Cupio Dissolvi
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''Cupio dissolvi'' is a
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
locution Locution can refer to: * a figure of speech * Locution (paranormal), a mode of supernatural revelation * Locution (catchphrase), a particular word, phrase, or expression, especially associated with a particular person, region, group, or cultural ...
used in translations prior to the
Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
of the
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
's
epistle An epistle (; ) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The ...
to
Philippians The Epistle to the Philippians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and Timothy is named with him as co-author or co-sender. The letter is addressed to the Christia ...
. The phrase, literally meaning "I wish to be dissolved", expresses the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
desire to leave the earthly life and join
Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
in eternal life. It has played an important role in discussions on the topic of
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
from the Middle Ages to the early Modern period. Over time, however, especially where national idioms derive from
Romance languages The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...
, the phrase has acquired more secular and profane meanings and uses, expressing such concepts as the rejection of existence and the masochistic desire for self-destruction.


Quote and interpretation

The
Douay–Rheims Bible The Douay–Rheims Bible (, ), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by member ...
translates: The phrase occurs in one of Paul's ecstasies, the loosening of the soul from the body being a prerequisite to joining Christ. A traditional use is found, for instance, in ''The Seven Modes of Sacred Love'', by Brabantian mystic Beatrice of Nazareth (1200–1268): a complete release of the soul into eternal love. A similar use is found in a twelfth-century
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
homily on St. James from
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, MS.B.14.52: "Hateful to me is this earthly life, and I long for Christ". For medieval
theologians Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, the concept was unproblematic;
Rabanus Maurus Rabanus Maurus Magnentius ( 780 – 4 February 856), also known as Hrabanus or Rhabanus, was a Frankish Benedictine monk, theologian, poet, encyclopedist and military writer who became archbishop of Mainz in East Francia. He was the author of t ...
(780-856) clarifies that this desire is an example of an acceptable ''cupiditas'' or greed. Not until the eleventh century is a note of warning struck, by
Peter Lombard Peter Lombard (also Peter the Lombard, Pierre Lombard or Petrus Lombardus; 1096 – 21/22 August 1160) was an Italian scholasticism, scholastic theologian, Bishop of Paris, and author of ''Sentences, Four Books of Sentences'' which became the s ...
(1096–1164): it does not mean that one should only tolerate earthly life instead of loving it, suggesting that the locution had been read to mean that hastening one's end is preferable over living out one's life (as a notion deriving from Seneca, for instance), a misreading offered in
Hildebert Hildebert is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to: * Hildebert (bishop of Cambrai) () * Hildebert, Count of Ivois ( 882) * (died 937) * (died 1006) *, abbot () *, abbot () * Hildebert of Lavardin (died 1133), bishop of Le Man ...
's ''Querimonia''.
Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...
(1533–1592) and contemporary theologians read the phrase also as "giv ngthe lie to those who say that the desire to die means sinful despair"; ''cupio dissolvi'' is a frequently cited locution in the ongoing discussion on suicide, which often took the semi-Platonic character of the reputed suicide Cleombrotus of Ambracia as a case study.


Among English authors

The locution is cited in important texts from all stages of the English language. In the Old English homily of Trinity MS.B.14.52, it occurs in Latin (spelled "cupio dissolui") surrounded by Old English prose. In
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...
, it occurs for instance in the Lambeth Homilies, translated as "ich walde thet ich ded were, for me longeth to criste." It was frequently quoted by
Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...
(1478–1535) especially as he got older, and by
John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...
(1572–1631) in many of his sermons.


Wider meaning

In Donne, the use of this phrase is taken as indicative of the strength of his "desire to believe himself among God's elect", while, for the exegesis influenced by
Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...
, of his being "possessed not only by the ' death wish' but also by a lifetime's struggle against it that this consideration should powerfully, even finally, determine our sense of the overall direction and significance of his work." The Latin locution occurs in
alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
Heinrich Khunrath Heinrich Khunrath (c. 1560 – 9 September 1605), or Dr. Henricus Khunrath as he was also called, was a German physician, hermetic philosopher, and alchemist. Frances Yates considered him to be a link between the philosophy of John Dee and Ro ...
's ''Von hylealischen ..Chaos'', 1597, p. 204 (205?).
Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...
, founder of the
analytical psychology Analytical psychology (, sometimes translated as analytic psychology; also Jungian analysis) is a term referring to the psychological practices of Carl Jung. It was designed to distinguish it from Freud's psychoanalytic theories as their ...
, quoted him to describe the process of
dream interpretation Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams. In many ancient societies, such as those of Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be in ...
and
individuation The principle of individuation, or ', describes the manner in which a thing is identified as distinct from other things. The concept appears in numerous fields and is encountered in works of Leibniz, Carl Jung, Gunther Anders, Gilbert Simondo ...
: "Soul and spirit must be separated from the body, and this is equivalent to death: 'Therefore Paul of Tarsus saith, Cupio dissolvi, et esse cum Christo'." The cultural theorist Dominic Pettman explained the twentieth century and the
postmodern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...
contemporary society, swung violently between the poles of anticipation and anticlimax, citing a statement expressed by
Mario Praz Sir Mario Praz (; 6 September 1896, Rome – 23 March 1982, Rome) was an Italian critic of art and literature, and a scholar of English literature. His best-known book, ''The Romantic Agony'' (1933), was a comprehensive survey of the decadent, ...
in 1930: ''Cupio dissolvi'' "is also a theme that we see repeatedly—albeit in a more secular form—in
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
lyrics, film, and art, expressed as a provocative and somewhat naïve desire for death", for example in the verses of "
Marquee Moon ''Marquee Moon'' is the debut studio album by American rock music, rock band Television (band), Television, released on February 8, 1977, by Elektra Records. In the years leading up to the album, Television had become a prominent act in the Mu ...
", the 1977 "title track from the American band
Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
's first album".
Quote


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Christianity, Language, Psychology New Testament Latin words and phrases Vulgate Latin words and phrases Christian terminology