The Old Testament is the written record of profound religious experiences, and in this sense "inspired". The awesome events recounted in the Bible inform the spiritual stance of Western culture to this day, and they contain important clues about destiny, not only past but future. As our understanding broadens, our sense of membership in a global community may supersede the specific religious lessons of our early years. But we cannot simply shrug off our inner history without damage to the soul. Rather we must try to grasp the symbolic content of our psychic heritage, as Dr. Kluger does in this volume. The first three essays here, originally published in 1974 under the title Psyche and Bible, have become classics in the field. Two of the author's later essays on individuation symbolism, and a comprehensive index, have been added to make Psyche in Scripture.

The first introduction to the history and method of biblical-psychological interpretation.

Explores Biblical lore as a self-revelation of the objective psyche and a rich compendium of archetypal images representing humanity's successive encounters with the numinosum (a.k.a. God, the Self, etc.) Many examples from dreams and more than forty years of clinical practice.

Fire and brimstone, bellowing prophets, and a good dose of old-fashioned sermonizing — these are the images the Bible brings to mind. But this assortment of sacred writings, in particular the Old Testament, is more than a collection of colorful allegories or miracles-and-morals mythology. Though written in the first millennium BCE, these holy writings are a nostalgic recounting of a lost 'super-religious' mentality that characterized the Bronze Age. The Psychology of the Bible explores how the Old Testament provides perspective into the tumultuous transition from an earlier mentality to a new paradigm of interiorized psychology and introspective religiosity that came to characterize the first millennium BCE. By examining the Old Testament's historical background and theopolitical context, utilizing linguistic analysis, and applying systems and communication theory, this book interprets biblical passages through a new lens. It analyzes divine voices, visions, and appearances of heavenly messengers — angel and prophets — as neurocultural phenomena and explains why they were so common. This book also answers why definitions of God changed so radically, illuminates the divinatory role of idols and other oracular aids (e.g. the Ark of the Covenant), provides a framework for appreciating why ‘wisdom literature' became so significant, and clarifies the linkages among music, poetry, and inspiration.

The Bible contains instances, examples, and ideas of principles that can be found in modern psychology books. In fact, many of these principles that psychology has discovered could already be found in Scripture. This should not be considered unusual, since the Bible also contains economic and scientific principles, as well as principles from other disciplines in life. This book, however, is not about psychology based on the Bible or how the Bible is a type of psychology book. It is not about how to be a better counselor, psychotherapist, or psychologist by using Scripture, nor is it a guide on how to use psychology in everyday life from a biblical perspective. This book is not a commentary on the values of psychology through the eyes of the Scripture, nor is it an evaluation of the Scripture through the eyes of psychology. It is not a theology book, nor is it a criticism of psychology. It is simply an account of modern principles of psychology contained in Scripture.

This volume provides an introduction to psychological interpretations of the Hebrew Bible -- with the Garden of Eden story as a test case. It approaches the text from Freudian, Jungian, and Developmental psychologies, comparing and contrasting the different methods while taking on the hermeneutical issues. Ricoeur's work is used to establish criteria for adequate interpretation. Genesis 3 presents a fruitful text for psychological interpretation given its importance in Western culture. Its themes of sexuality, guilt, consciousness, and alienation are issues of great concern for everyone in our society. Kille's aim is to locate psychological criticism within the field of biblical studies and to propose a hermeneutical framework for describing and evaluating psychological approaches. The second part is devoted to analysis of different evaluations of Genesis 3 from the three chosen psychological perspectives.

This New York Times bestseller (more than 200,000 hardcover copies sold) provides a path-breaking lifestyle handbook that shows how to add spirituality, depth, and meaning to modern-day life by nurturing the soul.

Foreword by Walter Wink In recent years theologians and biblical scholars have begun to delve into the insights that come from the application of psychology to biblical texts. While these methods continue to be useful and popular, nowhere have the "foundational" texts in the field been collected. Wayne Rollins and Andrew Kille, who have both published and taught widely in the area of psychological biblical criticism, have assembled an excellent guide for those interested in this fascinating topic. Included in this anthology are articles from across the landscape, spanning over one hundred years and including such authors as Franz Delitzsch, M. Scott Fletcher, Max Weber, Walter Wink, and many other scholars.

Have you ever asked yourself what changed when you were "born again?" You look in the mirror and see the same reflection - your body hasn't changed. You find yourself acting the same and yielding to those same old temptations - that didn't seem to change either. So you wonder, Has anything really changed? The correct...