The Man Who Wrestled With God: Light from the Old Testament on the Psychology of Individuation

by John A. Sanford

A retelling of four Old Testament stories from a psychological perspective to help contemporary readers become whole and conscious persons.

Genres: Psychology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Theology, Religion

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Doc Bullfrog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has truly helped me put our human existence into perspective. I see life differently and with more meaning. I have never before used the highlighter so often as I have in this little book.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous combination of Genesis and Exodus stories from a Jungian perspective. This book surely dusted off the Bible for me. Never say never again, this is a page turner literally and metaphorically speaking as it is with a renewed interest that I will look upon the Bible again as a source of myth, psychological insight and personal meaning making. I am looking forward to delve in his other works.

[Brian Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The late John Sanford, Jungian analyst and Episcopal priest, gives us an informative, inspiring critique on individuation utilizing stories from the Hebrew Bible, or what Christians call the Old Testament. Sanford sees these stories as speaking not merely of historical happenings, but inner, psychological dynamics. Persons who espouse the historicity of these stories can, nevertheless, see them as reflecting our internal process of maturation. Persons not of the Jewish or Christian faiths, or any religion, can enjoy this work as insight into how religions and their scriptures can embody helpful insight into individuation. I much enjoyed this read, a memorable one, which influenced my coming to enjoy reading scripture story as a mirroring of personality development and dynamics.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jungian analysis of the stories of Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Adam & Eve are excellent. Admittedly, when I inherited this book from my spiritual director, I was not interested in it. However, after becoming familiar with Jungian psychology during a residency as a hospital chaplain and picking it back up, it is now one of my favorite books that deals with the Old Testament.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how concisely Sanford is able to communicate aspects of psychology that would otherwise be very complex to describe. His accessible interpretation of Old Testament stories is admirable and compelling. It is, in my opinion, one of his strongest works with plenty of quotable quotes.

[Revd Rachel Marszalek]

Again , another Sanford classic, interesting insights on the psychological maturation of a host of interesting bible characters who were prepared to journey more dangerously for God, some giving him there whole heart and some only ever approaching.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

a revelation

[Raymond Mathiesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Man Who Wrestled with God: Light from the Old Testament on the Psychology of Individuation

A new look at myths from the Old Testament…

In this book John Sanford, an American Jungian analyst and Episcopal priest, examines four stories from the Old Testament in terms of myth (their cultural context and psychological meaning). The stories examined are: Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Adam and Eve. Sanford is certainly a liberal Christian: he does not at all take a Fundamentalist, literalist approach. For Sanford these stories are primarily myths: stories with deep psychological meaning. He is not interested in the historicity at all. He has no qualms about referring to parallel myths in other cultures and comparing the biblical stories to them. The religious practices of other cultures, such as shamanism, is also referred to for their enlightening light on the Bible. Yes, Sanford believes in God, but in a way that will be unfamiliar to many readers.

Sanford's main aim is to show how we grow as people, how we mature, going on from a simple, childish and emotional approach to the world to maturity. In Jungian psychology this process is called individuation. The myths he discusses illustrate this process.

I am not a Christian, but I do come from a Christian background, and I found this book very interesting, mainly because it too an approach I had never come across. If the word God annoys you just substitute the word Self (an architype in everyone's mind), or with the phrase "the way of the universe", and you will be able to read this book without any difficulty.