Skip to main content

Jung, Carl Gustav, and Gnosticism

  • Reference work entry
  • 162 Accesses

In response to persistent charges by his theological critics that he was a Gnostic (Buber 1952; Heisig 1979; Segal 1992; Dourley 1994), Jung insisted that he was neither a Gnostic nor a metaphysician, neither a theist nor an atheist, neither a mystic nor a materialist, but rather an agnostic empirical scientist and an analytical psychologist (Jung 1951–1961, 1952/1973, 1956–1957, 1963). Yet Jung’s enthusiastic engagement with Gnosticism spanned more than four decades, from his early association with G. R. S. Mead and his frequent citation of his translations of Gnostic and Hermetic writings (Goodrick-Clarke and Goodrick-Clarke 2005; Hoeller 1988; Noll 1994) and his 1916 paranormally produced gnostic poem, Septem Sermones ad Mortuos attributed to Basilides of Alexandria (Jung 1916–1992), to his systematic treatment of Gnostic materials transmitted by Patristic sources in Aionin 1951 and the acquisition by the Bollingen Foundation, through the efforts of Gilles Quispel, of the Jung...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Bibliography

  • Brewer, M. (1996). Jung’s interpretation of gnostic myths in the light of Nag Hammadi. Harvest: Journal for Jungian Studies, 42(2), 93–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buber, M. (1952). Eclipse of God: Studies in the relation between religion and philosophy. New York: Victor Gollancz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourley, J. P. (1994). In the shadow of the monotheisms: Jung’s conversations with Buber and White. In J. Ryce-Menuhin (Ed.), Jung and the montheisms: Judaism, Christianity and Islam (pp. 125–145). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodrick-Clarke, C., & Goodrick-Clarke, N. (2005). G. R. S. Mead and the gnostic quest. Berkeley: North Atlantic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanegraaff, W. J. (1998). New age religion and Western culture: Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heisig, J. W. (1979). Imago Dei: A study of C. G. Jung’s psychology of religion. London: Associated University Presses.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoeller, S. A. (1988). C. G. Jung and the alchemical revival. Gnosis, 8, 34–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1906–1950). C. G. Jung Letters 1: 1906–1950 (G. Adler, Ed.)., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1916/1992). Septem sermones ad mortuos. In R. A. Segal (Ed.), The gnostic Jung (pp. 181–193). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1921). Psychological types, CW 6 (p. 1971). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1941/1954). Transformation symbolism in the mass. In Psychology and religion: West and East, CW 11 (pp. 201–296). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1944). Psychology and alchemy, CW 12 (p. 1968). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1949). Foreword to Neumann: Depth psychology and a new ethic. In The symbolic life, CW 18 (pp. 616–622). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1951a). Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the self, CW 9ii (p. 1968). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1951b). C. G. Jung letters 2: 1951–1961 (G. Adler, Ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1952/1973). Religion and psychology: A reply to Martin Buber. In The symbolic life, CW 18 (pp. 663–670). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1953). Address at the presentation of the Jung codex. In The symbolic life, CW 18 (pp. 671–672). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1955–1956). Mysterium coniunctionis: An inquiry into the separation and synthesis of psychic opposites in alchemy, CW 14. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1956–1957). Jung and religious belief. In The symbolic life, CW 18 (pp. 702–744). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1963). Memories, dreams, reflections (A. Jaffe, Ed.). London: Fontana Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, W., & Hull, R. F. C. (Eds.). (1977). C. G. Jung speaking: Interviews and encounters. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merkur, D. (1993). Gnosis: An esoteric tradition of mystical visions and unions. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noll, R. (1994). The Jung cult: Origins of a charismatic movement. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudolph, K. (1987). Gnosis: The nature and history of Gnosticism. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segal, R. A. (Ed.). (1992). The gnostic Jung. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segal, R. A. (1998). Jung and gnosticism: A reply to Matthew Brewer. Harvest: Journal for Jungian Studies, 44(1), 113–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Von Franz, M. L. (1975). C. G. Jung: His myth in our time. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Von Franz, M. L. (1985). Projection and re-collection in Jungian psychology: Reflections of the soul. La Salle: Open Court.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wehr, G. (1987). Jung: A biography. Boston: Shambhala.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, V. (1952). God and the unconscious. London: Harvill.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leon Schlamm .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Schlamm, L. (2014). Jung, Carl Gustav, and Gnosticism. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_364

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_364

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6085-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6086-2

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

Publish with us

Policies and ethics