Power and Emotions in Biblical Social Relationships

In this study, Amadeusz Citlak presents the biblical social world in light of contemporary psychology. After introducing the psychological theories of the Lvov-Warsaw School and their relevance for psychological-biblical criticism, Citlak offers three studies regarding dominant emotions and striving for power, including an analysis of the differences between how the Old and New Testaments present their social worlds through linguistic expressions, the relationships between Jesus and his disciples, and relationships in Christian communities described in the New Testament. The three studies’ results create a coherent psychological picture of the evolution of the social world as presented in the Old and New Testaments, as well as dynamic changes in the heart of pre-Christianity.