The Antichrist
The adversary
The shadow of the redeemer, returning at the end of an age.
The Antichrist: what does it mean in analytical psychology?
In Aion (1951) Jung read the figure of Christ as a symbol of the self that had left out its darkness, and the Antichrist as that darkness split off: the second of the two fishes of Pisces, the age that opened with Christ closing with his adversary.
He read the expectation of the Antichrist as the psyche’s own knowledge that a light without shadow calls up its opposite, an enantiodromia.
The Antichrist: where does it appear in myth and tradition?
The Epistles of John; the beast of Revelation; the two fishes of the zodiac; Luca Signorelli’s fresco at Orvieto, where the Antichrist preaches with the devil at his ear; Nietzsche’s The Antichrist (1888).
From the Sources
The Catholic Encyclopedia summarises Paul's teaching that 'the day of the Lord' will be preceded by a revolt and by the revelation of the 'man of sin', who will sit in the temple of God showing himself as if he were God.
“The Pauline doctrine is this: "the day of the Lord" will be preceded by "a revolt", and the revelation of the "man of sin." The latter will sit in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God”
Anthony Maas, Antichrist, The Catholic Encyclopedia, 'Biblical meaning of the word': 'In the Pauline epistles'. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 1; New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907 (New Advent web text). The text, read in part
Baring-Gould records two of the early opinions on Antichrist: that he would be an incarnate demon, true man and true devil, in diabolical parody of the Incarnation; or merely a desperately wicked man acting on diabolical inspiration.
“Others, again, believed that he would be an incarnate demon, true man and true devil; in fearful and diabolical parody of the Incarnation of our Lord. A third view was, that he would be merely a desperately wicked man, acting upon diabolical inspirations”
S. Baring-Gould, M.A., Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, 'Antichrist and Pope Joan'. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1867 (Project Gutenberg eBook #36127). The text, read in part
Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.
Where to Read
- “Christ, a Symbol of the Self” and “The Sign of the Fishes,” in Aion, CW 9ii
Jung’s writings are cited by the volume of the Collected Works (CW), Bollingen Series / Princeton, 1953–79.
Related Symbols
In the Glossary: Shadow, Enantiodromia.
Also among Gods and Adversaries
“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analysing a dream.”
Cite This Entry
“The Antichrist.” In Symbols of the Psyche, the Symbolarium. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/symbolarium/psyche/antichrist.
Symbols That Share Its Terms
The Two (The pair of opposites) · The Scales (The balance, Libra)
Nearby in the alphabet: The Animus: The masculine image in the psyche of a woman. The Anthropos: The first man, whose body is the world. The Ape: The human made animal, and the animal made human. Apollo: Form, measure, clarity, and the beautiful image.