Biathanatos
Biathanatos
Work by John Donne
Biathanatos (from Greek Βιαθανατος meaning "violent death") is a work by the English writer and clergyman John Donne. Written in 1608 and published after his death,[1] it contains a heterodox defense of "self-homicide" (suicide), listing prominent Biblical examples including Jesus, Samson, Saul, and Judas Iscariot. Thomas De Quincey responds to the work in his "On Suicide",[2] and Jorge Luis Borges responds in "Biathanatos".[3]