“And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, ‘Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me.’ But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.”
1 Sam. 31:3-5
“Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that he was condemned… cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
Mt. 27:3-5
“Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus… Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”
Acts 1:16-18
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Subsection
May One Contribute Anything Toward his Death?
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Order of Contents
Articles 4
Book 1
Military Suicide Missions: Lawful 1
Latin 6
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Articles
1500’s
Vermigli, Peter Martyr – The Common Places… (d. 1562; London: Henrie Denham et al., 1583), pt. 2, ch. 9, ‘The Sixth Precept: of Friendship’
‘Of Sword-Play’ 390
‘Whether it be Lawful for any Man to Kill Himself’ 391-97
“…first I say that death of its own nature is evil: for God threatens the same and does cast it upon us as a punishment. Moreover, it is put as contrary unto life, which we doubt not but is good…
But now I only ask this: If death be evil, why is it sometime wished for: for nothing can be desired but has some consideration of good? But you will say that even this has then some consideration of good, when men are thereby delivered from the grievous evils which they think that either they be not able to bear, or that in abiding of them they shall be grievously troubled: or else, when by the same they obtain some notable good thing. Wherefore, though it sometime appear lawful to wish death for any of these, yet is it a doubt whether one may kill himself for those things…
But I speak nothing hear of them which slay themselves through frenzy and madness [insanity]… it may rather seem hear that they should be pitied…
And we will use this proposition: It is not lawful for one to kill himself for any of those things which I have showed…
And when the Amalechite had said that he stood upon the body of Saul while he was dying and did press him down that he might die the more easily, David answered, ‘Thou art the son of death.’ (2 Sam. 1:16) But if it had been lawful for Saul to have killed himself, how could the young man, which hastened his death, be worthy of death? For it is lawful for one to help another in an honest matter, and especially his prince.
And if the law forbid thee to kill another man, it much rather forbids thee to kill thyself, since that which is not lawful for thee to do to another, is unlawful for thee to do to thyself. For the rule of charity must be taken from that charity wherewith we love ourselves.” – pp. 391-92
Musculus, Wolfgang – ‘How men do sin against this law who kill themselves’ in Common Places of the Christian Religion (1560; London, 1563), 6th Commandment, folio 78.a
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1600’s
Turretin, Francis – 17. ‘Are the rights of war and punishment contained under this commandment? Are suicide (autocheiria) and duelling prohibited? The former we deny; the latter we affirm.’ in Institutes of Elenctic Theology, tr. George M. Giger, ed. James Dennison Jr. (1679–1685; P&R, 1994), vol. 2, 11th Topic, pp. 112-20
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2000’s
McCarthy, John Canon – ‘Direct & Indirect Suicide’ in Problems in Theology II: the Commandments (Dublin, 1959), sect. 5, 5th Commandment, pp. 119-22
McCarthy was a Romanist professor of moral theology. He here takes up the case of a secret agent being dropped into enemy territory by parachute, and is captured:
“Realizing that his comrades’ lives depend upon his silence he consumes the cyanide and dies in a few moments. Is his action lawful?”
McCarthy answers “No” and explains well why this is so, distinguishing between direct and indirect suicide and other things.
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Book
1800’s
Miller, Samuel – The Guilt, Folly & Sources of Suicide: Two Discourses (NY: Swords, 1805) 80 pp. no ToC
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Military Suicide Missions may be Morally Lawful
Article
1500’s
Musculus, Wolfgang – ‘Of Sampson in Judges 16’ in Common Places of the Christian Religion (1560; London, 1563), 6th Commandment, folios 78.b-79.a
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Latin Articles
1600’s
Heereboord, Adrian – 35. ‘On Suicide & Duelling’ in Philosophical Outlines [Meletemata], in which Most Things in Metaphysics are Ventilated, the Whole of Ethics… 2nd ed. (Leiden, 1659), Ethical Exercises, pp. 137-42
Voet, Gisbert – Select Theological Disputations (Utrecht, 1667), vol. 4
21. ‘On Murder & Hurting of Oneself, even of Voluntary Flagellation’ 244
. Appendix 1: Problems 270
. Appendix 2: ‘On the Burning of One’s Own Ship’ 281-92
50. ‘A Syllabus of Questions on the Decalogue’, ‘On the 6th Commandment’
‘On harming and mutilation of oneself or others’ 799
‘On suicide’ 799
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Related Pages