Jesus and Logotherapy

The Ministry of Jesus as Interpreted Through the Psychotherapy of Viktor Frankl

by Robert C. Leslie

ISBN: 9781666783322
Pub Date: June 2023
Format: Paperback
Imprint: Wipf and Stock

Wipf and Stock are to be thanked for seeing to it that this long out of print book sees new life. Originally published in 1965, Jesus and Logotherapy: The Ministry of Jesus as Interpreted Through the Psychotherapy of Viktor Frankl is a thematic treatment of events in the ministry of Jesus interpreted through the lens of Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy and Existential Analysis (LTEA, for short). Leslie was a Methodist minister, a military chaplain, and had the opportunity to study in Vienna with Viktor Frankl from 1960-1961. Published four years later, no doubt this book is the fruit of Leslie’s encounter with Frankl’s thought and its subsequent implementation in his work.

This book raises several questions, of course. First, is it a validation of the ministry of Jesus via Logotherapy, or is it a validation of Logotherapy via the ministry of Jesus? Second, do the New Testament accounts of Jesus’s ministry—including healings—count as empirical data or simply anecdotal illustrations? And third, does it count as biblical scholarship, psychological scholarship, or a type of Logotherapy as hermeneutic? Don’t get me wrong, it is inspirational reading; I think it’s great and should be read, but what is its value, especially if it is not likely to be read outside of a Christian audience?

In the preface, Leslie states that he employed the case study approach of the social sciences in his treatment of the ministry of Jesus. The goal was to apply the principles of Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy to throw new light on the personal relationships that, as he writes, gets overlooked in biblical scholarship. He argued that the ministry of Jesus was more concerned with life transformation and helping people relate to God rather than therapy. On the other hand, he believed that the examples presented would demonstrate that modern psychology—especially Logotherapy—verifies Jesus’s methodology. 

Though these assertions make me uncomfortable, I still highly recommend this book, though we must keep a few things in mind when reading it. To begin, it was the first of its kind, and it is a good reading of the New Testament along with Logotherapy. Second, it was written in 1965, and not 2023 when its premises seem too simplistic in terms of social scientific and theological practice. Even so, the book is still meaningful and valuable for different reasons. 

First, most seminarians come to a class with one question for the professor, “will it preach?” This book preaches. Why? Because second, the worldview and anthropology of Logotherapy is compatible with a biblical worldview. The keyword is compatible, because one does not have to be a Jew, a Christian, or even a theist to practice Logotherapy. Frankl asserted, against Freud and others, that humans are made up of more than just drives and instincts, that humans are, in fact, beings with three dimensions: body (soma), mind (psyche), and spirit (nous). Though Jewish and religious, Frankl kept most of his writing at this human level. Thus, he used the Greek word nous to keep his spiritual therapy non-dogmatic, since in English, the word “spirit” tends to have religious connotations as opposed to Geist and Seele in German. On the other hand, Frankl welcomed the exploration of Logotherapy in a broad array of applications, including religious ones such as this book.

A third reason is many of Leslie’s readings ring true. I have to admit my skepticism about his premise gave way to wonder when I read chapter 5, “Resolving Value Conflicts,” which is about the paralyzed youth in Mark 2, to whom Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” His assertion that the youth experienced physical paralysis due to extreme guilt seemed a bit far-fetched to me until I saw how he explained it. Leslie didn’t use the term conversion disorder, but that is what his premise entails. And since Logotherapy and Existential analysis is a first order therapy for noögenic (spiritual) neuroses, including physical symptoms that have a spiritual cause, I could see how Leslie’s reading of Jesus’s ministry with Logotherapy was both valid and exciting!

Here is a full listing of the readings in the book:

Exploring height psychology: the temptations of Jesus: Lk 4:1-13

Mobilizing the defiant power of the human spirit: Zacchaeus: Lk 19:1-10

Finding the personal life task: the rich young ruler: Mk 10:17-22

Filling the existential vacuum: the Samaritan woman: Jn 4:4-27

Resolving value conflicts: the paralyzed youth: Mk 2:2-12

Actualizing the self in responsible commitment: Simon the Pharisee: Lk 7:36-50

Realizing creative values: Peter: Mt 16:13-19; Lk 22:31-34, 54-62

Realizing experiential values: Mary & Martha: Lk 10:38-42

Realizing attitudinal values: the Bethesda invalid: Jn 5:2-15

Restoring man's dignity: the Gerasene demoniac: Mk 5:1-20

Exercising man's freedom: Jesus as servant: Jn 13:3-5, 12-16

My fourth reason: as I stated above, this book is actually—or simply—a Logotherapeutic reading of the ministry of Jesus. It is not an interpretation that employs a Logotherapeutic hermeneutic (as is Marshall H. Lewis’s Viktor Frankl and the Book of Job: A Search for Meaning); it is not a critique of Logotherapy for use in Christian counseling (as is Donald F. Tweedie’s Logotherapy and the Christian Faith: An Evaluation of Frankl's Existential Approach to Psychotherapy); and neither is it a Christian guide to Logotherapy (as I would describe Aaron J. Ungersma’s The Search for Meaning: A New Approach in Psychotherapy and Practical Psychology). No, it is a reading of events in the ministry of Jesus—mostly healings—along with Logotherapy, which is defined as “healing through meaning.” And can we overlook the simple fact that the root word for Logotherapy is the Greek word logos, which is also applied to Jesus in John’s Gospel?

Finally, I’m a preacher. I have drawn inspiration from this book for my own preaching and it has made a huge impact. Many people have loved and cherished this book for a long time. And as my beloved teacher, Dr. Ann V. Graber said when I told her about this book being reprinted, “Well, it’s about time!” Indeed, it is.

Tom Edmondson for meaninginministry.com 

Date Of Review: September 2023