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QuaternityJohn Pahucki

A concept in Jungian analytical psychology which refers

broadly to images of totality and wholeness – such as the

mandala – that appear in dreams or other spontaneous

expressions of the unconscious. Jung believed that the qua-

ternity should serve as the primary image of the God-

archetype, replacing the Christian trinity which he viewed

as psychically obsolescent. The Christian trinity was an

inadequate symbol to denote psychic wholeness, Jung con-

tended, as it failed to encompass the shadow and feminine

aspects of the psyche. Jung was not clear on which of these

two should be accorded priority, arguing for the inclusion

of Mephistopheles in the quaternity, as the shadow cast by

Christ, while also expressing great enthusiasm for the Cath-

olic Church’s adoption of the doctrine of the Assumption

of Mary. This, he maintained, established a quaternity

relation as Mary, representative of the eternal feminine,

functioned as counterpart to the bridegroom of Christ.

See also: > Jung, Carl Gustav >Mandala > Shadow>Transcendent Function

Bibliography

Jung, C. G. (1958). A psychological approach to the dogma of the trinity.

In Psychology and religion: West and East, CW 11. Princeton, NJ:

Princeton University Press.

QuestDavid A. Leeming

In the cultural dreams that are our myths, heroes

serve as our personae, representatives of our collective

D. A. Leeming, K. Madden, S. Marlan (eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and# Springer Science+Business Media LLC 2010

psyches – first as cultures and then as a species. Gilgamesh

reflects a Mesopotamian physical and psychological expe-

rience and Odysseus could not be anything else but

Archaic Greek. But when we compare the heroes of these

various cultures, Joseph Campbell’s heroic monomyth

pattern emerges and we discover a hero who belongs to

all of humanity. ‘‘The Hero,’’ writes Campbell, ‘‘is the man

or woman who has been able to battle past his personal

and local historical limitations to the generally valid,

normally human forms’’ (1949/1973 Hero: 19–20).

The central event in the universal hero myth, the

heroic monomyth, is the quest, in which a hero – the

representative of a culture – seeks some significant goal

or boon for his people. Often the voyage involves

archetypal stages such as the search for truth or riches

or a lost loved one, a struggle with monsters, and the

descent to the underworld. Jason goes in search of the

Golden Fleece, Parcifal the Holy Grail, and the Buddha

Enlightenment.

Interpreted psychologically, the questing hero is our

cultural and collective psyche out in search of identity –

that is, Self, the point of self knowledge at which the

conscious and unconscious come together as a unity.

As we see in the overall heroic monomyth, the arche-

typal pattern that emerges from a comparison of hero

myths, the quest involves several almost ritualistic stages.

There is the initial unwillingness to begin the journey –

the refusal of the call – reflecting the natural unwillingness

of most of us to give up the status quo for a difficult

exploration of our inner worlds. But the hero must leave

home precisely because he must break new ground in the

overall human journey, as we must on the psychological

journey towards fulfillment or self identity. The old ways

must be constantly renewed and new understandings

developed. The knights of the Round Table must give up

the comforts of Camelot to achieve renewal through

adventure, and Gilgamesh must leave home to seek

eternal life.

The questing hero looks for something lost – a father,

a sacred icon of the tribe, something that will save the

people, the plant of immortality, the Holy Grail. ‘‘Reli-

gious’’ or philosophical heroes such as the Buddha or

Religion, DOI 10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6,

750 Q Qur’an

Jesus look to less tangible goals: Enlightenment, Nirvana,

the Kingdom of God.

The quest always involves frightening and dangerous

thresholds to be crossed – giants, dragons, evil kings,

seemingly impossible labors such as those of Herakles.

These all reflect the monsters within our own psyches

and the thresholds we must cross on the way to wholeness.

When the hero confronts the ultimate threshold and

dies, and when he returns to the world after his descent

into death, he is an image of our descent into the very

depths of the unconscious world in preparation for a

new ‘‘birth’’ of the psyche.

See also: >Hero >Monomyth >Pilgrimage > Self

Bibliography

Campbell, J. (1949/1973). The hero with a thousand faces. Princeton, NJ:

Bollingen.

Leeming, D. (1998). Mythology: The voyage of the hero (3rd ed.). Oxford,

England: Oxford University Press.

Qur’anAli Kose

The Qur’an is the sacred book of Muslims who believe

its complete text came through revelation. Each word of

it was revealed in Arabic by Allah (God) to Prophet

Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel over a span

of 23 years in the seventh century. The revelation of the

Qur’an began when the Prophet was 40 years old. It

consists of around 600 pages, 114 chapters, and over

6,000 verses. The length of chapters varies with the longest

chapter having 286 verses while the shortest one has only

three. The word ‘‘Qur’an’’ means recitation, and the first

verse of the Qur’an to be revealed to Prophet Muhammad

was a command to ‘‘read in the name of your Lord,

the Creator. . . .’’ (Ibn Hanbal, 1895: 232).

Given that the Prophet was an unlettered man, his

early followers eagerly memorized and recorded each new

revelation as it was revealed. By the time the Prophet

passed away, the Qur’an had been completed and many

had memorized its entirety. Within two years after the

death of the Prophet, the first caliph, Abu Bakr, compiled

the Qur’an into a manuscript which became the basis for

the authorized editions that were distributed to each

Muslim province during the rule of Uthman, the third

caliph. A few of those early manuscripts have been pre-

served and can still be viewed in museums today. Thus,

there is only one authorized-version in Arabic.

Muslims believe in the original form of all the revealed

books which are mentioned in the Qur’an: the Torah

of Moses, Psalms of David, and the Gospels of Jesus.

The Qur’an also mentions Scrolls of Abraham. Moses’

contemporaries were excellent in magic, so his major

miracle was to defeat the best magicians of Egypt in his

day. Jesus’ contemporaries were recognized as skillful

physicians; therefore, his miracle was to cure incurable

diseases. The Arabs, the contemporaries of Prophet

Muhammad, were known for their eloquence and mag-

nificent poetry. Accordingly, Prophet Muhammad’s major

miracle to prove that he is a messenger of God is believed

to be the Qur’an.

Final Scripture

The Qur’an is revered by Muslims as being God’s final

Scripture. Its verses are and have been recited and mem-

orized by Muslims of every nationality. It is the verses of

the Qur’an that Muslims read during their five daily

prayers. The faithful ones are inspired, consoled, and

often moved to tears by its poetic imagery.

For the past fourteen centuries, Muslims from all over

the world have written the Qur’anic verses in various

calligraphic forms, which were mainly produced and per-

fected by the Ottoman Turks. In fact, it was in Istanbul

that the finest calligraphic scripts were produced. A fa-

mous saying, therefore, goes: ‘‘The Qur’an was revealed in

Mecca, read in Egypt, and written in Istanbul.’’

The Qur’an contains many verses which describe nat-

ural phenomenon in various fields such as astronomy,

geology, and embryology. It is also a law book to provide

some basic principles for both individual and social life.

Its main message is to call people to turn to the Source of

all being and the Giver of life and to serve Himwith a pure

heart, free of idolatry or superstition. It rejects the concept

of salvation or special privilege based on ethnicity, race, or

color. Spiritual salvation is to be achieved by an attempt to

make amends for one’s sins and a sincere intention not

to repeat one’s mistakes in the future. There is no official

priesthood in Islam, and the ‘‘imam’’ is no more than a

knowledgeable prayer-leader; one’s sins need only be con-

fessed directly to the Creator. The Qur’an presents itself

as guidance for mankind as a whole. It is not for any

particular people, place, or period in time.

Qur’an Q 751

The Qur’an as Source of Culture

Islamic culture is founded on the Qur’an. It is recited on

special occasions like wedding ceremonies, and at certain

times, such as going to sleep or setting forth on a journey.

In this sense, it serves the purpose of a prayer book.

Muslims also utilize the Qur’an as a psychotherapeutic

book. For example, they read some certain verses and

gently blow them upon the sick as well as for the soul of

the deceased. Additionally, verses like the eleven in the last

two chapters are read to protect against evil temptations

or when one fears of possession by a devil. People hang up

amulets which has chapters from the Qur’an around their

neck, on the main door of houses, and on the rear mirror

of automobiles to protect themselves and their belongings

from accidents, evil eyes, burglars, etc. The Qur’an is also

popularly used as an oath book; people swear by the

Qur’an to take an oath.

See also: >God >Hafiz >Hajj > Islam >Pilgrimage> Sharia

Bibliography

The Holy Qur’an. (1934). Translation and Commentary by Abdullah

Yusuf Ali (1st ed.). Birmingham, England: Islamic Propagation

Centre International.

Ibn Hanbal, A. (1895). al-Musnad (Vol. IV, p. 232). Cairo, Egypt.

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