Answer to Job (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, vol.11) (Bollingen Series) (v. 11) [Paperback]

Carl Gustav Jung (Author), R. F. C. Hull (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

Jung has never pursued the "psychology of religion" apart from general psychology. The unique importance of his work lies rather in his discovery and treatment of religious, or potentially religious, factors in his investigation into the unconscious as a whole and in his general therapeutic practice. In Answer to Job, first published in Zurich in 1952, Jung employs the familiar language of theological discourse. Such terms as "God," "wisdom," and "evil" are the touchstones of his argument. And yet, Answer to Job, perhaps Jung's most controversial work, is not an essay in theology as much as it is an examination of the symbolic role that theological concepts play in a person's psychic life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book breathes a passionate wish for the regeneration of mankind, integrating the destructive impulse rather than repressing it. -- Times Literary Supplement

Dr. Jung speaks with the authority and conviction of his professional insight into the mind of an age whose great longing is for some new heavenly marriage that shall produce a new divine child to save us from impending apocalypse. -- Kathleen Raine, Encounter

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 121 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; Anniversary edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691017859
• ISBN-13: 978-0691017853
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology). Jung's radical approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in counter-cultural movements across the globe. Jung is considered as the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is "by nature religious" and to explore it in depth. His many major works include "Analytic Psychology: Its Theory and Practice," "Man and His Symbols," "Memories, Dreams, Reflections," "The Collected Works of Carl G. Jung," and "The Red Book."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penetrating analysis of our changing relationship to God, October 11, 1999

By 

Brion Emde "What appears to be coming at you,... (Loveland, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Answer to Job (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, vol.11) (Bollingen Series) (v. 11) (Paperback)

Doctor Jung expresses concern in his Introduction that readers will misinterpret the ideas contained in this book. Jung presents examples of the unconscious, capricious behavior of Yahweh (GOD) who self-righteously proclaims his moral superiority over humankind and enforces a strict adherence to his sense of justice. This self-delusion reaches culmination in the collusion of Yahweh and his 'shadow son' Satan in the undeserved sadistic persecution of a righteous man, Job, in a cosmic wager. Job's principled response to this persecution demonstrates humankind exhibiting a higher morality than shown by Yahweh. Yahweh, reaching a higher level of consciousness, realizes that he must atone to humankind for the wrong he has done. His attempt to make this atonement through incarnation as Jesus Christ is only partially successful. The later appearance of the Holy Ghost is Yahweh's attempt to perfect himself further through a personal incarnation into humankind in general. Jung moves on to a psychological analysis of the Book of Revelation, where the shadow side of the author, the Apostle John, is evident in the torments predicted to befall humankind.

Jung's theological ideas are radical and open to misinterpretation. His thinking on the 'problem of evil' and the evolving relationship of God to humankind is the attempt of a wise, old man to make sense of the conflicting images present in the mythology of the Bible.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compact and Comprehensive, June 4, 2005

By 

Bu-Chan (Aotearoa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Answer to Job (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, vol.11) (Bollingen Series) (v. 11) (Paperback)

Jung's "Answer to Job" was recommended to me by friends, and after some procrastination, I finally decided to give it a read. My only regret is that I waited so long to get around to it. I was surprised by both the candor and the comprehensive sweep of the book.

It should be understood that this book is not a book on pure theology, though theological issues inevitably arise. Jung himself emphasises that he is a "layman" in this area. He also makes plain that the book is a subjective response to Job. Jung also works from an orthodox premise, taking as given that the Father of Jesus Christ and Yahweh are the same being. With these born in mind, Jung's book is informative, interesting and very thought-provoking.

Jung's book has three main sections to it, as far as I could tell. First, he discusses the Book of Job, and the situation surround Job's life, trials and the drama played out with Satan. This section is darkly humorous, often eliciting a chuckle at Jung's descriptions of Yahweh. This aspect truly surprised me immensely, though pleasantly so. Jung treats Yahweh honestly, and is not shy of pointing out Yahweh's faults, which are many and abundant. Yahweh's apparent willingness and readiness to take Satan's bait, Yahweh's readiness to violate his own laws and so on are all mentioned and raised.

As the book progresses, Jung starts to address the pyschological processes within Yahweh, as he sees them. The book also gets more serious, losing that dark humour. Some aspects were a bit difficult understand the workings of, like the failure of Yahweh "to consult his omniscience" in dealing with Job. It seemed to me that there was a separation between Yahweh and some part of his being, which I could not grasp very well. That said, this is the first book of psychology that I have read, so those more familiar may have a better understanding of it than I.

Thirdly, Jung enters into a discussion on the psychological processes of people who have become "incarnations of the spirit", (Jung's words, paraphrased a bit). In this section, Jung discusses the Book of Revelation in detail, tackling some of the issues that book raises, especially in the contrast between the Jesus of the Gospels and the Jesus of Revelation.

Overall, the entire book is definitely interesting, and gives one a lot of food for thought. Jung takes an honest and very open look at the problems raised by Yahweh's dealings with Job, and uses that as a spring board for a broader discussion on psychology from Jung's perspective.

Despite my own problems of understanding parts in detail, I still enjoyed the book immensely, and have a lot of new ideas to think about. The book was well written, and certainly has a lot crammed into the 108 pages of text, (not including other stuff).

However, nowhere does Jung go so far as the Gnostics to say that Yahweh is an inferior and ignorant demiurge. While criticising Yahweh, Jung offers a pyschological explanation as to why Yahweh seemed to be an absolute cretin to a man who was blameless in his sight; as good an explanation as I have ever read or heard.

For such a topic, it is pretty rare to find a book that gives so much to ruminate on in such a small space. An excellent buy, and certainly one that will occupy your mind for some time after the last page.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of Jung's greatest books...., May 27, 2000

By 

Craig Chalquist, PhD, author of TERRAPSYCHOLO... (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Answer to Job (The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, vol.11) (Bollingen Series) (v. 11) (Paperback)

...and daring in its conjecture that the God-image (NOT God) could only evolve out of its amoral unconsciousness through an encounter with a man of unbending integrity. Highly recommended, especially for open-minded theologians outgrowing the need to idealize images of the deity.