The basic ideas of the Bible can be viewed as psychological in nature. Knowing our inner psychology is key to understanding them, according to author Michael Roden, who has studied both psychology and theology. They are meant to be personally experienced-not just thought about but rather to become part of oneself. In fact, they are natural to us, ready and able to be realized, but our theology has tended to block them from our awareness. This is the provocative idea behind this book, which systematically, explains the conceptual and spiritual elements of the Bible-from the original creation to the end of the world. "The Enlightened Christian: A Psychological Interpretation of the Bible" by Michael Roden contains an enhanced understanding of such concepts as sin, salvation, hell, Heaven, and predestination.

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.

An assessment of the development and achievements of the field of Psychological Hermeneutics.

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

In Jesus and Psychology, Fraser Watts presents new scholarship in the emerging field of psychology and biblical studies. This collaborative analysis, with essays by leading psychologists and theologians, shows how psychology can be used to illuminate the historical and modern portrayals of Jesus, the wisdom of his sayings, and the reasons people read and understand the Bible differently. Among the issues discussed are the potential contributions of a psychological study of the historical Jesus; modern portrayals of Jesus in the cinema; contemporary methods of psychological therapy; threads of psychological meaning in Jesus' teaching; the importance of the breaking of taboos as shown in the Gospels; and using cognitive and developmental psychology to illustrate how thought processes and personality type affect our readings of sacred texts. Jesus and Psychology concludes with an examination of virtue orientations: the value people give to virtue has significant implications on what is perceived as the central message of the scriptures and on how we view justice, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. By presenting multiple perspectives on psychology and the Bible, Jesus and Psychology advances the study of science and religion and deepens the understanding of the Gospels. Book jacket.