Abba Serapion, similar to his predecessor Evagrius, taught that there are eight principle vices (5.2-3):
1) Gluttony - natural vice committed through bodily action
2) Fornication - natural vice committed through bodily action
3) Avarice (love of money) - unnatural vice caused by external circumstances
4) Anger - natural vice caused by external circumstances
5) Sadness - unnatural vice caused by internal circumstances
6) Acedia (anxiety of heart) - unnatural vice caused by internal circumstances
7) Vainglory - unnatural vice committed in thoughts apart from bodily action
8) Pride -
unnatural vice committed in thoughts apart from bodily action
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For
the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things
that you wish." - Galatians 5:16-17
Constant spiritual struggle is what is promised to all Christians who seek perfection in Christ. As St. Anthony the Great said to Abba Poemen, "This is the great work of man: to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath." We are to earnestly contend for the Faith by engaging in constant, interior warfare. In this fourth conference Abba Daniel, who was made a priest by Abba Paphnutius, elaborates on this struggle between the flesh and the spirit by explaining (1) the struggle's environment, (2) the definitions of "the flesh" and "the spirit", (3) the will's role in spiritual warfare, and (4) the states of the soul.
Abba Serapion, similar to his predecessor Evagrius, taught that there are eight principle vices (5.2-3):
