The Memory of Original Wholeness and Conscious Differentiation in Genesis 1:1-2:4a
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Keywords

Genesis
paradigm
Jungian psychonalaysis
wholeness
creation

How to Cite

Keith-van Wyk, H. (2017). The Memory of Original Wholeness and Conscious Differentiation in Genesis 1:1-2:4a. Old Testament Essays, 30(2), 283–299. Retrieved from https://ote-journal.otwsa-otssa.org.za/index.php/journal/article/view/160

Abstract

Sakkie Spangenberg has written a number of articles dealing with Genesis 1-3 in terms of its place in traditional Christian dogma and the paradigm shifts he has experienced in his understanding of this text. In this article, I would like to honor Sakkie by providing a Jungian psychoanalytic interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2:4a, focusing primarily on the memory of original wholeness and the conscious differentiation that are reflected in this text. I conclude that the psyche that produced this creation story had stalled at the third stage of individuation as a result of a traumatic experience which caused it to long for its erstwhile memory of original wholeness.
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