Jung on Christianity

C. G. Jung, son of a Swiss Reformed pastor, used his Christian background throughout his career to illuminate the psychological roots of all religions. Jung believed religion was a profound, psychological response to the unknown--both the inner self and the outer worlds--and he understood Christianity to be a profound meditation on the meaning of the life of Jesus of Nazareth within the context of Hebrew spirituality and the Biblical worldview.


Murray Stein's introduction relates Jung's personal relationship with Christianity to his psychological views on religion in general, his hermeneutic of religious thought, and his therapeutic attitude toward Christianity. This volume includes extensive selections from Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity," "Christ as a Symbol of the Self," from Aion, "Answer to Job," letters to Father Vincent White from Letters, and many more.

Introduction 3 Part I. Jung's Relationship to Christianity 25 1. A Father's Unfinished Work 27 2. "Thoughts on the Interpretation of Christianity" 43 3. The Experience of "Religious Realities" 61 4. "Why I am not a Catholic" 69 Part II. Jung's Psychological Approach to Christian Doctrine, Ritual, and Symbol 73 1. "Christ, A Symbol of the Self" 75 2. "Christ as Archetype" 107 3. "Father, Son, and Spirit" 119 4. The Holy Ghost 127 5. "The Mass and the Individuation Process" 133 6. "Symbolism of the Cross" 155 7. Mythic Features in Christian Doctrine 161 Part III. Jung's Interpretation of Christian History and Its Future 179 1. From "Introduction to the Religious and Psychological Problems of Alchemy" 181 2. "The Sign of the Fishes" 213 3. From "Answer to Job" 235 4. The Missing Element in Christian Doctrine 273 Index 277