Was the Apostle Paul Suicidal?: An Analysis on Philippians 1:21-26 in its Cultural Context

Abstract

One of those possible tropes of literary references in the Roman Empire is in the letters of, Paul the Apostle. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes the phrase “To live is Christ and to Die is gain” (Phil. 1:21) where Paul is placing value on death. Also, Paul expresses a choice between “staying in the flesh” or “departing with Christ.” (Phil. 1:21-26). With this kind of language used, the question is raised: is Paul expressing suicidal language? And if so, is that language Socratic in tradition?