There are several challenges with the historical background and political setting of Isaiah 40-66 concerning author, date, time and situation of life for the Jews. LaSor notes that traditional views that Isaiah authored the entire book are held by very few scholars. More and more critics are accepting a two book theory with chapters 1-39 as book one and chapters 40-66 as book two. Moreover, there are further refinements resulting in three books, dividing chapters 40-66 into 40-55 (Deutero-Isaiah) and 56-66 (Trito-Isaiah). (LaSor, William 1996., 281)
Since the argument for multiple authorships and time periods directly affect the historical and political setting, it is necessary to briefly review them now. As noted by Laser, Internal evidence
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Additionally, he acknowledges that some scholars argue for a sole author to maintain continuity of the book. He, on the other hand, argues the point of Isaiah speaking prophetically to persons 150 years in the future. (Oswalt 2012, 33)
Uwe Becker in his article, “Isaiah 40-66: translation and commentary,” disagree with the idea of a second Isaiah citing that there is no empirical evidence or conclusive reason to attribute authorship of 55-66 to and unknown prophet. (Becker 2013, 367)
The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (IDB) agrees with LaSor noting, the start of a new beginning in the late exilic period came from
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This would be sufficient to account for the introduction of later viewpoints resonating with its origins. (LaSor, William 1996., 285)
Thus, the historical and political setting for Isaiah 40-66 could be spread across the rule of three dominant nations, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. Boadt notes that while the theme of Deutero-Isaiah was Consolation, the overall theme of the book centered on God as the Holy One of Israel; foreign rule was God’s disciplinary tool, and God’s makes Zion the Divine dwelling place. (Boadt 1984, 417)
The IDB provides a brief overview of Israel’s political setting after the invasions of Assyria in the first century.
“From the late 8th to the late 2nd cent., under Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and Greek domination, the sovereignty of monarchic Israel was confined to Jerusalem and its hinterland. This small colonial sovereignty was embodied first in a vassal monarchy, then in an exiled monarchy, which was briefly restored, then in a monarchic priesthood.” (Sakenfeld 2006 2009,
This paper will discuss the Babylonian captivity, a major event from the history of Israel from the creation of Israel to its Statehood in 1948. This event will be discussed, from a historical as well as biblical perspective, what happened to the nation of Israel, how this event impacted the surrounding nations, as well as God’s hand in the event guiding the nation of Israel and His ultimate purpose through the event.
Isaiah 58:6-14 is a very powerful passage. The first bible version that I read it in was the King James Version. That version didn't really make very much sense to me because of all the "thou's" and "thee's" and "thines". So then I looked it up again in the New Revised Standard Version. It was a lot clearer when I looked it up in that bible. There are a few similarities and differences from the different versions that I read. The two that stood out the most to me was the King James Version, and the New Revised Standard Version. The differences were like night and day. Probably because they were the first two that I read, and maybe because the King James Version, like I said earlier, has a lot of the "1800's language," like "thou"
The prophet Isaiah played an important role in the development and expression of Judaism as a dynamic, living religion through the impact of his works. The impact of Isaiah is evident in both the development and expression of Judaism both in his time and in modern society, as his teachings, for the Jewish people, prove to be relevant to the times. Considered among Jews as one of the greatest prophets, Isaiah has contributed to and affected the life of adherents in the Jewish faith through his political and religious influence, his prophetic messages concerning
From a historical and geographical perspective, the book of Isaiah is an accurate representation. A lot of what has been found through archeology supports the events in the book. The book of Isaiah focuses on the south kingdom of Judah. During the book, the North Kingdom is in the process of its down fall. The book of Isaiah gives us insight into the minds of the southern kings at the time. Thus, we are able to see the historical context of how the south eventually fell.
Introduction: We see a book that was often quoted by Jesus and the apostles. A book that was written nearly 700 years before Christ was born. In the Six Chapter of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah gives us a record of his sacred call to the office of Prophet. His calling comes in a time of crisis in the nation. He begins by telling us that it was the year when King Uzziah had died. A king that had reign for over 50 years. Is in that time when God appear to Isaiah, he says (Verse 1) He has a vision. I saw (didn’t hear or read) The Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and His robe filled the temple. The image and the symbolic significance of what Isaiah sees upon here, is the outfit of The King like no other (status symbols).
In Isaiah’s Immanuel, Dr. Edward Hindson truly dives into the book of Isaiah. Hindson helps us to grasp the importance and statute of Isaiah. He was not simply a prophet among prophets. He stands out as a citizen of Israel and a servant of God. Hindson does not hold back on his praises of Isaiah and agrees with W.R.Smith, that he is the second most important person throughout the whole story of Israel (2). Isaiah’s writings style still puts modern day scholars in awe. However, Isaiah’s Godly leadership is a principle throughout the book that far exceeds his other attributes. His wisdom, words, and visions from God guided the nation of Israel throughout the reign of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Hindon discusses the history of not only Isaiah
The book of Isaiah has a lot of unique historical, social, and political factors to it. The prophet Isaiah prophesied during the reign of King Ahaz and Hezekiah (740-681 BC). Isaiah mainly worked during the reign of Hezekiah, However; his first narrative was under King Ahaz in 734-733 BC. In which, King Ahaz was dealing with crisis regarding foreign powers and was struggling on how to protect his people. One of main themes in the book of Isaiah is that not to trust in human power but instead one should trust in God. Isaiah prophesied under a very complicated social setting, Isaiah lived during a time of rapid corruption in the government of Israel. He preached that the government was not following God's covenant. He also preached to the people of Israel who rebelled against God’s covenant. The prophet Isaiah also guided the leaders of Israel during very tough political times.
The book of Amos is the earliest preserved example of classic prophetic writings. It consists of nine chapters, but Amos did not write the entirety of them. “A majority of scholars think that not all of the material in Amos goes back to the prophet himself but was added later by ancient editors of the book.” The anthology contains a variation of materials: prophecies, visions and addresses from Amos to the people of Israel. Two major themes of the book are the social injustice in Israel, and the impending doom in Israel’s future.
I moved on to Joseph Blenkinsopp, who as usual, did not disappoint. Here I found the historical context of this section of Isaiah. Blenkinsopp referred back to Isaiah 58 to shed light on why the vision of theophany in Isaiah 60 had not been realized. Cyrus had release the Jews from Babylonian captivity, and those who wished to had returned to Jerusalem. But the “dominant frame of mind of the people being address (in Isaiah 58) is one of disorientation and disillusionment.” There is corruption in the government and judicial system, and among the religious leaders. The poor are neglected. Jerusalem suffers under “external pressures and internal dissention.” In chapter 60 the vision is unfulfilled; in chapter 58, God tells the
Living in a time of corruption, social oppression and Assyrian devastation, the Jewish prophet Isiah wrote about concepts and ideologies that have heavily influenced the lives of individual adherents and Jewish communities throughout time. Isaiah’s influence on the adherents of Judaism is momentous as the book of Isaiah, which contains his writings, is found in the Nevi’im – the book of Prophets which Jewish adherents and communities read, study and look to for guidance. Isaiah’s vision for morality and denunciation of hypocrisy allowed for a more holistic approach to life, rejecting immorality and moving towards earthly peace under divine justice. (insert on screen 2:4).
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the main themes of Isaiah and Jeremiah. The main themes of Isaiah are: (1) Son’s Names as Signs. (2) Servant. (3) Holy One of Israel. (4) Redeemer. (5) Eschatology. The main themes of Jeremiah are: (1) God’s Policy with Nations. (2) New Covenant. (3) False Prophets.
The book of Isaiah provides a message to the nation of Israel and is one of the most powerful books of prophecy in the Bible. The prophet spoke of events to come that many have attempted to discern. Scholars, Rabbis and Christian Clergy differ in their interpretations of these passages in Isaiah 52 and 53.
Isaiah came during a pivotal time in history. The world was changing rapidly and life was on the edge of prosperity and ruin, as it is today. In this uncertain time Isaiah was called by God to deliver a message of warning, comfort, and deliverance. Christians view the prophecies of Isaiah as a projection of the coming of Jesus Christ. Isaiah spoke of divine judgment and the promises of God through the Prince of Peace. Isaiah’s message of the future King was very meticulous. He describes how Christ will come, Christ’s character and Christ’s purpose. In this paper I will dissect Isaiah’s prophecies in the Old Testament and reference them to the events of Christ in the New Testament.
In this essay, the arguments with regards date and authorship of Isaiah, will not be dealt with, as the subject is vast and the above title does not expressly demand it.
In comparison to this, the section of the Hebrew Scriptures known as ‘prophecy’ is a far harder collection from which to discern common threads in the sense of genre or content. Set as a continuation of the greater biblical narrative, the Prophecy section is best understood when divided further into two parts, that of the former prophets and the later prophets . The former prophets consist of the books of Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 kings and are generally referred to as ‘deutero-historical books’, expressing the role the theology of Deuteronomy plays in its