The Gnostic Jung

by Jung, C. G.; Segal, Robert A.

• ISBN13: 9780691019239
• ISBN10: 0691019231
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1992-06-25
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Gnosticism, together with alchemy, was for C. G. Jung the chief prefiguration of his analytical psychology. Jung did not simply interpret Gnostic texts psychologically but also cited them as confirmation of his psychology. An authority on theories of myth and Gnosticism, Robert Segal has searched the Jungian corpus to bring together in one volume Jung's main discussions of this ancient form of spirituality. Included in this volume are both Jung's sole work devoted entirely to Gnosticism, "Gnostic Symbols of the Self," and his own Gnostic myth, "Seven Sermons to the Dead." The book also contains key essays by two of the best-known writers on Jungian psychology and Gnosticism: Father Victor White and Gilles Quispel, whose "C. G. Jung und die Gnosis" is here translated for the first time. In his extensive introduction Segal discusses Jung's fascination with Gnosticism, the parallel for Jung between ancient Gnostics and modern Jungian patients, the Jungian meaning of Gnostic myths and of the Seven Sermons, Jung's possible misinterpretation of Gnosticism, and the common characterization of Jung himself as a contemporary Gnostic.

Table of Contents

Note on the Text
Acknowledgments
Introduction	p. 3
Jung's Chief Writings on Gnosticism
Jung's Main Psychological Interpretation of Gnosticism	p. 55
"Gnostic Symbols of the Self"	p. 55
From "Foreword to Neumann: Depth Psychology and a New Ethic"	p. 91
Jung's Alternative Psychological Interpretation of Gnosticism	p. 93
From "Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious"	p. 94
From "The Personification of the Opposites"	p. 96
Gnosticism as a Psychological Phenomenon	p. 98
"Address at the Presentation of the Jung Codex"	p. 98
From "The Structure and Dynamics of the Self"	p. 102
Foreword to Quispel: Tragic Christianity	p. 103
From "The Type Problem in Poetry"	p. 106
Gnosticism as Dealing with Evil	p. 107
From "Christ, A Symbol of the Self"	p. 107
From "The Historical Significance of the Fish"	p. 108
From "A Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity"	p. 109
Letter to Father Victor White (30 April 1952)	p. 111
Gnosticism as Dealing with the Feminine	p. 114
From "Rex and Regina"	p. 114
From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype"	p. 115
Gnosticism and Mainstream Christianity	p. 119
From "Transformation Symbolism in the Mass"	p. 119
From "The Problem of Types in the History of Classical and Medieval Thought"	p. 124
Gnosticism and Alchemy	p. 137
From "Background to the Psychology of Christian Alchemical Symbolism"	p. 137
From "Religious Ideas in Alchemy"	p. 138
From "Religious Ideas in Alchemy"	p. 139
From "Religious Ideas in Alchemy"	p. 139
From "The Spirit Mercurius"	p. 140
From "Psychology and Religion"	p. 142
Modern Gnosticism	p. 148
From "The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man"	p. 148
From "Richard Wilhelm: In Memoriam"	p. 152
From "On the Psychology of the Unconscious"	p. 153
Jung as a Psychologist Rather Than a Metaphysician	p. 155
"Religion and Psychology: A Reply to Martin Buber"	p. 155
From "Jung and Religious Belief"	p. 163
From "Foreword to White's God and the Unconscious"	p. 166
Letter to H. Haberlandt (23 April 1952)	p. 168
Letter to Fritz Buri (5 May 1952)	p. 170
Letter to Erich Neumann (30 January 1954)	p. 171
Letter to Pater Raymond Hostie (25 April 1955)	p. 172
Letter to Robert C. Smith (29 June 1960)	p. 173
Letter to Robert C. Smith (16 August 1960)	p. 177
Jung's Own Gnostic Myth
"Seven Sermons to the Dead"	p. 181
Other Authorities on Jungian Psychology and Gnosticism
Victor White, "Some Notes on Gnosticism"	p. 197
Gilles Quispel, "Jung and Gnosis"	p. 219
Gilles Quispel, "Gnosis and Psychology"	p. 239
Index	p. 257
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