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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. Citlak’s engagement with quantitative psychological methodology based on the rich research tradition on historical, social, and political discourse results in an original contribution to qualitative biblical research that captures significant differences in emotions and the concept of power between the Old and New Testaments.

Amadeusz Citlak is on the faculty of the Institute of Psychology at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. He has written articles on psychological-biblical criticism and the theories of the Lvov-Warsaw School.