| During the past two decades considerable scholarship in the Biblical, theological, and psychological disciplines has been devoted to the recovery of the feminine principle. This thesis summarizes such scholarship, and states the candidate's own approach to the feminine principle in these areas.;The thesis examines the possibility of a feminine dimension to the reality of God, a new theology of personhood, and a theology of human relationships and human sexuality derived from the feminine principle. The meaning of the Virgin Mary, and a new interpretation of the Holy Spirit based on documents of the early church, is set forth. Liturgical implications of these ideas are also explored.;An examination of the meaning of the central masculine/feminine polarity within the psyches of all persons concludes that men and women alike have a profound psychic need to embody the feminine principle. The possibility of integrating the inner feminine principle through the process of individuation is established; inspired by the efforts of C. G. Jung and his followers, an effort is made to unite depth psychology and religious experience.;Finally, a curriculum for use in adult religious education seminars based on this material was developed, field tested, and evaluated. Its intent was to assist persons to grow in the process of integrating the inner feminine principle, and to begin to develop an image of the divine with both masculine and feminine dimensions.;The project surveys the feminine principle as it appears in the Old and New Testaments, the Wisdom literature, and in the lives of Jesus of Nazareth and the Apostle Paul. The thesis demonstrates that the reality of the feminine in the Scriptures has often been distorted or denied, contradicting the intent of the Biblical records. The report contends that the Old and New Testaments should be read as a charter for the equality of women and men, as well as a reawakening of the feminine principle in the lives of individuals and the structures of church and society. |
