+ community is still being positioned as devoting an entire month to sin when every single day of the year, people are sinning against LGBTQ+ people and God by committing horrific acts of assault and murder justified in the name of the Lord (which in fact is also a sin, “taking the Lord’s name in vein”).

LGBTQ+ Pride is about helping LGBTQ+ people remember they can experience joy in who God made them to be despite otherwise being told that they are worthless, disposable, disgusting, and second class citizens. LGBTQ+ Pride Month is about remembering and celebrating that we deserve the same opportunity to grow and thrive that our cisgender, heterosexual peers have.

As a queer, transgender person of color — I have never felt shiny at all. It is rare to feel that I am meant to shine in a world that tells me I am worthless. Rather, I often encounter other Christians who are surely living in the sins of Ὑπερηφανία and superbia.

There are a concerning number of people who claim to follow Christ and yet, they believe that their brightness is the only bright light worth anything; they believe that they are superior and have an absolutely inordinate sense of self-importance about themselves and those who look like and believe like them. These people have so much sinful-pride, that they have disdain for everyone who is unlike them.

I have never met an LGBTQ+ person seeking to maliciously destroy or hurt heterosexual, cisgender people solely because they believe LGBTQ+ people have an inherently higher dignity and worth than those who are not. However, I sure have met plenty of Christians with an inordinately inflated sense of their own importance, dignity, and superiority.

As I do with scripture, I find it’s more generative and faithful to try and understand what the spirit of what God intends for the world. My personal interpretation of Pride Month through the lens of the scriptures & the assessments of early-church authors is that Pride Month is far more Christ-Like than Christian Nationalism. It is far more Christ-Like than a Donald Trump rally. It is far more Christ-Like than any form of anti-LGBTQ+ weaponization of Christ.