外邦女子路得

Ruth the Foreigner

舊約《路得記》所敘述的主要涉及以色列歷史與帝王系譜的綿延存續。路得的故事原本就是歷史現實中許多移民的故事，晚近之所以深受重視，顯然與故事中的移民議題有很大的關係，而有關《路得記》的詮釋也多環繞著踰越與跨界的主題。本文首先檢討了晚近有關《路得記》的若干主要讀法，最後歸結到德希達（Jacques Derrida）所說的好客的觀念，嘗試在當代移民問題的脈絡中，藉由對《路得記》的分析檢視好客的倫理問題。

The Book of Ruth is an important chapter in the genealogy of the Israeli kingship, and Ruth herself has turned out to be the prototype for many immigrants. This may explain why her story has in recent years become the focus of many critical investigations. So far, most of the interpretations have been attempts to bring the themes of transgression and border-crossing in Ruth's life into focus. This paper first looks into various recent readings of The Book of Ruth, and then reads the story against the Derridean idea of hospitality in the context of contemporary immigration problems.