Can examining the difference between the attitude toward suicide in ancient Greek culture and the Bible provide a positive, biblical alternative to the rising suicidal element in modern Western culture? Kalman Kaplan and Matthew Schwartz develop such a biblical psychology in this book by combining the disciplines of history, psychology, and religion.

Ancient Greek society shows an obsessive interest in suicide and death. Kaplan and Schwartz explore the psychodynamic roots of that tendency and contrast it with the biblical stories, which speak little of suicide and approach reality and freedom in terms of a personal, lifegiving God. It is here that Kaplan and Schwartz find a viable solution for the hopelessness so prevalent in Western culture today.

Kalman J Kaplan is Professor of Psychology at Wayne State University and Clinical Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Matthew B Schwartz teaches ancient history and literature in the Department of History at Wayne State University.