A noble death

The right to die with dignity has emerged as a crucial issue in the 1990s. As reports of family- or doctor-assisted suicides increase, the issue of voluntary death is occupying an increasingly prominent place in our national consciousness. From theologians, medical ethicists, and talk-show hosts to people facing the issue in their own lives, all are participants in the debate, each seeking to influence and control the discourse on suicide and euthanasia. Now, this. Pathbreaking study provides a stunning reappraisal of the early history of this controversial human freedom. A Noble Death challenges the often unquestioning attitudes we have toward suicide and traces the evolution of these attitudes from the time of Socrates to the present day. Droge and Tabor reveal the extraordinary fact that early Christians and Jews did not absolutely condemn suicide, but instead focused on whether or not it was committed for noble reasons. In. Fascinating detail, the texts and traditions presented here--from Greek and Roman philosophy, to Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible itself--make clear that the decision to take one's life, or allow it to be taken, was not considered a sin but a noble choic