This book review examines Peter Gay's "A Godless Jew," which explores the relationship between Sigmund Freud's atheism, Jewish identity, and the development of psychoanalysis. Gay's central thesis argues that only an atheist could have discovered psychoanalysis, as religious belief would have constrained the revolutionary insights required for such a breakthrough. The reviewer critically evaluates Gay's methodology and conclusions, noting that while Gay successfully demonstrates Freud's declared atheism, he inadequately addresses the complex role of Jewishness in Freud's life and work. The analysis reveals significant gaps in Gay's treatment of Jewish religious scholarship and his oversimplified view of religion's relationship to scientific inquiry. The reviewer challenges Gay's assertion that Freud's Jewish background did not influence psychoanalytic theory, suggesting that characteristically Jewish methods of textual exegesis may have informed psychoanalytic technique. The review concludes that despite Gay's impressive historical scholarship, his argument suffers from inadequate expertise in Jewish religious thought and fails to fully account for the nuanced relationship between Freud's cultural identity and intellectual development. The work provides valuable insights into Freud's complex relationship with Judaism while highlighting the limitations of reductive approaches to understanding the intersection of religious identity and scientific innovation.