THE EMERGENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN GENESIS 1–3: JUNG'S DEPTH PSYCHOLOGY AND THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Zygon® June 1, 2014 D. Stewart 2 citations
A robust theological anthropology requires genuine interdisciplinary dialogue, with depth psychology offering a particularly fruitful partner due to its focus on the totality of human experience, including unconscious aspects, and its ability to interpret archetypal symbols and mythological thinking. By arguing for a psycho-theological hermeneutic that recognizes depth psychology's view that origin myths are also about the emergence of human consciousness, the author demonstrates that Jungian archetypes in Genesis 1–3 allow a psychological reading without diminishing theological themes of exile and return. Such a reading suggests the narrative is about how consciousness emerged in human community, not about sin entering creation.