Psychological Biblical Criticism (Guides to Biblical Scholarship Old Testament Series) (Old Testament (Fortress)) [Paperback]

D (Author), Andrew Kille (Author), Gene (Editor), M Tucker (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2000 | Series: Old Testament (Fortress)

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. KilleÂ’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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

D. Andrew Kille has been both a pastor and a teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is on the steering committee of the “Person, Culture, and Religion Group” of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), as well as a member of the “Psychology and Biblical Studies Group” of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Fortress Press (September 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080063246X
• ISBN-13: 978-0800632465
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,479,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Rev. D. Andrew Kille was born in Ventura, CA in 1950, attended the Thacher School, Stanford University, and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley where he earned his M.Div. degree and a Ph.D. in psychological biblical criticism. After serving more than a decade as pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in San Jose, California, he has been a teacher, facilitator, church musician and Bible study leader.

He currently is the Editor of the Bible Workbench, a weekly Bible study resource that deals with biblical texts as story and explores their relationship to daily life and the inner spirit of participants. He has also served as Chair and Co-Chair of the Psychology and Biblical Studies Section of the Society of Biblical Literature.

He has been involved in interfaith relations for nearly 40 years, and is founder and director of Interfaith Space in San Jose, working to establish and strengthen relationships between people of diverse religious communities.

He is a consultant in the intersections between spirituality, psychology, biblical studies, technology, and organizations, and has written and edited several books on psychology and the Bible.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll never read Genesis the same way!, December 17, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Psychological Biblical Criticism (Guides to Biblical Scholarship Old Testament Series) (Old Testament (Fortress)) (Paperback)

This book excellently applies Jungian, Rankian, and Freudian psychology to the text of Genisis 3 in the Bible. It combines sources from authors of old in an attempt to coherently connect them into a readable book. The old notions of the Fall can be easily dispelled, or at least looked at in a different light, once one reads this. I think it is a must read for anyone interested in psychology, or anybody who has read Genesis. -lrw-