Text and Psyche: Experiencing Scripture Today

Traditional doctrinal and historical interpretation both rely heavily on rational analysis. But from the disciples at Emmaus to the beginnings of the present century, it has been the impact of scripture upon the human heart that has changed human lives. In recent decades, this impact has been strengthened by advances in linguistic and literary theory, by such disparate influences as feminism, structuralism, Jungianism, deconstructionism, the analysis of archaic imagery and myth, the recovery of Gnostic texts, and finally an openness to pluralism, whether ethnic, geographic, religious, or interpretive. All of these factors are treated here with a brevity and comprehensiveness which convincingly show that the reader of scripture has a creative and not merely passive role.

"Its strength lies in its thought-provoking rhetoric...a work worth exploring; seemingly, it has something for everyone."-Faith & Mission

"This book deftly examines historical, literary, and psychological interpretations of texts, and then sketches a 'biblical empirics' that can reaffirm the revelatory function of holy writ."-Walter Wink

Schuyler Brown attended Harvard University, then entered the Jesuit order, where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1963. In 1965 Fr. Brown was awarded Doctor of Theology by the University of Muenster (Westphalia). He has positions in numerous institutions, including the General Theological Seminary in New York City; the University of London (Heythrop College); the University of Toronto, St. Michael's College (as Professor of New Testament and Near Eastern Studies); and the Anglican diocese of Toronto as Assistant Priest to the Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury. Since 1997 he has served as Priest in Charge at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Since his retirement, Dr. Brown has remained active in the School of Continuing Studies and is Lecturer at the Jung Institute in Zurich and in the Training Program of The Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts. He is the author of several books.