Gregory of Nyssa identifies envy as the passion,
“…. which causes evil, the father of death, the first entrance for sin, the root of wickedness, the birth of sorrow, the mother of misfortune, the basis of disobedience, the beginning of shame. Envy banishes us from paradise....Envy made Joseph a slave. Envy is the death-dealing sting, the hidden weapon, the sickness of nature, the bitter poison, the self-willed emaciation, the bitter dart, the nail of the soul, the fire in the heart, the flame burning on the inside..." (Life of Moses, Gregory of Nyssa, quoted in Death by Envy, Fr. George R.A. Aquaro, p. 74)
"Scripture combines envy with jealousy, covetousness and stinginess, into a single concept that is a manifestation of idolatry (narcissism) of self and belief that there is a limited supply of good..." (ibid)
Envy is the spirit animating British philosopher Adam Smith's sophistry, that is, his phony concern postured in sophisticated questions and 'evidence' such as,
"Is having a loving family an unfair advantage?" "Should parents snuggling up for one last story before lights out be even a little concerned about the advantage they might be conferring?” "Evidence shows that the difference between those who get bedtime stories and those who don't – the difference in their life chances – is bigger than the difference between those who get elite private schooling and those that don't." (Parents reading to kids blasted as 'unfair,' Joe Kovacs, WND, May, 2015)
Ancient Greek philosophers categorized envy stirred up by perceived superiority (inequality) as ‘ zelos.’ In the poem, 'Work and Days,' Isocrates presents the spirit of zelos as "with grim face and screaming voice, who delights in evil" and causes Decency and Respect to flee.
The anonymous author "Michael Swift” is guilty of this very thing kind of envy, made evident in a widely circulated article called "Gay Revolutionary." In prose that chills the spine Swift warns the envied straight community that the men of Sodom shall be victorious,
"....because we are filled with the ferocious bitterness of the oppressed who have been forced to play seemingly bit parts in your dumb, heterosexual shows throughout the ages...We too are capable of firing guns and manning barricades of the ultimate revolution....Tremble, hetero swine, when we appear before you without our masks." (Spirit Wars: Pagan Revival in Christian America, Peter Jones, p. 255)
Envy is the deadliest of the deadly sins.
It is also the main weapon of the left.