This course aims to present the biblical view of a perennial subject for all humanity—the self. As the Bible constitutes one of the two major sources of the Western tradition and its very primary subject is life, a study of the question of the self in the Bible will surely shed a great deal of light on the development and main characteristics of the Western subjectivity. The study will focus on those biblical texts which highlight the question of the self and the constructing of identity through discourse. The biblical figures to be studied are: Moses, the servant of God; David, the king anointed by God; the prophet; Job, the “blameless and upright” man; the Psalmist as a confessant before God; the wise preacher of Ecclesiastes; Jesus Christ, the Son of God as presented by Mark and Luke; Paul, the apostle sent by God. The character of each of these figures will be carefully examined so that a clear view of the biblical response to the question of the self may be formed. Meanwhile, the course will also introduce the students to the major modern theories on the self. Thus, the study of the biblical figures will be conducted not only in the light of the biblical tradition but also with constant references to the major intellectual concerns of modern times.

評量方式 Grading:
Discussions and oral presentations: 40%, Journal writing: 40%, Final exam: 20%

進度 Syllabus The Bible and Life Writing
Tentative Syllabus
Spring 2009

Textbooks
Required: The Bible (NASB).
Recommended:
Du Gay, Paul, Jessica Evans, Peter Redman, eds. Identity: A Reader. London: sage, 2000.
Porter, Roy, ed. Rewriting the Self: Histories from the Renaissance to the Present. London & NY: Routledge, 1997.
Syllabus
第1週 (2/17) Introduction; the patriarchs: Jacob and Joseph [Gen. 25-50]
第2週 (2/24) the servant of God: Moses [Deuteronomy 1-11, 26.15-30.20]
第3週 (3/3) Judges 6-7, 13-16
Bourdieu, “The Biographical Illusion,” Du Gay, 299-305.
第4週 (3/10) Ruth; Bourdieu (continued)
第5週 (3/17) King David [1 Chron. 10-29]
第6週 (3/24) 1 Kings 1:38-3:28; 6:12-13; 8:1-61; 11-13; 16:29-19:21;
2 Kings 1-3; 5-7; 9-10; 13; 18-20
第7週 (3/31) the Psalmist [Psalms 9, 22, 32, 37, 40, 51, 77, 90, 94, 118, 135, 139]
第8週 (4/7) Job 1-19, 38-42
第9週 (4/14) Ecclesiastes; Benveniste, “Subjectivity in Language,” Du Gay, 39-43.
第10週 (4/21) The prophet [Isaiah 1, 6, 49, 50, 52, 53; Jeremiah 1, 10.23-24, 11-13, 15.10-16.13, 17.14-18;18-20, 24-25; Ezekiel 1-4]; Benveniste (continued)
第11週 (4/28) Jonah
Miller, “Dostoevsky and Rousseau: The Morality of Confession Reconsidered.” (handout)
第12週 (5/5) Jesus Christ (I) [Luke]
第13週 (5/12) Jesus (II) [John 14-21]
第14週 (5/19) Paul (I) [Acts 9, 13-28]
第15週 (5/26) Paul (II) [Romans 9; 1 Cor. 9]
Krystal, “The Writing Life.” (handout)
第16週 (6/2) Paul (III) [2 Cor. 11, 12; Gal. 1-2]
Chiang, “Confessional Discourse in the Psalms.” (handout)
第17週 (6/9) Paul (IV) [1 Thessalonians, 4, 5; 2 Thess. 2]