The Book of Isaiah is considered one of the greatest prophetic works in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The complex history of the book's composition, over several time periods, can often perplex and enthrall. The editors to this volume encourage readers to engage deeply with the text in order to get a grasp of the traces and signs within it that can be seen to point to the book's process of composition and ongoing reinterpretation over time. The contributions discuss suggested segments of composition and levels of interpretation, both within the book of Isaiah and its history of reception. The book is divided into two sections: in the first part certain motifs that have come to Isaiah from a distant past are traced through to their origins. Arguments for a suggested 'Josianic edition' are carefully evaluated, and the relationship between the second part of Isaiah and the Book of Psalms is discussed, as are the motifs of election and the themes of Zion theology and the temple. The second part of the book focuses on the history of reception and looks at Paul's use of the book of Isaiah, and how the book is used, and perhaps misused in a contemporary setting in the growing churches in Africa. With a range of international specialists, including Hugh Williamson, Tommy Wasserman, and Knut Holter, this is an excellent resource for scholars seeking to understand Isaiah in a greater depth.
Anyone who has attempted to teach or preach through the prophecy of Isaiah has felt a tension. In view of what the structure of the book of Isaiah aims to emphasize, this NSBT volume employs the concept of "kingdom" as an entry point for organizing the book's major themes, identifying the links to the broader biblical canon and ultimately to Jesus.
Does your knowledge of the Old Testament feel like a grab bag of people, books, events and ideas? Sandra Richter gives an overview of the Old Testament, organizing our disorderly knowledge of the Old Testament people, facts and stories into a memorable and manageable story of redemption that climaxes in the New Testament.
In this book, Mike will provide a comprehensive introduction to Isaiah explaining the structure, style and various themes Isaiah addresses as well as several lessons developed from key passages in Isaiah's book.
This Festschrift is offered to W.A.M. Beuken on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday and his retirement as Professor of Old Testament Studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Wim Beuken has dedicated much of his scholarly career to the study of one Old Testament book, the Book of Isaiah. It seemed natural, therefore, that the present volume and its editors should honour Beuken's scholarly achievements with a collection of essays devoted to the Book of Isaiah and related topics. The 28 contributions are presented under four section headings. The first section contains a series of thematically oriented studies on the Book of Isaiah as a whole. The second section focuses on the so-called Proto-Isaiah and includes contributions dealing with PI as a whole together with contributions which have concentrated on specific portions thereof. The third section includes a number of articles which address issues related to specific themes and pericopes in Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah. The fourth and final section turns its attention to questions regarding inter-textuality and the history of reception.
Inspired by the author's preparation of two major commentaries on Isaiah, these essays range from comprehensive to specific, and from popular to scholarly. They first appeared in biblical dictionaries, scholarly journals, and popular periodicals. Gathered here together for the first time, they display in various ways how the authors sees the various parts of Isaiah functioning together to give a coherent message to the church. The opening chapters lay out Oswalt's understanding of the overall message of the book of Isaiah. Subsequesnt chapters consider such themse as holiness and righteousness as they function in that larger structure.
Take in the full history of the Bible with a detailed account that focuses on its major empires, events and personalities. Written by a religious scholar who has taught at high school, college and adult levels, this historical exploration is organized around the major civilizations and epochs of the ancient world, beginning with Sumer and ending with Rome. Author Bruce W. Gore provides a thorough overview of major empires, such as the Assyrians or Babylonians, as well as more modest civilizations, such as the Phoenicians or Hittites. Learn how Cyrus the Persian, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and others changed the course of Christianity. In the course of historical exploration, this account also examines questions that may have puzzled readers of the Bible in the past: * Who was Sennacherib? * To which Assyrian king did Jonah preach, and did this make any difference in history? * What did the eight night visions of Zechariah mean in light of the rule of Darius the Persian? Study the Bible with an eye on its ancient setting and develop an understanding of its key people, places and civilizations with Historical and Chronological Context of the Bible.
What is the "way of the LORD" in the book of Isaiah? Many scholars have adopted Walter Zimmerli's proposal that the "way" in Second Isaiah is a literal and physical highway extending from Babylon to Jerusalem only to be reinterpreted as a spiritual, metaphorical, and pious way of living in Third Isaiah. This book will properly define each mention of the "way" in Isaiah as well as provide a coherent interpretation of this theme's theological significance within the book. The way of the LORD is initially conceived of in the 1st half of the book as a highway leading to Zion common to both the dispersed Israelites as well as the nations. In Isaiah, Chs 34-35 provide a paradigm of what this way will entail and its theological significance.