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This volume develops an interesting thesis, one that offers the possibility of shedding light on Jung's religious writings. The author argues, with some conviction, that Jung's religious writings are best understood as an extended effort to cure the ills of Christianity as Jung saw them from his unique perspective, which was rooted in the collective unconscious and the archetypology of symbolism.
The argument is developed in a series of steps, showing first the arguments and divergence of opinion that arose between Jung and his theological commentators over the years, then Jung's views on psychotherapeutic treatment as a background for extending these ideas to his more far-flung efforts in the treatment of Christianity. A critical chapter follows, tracing Jung's life history and development, particularly focusing on his relationship to Freud and his sense of religious mission in the second half of his life. The essential part of the argument is contained in a chapter on Jung's treatment of Christianity, based on an interpretation of his major works on Christianity and its tradition. These include Jung's studies of a psychological understanding of the trinity, his analysis of religious symbols in terms of alchemy, and the three books Aion, Answer to Job, and Mysterium Coniunctionis. In this analysis, the progressive steps of Jung's analysis of and efforts to cure the illness of the Christian soul are developed in some detail.
To my reading, the most telling chapter in the book is the one about Jung's development and his relationship with Freud. Jung's life seems to have been overshadowed by the figure of his father, a