Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living
Mar 2026 · Doubleday
Ebook
240
Pages
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Eligible
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infoThis book will become available on March 3, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
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 Self-Help from the Middle Ages, 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 their enduring relevance in our quest for self-awareness and personal growth. It turns out that the Seven Deadly Sins were never about purging our temptations and vices, they were about identifying them, accommodating them, and learning to recognize our human essence in the process. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Self-Help from the Middle Ages invites readers to rediscover a lost map of the mind and harness its power to confront the challenges of contemporary life.
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 Self-Help from the Middle Ages, 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 their enduring relevance in our quest for self-awareness and personal growth. It turns out that the Seven Deadly Sins were never about purging our temptations and vices, they were about identifying them, accommodating them, and learning to recognize our human essence in the process. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Self-Help from the Middle Ages invites readers to rediscover a lost map of the mind and harness its power to confront the challenges of contemporary life.
About the author
PETER JONES received a Ph.D. 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 the Marie Curie. His first book, Laughter & Power in the Twelfth Century, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019.
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