The Book of Isaiah (Exam 4)

Immanuel

"God with us" Isaiah prophesies that this woman will give birth to him and that this child will serve as a sign to Ahaz, in that, by the time the child is old enough to distinguish good from bad, Yahweh will have brought the king of Assyria forth to destroy Rezin of Aram and king Pekah of Israel, thereby removing the Syro-Ephramite threat from Judah. However, Assyria will remain a threat to Judah. Therefore, it appears that Isaiah's prophecy about him originally referred to a child that was to be born in the days of Ahaz.

Traditional titles derived from Isaiah

"Immanuel" (7:14) "Prince of Peace" (9:6) "Key of David" (22:22) "swords into plowshares" (2:4) "the wolf dwelling with the lamb" (11:6-9) "a voice crying in the wilderness" (40:3) "a man of sorrows" (53:3) "a light to the nations" (42:6;49:6) "good news to the poor" (61:1) "a new heaven and a new earth" (65:17) "my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (56:7) "there is no peace for the wicked" (48:22;57:21)

Maher-shalal-hash-baz

"Spoil Speeds, Prey Hastens" [8:3]. This child was born to Isaiah after his relations with "the prophetess" (presumably Isaiah's wife). It is said that by the time this child learns to say "father" and "mother" Damascus and Samaria will be sacked by the king of Assyria. So this child is also presented as a reminder of Yahweh's use of the Assyrians to remove the Syro-Ephramite threat from Judah.

Shear-jashub

"a remnant will return [from exile]" or "a remnant will repent" (7:3)

Suffering Servant

(52:13-53:12) is drawn on in Rom. 15:21.

Immanence

(the idea of God's indwelling and participation in the world) is the opposite of the term "transcendence"

The basic three-fold rhetorical framework of the book of Isaiah

-Chapters 1-39 mostly address the preexilic situation in Judah. -Chapters 40-55 mostly address the exilic situation in Babylon. -Chapters 56-66 mostly addresses the postexilic situation in Judah.

Five historical periods

1. The Syro-Ephramite threat and outcome during the days of king Ahaz of Judah (735-732 BC). 2. The Neo-Assyrian destruction of Israel in 722 and later assault on Judah and Jerusalem during the days of king Hezekiah of Judah (705-701 BC). 3. The Neo-Babylonian assaults on Judah (610-586 BC). 4. The time of Cyrus the Great of Persia, Yahweh's "messiah" (540 BC). 5. Life in the rebuilt Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile (520-480 BC).

Popular Evangelicalism tends to associate Isaiah with two things

1. The prophecy concerning a virgin giving birth to a child named "Immanuel." The New Testament gospel writers were the first to seize upon this use of Isaiah (Matt 1:23). Indeed, the New Testament writers quote Isaiah more than they do any other book. 2. The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is a predictor or prototype of Jesus as the suffering messiah (Roman 15:21; Matt 8:17; 27:12-14; Mark 14:60-61; 15:4-5; John 19:8-9; Luke 23:8-9; Acts 8:32-33). -These represent important texts and theological ideas, but there is nevertheless still much more to the book of Isaiah and its theology.

Proto

First Isaiah (1-39)

Several features that affect overall understanding in 56-66.

First of all, these chapters seem to reflect in general a Judean setting which contrasts with the apparently Babylonian setting of 40-55. Second, the threats posed by Assyria and Babylon in 1-55 are no longer present in 56-66. Yet there is still a concern for social justice along with the same passionate condemnation of leaders found in 1-39. Third, there is presupposed throughout 56-66 the existence of a new (second) Temple. In any case, the centrality of the temple is presupposed. Fourth, chapters 56-66 seem to harbor in themselves different attitudes towards foreigners. Fifth, the prophetic material of 56-66 differs from that of 1-55 by stressing cult, sabbath, and law.

Dr. Smith (Second Isaiah authorship)

I have still many questions about the relationship between 40-55 and 56-66.

The major literary units of Isaiah 1-39

I. Superscription to the book (1:1) II. The Prologue (1:2-31) III. Prophecies concerning Judah and Jerusalem (2:1-12:6) IV. Oracles against individual nations and others (13:1-23:18) V. The so-called "Little Apocalypse of Isaiah" (24:1-27:13) VI. The so-called "Book of Woes" (28-33) VII. The so-called "Songs of Zion" (34-35) VIII. Narrative conclusion to First Isaiah (36-39)

The name Isaiah

In Hebrew, it means "Yahweh saves."

The book presents

Yahweh as the one and only Lord of History, and Second Isaiah in particular hammers out and developes the notion of absolute monotheism in which Yahweh is understood to be not just the only God that should be worshipped (henotheism) but the only God that actually even exists (40-55).

Absolute monotheism

Yahweh is understood to be not just the onlyu God that should be worshipped but the only God that actually exists.

The basic message of Second Isaiah

Yahweh, the one and only God, who brought Israel out of Egypt through the Sea and into the promised land, is now about to lead the Judean exiles on a "New Exodus" from Babylon through the desert to Zion (Jerusalem and Judah) and there they will become "Israel" once again.

Isaiah ben Amoz

a Judean prophet who, according to the superscription of the book (Isa. 1:1), ministered during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, all kings of Judah. He appears to have lived in Jerusalem where he was married to a prophetess and had at least two sons.

Properly speaking of the Book of Isaiah

a collection of prophecies from Isaiah ben Amoz and apparently from other anonymous prophets, although some scholars who style themselves as "conservative" would prefer to attribute the entire book to Isaiah ben Amos. However, the issues here properly conceived have to do with literary competence and not liberal or conservative theology.

Lilith

a female night-demon, or group of demons, from ancient Semitic and Mesopotamian mythology who was considered to attack women in childbirth. She was reputed to suck the blood of infants, eat their marow, and consume their flesh. The figure of Lilith takes on a sexual dimension in the Talmud where men who sleep alone are warned of being seized by her.

The Servant Songs

are foundational for New Testament understandings of Jesus as messiah

"Cyrus" like "Jerusalem"

both are assumed to be already well-known and his presence on the historical-political scene is an established fact and current event.

Dominant Theme of First Isaiah

bringing down the proud

The narrative material in Isa (1-39)

concerned with Isaiah's ministry to kings Ahaz and Hezekiah

The book of Revelation

draws heavily on Isaiah's vision of a "New Heavens and New Earth" (65-66).

Chapters 56-66

for the most part appear to address exiles who had returned from Babylon and were now settled in the early postexilic Judean community

Isaiah

has become known as "the great prophet" was not the first classical prophet

Jerusalem (40-55)

is referenced as already ruined and deserted

Cyrus the Great (40-55)

is referred to as the one who will conquer Babylon and allow the Judeans to return home and rebuild their temple. It is important to recognize that when he is mentioned by name in 44:28 and 45:1 the prophet is predicting what this person will do. The prophet is not predicting his' name or even his appearance in history.

Third Isaiah

marks concern for social justice and an emphasis on Yahweh being worshipped by all nations. It speaks at length about a New Heavens, a New Earth, and a New Jerusalem. It even speaks of a (new?) covenant in 59:21.

Chapters 40-55 (Deutero - Second Isaiah)

mostly address the exilic situation in Babylon

Chapter 1-39 (Proto - First Isaiah)

mostly address the preexilic situation in Judah

Chapters 56-66 (Trito - Third Isaiah)

mostly addresses the postexilic situation in Judah

Popular uses of Isaiah

not all of them necessarily represent accurate or valid interpretations of the text

The Book of Isaiah

nothing less than awesome in its theological depth and historical sweep addresses matters from preexilic times, through the exile, to the postexilic period, and beyond - perhaps even to the "end of time" or the "eschaton," depending on one's interpretation

Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1164)

one of the first to suggest that chs. 55-66 are set historically in the Babylonian exile. In any case, regardless of one's views about authorship, it has become almost traditional to recognize three basic sections in the structure of the book of Isaiah as chs. 1-39; 40-55; and 56-66.

Henotheism

only one God that should be praised out of the many that exist

The anthological character of the book

particularly evident in chs. 1-39, where Isaiah's oracles and the third person stories about his ministries to Ahaz and Hezekiah are frequently introduced and related by the voice of an editor or narrator.

The nations

presented as subordinate to Israel and serve primarily as witnesses and instruments of Israel's restoration

Authorship for First Isaiah

primarily recognized as Isaiah ben Amoz of Jerusalem during the eigth century BC. However, there is some material in 1-39 that is difficult to understand as coming from Isaiah.

Debate

regarding how the book of Isaiah came to be written and how it is currently structured in certain particulars as a literary work. -which parts of Isaiah derive from what periods and what was the process by which the book grew.

The essence of the message of Second Isaiah

seems to be previewed in 40:1-8. According to this text, the exiles are to take heart, because their sins have been cleansed and their period of punishment is over (1-2). Yahweh is to come to the aid of his people in an astonishing way (3-5). The guarantee of this message of hope and restoration is the word of Yahweh spoken through the prophet (6-8).

Derived from Isaiah

several traditional titles, images, and expressions that are current in popular culture (beyond evangelicalism)

Transcendence

stresses the idea that God is completely separate and distinct in all ways from his creation (Isa 45:15)

Some scholars

take chapter 40-66 as one single section and call it all "Second Isaiah." Most, however, tend to recognize that as a whole 56-66 is more eclectic and contains some different emphases from the chapters which precede it.

John Goldingay the significance of God's commitment to David

that it means a commitment to Israel.

A major concern throughout the book

the centrality of Zion to Yahweh's purposes

Imminence

the doctrine that Christ can return at any moment

In medieval Jewish and Gnostic mythology

the figure of Lilith was developed into the first wife of Adam and predecessor of Eve who demanded equality with him and objected to being on the bottom during their sexual relations

The New Testament gospel writers

the first to seize upon Isaiah's prophecy concerning a virgin giving birth to a child named "Immanuel"

56-66 challenge

the religious and political-economic dissension in the life of the second-Temple community along with doubts that have arisen after decades of waiting in vain for the eschatological hope in Israel's complete and dominant restoration. This hope certainly seems to have been set forth in Second Isaiah.

Primary enemies of the faithful in 56-66

the wicked and idolaters, who themselves appear to be members of the Judean community

The audience of 40-55

to whom the prophet is speaking are exiles in Babylon.

Artistic works and cultural movements from Isaiah

John Milton's description of Satan's fall from heaven in Book I of Paradise Lost was inspired by the mocking lament over the death of the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14. George Frederick Handel's Messiah is based on Isaiah 9, 34, 40, 52, 53, and 60. The image of the ox and the ass in the traditional nativity scene is rooted in Isaiah 1:3. The image of the six-winged seraphim comes from Isaiah 6:2-3. The image of the Lord treading the winepress of wrath in Isaiah 63:2-6 is the background for Julia Ward Howe's 1862 lyrics in The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Lilith, an icon of radical Jewish and Christian feminism, is often associated with the "lilith" mentioned in Isaiah 34:14.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

One should note that Howe wrote these lyrics in context the American Civil War, thus "the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored" is a reference to the Confederacy of the South. Thus she conceives of the Union troops as Servants of the Lord wreaking divine judgment on the South.

Deutro

Second Isaiah (40-55)

Three sign-children

Shear-jashub, accompanies Isaiah when he goes to meet Ahaz. Immanuel. Maher-shalal-hash-baz

Authorship of Second Isaiah

Some hold that Isaiah ben Amoz of Jerusalem. They suppose that in chs. 40-55 he looks into the future, sees the future generation of Judeans in Babylonian exile, speaks to them in the context of that vision, and then receives oracles in that vision which he passes on to his visionary audience in that vision. Others, including Dr. Smith, see chs. 40-55 as authored by an anonymous exilic prophet living in Babylon in the 6th century.

Berhnard Duhm

Some later scholars have found it difficult to follow Duhm in ascribing 56-66 to a single author and prefer to see these chapters as a collection of diverse materials from many different historical settings, from the pre-exilic to the postexilic periods.

Authorship of Third Isaiah

Some scholars see the historical Isaiah ben Amoz of Jerusalem as the author of chs. 56-66, while others see these as a continuation of the work of Second Isaiah in 40-55. Still others have come to see chs. 56-66 as the work of a third prophet from the post-exilic period.

Basic Message of First Isaiah

The Judeans are to trust in Yahweh only for their preservation by living faithfully in the present and accepting those instruments like Assyria whom God chooses to carry out His purposes for bringing down the proud.

The basic message of Third Isaiah

The problem of sin and evil in soul and society still remains even after the return from exile and requires re-creation by Yahweh who demands faithful cultic observance and social justice as He provides a place for all the faithful among the people of God in Zion and destroys the wicked.

Isaiah 1-39

These chapters mostly consist of Isaiah's oracles and stories about his ministry to preexilic Judah during the years of the Assyrian threat of 740-700 BC. For the most part are centered on three of the five historical events discussed above in relation to Judah.

Trito

Third Isaiah (56-66)

Worldview presented by Isaiah

Jerusalem/Zion is central to Yahweh and His purposes for the world, the nations, and His people (2:1-4; 65:17-25; 66:10-14, 20-23).

John Goldingay summary of the rhetorical situation reflected in Isaiah 40-55

Isaiah 40-55 addresses issues in the life of the Judean community in the 540s. That community believes that Yahweh has abandoned it. It knows that powers such as Babylon and Persia are much more powerful than it is. It is tempted to make images of Yahweh as aids for its worship, or to worship the Babylonian gods who seem so impressive. It believes that the devastation of Jerusalem and the sojourn of so many of its people in Babylon and other parts of the Babylonian empire may last forever. In that context Second Isaiah has some controversial convictions to express. Yahweh is about to return to Jerusalem, and so are the Judeans scattered around the empire. The rise of Persian power is not a threat but is the means of bringing that about. The key to the future is not even a Judean anointed king but a Persian one. The significance of God's commitment to David is that it means a commitment to Israel. The Judean community to David is that it means a commitment to Israel. The Judean community has learned nothing from the experience of being devastatingly chastised by Yaweh, but this does not mean that Yahweh has finished with it. Indeed Yahweh intends to fulfill the original purpose of adopting it, and to be recognized in the whole world through what happens to it. Yahweh has the power and the commitment to do that. And Yahweh intends also to bring about the inner renewal of the people that its chastisement has failed to achieve.

First person account in chapter 6

Isaiah was called to the prophetic ministry in the year that king Uzziah died. Surprisingly, Isaiah seems to have been called to a prophetic ministry that was to involve preaching which would actually make people less willing to repent (6:9-10).