1  Cover

      2  Title Page

      3  Copyright

      4  Epigraph

      5  Foreword

      6  Preface

      7  Introduction The Art of Self-Knowledge Self-Knowledge The Intangibility of the I Who’s Speaking? Narrative Meaning Meaning and Being The Project of a Narrative Ontology The Truth of Art Thomas Mann as Model The Enigma of Human Being Freedom Selfhood as Character Notes

      8  Part One The Stories of Jacob 1 The Ambiguity of the I The Leitmotif The Original Scene Readings The Unrest of the Blessing Identity of Form and Content The Narrative Decentring of the I Coined Archetypes Isaac’s ‘Blindness’ Selfhood as Self-Understanding Notes 2 The World Theatre The Thought-Model of the Actor The World as Stage History Meaning of Life? The Author as Narrator and Reader Meaning as Happiness or Happiness as Meaning Connecting Thoughts Cain and Abel The Role of Human Being The Dignity of Universality Humanity in Each Person Notes 3 Narrative Irony Deception and Disappointment Leah Day and Night Nonsense Jacob’s Four Deceptions The Denied Sacrifice Dialectic of Spiritual Inheritance Hope Joseph’s Gift Mercy of the Last Deception Notes

      9  Part Two Time and Meaning 4 The Well of the Past Ontology of Egoism Self-Respect Descent into Hell Wandering The Abyss of Time Desperation of Passing Time Memento Mori Promise and Expectation Time that Cannot Be Enumerated The Feast of the Narrative Notes 5 How Abraham Discovered God Where to Begin? The Adventure of Self-Knowledge In the Image of God Self-Knowledge and Knowledge of God The Courage for Monotheism Not the Good, but the Whole God’s History? Model and Succession Theology of Narration Notes