Psyche in Scripture

Book excerpt: The Old Testament is the written record of profound religious experiences, and in this sense "inspired". The awesome events recounted in the Bible inform the spiritual stance of Western culture to this day, and they contain important clues about destiny, not only past but future. As our understanding broadens, our sense of membership in a global community may supersede the specific religious lessons of our early years. But we cannot simply shrug off our inner history without damage to the soul. Rather we must try to grasp the symbolic content of our psychic heritage, as Dr. Kluger does in this volume. The first three essays here, originally published in 1974 under the title Psyche and Bible, have become classics in the field. Two of the author's later essays on individuation symbolism, and a comprehensive index, have been added to make Psyche in Scripture.