Jewish tradition uniformly attributed the entire book to isaiah, as did christian tradition until the eighteenth century. Taken as an introduction to the book as a whole, isa. An overview of the book of isaiah bible commentary. The book of isaiah could not have been completed until after that event. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. The authors of the book of isaiah in its present form were addressing a small jewish community in and near. For latterday saints, the critical scholarly consensus that most of the book of isaiah was not authored by isaiah often presents a problem, particularly since many isaiah passages in the book of mormon are assigned postexilic dating by critical scholars. Some scholars have described the book of isaiah as a vision of. The theology of the book of isaiah follows a simple arrangement. The unity and authorship of the book of isaiah has been a touchy subject for many christians for much of the 20th century. The authorship of the book of isaiah the issue of the unity and the authorship of the book of isaiah is a very complicated issue. Book of isaiah overview insight for living ministries. Proto isaiah consisted of chapters 9, deuteroisaiah wrote 4055, and tritoisaiah. This particular issue has drawn a disproportionate amount of discussion and has usually generated more heat than light.
His word plays and poetry are majestic and intriguing. The superscription identifies isaiah as the son of amoz and his book as the vision of isaiah. Tradition says that he was martyred by the evil king manasseh. Isaiah lived in judah the southern kingdom during 739 b. As is the case with nearly all the books of the prophets, the book of isaiah takes its name from its writer. The book of isaiah harbors more verses which are referenced by the new testament writers than every other prophetic book of the old testament combined. The authors of the book of isaiah in its present form were addressing a small jewish community in and near jerusalem. Most of the writtings do come from isaiah 9 and faithfully reflect the situation in eighthcentury judah. There seems to be a mixing of isaiah s references to. In a different kind of example, there are several instances where sections of material in one book, isaiah in particular, are duplicated word for word in another book. As a result, says archer, opponents divided the book into multiple sections. Many scholars today challenge the claim that isaiah wrote the entire book that bears his name.
Thus, i think there are good reasons for believing that there was only one author of the book of isaiah. And the book of isaiah was included in the septuagint lxx, the earliest version of the old testament scriptures, translated at least 300 years earlier. Isaiah 6 niv isaiahs commission in the year bible gateway. While the book of isaiah provides several historical touch points that anchor the prophet in a particular period of judahs history, the book ranges in its visions from isaiahs own times through to the end of time when god creates new heavens and a new earth is. The book of isaiah, as it now appears in our old testament, contains far more than can be attributed to the prophet.
Oswalt one of the features of isaiah studies in the last twenty years has been a return to an appreciation for the book as a unit. Isaiah was married to a prophetess who bore him at least two sons isaiah 7. Scholars generally divide isaiah into three distinct sections based on the changes in the timeline, assuming that there were at least three authors. During the first 39 chapters of the book of isaiah, what we see is the. In fact, even among scholars who do not hold to singleauthorship, there is a growing consensus that the book exhibits remarkable unity, often ascribed to a careful editor of the complete book. The second section called deuteroisaiah is chapters 4055, which they. Judah was going through times of revival and times of rebellion. One of the best arguments against there being more than one isaiah who wrote the book is the fact that those who have claimed multiple authorship based upon theme have all agreed that every section of the book was written with a very similar writing style and constructs. Nov 05, 20 its introductory section to isaiah had what i thought was a refreshingly balanced approach to the issue of authorship in isaiah. Barton payne encyclopedia of biblical prophecy the book of isaiah contains 111 predictions. Nov 06, 2016 authorship of the book of isaiah a prevalent belief exists among bible scholars that the book of isaiah was written by more than one person. Current critical scholarship has begun to recognize a unity to the book of isaiah but not a unity of authorship 6 i. An antisupernatural bias permeates the writers who advocate the multiple authorship 6jeremiah contains fiftytwo chapters, 42,659 words. The talmuds baba bathra 15a said hezekiah and his men wrote i.
The prophet isaiah was primarily called to prophesy to the kingdom of judah. A scientific analysis of isaiah authorship religious. Deuteroisaiahs role in composition and redaction clarendon, 1994, and a critical and exegetical. Overview of the book of isaiah third millennium ministries. King, messiah and servant in the book of isaiah paternoster, 1998, the book called isaiah. A recurring problem in our day is that of the isaianic authorship. The conclusion was that the book of isaiah has a surprisingly large number of function prefixes indicating single authorship.
As a whole, the book is a rather large collection of writings that were produced by a number of different authors, some of whom were separated by relatively long periods of time. Presumably, isaiah proto isaiah wrote chapters 9, an anonymous author living during the exile deutero isaiah wrote 4055, and another anonymous author living after the exile. A scientific analysis of isaiah authorship religious studies center. Aug 14, 2015 if isaiah 4066 was written by an unknown prophet, why include it in the canon together with isaiahs book isaiah 9. The latest event mentioned in the book as a past occurrence is the succession of esarhaddon to the throne of assyria isa 37. He has written several books on isaiah, including variations on a theme. Did the prophet isaiah write the biblical book of isaiah. Jan 02, 2020 and the book of isaiah was included in the septuagint lxx, the earliest version of the old testament scriptures, translated at least 300 years earlier. Isaiah also prophesied about the babylonian judgment 612538 b. The first section is chapters 9, which they believe dates to about 700bc and was written by the prophet isaiah in jerusalem. The disputed authorship of isaiah is one of the most popular textual biblical issues and appears to be the father of all old testament authorship problems of the same nature. The authorship and the date of the book of isaiah has been under constant attack because the predictive content of isaiahs ministry is so profound. The strong consensus of biblical scholars is that the book of isaiah had multiple authors, the first of whom was, of course, the prophet isaiah, son of amoz.
It is traditionally maintained that an individual man, the prophet isaiah, composed his entire book, from beginning to end. Mcgrath patheos explore the worlds faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality. Containing largely prophecy with a few elements of historical importance included in the mix, this book contains a wealth of information, some of which can be confusing, misunderstood, or misapplied if the reader is not careful to think through the truths of what the prophetic messages found in isaiah. Why do scholars believe the book of isaiah is written by 3. Previous attempts at computerised statistical analysis of the book of isaiah, independently performed by two different researchers, yehuda radday and asa kasher, concluding that the book of isaiah was written by multiple. I was surprised to learn that it was naive and unlearned to regard the book of isaiah as actually written by the prophet isaiah, as was commonly thought. Abilene christian university press abilene, texas has just released its new commentary, the transforming word one volume bible commentary. This is a prominent fact in christendom because of the messianic nature of isaiahs prophecies. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1998. Introductionisaiah prophesies against complacent religion by. Church until the latter part of the eigh the autorship of isaiah. Some scholars divide the book of isaiah into three sections. The problem of identifying authorship for the book and parts of the book is. Isaiah son of amoz, the content, flow and structure have lead many to argue for multiple authors andor redactors.
Those familiar with the legacy of duhm in isaianic studies may be surprised to learn that, for nearly two decades, the dominant emphasis in the historicalcritical study of isaiah has been on the unity of the book. One of the features of isaiah studies in the last twenty years has been a return to an appreciation for the book as a unit. The critical position is based on an entirely different set of assumptions than most believers are accustomed to bring to scripture. This is because isaiah was a preacher, not just an author or editor. While this has by no means signaled an abandonment of the longheld scholarly conviction concerning the multi ple authorship of the book, it has recognized the historical fact that, for what. While the book of isaiah claims to be written in the 8th century b. Its introductory section to isaiah had what i thought was a refreshingly balanced approach to the issue of authorship in isaiah. The book of isaiah is a giant of a book, both in terms of its theology and overall length. Judah was threatened with destruction by assyria and egypt, but was spared. In isaiah in the book of mormon, edited by donald w.
C he prophesied during the reigns of kings uzziah, jotham, ahaz, and hezekiah. On the other hand, the prophecy itself bears a heading which ascribes authorship to isaiah, the new testa ment clearly considers the book to be isaiahs work, and this has also been the traditional position of the christian. Internal and external evidence points to the unity of authorship. The book of isaiah has been compared to the book of romans in the new testament in. Problems of multiple authorship in many books of the old testament, such as daniel, isaiah and especially the pentateuch, it has become commonplace among scholars to attribute the authorship of these books to multiple authors first and second isaiah, or especially j,e,d and p in the pentateuch.
The book of isaiah is the first of the latter prophets in the hebrew bible and the first of the. Many of the same evils in the land were denounced throughout the book, such as murder isaiah 1. With its 66 chapters, isaiah is the longest prophetic book of the old testament. The structure, above, declares the unity of the book. While it is widely accepted that the book of isaiah is rooted in a historic prophet called isaiah, who lived in the kingdom of judah during the 8th century bce, it is also widely accepted that this prophet did not write the entire book of isaiah. The observations which have led to this are as follows.
But by far the strongest evidence that proves the unity of the book of isaiah is that the gospel of matthew quotes from both the beginning and the end of the book, attributing all of it to isaiah. The acu commentary and the unity of the book of isaiah. Most scholars agree that the book falls naturally into two major sections, chapters 9 and chapters 4066. The dual authorship of scripture page 3nature and operations of the son of god made man, of him whom st. Because of the fulfilled supernatural predictions of isaiah, critics believe that the second half of isaiah chapters. That is not to say, however, that the multiple authorship theory is wrong. Authorship of the book of isaiah in light of the book of.
The book of isaiah is a compilation of poems composed chiefly by the great prophet, isaiah, but also by disciples, some of whom came many years after isaiah. Among the many liberal positions advocated, this volume argues for the multiple authorship of the book of isaiah. Deuteroisaiahs role in composition and redaction clarendon, 1994, and a critical and exegetical commentary on isaiah 127, 1. The strongest argument for the unity of isaiah is the expression the holy one of israel, a title for god that occurs 12 times in chs. Book of isaiah, also spelled isaias, one of the major prophetical writings of the old testament. Authorship of the book of isaiah a prevalent belief exists among bible scholars that the book of isaiah was written by more than one person. Tn course of time some slight alterations may have been made, some passages may have been adapted to the changed conditions of the people, whole sections may have been expanded or recast. Isaiah 6 new international version niv isaiahs commission. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8thcentury bce prophet isaiah ben amoz, but there is extensive evidence that much of it was composed during the babylonian.
Listen to chuck swindolls overview of isaiah in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. The book of isaiah is one of the most important books of the old testament. The majority of biblical scholars divide the book of isaiah into multiple authorship. Because of the fulfilled supernatural predictions of isaiah, critics. Thus they say that some five or seven, or even more, unknown prophets had a hand in the production of this book. Chapters 1 to 39 were written during the late eighth and early seventh centuries bce b. Why not make it a separate book following isaiahs, without any attribution of authorship, which is the case elsewhere in the old testament. Pdf the unity and authorship of the book of isaiah darren m. Others argue that isaiah likely wrote an even smaller section of the book, possibly as few as seven chapters 612. It is difficult to sit down and read all of isaiah at one time.
While the book of isaiah claims to be written in the 8 th century b. If in fact the latter parts of isaiah were written by a different author it. Authorship of the book of isaiah in light of the book of mormon. Here are some of the arguments for and against multiple isaiahs. In the introduction, goldingay sets out to correct what he regards as two confusioninducing assumptions that general readers often bring to the text. But in the 19th century, scholarship developed what is known as the multiple authorship theory, which suggests that isaiah was written over a period of about a century by several different. Acknowledgements, introduction, part one chapters 15, part two chapters 618, subject index, and scripture index.
748 1147 222 1414 1258 880 384 1048 747 911 1511 158 1573 375 1053 221 713 1009 1137 863 1469 90 1305 920 1295 902 1371 676