What do you think?
Rate this book
Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts #24
The Bible and the Psyche: Individuation Symbolism in the Old Testament
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.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1986
7 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Edward F. Edinger
38 books206 followersEdward F. Edinger was a medical psychiatrist, Jungian analyst and American writer.
Edward F. Edinger Jr. was born on December 13, 1922, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, earning his Bachelor of Arts in chemistry at Indiana University Bloomington and his Doctor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in 1946. In November 1947, as a first lieutenant, he started a four-week Medical Field Service School at the Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He became a military doctor in the United States Army Medical Corps and was in Panama. In New York in 1951, he began his analysis with Mary Esther Harding, who had been associated with C.G. Jung.
Edinger was a psychiatrist supervisor at Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg, New York, and later founder member of the C.G. Jung Foundation in Manhattan and the CG Jung Institute in New York. He was president of the institute from 1968 until 1979, when he moved to Los Angeles. There he continued his practice for 19 years, becoming senior analyst at the CG Jung Institute of Los Angeles.
He died on July 17, 1998, at his home in Los Angeles at age 75, according to family members due to bladder cancer.
Edward F. Edinger Jr. was born on December 13, 1922, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, earning his Bachelor of Arts in chemistry at Indiana University Bloomington and his Doctor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in 1946. In November 1947, as a first lieutenant, he started a four-week Medical Field Service School at the Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He became a military doctor in the United States Army Medical Corps and was in Panama. In New York in 1951, he began his analysis with Mary Esther Harding, who had been associated with C.G. Jung.
Edinger was a psychiatrist supervisor at Rockland State Hospital in Orangeburg, New York, and later founder member of the C.G. Jung Foundation in Manhattan and the CG Jung Institute in New York. He was president of the institute from 1968 until 1979, when he moved to Los Angeles. There he continued his practice for 19 years, becoming senior analyst at the CG Jung Institute of Los Angeles.
He died on July 17, 1998, at his home in Los Angeles at age 75, according to family members due to bladder cancer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 15, 2022
Edinger goes through selected portions of the Bible and interprets them as if they were dreams using a Jungian approach. He follows in Jung’s footsteps trod in Answer to Job, describing their understanding on the expansion of God’s consciousness throughout the Bible as he interacts with humanity in a deeper level. The account of Esther and the Song of Solomon symbolizing the ego’s encounter with the anima.
One point I found interesting was Edinger’s take on the term “Son of Man”. This term is used to refer to Christ, who stands as a symbol of the Self. Man is the ego. Therefore, the Self exists as a result of the ego. This was a new thought to me, as it implies there at one point were egos running around without a Self.
Enjoyable if this is your thing. Somewhat redundant if you’ve read his other works of a similar nature. I know he does this to other works, and since all literature is the creation of a human psyche, all literature can used to analyze the human psyche.
One point I found interesting was Edinger’s take on the term “Son of Man”. This term is used to refer to Christ, who stands as a symbol of the Self. Man is the ego. Therefore, the Self exists as a result of the ego. This was a new thought to me, as it implies there at one point were egos running around without a Self.
Enjoyable if this is your thing. Somewhat redundant if you’ve read his other works of a similar nature. I know he does this to other works, and since all literature is the creation of a human psyche, all literature can used to analyze the human psyche.
March 28, 2019
There are several ways to approach the topic of a Jungian analysis of texts in the Old Testament, and Edinger has chosen to follow the stories part by part almost as they are presented in the Old Testament themselves. This way it all sometimes look like a Jungian commentary on key texts in the Bible, but it also means that sometimes Edinger chose to quote passages at length and then comment on them in a much more abbreviated manner.
It looks though that Edward F. Erdinger knows both his Bible and Jung, and even rabbinical texts and Jewish myths in order to fully embrace the story and the archetypical elements within. Sometimes this is very interesting, and at other times it is more of a desert walk, but it is to be expected as the book reads like a combined study and college curriculum and ground material to look up when needed.
It looks though that Edward F. Erdinger knows both his Bible and Jung, and even rabbinical texts and Jewish myths in order to fully embrace the story and the archetypical elements within. Sometimes this is very interesting, and at other times it is more of a desert walk, but it is to be expected as the book reads like a combined study and college curriculum and ground material to look up when needed.
August 10, 2024
I just can’t get enough of Jung’s brilliance, he was a genius, and this book is well crafted for us to gain a second perspective on Jung’s work. Brilliant!
Dr. Karl Ettinger
Instead of using the term “God”, you might say “the unconscious”.
Instead of “Christ” - “the Self”.
Instead of “incarnation” - “integration of the unconscious”.
Instead of “salvation” or “redemption”- “individuation”.
Instead of “crucifixion” or “sacrifice on the cross”,- “realization of the four functions” or “spiritual integration”.
Dr. Karl Ettinger
Instead of using the term “God”, you might say “the unconscious”.
Instead of “Christ” - “the Self”.
Instead of “incarnation” - “integration of the unconscious”.
Instead of “salvation” or “redemption”- “individuation”.
Instead of “crucifixion” or “sacrifice on the cross”,- “realization of the four functions” or “spiritual integration”.
June 7, 2021
insightful/thought provoking
April 9, 2016
For the reader versed in Jungian psychology, this illuminating text is a treasure trove of individuation symbolism in the Old Testament. Reading this text has given me a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Old Testament bible stories and of the individuation process. i have found no better expositor of Jungian ideas than E.F. Edinger (except perhaps Marie-Louise von Franz).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews