Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-247) and index.

Foreword to the first edition / David Bakan -- Foreword to the revised and expanded edition / Nicholas Wolterstorff -- The problem of suicide. To be or not to be : the question of suicide -- Suicide in Greco-Roman thought -- Suicide in Judaeo-Christian thought -- Individual case studies from Greek tragedy and biblical narratives. Cycle vs. development : Narcissus vs. Jonah -- Suicide in Greek tragedy -- Suicide and suicide prevention in biblical narratives -- Marriage and family case studies from Greek tragedy and biblical narratives. Couples : polarization vs. growth, Prometheus-Pandora vs. Adam-Eve -- The suicide promoting structure of the Greek family : Oedipus and Electra -- The life-promoting structure of the biblical family : Isaac and Ruth -- Oedipus's curse vs. Jacob's blessing : sibling rivalry and its resolution -- Contemporary confusions about life and death. Kevorkian, Hippocrates, and Maimonides : watching over patients' life and death -- Zeno vs. Job : the biblical case against "rational suicide" -- Conclusion. From tragedy to therapy : the case for biblical psychotherapy.