 Apart from the first sinful movements, love and compassion were other central emotions in medieval theology. Misericordia was a Latin translation of the term eleos used in Greek philosophy and literature. In the Vulgate translation of the Bible, the term misericordia was used of divine mercy as well as of a human emotion of sorrow for the misery of another. Compassio was not a Classical Latin word, but it came to be employed by some Christian authors and then increasingly used. The reason for this new terminology was apparently the need for an unambiguous word that would apply to the human part of the meaning of misericordia which continued to be used as a term with divine and human references. (See Konstan 2001: 106; Konstan 2006: 201–216.) It was usually assumed that God has no emotional sorrow or pity and no other emotion for that matter. Augustine wrote that “pity (misericordia) is a kind of compassion (compassio) in our hearts for the misery of others which compels us to help them if we can” (De civitate Dei IX.5). Gregory the Great’s understanding of compassion was similar to that of Augustine, and he treated it as a Christian sentiment which is included in the virtue of charity love. Because of the influence of Gregory’s works, compassion became a central notion in medieval theology (Straw 2013; Coolman 2008). Quoting Augustine’s definition, Aquinas explains that compassion is an emotion which as such is ethically neutral. When it is connected with charity, it becomes an affective part of misericordia (mercy), a virtuous concern for the miseries of others (Summa theologiae II.2.30). Aquinas writes that a person should be compassionate in affect and helpful in effect (Summa theologiae II-2.45.6, ad 3). (See also Miner 2016.)