Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas (The Favorite Book of Judas) or The Black Book is a 2003 semi-biographical book by Filipino author Bob Ong. It was his third published work and the first book where he introduces fiction to his readers. The book is divided into seven chapters, each chapter title is an anagram of the 7 deadly/capital sins:
Chapter 1: Veny
Envy may be characterized by an insatiable desire. They differ, however, for two main reasons. First, greed is largely associated with material goods, whereas envy may apply more generally. Second, those who commit the sin of envy resent that another person has something they perceive themselves as lacking and wish the other person to be deprived of it. Dante defined this as “a desire to deprive other men of theirs.” Envy can be directly related to the Ten Commandments, specifically “Neither shall you desire…anything that belongs to your neighbor.” In Dante’s Purgatory, the punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low. Aquinas described envy as “sorrow for another’s good.”
Chapter 2: Geran – Anger (Latin, ira)
Also known as anger or “rage,” may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. Anger, in its purest form, presents with self-destructiveness, violence, and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries. Anger may persist long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead. Feelings of anger can manifest in different ways, including impatience, revenge, and vigilantism.
Wrath is the only sin not necessarily associated with selfishness or self-interest (although one can, of course, be wrathful for selfish reasons, such as jealousy, closely related to the sin of envy). Dante described vengeance as “love of justice perverted to revenge and spite.” In its original form, the sin of wrath also encompassed anger pointed internally rather than externally. Thus, suicide was deemed the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of wrath directed inwardly, a final rejection of God’s gifts.
Chapter 3: Depir – Pride
In almost every list, Pride (Latin, superbia), or hubris, is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). Dante’s definition was “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbour.” In Jacob Bidermann’s medieval miracle play, Cenodoxus, pride is the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to the damnation of the titular famed Parisian doctor. In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer, pride (his desire to compete with God) was what caused his fall from Heaven and his resultant transformation into Satan. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the penitents were forced to walk with stone slabs bearing down on their backs to induce feelings of humility.
Chapter 4: Ventocoseuss – Covetousness
Greed (Latin, avaritia), also known as avarice or covetousness, is like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, greed (as seen by the church) is applied to a very excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit of wealth, status, and power. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed was “a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, inasmuch as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.” In Dante’s Purgatory, the penitents were bound and laid face down on the ground for having concentrated too much on earthly thoughts. “Avarice” is more of a blanket term that can describe many other examples of greedy behavior. These include disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason, especially for personal gain, for example through bribery. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft, and robbery, especially by means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed. Such misdeeds can include simony, where one profits from soliciting goods within the actual confines of a church.
As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth. [10]
Chapter 5: Tuls – Lust
Lust or lechery (carnal “luxuria”) is usually thought of as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Aristotle’s criterion was excessive love of others, which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary[citation needed]. In Dante’s Purgatorio, the penitent walks within flames to purge himself of lustful/sexual thoughts and feelings. In Dante’s “Inferno”, unforgiven souls of the sin of lust are blown about in restless hurricane-like winds symbolic of their own lack of self-control to their lustful passions in earthly life.
Chapter 6: Gynottul – Gluttony
Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony (Latin, gula) is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. In Christian religions, it is considered a sin because of the excessive desire for food or its withholding from the needy. [8] Depending on the culture, it can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status. Where food is relatively scarce, being able to eat well might be something to take pride in. But in an area where food is routinely plentiful, it may be considered a sign of self-control to resist the temptation to over-indulge. Medieval church leaders (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony, [8] arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods. [9] Aquinas went so far as to prepare a list of six ways to commit gluttony, including:
- Praepropere – eating too soon.
- Laute – eating too expensively.
- Nimis – eating too much.
- Ardenter – eating too eagerly (burningly).
- Studiose – eating too daintily (keenly).
- Forente – eating wildly (boringly).
Chapter 7: Holts – Sloth
Gradually, the focus came to be on the consequences of acedia, rather than the cause, and so, by the 17th century, the exact deadly sin referred to was believed to be the failure to utilize one’s talents and gifts. [citation needed] In practice, it came to be closer to sloth (Latin, Socordia) than acedia. Even in Dante’s time, there were signs of this change; in his Purgatorio, he had portrayed the penance for acedia as running continuously at top speed. The modern view goes further, regarding laziness and indifference as the sin at the heart of the matter. Since this contrasts with a more willful failure to, for example, love God and his works, sloth is often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins, more a sin of omission than of commission. Each of the deadly/capital sins corresponds to what every chapter’s story is all about.
The book is also divided into two different types. The first is fiction, which includes the conversation scenes between the man who committed suicide and the other one. He didn’t recognize if he was talking to God or if it was just Lucifer tricking him. The other one is non-fiction, which includes the narration of the author’s point of view.
The quotes are from BOB ONG:
- “Lahat naman ng tao sumeseryoso pagtinamaan ng pagmamahal. Yun nga lang, hindi lahat matibay para sa temptasyon.”
- “Gamitin ang puso para alagaan ang taong malapit sa’yo. Gamitin ang utak para alagaan ang sarili mo.”
- “Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawakan ng iba.”
- “Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang.”
- “Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na.”
- “Parang elevator lang ‘yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ang sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sa’yo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin.”
- “Kung maghihintay ka ng lalandi sa’yo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo. Dapat lumandi ka din.”
- “Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sa’yo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na araw ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang.”
- “Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa.”
- “Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo, wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka. Kaya quits lang.”
- “Bakit ba ayaw matulog ng mga bata sa tanghali? alam ba nilang pag natuto silang umibig e hindi na sila makakatulog kahit gusto nila?”
- “Hindi lungkot o takot ang mahirap sa pag-iisa, kundi ang pagtanggap na sa bilyon-bilyong tao sa mundo, wala man lang nakipaglaban upang makasama ka.”
- “Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lang ‘yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sa’yo, kundi IKAW mismo!”
- “Nalaman ko na hindi final exam ang passing rate ng buhay. Hindi ito multiple choice, identification, true or false, enumeration, o fill-in-the-blanks na sinasag Huhusgahan ito hindi base sa kung tama o mali ang sagot, kundi base sa kung may kabuluhan ang mga isinulat o wala. Allowed ang erasures.”
- “Wag magmadali sa pag-aasawa. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon sa hinaharap, mag-iiba pa ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong hindi pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang sa kaboses niya kay Debbie Gibson o magaling mag-breakdance. Totoo mas importante ang kalooban ng tao higit sa anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan sa eskwelahan ay nagmumukhang pandesal. Maniwala ka.”
- Ayoko nang nasasanay sa mga bagay na pwedeng wala sa buhay ko.
- “Hinahanap mo nga ba ako o ang kawalan ko?”
- “Hindi dahil sa hindi mo naiintindihan ang isang bagay ay kasinungalingan na ito. At hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohanan.”
- “Kumain ka na ng siopao na may palamang pusa o maglakad sa bubog nang nakayapak, pero wag na wag kang susubok mag-drugs. Kung hindi mo kayang umiwas, humingi ka ng tulong sa mga magulang mo dahil alam nila kung saan ang mga murang supplier at hindi ka nila iiwan.”
- “Mag-aral nang maigi. Kung titigil ka sa pag-aaral, manghihinayang ka pagtanda mo dahil hindi mo naranasan ang kakaibang ligayang dulot ng mga araw na walang pasok o suspendido ang klase o absent ang teacher. (Haaay, sarap!).”
- “Mangarap ka at abutin mo. Wag mong sisihin ang sira mong pamilya, palpak mong syota, pilay mong tuta, o mga lumilipad na ipis. Kung may pagkukulang sa’yo ang mga magulang mo, pwede kang manisi at maging rebelde. Tumigil ka sa pag-aaral, mag-asawa ka, mag-drugs ka, magpakulay ka ng buhok sa kili-kili. Sa bandang huli, ikaw din ang biktima. Rebeldeng walang napatunayan at bait sa sarili”
