Self-Sacrifice to save the life of another in Jewish and Christian traditions : A comparative analysis

Journal article

Litwa, Matthew. (2009). Self-Sacrifice to save the life of another in Jewish and Christian traditions : A comparative analysis. Heythrop Journal : a Quarterly Review of Philosophy and Theology. 50(6), pp. 912-922. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2265.2009.00516.x
AuthorsLitwa, Matthew
Abstract

Although both the Jewish and Christian traditions permit and even valorize self-sacrificial death for the sake of God (martyrdom), and for other people, they diverge on the issue of self-sacrificial death for the sake of a single individual. The Jewish tradition prohibits such self-sacrifice on the basis of the principles that (1) God owns the body and that (2) one cannot exchange one's life for another's. Christian ethics, in contrast, permits sacrificing one's life to save a single person based on the model of Christ's self-sacrificial love. This ethical disagreement exposes a fundamental theological disagreement between the two traditions concerning what constitutes the imago Dei.

Keywordsself-sacrifice; martyr; Jewish faith; Christianity
Year01 Jan 2009
JournalHeythrop Journal : a Quarterly Review of Philosophy and Theology
Journal citation50 (6), pp. 912-922
PublisherWiley-Blackwell
ISSN0018-1196
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2265.2009.00516.x
Web address (URL)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2265.2009.00516.x
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range912-922
Publisher's version
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All rights reserved
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Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online08 Oct 2009
Publication process dates
Deposited03 May 2024
Additional information

Copyright The author 2009. Journal compilation Copyright Trustees for Roman Catholic Purposes Registered 2009

Place of publicationUnited Kingdom
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