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Self-Sacrifice to save the life of another in Jewish and Christian traditions : A comparative analysis
Litwa, Matthew
Litwa, Matthew
Author
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.
Keywords
self-sacrifice, martyr, Jewish faith, Christianity
Date
2009
Type
Journal article
Journal
Book
Volume
50
Issue
6
Page Range
912-922
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
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Open Access Status
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All rights reserved
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Notes
Copyright The author 2009. Journal compilation Copyright Trustees for Roman Catholic Purposes Registered 2009