著者

ルーカス M.

出版者

広島文化学園大学

雑誌

社会情報学研究 : 呉大学社会情報学部紀要 (ISSN:13418459)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.3, pp.159-173, 1997-11-29

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This paper presents an account of the portra al of God in the Old Testament book of Job,together with a summary of Jung's application of his psychoanalytic theories to this text contained in his Answer to Job. I give my own tentative evaluation of Jung's efforts to resolve the paradox of the problem of evil. Part One I outline the dramatic roles of God and Satan in the bool of Job,and show that God is regarded as the author of evil as well as good throughout the Old Testament. I emphasize the importance of understanding Job as a literary text,particularly,appreciating its satirical and ironic elements. Both Jung and Job challenge conventional images of God,whereas Jung's critics and Job's comforters play the role of apologist. I end the section with a brief formulation of the paradoxical nature of the problem of evil. Part Two I present Jung's arguments in Answer to Job,in which he contrasts the ambivalent and paradoxical God of the Old Testament with the wholly good God of the New Testament. I examine Jung's suggestion that recognition of the shadow side of God is necessary if the symbol is to reflect psychological balance. I compare Jung's approach to this question with that of his disciple von Franz in her study of moral structures in fairytales. Both Jung and von Franz recognise the complex and paradoxical features of both good and evil. I end by identifying an inconsistency in Jung's claim that the co-existence of love and fear is a further dimension of this paradox,by showing how New Testament passages offer a resolution.