The City of God · Chapter
XXVI explained
Augustine discusses the exceptional cases of self-destruction among holy women during persecution, noting that such acts may be justified if divinely commanded, as with Samson and Abraham.
What happens
Augustine discusses the exceptional cases of self-destruction among holy women during persecution, noting that such acts may be justified if divinely commanded, as with Samson and Abraham. He emphasizes that without clear divine authority, suicide is never permissible, as it escapes temporal ills only to incur eternal guilt, and he outlines four specific prohibitions against voluntary death.
Themes in this chapter
Morality and Virtue vs. Pagan Corruption
Augustine delineates the moral boundaries of suicide, contrasting virtuous obedience to divine command with sinful self-murder.
Sin, Grace, and Redemption
The chapter emphasizes that suicide cannot atone for past sins and that repentance in this life is necessary for healing.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author and primary voice, analyzing the morality of suicide and the limits of following saintly examples.
- Samson
Cited as a biblical example of self-destruction that was divinely commanded and therefore justified.
- Abraham
Mentioned as an example of obedience to God's command to sacrifice his son, illustrating that not every such act is to be imitated.
Key passages
“But then every man is not justified in sacrificing his son to God, because Abraham was commendable in so doing.”
Not everyone is permitted to sacrifice their child to God just because Abraham was praised for doing so.
Augustine uses Abraham's example to show that exceptional divine commands do not establish general moral rules.
“that no man ought to inflict on himself voluntary death, for this is to escape the ills of time by plunging into those of eternity”
No one should commit suicide, because it trades temporary earthly troubles for eternal suffering.
Augustine's core argument against suicide, emphasizing the eternal consequences over temporal relief.