Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion

(Amelia) #1
129

JUNG, CARL GUSTAV

its reference has always been more broad,
including activities such as the struggle to
purify one’s heart, to strive after knowl-
edge, and to pursue justice through politi-
cal means other than warfare.


JUDAISM. In Judaism, God’s principal
manifestation is held to have been in
leading the people of Israel out of bond-
age in Egypt to the Promised Land
(Canaan) as recounted in the book of
Exodus. This “saving event” is commemo-
rated perennially in the yearly observa-
tion of Passover. The tradition places
enormous value on community life,
which is depicted in the Hebrew Bible as
a covenant between God and the people
of Israel. The more traditional represen-
tatives of Judaism, especially the Ortho-
dox, adopt a strict reading of what they
take to be the historic meaning of the
Hebrew scripture as secured in the early
stages of its formation. Other groups,
such as the Conservative and Reformed,
treat scripture as authoritative but do not
depend on a specific, historically-defined
interpretation of that scripture. Although
there is presently some lively disagree-
ment about the extent to which Judaism
affirms an afterlife of individuals, histori-
cally Judaism has included an affirmation
of an afterlife. See also ABRAHAMIC
FAITHS.


JULIAN OF NORWICH (c. 1342– c.
1416). One of the most famous English


mystics. Relatively little is known about
her life and even her name, which takes
its present form from her time as an
anchoress at the Church of St. Julian in
Norwich. When she was around 30 years
old, Julian suffered a period of illness.
While on her deathbed, Julian experi-
enced a series of visions of Jesus Christ,
which are recorded in Sixteen Revelations
of Divine Love. The visions themselves are
borderline heresy, and many have sug-
gested that Julian was a proponent of uni-
versal salvation. Nevertheless, Julian
consistently reaffirmed her commitment
and adherence to the traditional teach-
ings of the Church. Her experiences had a
profound influence on many of those
around her, including Margery Kempe.
Her visions emphasize the compassion
and love of God, and famously evoke
feminine, maternal imagery in describing
the role of God and Jesus Christ. She is
also famous for coining the phrase “All
shall be well, and all shall be well, and all
manner of thing shall be well.” Tod Wod-
icka used this phrase as the title of his first
novel. John Hick mentions Julian exten-
sively in The Fifth Dimension, referring to
her doctrine of theodicy as a doctrine of
“No Theodicy without Eschatology.” T. S.
Eliot quotes Julian in the fourth of his
Four Quartets.

JUNG, CARL GUSTAV (1875–1961).
Swiss psychologist and early psychoana-
lyst influenced by Freud until 1913 when
he broke with Freud and developed an
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