King Saul, the Tragic Hero: A Study in Individuation

by John A. Sanford

The process of becoming a hero, or even a whole human being, is fraught with dangers and possible misdirections. Saul, the first king of Israel, had the opportunity to achieve greatness. The extent and manner of his failure has valuable things to teach us about the nature of human striving, or fear, doubt, and self-deception. John A. Sanford, a practicing Jungian analyst, offers a fresh and surprising portrait of the Old Testament king that stands in contrast to the traditional evaluations of Saul. The book also sheds new light on the central figures of David and the prophet Samuel who both figure prominently in Saul's story. And along the way Sanford describes the process of individuation and personal integration in a way that will be instructive to all those who stumble down the shadowy path to enlightenment and perhaps even to heroism.

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1985

Reviews

[Blake Boehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting at all. I got this book to learn more about the origins of Israel and the history surrounding it, the first king Saul was a good place to start. I never realized this was going to be a psychohistory book but I loved it. It got very deep into Saul’s character as well as the people surrounding him. Though there was heavy bias overlooking some obvious terrible things that Saul did it was an excellent read!!

“This is also why we tend to resist being healed. Even when we go to doctors or other healing practitioners for help there is a secret and deep resistance toward being truly healed because such a healing requires us to give up our egocentric attitudes. This seems to us like death. At the same time that we complain of our suffering we hang on like grim death to the cause of it—our precious ego. For the problem is that if we get well we have to act well, and acting well means giving up our egocentric ways.”

[Vic Torry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible read for anyone even vaguely interested in the Old Testament. Where events seem unforgiving, unclear, or black and white, Sanford provides a serious analysis of the events and characters around King Saul to the tragic end on Mt. Gilboa; where I cried at the end.

[Wanjiru Thoithi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This analysis is incredibly insightful.