1992
DOI: 10.2190/xkk5-l1qc-1q8t-g3w6
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Judaism, Masada, and Suicide: A Critical Analysis

Abstract: The story of the mass suicide at Masada is often given as an example of Jewish thought. In fact, the modern state of Israel is sometimes described as having a “Masada complex.” The present article examines Bellum Judaicum (the Jewish Wars) by Josephus [1], who was the primary, and for many centuries, exclusive source on this topic and arrives at far different conclusions. Analysis of speeches at Masada, and at a slightly earlier mass suicide at Jotapata, indicates clearly that suicide represents a Graeco-Roman… Show more

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Cited by 9 publications
(3 citation statements)
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“…Not surprisingly, the specifics of these beliefs vary depending on the religion. In Judaism, the doctrine does not allow people to hurt or harm themselves (Bailey and Stein 1995;Gearing and Alonzo 2018;Schwartz and Kaplan 1992) because it goes against preserving human life (Nelson et al 2012) and is seen as worse than murder, given that repentance cannot occur (Kaplan and Schoeneberg 1988). Similarly, Islam forbids suicide, with the Qur'an referring to suicide as self-murder (Colucci and Martin 2008;Nelson et al 2012), with even the desire for death being forbidden (Shah and Chandia 2010).…”
Section: Religious Views On Suicidementioning
confidence: 99%
“…Not surprisingly, the specifics of these beliefs vary depending on the religion. In Judaism, the doctrine does not allow people to hurt or harm themselves (Bailey and Stein 1995;Gearing and Alonzo 2018;Schwartz and Kaplan 1992) because it goes against preserving human life (Nelson et al 2012) and is seen as worse than murder, given that repentance cannot occur (Kaplan and Schoeneberg 1988). Similarly, Islam forbids suicide, with the Qur'an referring to suicide as self-murder (Colucci and Martin 2008;Nelson et al 2012), with even the desire for death being forbidden (Shah and Chandia 2010).…”
Section: Religious Views On Suicidementioning
confidence: 99%
“…Life is owned by Gd, it is not seen as a human possession. The individual does not have the right to wound his/her own body, and certainly not to take his/her own life (Bailey and Stein 1995;Schwartz and Kaplan 1992). There are serious spiritual consequences to suicide in Judaism.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The best-known example of this is an account by the historian Josephus of the mass suicide of nearly 1000 Jewish defenders of the fort of Masada by the Dead Sea, against Roman invasion (Schwartz and Kaplan 1992). The archaeological evidence for this is said to be controversial, but the heroism of the mass suicide continues to be held up as inspirational.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%