Psybibs

Families of the Bible: A New Perspective

2010-11-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Blessing, Kamila, Families of the Bible: A New Perspective (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2010).

Reinterpreting the Bible through Family Systems Theory, this fascinating exploration shows how the theology of creation, restoration, and salvation can be meaningfully and uniquely understood through the lens of the biblical family.

The most often mentioned and most profoundly alone being in the Bible is God. The second is Jesus. In fact, the single person turns out to be of central importance in the Bible, despite the overwhelming emphasis on extended biological families. Since the only consistent definition of "family" in the Bible is "covenant," the orphan, the single person, the gay person, and others who are often on the fringes of the Church are just as much part of the family of God as the husband-wife-child unit.

It is not possible to recreate a "biblical" family in the modern world. Thus, we must think of the principles of faithful family life demonstrated in the Bible and express them in a new way. That is the idea underlying Families of the Bible: A New Perspective. Examining themes related to family health, connection, spirituality, and psychology, the author relates stories from the Bible to modern-day experience in an effort to help readers strengthen and heal their own families, whatever their structure.

While the book addresses the family of the patriarchs and other major traditional families in the Bible, it also specifically examines Jesus' new definition of family, showing how his psycho-spiritual family has a different—and more inclusive—shape than the "natural family." The author, who is an Episcopal priest, insists that the Bible shows God as faithful in providing for his people. The many disadvantaged in our society, as well as those who are alone and those who have found that wealth does not provide satisfaction, will benefit from this thoughtful reinterpretation. (publisher)

Kamila Blessing has been a long-time participant in the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section, and will be presenting at the 2010 meeting in Atlanta.

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A Cry Instead of Justice: The Bible and Cultures of Violence in Psychological Perspective

2010-09-19T16:48:00.001-07:00

Daschke, Dereck and D. Andrew Kille, Eds. A Cry Instead of Justice: The Bible and Cultures of Violence in Psychological Perspective. Library of Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament Studies. (New York/London: T & T Clark, 2010).

Within a book widely touted as the path to peace, violence has incongruously been central to the Bible and how it is used. This collection book examines the manifestations of violence in Scripture, and the ways that Scripture itself - whether violent in content or not - can be used to justify violence and aggression in specific social circumstances today. The book is divided into two parts. The first half explores some incidents of Biblical violence that, rather than appearing at the forefront of the narrative, reflect that ancient Jewish culture (including the early Christian movement recorded in the New Testament) treats violence as an undeniable fact of the social world in which biblical figures live. In these essays, psychological theory and interpretation focus on the effect of this culture of violence in the behavior, expectations, and failures of Biblical figures, in order to re-evaluate the messages of these texts in light of their accepted, but largely unacknowledged, aggression. (Publisher)

This book is a collection of essays that have been presented in the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section over the past several years Dereck Daschke and D. Andrew Kille have both served as Chair of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section.

Psybibs Sessions in Atlanta, November 2010

2010-09-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

There will be four Psychology and Biblical Studies Section sessions at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in Atlanta, GA this coming November 20-23. Sessions will include:

The Making of Fornication: A Book Review Panel on The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity by Kathy Gaca
New models for Psychological Criticism: Exploration of new methods and theories for psychological biblical criticism.
Cognitive Approaches to the Bible: Applications of Cognitive Theory.
The Bible in Healing and Transformation

For details on the times and locations of the sessions, see the Psybibs website.

Psychology and Bible Study Sessions 2009

2009-10-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature will be in New Orleans November 21-24, 2009. Sessions sponsored by the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section will include Panel Reviews of Donald Capps, Jesus, the Village Psychiatrist, and Peter G. Jeffery, The Secret Gospel of Mark Unveiled; Imagined Ritual of Sex, Death, and Madness in a Biblical Forgery. Paper sessions will include "Otherness and Motherness: Psychological Forays into the Hebrew Scriptures," and "New Testament Texts and Methods: Jesus, Marriage, and Personality."

Full program listings with times and locations are now online at the Psybibs Website.

Call for Papers: SBL 2009, New Orleans

2008-11-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

We invite paper proposals on the theme Psychological Perspectives on the Historical Jesus. Papers might propose psychological approaches to understanding Jesus, critique previous psychological interpretations of Jesus, or examine how contemporary readers relate to Jesus.

There will be book review sessions on Fraser Watts, ed., Jesus and Psychology (2007) and Donald Capps, Jesus the Village Psychiatrist (2008).

We also invite any proposals for papers that address Biblical texts, themes, figures and/or readers using the concepts and interpretive tools of any field of psychology.

Contact Chair D. Andrew Kille at psybibs@att.net or the Psychology and Biblical Studies website at www.psybibs.org for more information.

The Destructive Power of Religion: Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

2008-03-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ellens, J. Harold, editor, The Destructive Power of Religion: Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2007)

Description: Hailed in reviews as "unsettling but thought-provoking," "compelling," and "critical coverage," the set from which these chapters were drawn has a core theme that demonstrates the three major religions share the ancient notion that history and the human soul are caught in a cosmic conflict between good and evil, or God and devil, which cannot be resolved without violence, a cataclysmic final solution such as the extermination of nations, the execution of humans, or even the death of God's own son. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote, "This is a groundbreaking work with tremendous insight."

This is a one-volume edition condensed and updated from the four volume set of The Destructive Power of Religion.

RBL Review

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Jesus the Village Psychiatrist

2008-03-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Capps, Donald (2008). Jesus the Village Psychiatrist. Louisville: Westminster John Knox.

From the jacket: Capps argues that one of Jesus' purposes was to heal people from mental illnesses, which people in the ancient world would have called possessions and seen manifested in physical ailments such as blindness, paralysis, or other symptoms. As Capps argues, Jesus' mission involved attending to and overcoming the various psychological and cultural causes behind these illnesses.

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the SBL Annual Meeting in New Orleans in November 2009.

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Psychological Insight into the Bible: Texts and Readings

2008-03-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Rollins, Wayne G. and Kille, D. Andrew (Eds.). (2007) Psychological Insight into the Bible: Texts and Readings. Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans.

"Psychological Insight into the Bible is a veritable exposition of the famous Abraham Heschel's statement that `the Bible is less a theology for man than an anthropology for God.' From all possible angles the book deals with the issue as spelled out in the title. What `insight' does psychology bring to the understanding of the biblical text, of its background (or archaeological history), of its foreground (or teleological assimilation by its readers), of its impact on the `psyche'? Exploring this field from Aristotle to contemporary psychoanalysts and Bible scholars, via Freud, Jung, Winnicott, Frankl, Weber, Delitzsch, Wheeler Robinson and others, the book builds a compelling case for the immense richness of `insights' that the psychological methodology offers to the exegete, and, reciprocally, biblical anthropology to the psychologist. This is an indispensable tool for students of the Bible and/or of psychology."
(Andre LaCocque, Chicago Theological Seminary)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the SBL Annual Meeting in Boston in November 2008.

RBL Review

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Sex in the Bible: A New Consideration

2008-03-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

Ellens, J. Harold, Ed. (2006). Sex in the Bible: A New Consideration. Westport, CN: Praeger.

What is the Bible's stance on such controversial issues as homosexuality and polygamy? What does it have to say about sexual behaviors that some would deem perverted or criminal? Is sex always wrong if it is not used to create life? Ellens answers these and other questions in a book that argues that our understanding of what the Bible has to say about sex is frequently misguided. He corrects our impressions with a look at the Scriptures themselves, considers what they might have meant to people in the past, and reflects on how we understand, or misunderstand, them today. Focusing on early interpretations and contemporary misconceptions, Ellens guides readers through what the Bible actually says, showing how these messages have been interpreted in different contexts, and suggesting new ways of reading and translating them for use in our own lives. Readers hoping to reach a better understanding of the Bible's views on sexual practices and sexuality in general will find their questions answered here. Introduction by Wayne G. Rollins. (From the publisher)

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A violent God-image: an introduction to the work of Eugen Drewermann

2008-03-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

Beier, Matthias. (2004). A violent God-image: an introduction to the work of Eugen Drewermann. New York: Continuum.

Matthias Beier’s A Violent God-Image: An Introduction to the Work of Eugen Drewermann (New York: Continuum, 2004) is the first full-length volume in English on the thought of Eugen Drewermann, the most prolific theological writer in the German language over the past twenty years. Eugen Drewermann’s work is of special interest to biblical scholars as the first comprehensive application in the twentieth century of psychoanalytic insight (in some instances also of biology, physics and cosmology) to a wide range of biblical texts, as well as to the fields of moral theology and ecclesiology.

Drewermann was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, but because of his unorthodox approach, he was, like Hans Küng, challenged by the church, banned from teaching and the priesthood. His literary output is prodigious. Since 1971, he has written more than seventy books. Several are of special interest to biblical scholars, e.g. Tiefenpsychologie und Exegese (Depth Psychology and Exegesis) (1984). The sub-titles of the two massive volumes list a rich roster of biblical literary genres: “dreams, myth, fairy tale, saga and legend” in volume one, and “miracle, vision, wisdom saying, apocalypse, history and parable” in volume two. Drewermann has also completed three two-volume sets of commentaries on the Gospel of Mark (1990), Matthew (1992) and most recently John (2003), written from a psychoanalytic perspective. Biblical scholars will be especially interested in the genesis of Drewermann’s interest in psychological hermeneutics from his attempt to understand how “a nation [ like Germany] steeped in Christianity could be swept way by the destructive ideology of Nazism.\” and how that Nazism might have been nourished within the haunts of church and scripture.
(Wayne G. Rollins)

RBL review

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Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies

2008-03-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Browning, Don S. and Cooper, Terry. D. (2004). Religious Thought and the Modern Psychologies, 2nd edition. Minneapolis: Fortress.

In this important work, Browning & Cooper convincingly argue that the modern psychologies (Freud, Rogers/Maslow/Perls, Skinner, Jung, Erikson/Kohut, Ellis/Beck/Bowen) "transcend themselves" by their implicit assumptions regarding ethics and the nature of the universe. The hermeneutic philosophy of Heidegger, Gadamer, and especially Ricoeur, supply Browning and Cooper with the framework in which to challenge the scientific objectivity of the psychologies. They effectively demonstrate that the "images of obligation" and "metaphors of ultimacy" in these psychologies function as religious myths that can be helpfully compared with and critiqued by a Christian anthropology largely informed by Reinhold Niebuhr and William James. The result is an interesting, philosophically informed, theologically nuanced, and at times arrogantly argued, moral evaluation of the modern psychologies.
(Paul Fisher)

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The Destructive Power of Religion

2008-03-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ellens, J. H. (Ed.). (2004). The Destructive Power of Religion: Violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Westport CT: Praeger-Greenwood.

This four-volume collection of essays from 30 contributors examines the relationship of violence and religion with particular reference to psychological dynamics. This work, edited by Hal Ellens, co-chair of the SBL Psychology and Biblical Studies section, includes contributions from Psybibs presenters Paul Anderson, Donald Capps, Charles (Tom) Davis, D. Andrew Kille, Michael Willett Newheart, Ilona Rashkow, Wayne Rollins, and Walter Wink, as well as Martin Marty, Jack Miles and Desmond Tutu.

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the SBL Annual Meeting in Philadelphia in November 2005.

RBL review

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Psychology and the Bible: A New Way to Read the Scriptures

2008-03-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ellens, J. Harold, and Wayne G. Rollins, eds. (2004). Psychology and the Bible: A New Way to Read the Scriptures. Westport, CT: Greenwood-Praeger. (12/04)

A collection of essays in four volumes, many having their origins in the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section.

Vol 1: From Freud to Kohut;
Vol. 2: From Genesis to Apocalyptic Vision;
Vol. 3: From Gospel to Gnostics;
Vol. 4: From Christ to Jesus.

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the SBL Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in November 2006.

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The enemy is within : a Jungian psychoanalytic approach to the book of Judith

2008-03-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Efthimiadis-Keith, Helen. (2004). The enemy is within : a Jungian psychoanalytic approach to the book of Judith. Boston: Brill.

This is an amazing work of psychological criticism from a Jungian viewpoint. Efthimiadis-Keith combines Jungian theory with a critical method developed by Terence Dawson which seeks to identify the key psychological concern of a text in order to examine the book of Judith. From a psychological perspective, she suggests that many of the aspects of the book which have puzzled interpreters (historical inaccuracies, literary imbalance, and the ambivalent character of Judith herself) have, in fact, a clear psychological function.

Her reading of the book as an individuation dream of the Jewish people in the early first century is fascinating in itself. Yet even more interesting is her critique of Jungian theory, most notably in the area of the "animus," a section of Jung's system that he himself did not develop all that well. The book is long (over 400 pages), but worth the effort.
(DAK)

RBL review

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Inner Worlds: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach to the Book of Jonah

2008-03-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

Kamp, Albert (2004). Inner Worlds: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach to the Book of Jonah. Translated by David Orton. Leiden: Brill.

(From the publisher) In the dynamic interchange between authors, texts, and readers that occurs during the reading process, readers are stimulated by the author to create complex inner representations of the reality presented in a text. The cognitive linguistic approach outlined in the first part of Inner Worlds offers a set of analytical tools that can be instructively applied to the book of Jonah to examine how the text presents its own reality to the reader. Retranslated with an eye to the distinct nuances in the Hebrew, the text of Jonah reveals a range of suggestive dynamic patterns that show the irony of Jonah’s limited perspectives on his misfortunes compared with the transcendent perspective of a gracious God.

RBL review

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Tranforming Shame: A Pastoral Response

2008-03-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

McNish, Jill. (2004). Tranforming Shame: A Pastoral Response. Binghamton, NY: Haworth.

Rooted in her experience as a priest, pastor, chaplain and preacher, Jill McNish argues compellingly that the core ministry of the church does not involve sin and guilt, but the creative transformation of shame, exemplified in Jesus’ crucifixion. In a clear and engaging style, McNish integrates theological, psychological, and biblical perspectives with personal reflection, case histories and a profound perceptiveness and pastoral sensitivity. She argues that contemporary ministry in general must be informed by insights from depth psychology, especially in dealing with shame. Readers unfamiliar with depth psychology will find this book a clear and accessible introduction; more experienced readers will discover a freshness of insight and presentation that makes familiar concepts new.
(DAK)

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My name is Legion: the story and soul of the Gerasene demoniac

2008-03-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Newheart, Michael Willett. (2004). My name is Legion: the story and soul of the Gerasene demoniac. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press.

Writing for the Interfaces series, designed to introduce non-professionals to methods in biblical study, Michael Willett Newheart uses a combination of narrative criticism, psychological biblical criticism and his own "soul hermeneutic" to explore the story of the Gadarene demoniac in Mark. Psychological approaches include Freud, Jung, Rene Girard and Fritz Fanon. See the more extensive reviews by Kamila Blessing and D. Andrew Kille at the Review of Biblical Literature. (DAK)

RBL review

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Identity and Experience in the New Testament

2008-03-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Berger, K. (2003). Identity and Experience in the New Testament (C. Muenchow, Trans.). Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

[From the Publisher's description]:"How do the New Testament documents present issues of passion, will, identity, and perception? How did the earliest followers of Jesus understand their experiences, behaviors and suffering? ...Rather than approaching the New Testament with a Freduian, Jungian, or other modern psychological theory, Berger illuminates historically how peoples of the first century described their human experiences in relation to their encounters with God, Christ, demons and the power of their own desires and will."

RBL review

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The Jew and Deicide: The Origin of an Archetype

2008-03-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Davis, F. B. (2003). The Jew and Deicide: The Origin of an Archetype. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Davis, a psychoanalyst specializing in Child and Adult Psychiatry, addresses the question of how antisemitism arose from the experience and writings of the early church. Although his premise is defensible, he is not conversant with the most basic issues in study of the synoptic gospels and his analysis suffers greatly from that lack. He is on more solid ground in discussing the psychological theories of Rudolf Loewenstein and Leon Festinger, but in the end his conclusions are disappointing.
(DAK)

RBL review

Exploring Matthew's Gospel : A Guide to the Gospel Readings in the Revised Common Lectionary

2008-03-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Francis, L. and Atkins, P. (2002) Exploring Matthew's Gospel : A Guide to the Gospel Readings in the Revised Common Lectionary (Personality Type and Scripture Series) London: Continuum.

From the publisher's statement: "Jung`s theory of psychological type distinguishes between the four functions of sensing, intuition. thinking and feeling. This book, a companion to Exploring Luke's Gospel by the same authors, uses type theory to explore 51 passages from Matthew`s Gospel that are included in the Revised Common Lectionary. The insights gained provide an invaluable resource for teachers and leaders as well as a key tool for personal meditation. The theory has profound implications for Christian leaders who need to nurture all four psychological types in their congregations and impacts strongly on how individual Christians meditate on the scriptures. "

See also the companion volumes on Mark and Luke

The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man

2008-03-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Wink, W. (2002). The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

Wink's meticulous exploration of the image of "the Son of the Man" in the synoptic gospels draws extensively on the insights of C.G. Jung, especially as elaborated by Elizabeth Howes in relation to the historical Jesus. Wink argues that the search for the historical Jesus can be a means of reflecting back to ourselves the nature of full Humanity.
(DAK)

Discovering a Sermon: Personal Pastoral Preaching

2008-03-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Dykstra, R. C. (2001). Discovering a Sermon: Personal Pastoral Preaching. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press.

While this is not a book on biblical interpretation per se, Dykstra outlines in his first chapter ("Playing with the Text") an approach to dealing with biblical texts and preparing sermons which is based in the Object Relations theories of D.W. Winnicott. He highlights Winnicott's theories of transitional objects and the healing potential of "shared space" and applies them to the process of encountering the biblical text preparatory to preaching.
(DAK)

Fear, Anomaly, and Uncertainty in the Gospel of Mark

2008-03-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Geyer, D.W. Fear, Anomaly, and Uncertainty in the Gospel of Mark. (2001). ATLA Monograph Series, 47. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

Douglas Geyer, a Psybibs presenter in 2001, offers an interpretation of the Gospel of Mark through the concept of "the anomalous frightful." Though not primarily a work of psychological criticism, this book takes seriously the psychological impact of the gospel of Mark on the first-century reader.
(DAK)

RBL Review

God, Biblical Studies and Psychoanalytic Understanding

2008-03-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Kessler, R. and Vandermeersch, P. (2001). God, Biblical Studies and Psychoanalytic Understanding. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.

This book is a collection of essays arising from an intensive program on psychoanalysis and the reading of religious texts which was held across Europe from 1996-2000 and sponsored by the European Union's ERASMUS/SOCRATES program. The eleven essays cover a broad spectrum of issues; of most interest to psychological biblical criticism are essays by P. Vandermeersch ("Psychoanalytic Interpretations of Religious Texts: Some Basics" and "Looking Back at Sodom: Psychoanalysis and Diachronic Reading" R. Kessler ("Psychoanalysis as a Hermeneutical Tool: the Example of Ex. 4:24-26"); H. Raguse ("The Oedipus Complex in the Book of Esther"); and J. Carlander ("The Saul-David Story from a Kleinian Perspective."). I especially recommend the articles by Vandermeersch. In his introductory article he demonstrates how psychoanalytic biblical criticism has matured since early efforts. His concluding reflection examines the reader's response to the biblical text and suggests that historical-critical methods may have derived some of their appeal due to their effectiveness as defense mechanisms.
(DAK)

Psychological Biblical Criticism

2008-03-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Kille, D. Andrew (2001). Psychological Biblical Criticism. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Part of the "Guides to Old Testament Scholarship" series, this volume offers a brief introduction to psychological biblical criticism in general and a specific investigation of interpretations of Genesis 3 from the perspectives of Freudian, Jungian, and developmental psychologies. Using a model of adequate interpretation drawn from the work of Paul Ricoueur, the book evaluates each of the approaches and suggests directions for future work.
(DAK)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the SBL Annual Meeting in Denver in November 2001.

RBL review

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Word and Soul: A Psychological, Literary, and Cultural Reading of the Fourth Gospel

2008-03-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Newheart, M. W. (2001). Word and Soul: A Psychological, Literary, and Cultural Reading of the Fourth Gospel. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press.

Michael Willett Newheart continues his development of his "Soul Hermeneutic," a form of amplification which is part literary, part psychological, part reader-response criticism. From the book jacket: "This `soul reading' of the Gospel is influenced by three elements: analytical/archetypal psychology, which reorients psychology to `the study of the soul'; African-American cultural experience, which is often characterized as `soul'; and reader-response criticism, which emphasizes that the reading of a text is shaped by the reader's psychological and social location."
(DAK)

This book was featured at a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting of the SBL in Toronto in November, 2002.

R BL review

Depth Psychological Interpretation and the Bible: An Ontological Essay on Freud

2008-03-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Polka, Brayton. (2001). Depth Psychological Interpretation and the Bible: An Ontological Essay on Freud. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.

The book is a heavy, 397 page philosophical work that offers a sweeping critique of Freud's metapsychology (focused primarily on the explanatory function of the father complex, the castration complex, and the pleasure principle) as internally contradictory to the presuppositions of Freud's analytic practice. It also makes a cogent (though not highly elaborated) case for the Bible as the effective source of the therapeutic ideals implicit in Freud's psycho-analytical protocol.
(WGR)

Jesus: A Psychological Biography

2008-03-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Capps, D. (2000). Jesus: A Psychological Biography (St. Louis: Chalice Press).

Capps, Professor of Pastoral Theology at Princeton, brings his considerable expertise and insight to bear on the historical Jesus. After making the case for psychohistory and taking care to set the context of the Gospel narratives in the first century, Capps explores how being a "fatherless son" might have shaped Jesus' early experiences, how his healings might be related to dealing with people's anxieties and whether he might be described as a "utopian-melancholic" personality. Readers may or may not find Capps convincing; no matter what, he is certainly interesting.
(DAK)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting in Nashville in November 2000.

The Myth of the Historical Jesus and the Evolution of Consciousness

2008-03-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Childs, H. (2000). The Myth of the Historical Jesus and the Evolution of Consciousness. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature.

In this published dissertation Childs examines the psychological dynamics of the images of Jesus emerging from the contemporary "Third Quest for the Historical Jesus," especially the phenomenon of projection. Using the examples of John Dominic Crossan and C. G. Jung, Childs outlines what the implications of projection may be for hermeneutics.
(DAK)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting in Nashville in November 2000.

RBL review

Taboo or not Taboo: Sexuality and Family in the Hebrew Bible

2008-03-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Rashkow, I. N. (2000). Taboo or not Taboo: Sexuality and Family in the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Rashkow reads the texts of the Hebrew Bible, especially Genesis, using "psychoanalytic literary theory." Her approach is informed by Lacanian psychology, and she brings it to bear on the stories of Eden, sexuality, Oedipal dynamics and incest.
(DAK)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting in Nashville in November 2000.

Ego and Self: The Old Testament Prophets from Isaiah to Malachi

2008-03-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Edinger, E. (2000). Ego and Self: The Old Testament Prophets from Isaiah to Malachi. Toronto: Inner City Books.

From the book notes: "Originally a lecture series presented at the C.G. Jung Institute in Los Angeles, Ego and Self is a psychological commentary on the so-called prophetic books contained in the Old Testament. It is a continuation of Dr. Edinger's detailed exegesis begun in The Bible and the Psyche: Individuation Symbolism in the Old Testament (Inner City, 1986)."

Exploring Luke's Gospel

2008-03-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Francis, L. J., & Atkins, P. (2000). Exploring Luke's Gospel: A Guide to the Gospel Readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. London and New York: Mowbray.

Leslie Francis, at the University of Wales, has done extensive research into Jung's personality types and their influence on self-knowledge and biblical interpretation. In this book, he and Peter Atkins take each of the 51 passages in the Gospel of Luke that are part of the Revised Common Lectionary and suggest approaches to each which reflect the four Jungian functions of Sensing, Intuition, Thinking and Feeling. At times the suggestions seem strained, as not every passage lends itself profitably to examination from all four perspectives, but the book does illustrate the potential and necessity of recognizing that different personalities will approach texts differently. See also Francis' volume on the Gospel of Mark.
(DAK)

The Cultic Origins of Christianity: The Dynamics of Religious Development

2008-03-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Meissner, W. W. (2000). The Cultic Origins of Christianity: The Dynamics of Religious Development. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press.

This book is not about the biblical text, but illuminates the background in which the New Testament texts developed. Meissner, a Jesuit and psychoanalyst, examines the psychodynamics which enabled the formation of the early Christian community. He describes what he calls the "paranoid process," a complex of psychic mechanisms and defenses that serve the protection of identity and the formation of distinct communities, and describes how this process helped shape early Christianity.
(DAK)

This book was featured at a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting of the SBL in Toronto in November, 2002.

RBL review

Archetype of the Apocalypse: A Jungian Study of the Book of Revelation

2008-03-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

Edinger, E. F. (1999). Archetype of the Apocalypse: A Jungian Study of the Book of Revelation. Chicago: Open Court.

This was Edward Edinger's last book before his death. Edinger was one of the foremost Jungian interpreters of the Bible text.

"What does the 'Apocalypse' mean psychologically? My essential answer is: the 'Apocalypse' means the momentous event of the coming of the Self into conscious realization... This is what the content of the Apocalypse archetype presents: the shattering of the world as it has been, followed by its reconstitution." (5)

A Psychological Interpretation of Ruth

2008-03-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

Kluger, Y., & Kluger-Nash, N. (1999). A Psychological Interpretation of Ruth, with a companion essay, Standing in the Sandals of Naomi, A Psychological Interpretation of Ruth. Einseideln, Switzerland: Daimon.

This book is a family effort. The first part was originally written by Yehezkel Kluger as part of the graduation requirements for the Jung Institute in Zürich. Kluger had been inspired by a series of lectures given by his wife, Rivkah Schärf Kluger, on "Women in the Old Testament." Rivkah was also known as the author of Satan in the Old Testament (1967) and Psyche and Bible: Three Old Testament Themes (1974). He returned to the text to develop more fully his thesis that the book of Ruth expresses a return of the Feminine to Israelite religion after it had been displaced by the cult of JHWH. The second part of the book is written by Nomi Kluger-Nash, daughter of Yehezkel and Rivkah, herself a Jungian psychologist. It is a personal response to the book of Ruth and her father's writing about it, more of an amplification of the text and its associations than an exegesis.
(DAK)

Soul and Psyche: The Bible in Psychological Perspectiv

2008-03-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

Rollins, W. G. (1999). Soul and Psyche: The Bible in Psychological Perspective. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress.

Rollins' book is the definitive survey of the field of psychological biblical criticism to date. It is a comprehensive examination of the past, present and future of the field, and contains an extensive bibliography. Rollins makes several significant contributions to the discipline. He provides a retrospective to the extensive, but often unknown body of psychological work. He challenges exegesis to broaden its perspective to take seriously the psychological dynamics in biblical texts. He offers a framework of categories and dimensions which serve to organize and give a context to psychological criticism. Finally, he offers a way to connect biblical studies to a wider audience through recognition of psychological categories and dynamics in the text. This volume is essential for anyone wanting to understand the field of psychological biblical criticism.
(DAK)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting in Boston in November 1999.

Text and Psyche: Experiencing Scripture Today

2008-03-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Brown, S. (1998). Text and Psyche: Experiencing Scripture Today. New York: Continuum.

Schuyler Brown develops a model of "biblical empirics," experiential reading of the Bible. In a deceptively slim volume he explores a wide range of subjects from Gnostic interpretation to Jungian psychology to reader-response criticism and suggests an approach to reading the Bible that can be truly transformative.
(DAK)

This book was featured in a session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section at the Annual Meeting in Orlando in November 1998.

Voices from Genesis: Guiding Us Through the Stages of Life

2008-03-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Cohen, N. J. (1998). Voices from Genesis: Guiding Us Through the Stages of Life. Woodstock, VT, Jewish Lights Publishing.

Cohen applies the developmental theory of Erik Erikson to interpretation of the patriarchal narratives, moving from Adam and Eve as illustrations of Infancy, to Cain and Abel, early childhood, Noah, Play age, etc. the older Jacob,-- old age. The author is Provost of Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion and Professor of Midrash. He participated in Bill Moyers' GENESIS; A LIVING CONVERSATION.
(WGR)

One Like Us: A Psychological Interpretation of Jesus

2008-03-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

Dominian, J. (1998). One Like Us: A Psychological Interpretation of Jesus. London, Dartman, Longman, and Todd.

Dominian is a psychiatrist. He writes: "I accept [the details of the stories of the Christ of Faith] at face value and analyze them as I would any revelation made to me by my patients." He does not hypothesize about Jesus' childhood. This book is less penetrating than Miller and Capps.
(Wayne G. Rollins)

Viewpoints: Perspectives of Faith and Christian Nurture

2008-03-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Everding, Jr., H.E., Wilcox, M.W., Huffaker, L.A., Snelling, Jr. C.H. (1998). Viewpoints: Perspectives of Faith and Christian Nurture. Harrisberg, PA: Trinity Press International

This book is primarily an exploration of cognitive styles and how they relate to faith development. However, among the factors considered by the study team was the characteristic ways that individuals understand and deal with the Bible and biblical authority. Viewpoints serves as an important resource for illuminating the possible effects of a reader's personality and cognitive styles on interpretation of biblical text.
(DAK)

The Parables of Jesus: Recovering the Art of Listening

2008-03-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ford, R. Q. (1997). The Parables of Jesus: Recovering the Art of Listening. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress.

Ford, a psychotherapist, approaches the parables as he would listen to a story told by a therapeutic client. He evidences a good understanding of the socio-economic realities in which the parables are located, and thus avoids anachronisms to some extent. He challenges some common faults of parable interpretation: idealizing the superior character; collapsing an ongoing story into a single moment; overlooking what doesn't make sense and failing to listen carefully. He offers some unusual and provocative interpretations.
(DAK)

RBL review

Personality Type and Scripture: Exploring Mark's Gospel

2008-03-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

Francis, L. J. (1997). Personality Type and Scripture: Exploring Mark's Gospel. London: Mowbray.

Francis' first foray into bringing Jungian personality type to bear on reading the Gospels, this volume is earnest but sometimes strained in its efforts to reflect on the lectionary readings in the Gospel of Mark through the Jungian functions of Sensing, Intuition, Thinking and Feeling. While the writing style is sometimes forced and repetitious, the effort is admirable.
(DAK)

Jesus at Thirty: A Psychohistorical Inquiry

2008-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Miller, J. W. (1997). Jesus at Thirty: A Psychohistorical Inquiry. Minneapolis: Fortress.

Taking key events from Jesus life— the conflict with his family, the decisive events of his baptism followed by the struggle with Satan, and certain features of his teaching and relationships with others— Miller suggests that what we know of Jesus is consistent with a model of human development derived from Freud, Fromm, Erikson and Daniel Levinson. Miller proposes that Jesus had positive early experiences with his father, but his father's death when Jesus was still an adolescent left him with feelings of loss and the responsibility as firstborn son to take on the care of the family. In his encounter with John the Baptist and his dramatic experience at his baptism followed by a struggle with powerful temptations, Jesus passed through crisis of identity and faith, coming into his own unique ministry, "at about thirty." Tensions between Jesus and his biological family reflect the shift he has undergone from fathering his own father's family to caring for his own— God's family of outcasts and sinners.
(D. Andrew Kille)

This book was featured in a joint session of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section and the Historical Jesus Section at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco in November 1997.

RBL Review

The End of the World: A Theological Interpretation

2008-03-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Kortner, U. H. J. (1995). The End of the World: A Theological Interpretation. Translated by Douglas W. Stott. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

In this work Kortner offers an existential-psychological interpretation of the apocalyptic idea of the end of the world. He posits that apocalyptic is best understood as a pastoral response to the anxiety induced by a dead-end experience of life that is voiced in these texts. Using psychological, philosophical, and existential concepts Kortner weaves a fascinating portrait of a mind gripped by the reality of the end of the world. Beyond its value as a psychological interpretation of apocalyptic this work also contains valuable translations of German research relevant to the field of psychological biblical criticism, but that has not yet been translated into English, including the work of Eugen Drewermann in this area. (Paul Fisher)