Isaiah

God’s good creation has something temporary, but at the same time it is more than ‘a waiting room for eternity’. In positive terms: “It is important to taste God's glory in creation in the present. This is part of the foretaste of eternal joy.” Enjoying a singing robin in the garden or a bike ride to Rome can be experienced in the perspective of faith. They are forms of lived faith. The same goes for enjoying a good meal. It is remarkable that the Book of Isaiah, when the future of the people of God is discussed, regularly speaks about food and drink. This article, written in Dutch, takes the invitation of Isaiah 55:1-3a as a starting point. In line with ancient Christian interpretation it is often argued that the invitation to an abundant life of eating and drinking is only a metaphor. The ‘actual salvation’ would only start in verse 3b, which mentions the everlasting covenant. Yet the question is whether imagery and reality can be so strictly distinguished from each other here. In the context of the Book of Isaiah it should be considered that the Kingdom of God also has to do with food and drink. The prospect of a good meal is part of God’s blessing and of the promised salvation.

Este trabalho propõe uma análise textual, levando em consideração a relação entre a forma e o conteúdo da perícope de Isaías 12:1-6, tendo como base de pesquisa o texto da BH  (Bíblia Hebraica). Em um primeiro momento será verificado a divisão do escopo, em seguida será dado um breve pano de fundo do livro de Isaías, buscando entender como a perícope se encaixa com o resto do livro; depois será desenvolvida uma análise literária do texto, no que diz respeito a estrutura, expressões e palavras-chave; e por último se buscará por possíveis ligações intertextuais de Isaías 12 com outras partes da BH.

El estudio constituye un breve análisis de algunos personajes relevantes en el libro de Isaías que presentan la característica de estar investidos del Espíritu de Yahvé: el Vástago de Jesé, el Siervo de Yahvé y el Ungido de Adonai Yahvé; añade también un apunte sobre un personaje Incógnito (Is 48,16b) relacionándolo con los otros tres. Los personajes mencionados constituyen la mediación de Yahvé para devolver a la comunidad hebrea al regazo divino y propiciar, al unísono, la admiración de las naciones paganas ante la grandeza de Yahvé, Dios de Israel, y exclusivo señor de la historia.

As one of several Cognitive-Critical approaches to the Bible that I've written, this essay applies the Logotherapy theory of Viktor Frankl to the Suffering-Servant Motif in Isaiah with existential implications for first audience and later readers. Presented in the festschrift for Wayne Rollins, edited by J. Harold Ellens (the "fathers of Bible-and-psychology studies"), with great appreciation!  Pages 173-196 in Psychological Hermeneutics for Biblical Themes and Texts; A Festschrift in Honour of Wayne G. Rollins Vol. 1. Edited by J. Harold Ellens (London: T & T Clark / Continuum, 2012).

1 Crie à pleine voix sans te retenir, fais retentir ta voix comme une trompette et révèle à mon peuple sa révolte, à la famille de Jacob ses péchés ! 2 C'est moi que, jour après jour, ils consultent : ils veulent connaître mes voies. Comme une nation qui aurait pratiqué la justice et n'aurait pas abandonné le droit institué par son Dieu, ils me réclament des jugements conformes à la justice, ils désirent se rapprocher de Dieu. 3 « À quoi nous sert-il de jeûner, si tu ne le vois pas, de nous humilier, si tu n'y fais pas attention ? » C'est que, le jour où vous jeûnez, vous accomplissez vos propres désirs et traitez durement tous vos ouvriers. 4 Votre jeûne débouche sur des procès et des disputes, sur de méchants coups de poing. Vous ne jeûnez pas, comme vous le faites aujourd'hui, de manière à faire entendre votre voix là-haut. 5 Est-ce un jeûne de ce genre que je préconise, un jour où l'homme s'humilie ? S'agit-il de courber la tête comme un roseau ? Faut-il se coucher sur le sac et la cendre ? Est-ce cela que tu appelles un jeûne, un jour agréable à l'Éternel ? 6Voici le genre de jeûne que je préconise : détacher les chaînes dues à la méchanceté, dénouer les liens de l'esclavage, renvoyer libres ceux qu'on maltraite. Mettez fin aux contraintes de toute sorte ! 7 Partage ton pain avec celui qui a faim et fais entrer chez toi les pauvres sans foyer ! Quand tu vois un homme nu, couvre-le ! Ne cherche pas à éviter celui qui est fait de la même chair que toi ! 8 Alors ta lumière jaillira comme l'aurore et ta restauration progressera rapidement, ta justice marchera devant toi et la gloire de l'Éternel sera ton arrière-garde. 9 Alors tu appelleras et l'Éternel répondra, tu crieras et il dira : « Me voici ! » Oui, si tu éloignes du milieu de toi la contrainte, les gestes menaçants et les paroles mauvaises, 10 si tu partages tes propres ressources avec celui qui a faim, si tu réponds aux besoins de l'opprimé, ta lumière surgira au milieu des ténèbres et ton obscurité sera pareille à la clarté de midi. 11 L'Éternel sera constamment ton guide, il répondra à tes besoins dans les endroits arides et il redonnera des forces à tes membres. Tu seras pareil à un jardin bien arrosé, à une source dont l'eau n'arrête jamais de couler. 12 Grâce à toi, on reconstruira sur d'anciennes ruines, tu relèveras des fondations vieilles de plusieurs générations. On t'appellera réparateur de brèches, restaurateur de sentiers fréquentés.

This study constitutes a chapter of a book on the prophets and describes the most important theological themes that are present in the first part of the book of Isaiah. Article made available by permission of Wipf & Stock Publishers www.wipfandstock.com

The quest to identify Isaiah’s servant as presented in the so-called ‘Servant Songs’ has long plagued students of Isaiah. By outlining the prevailing interpretations and noting the use of the so-called ‘Servant Songs’ in the NT the present article offers a possible resolution to the quest. A Christian canonical reading of Isaiah’s ‘Servant Songs’ provides a compelling case for identifying Isaiah’s servant as Jesus Christ.

The four prophecies that Berhard Duhm once designated as Servant Songs can no longer be studied in sheer isolation from the other Servant texts within the book of Isaiah, speculating about their origins and way of incorporation within the book.  They have to be studied as belonging to one single composition. The book of Isaiah is telling us a story about the Servant. In this lecture, read at Sárospatak Reformed Theological College in Hungary, I try to sketch in raw draft the development of this story within the book.

By Marvin A. Sweeney --The Forms of Old Testament Literature XVI (This text was made available at the following website: https://www.pdfdrive.com/isaiah-1-39-with-an-introduction-to-prophetic-literature-the-forms-of-the-old-testament-literature-d190040719.html)

The 7 heavens are described in great detail in the, Ascension of Isaiah against the background of Apocalyptic and Messianic eschatology. This study is an attempt to explore the content and significance of the ‘Shamayim’ and/or ‘Hekhaloth,’ two terms for ‘Heavens’ from a Hebraic cosmological and scientific analysis based on Kabbalah principles of Emanation and Mahshavah or Divine Thought, rather than a hierarchy of Halls with gate keepers, or the influence of later Kabbalah doctrines of ‘gilgul, transmigration, or Monads. Isaac ibn Latif had already begun to incorporate concepts of Physics centuries before Quantum Mechanics realized the measurement of the Universe, at such sub-atomic levels. Gikatilla also had a different understanding of Ayin, Ayin Sof and Ayin Sof Aur; and the cause of the flowing of Light into the microscosm, through the Sefiroth or vessels that connect everything from above with that below.

The book treats several passages in Isaiah 1-39 which respond to Neo-Assyrian Imperial Ideology and examines those passages within this historical context.
It can be downloaded at the attached link:
https://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/pubs/9780884142720_OA.pdf
or purchased at :
https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/Books_ANEmonographs.aspx

Christian Palestinian Aramaic has always been a mine of peculiar words and spellings despite being a rather conservative written dialect within the Western Aramaic group. Three words in this dialect, b‘š, b‘šwn’, and mb‘šwn’, which are variant derivations of b’š, have puzzled scholars for more than a century. In addition to another set of ‘incorrectly spelled’ words, these were considered doubtful in the first dictionary, grammar, and text editions, but they turned out to have sound explanations and etymological origins.

My intention in this paper is to expound the exegetical method of St. Thomas Aquinas by looking at one particular passage in the book of Isaiah upon which he commented at length throughout his writing career. Aquinas’s remarks on the prophetic vision of Isaiah are worthy of study both for the variety of exegetical methods and sources that he brings to bear upon the text, as well as for the wealth of literal and spiritual meanings that he is able to draw forth from the passage. By looking at the different emphases that Aquinas gives in his various expositions on the vision of Isaiah, it will become clear how much his method developed and deepened over time. In order to see how Aquinas’s exegesis of Isaiah 6:1-4 evolved, it will be necessary to look first at one of his earliest works, his commentary on the book of Isaiah which he began while still a student under Albert the Great and continued at the university of Paris. After that, I will look at Aquinas’s closing remarks at the end of his commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, written not long after, wherein he gives a brief comment on the prophet’s vision. Then, I will examine the 12th sermon of Aquinas in which he gives a detailed Trinitarian exposition of the text. This will lead into a discussion of his two works on the gospel of John, namely the Catena Aurea and then his own commentary in which he gives a thoroughly Christological interpretation of the prophet’s vision. I will end my historical examination of Aquinas’s texts by looking at the Prima Secundae of the Summa Theologiae wherein he gives some final comments on Isaiah 6:1, and correlates it to the layout and structure of the temple of Jerusalem. Before closing, I will attempt to draw some common themes found in Aquinas’s various writings and summarize his use of sources and methods of interpretation.

Like the first volume in this series (WealthWatch, Pickwick, 2011) this volume attempts two things: (a) to examine the primary socioeconomic motifs in the Bible from a comparative intertextual perspective, and (b) to trace the trajectory formed by these motifs through Tanak into early Jewish and Nazarene texts. Where WealthWatch focuses on Torah, however, WealthWarn focuses on the single largest section of Tanak—the Prophets. Where the ancient Near Eastern texts surveyed in WealthWatch include the Epic of Gilgamesh, Atrahasis, and the Erra Epic, the texts examined here include Inanna's Descent, the Babylonian Creation Epic (enūma elish), the Disappearance of Telipinu, and the Ba`al Epic. Where the Jewish texts surveyed in WealthWatch include historical and sectarian texts, the texts studied here include Ezra-Nehemiah, the Epistle of Jeremiah and Tobit. Where the Nazarene texts in WealthWatch focus on the stewardship parables found in the Gospel of Luke, the texts examined here focus on several prophetic vignettes from the Gospel of Matthew and Acts of the Apostles.

Review article published in Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZAW) 130 (2018), 1st issue. The full text can be downloaded via one of the following links:
http://www.ku.de/thf/at/forschungskooperation-jesaja-und-zwoelfpropheten/
https://goo.gl/YR4K6a
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/zatw.2018.130.issue-1/issue-files/zatw.2018.130.issue-1.xml

Abstracts in English, German and French:
Israel’s God does not only cast down arrogant superpowers such as Assyria (cf. Isa 10) and Egypt (cf. Ex 1 – 15) but also haughty Israelite leaders (cf. Isa 1 – 12). This invites a comparison between the fates of Egypt in Ex 1 – 15 and the Judean political stakeholders in Isa 1 – 12. The comparison reveals a number of specific and theologically important similarities. Both protagonists turn into oppressors of God’s chosen people, whose cry YHWH hears. In response, he calls a prophet and commissions him to harden the oppressors’ heart. By consequence, the latter ones ignore the announcements of doom proclaimed to them until YHWH’s judgement fully hits them. In the macrocontext, a bridge from Exodus to Isaiah is provided by the call narratives which follow the pattern of the call of Moses (Judges 6:11 14; 1 Sam 9:1 – 10:16). They mark Israel’s gradual development from a community suffering under foreign oppressors towards a society where Pharao-like tyrants have taken lead to the detriment of the poor. The fact that Micah contains no comparable narrative structure characterizes him as a different type of prophet. 

German:
Israels Gott wirft nicht nur hochmütige Supermächte wie Assyrien (vgl. Jes 10) und Ägypten (vgl. Ex 1 – 15) zu Boden, sondern auch überhebliche israelitische Anführer (vgl. Jes 1 – 12). Dies lädt zu einem Vergleich zwischen dem Ergehen Ägyptens in Ex 1 – 15 und dem der judäischen politischen Elite in Jes 1 – 12 ein. Der Vergleich zeigt eine Reihe spezifischer, theologisch bedeutsamer Ähnlichkeiten auf. Beide Protagonisten werden zu Unterdrückern des Gottesvolks, dessen Schrei JHWH hört. Er antwortet, indem er einen Propheten mit dem Auftrag beruft, das Herz der Unterdrücker zu verstocken. Infolgedessen ignorieren letztere die ihnen verkündeten Gerichtsansagen, bis JHWHs Gericht sie niederwirft. Im Markokontext schlagen nach dem mosaischen Schema gestaltete Berufungsberichte (Ri 6:11 14; 1 Sam 9:1 – 10:16) einen Bogen zwischen Ex und Jes. Sie kennzeichen Israels Entwicklung von einer Gemeinschaft, die unter fremden Unterdrückern leidet, hin zu einer Gesellschaft, wo Pharao-ähnliche Unterdrücker zum Nachteil der Schwachen die Führung übernommen haben. Die Tatsache, dass Micha keine vergleichbare narrative Struktur aufweist, charakterisiert ihn als andersartigen Prophetentypen.

French:
Le Dieu d’Israël fait chuter non seulement des superpuissances arrogantes comme l’Assyrie (cf. Isa 10) et l’Égypte (cf. Ex 1 – 15) mais aussi les chefs orgueilleux d’Israël (cf. Isa 1  12). Cela invite une comparaison entre la fortune de l’Égypte en Ex 1 – 15 et celle de l’élite politique judaïque en Isa 1 – 12. La comparaison montre un nombre de similarités spécifiques et théologiquement significantes. Tous les deux protagonistes deviennent des oppresseurs du peuple de Dieu, la crie duquel YHWH écoute. En réponse, il appelle un prophéte et lui commande d’endurcir leur cœur. Par conséquent, ils ignorent les annonces de jugement proclamées par le prophète jusqu’au point où le jugement les frappe de toute force. Dans le macrocontexte, des narrations de vocation suivant le schéma de celle de Moïse (Juges 6:11 14; 1 Sam 9:1 – 10:16) créent un pont entre l’Exode et Isaïe. Elles marquent un développement, au cours duquel Israël, qui souffre d’abord des oppresseurs étrangers, devient une société gouvernée par des oppresseurs ressemblant au pharao de l’Égypte. Le fait que Michée manque une structure narrative comparable le caractérise comme un type de prophète différent.

That Isaiah of Jerusalem was aware of the language of Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions and of Neo-Assyrian imperial claims is well recognized. While scholars have addressed these borrowings, they have not addressed the channels through which this knowledge would have reached Jerusalem in Isaiah's time. This article surveys the various media which were used to transmit the language of the Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions and imperial claims. It draws on studies of text, art history, and archaeology in constructing a complete picture of the transmission, divided into three regions: the Assyrian heartland; the territory between Judah and Assyria; and the territory immediately surrounding Judah.

The article discusses two examples of creation motifs in Isaiah in order to elucidate four distinct features of allusion that can enhance an integrative interpretation of biblical literature. The first example is a messianic vision of the branch from Jesse in Isaiah 11:1–10, whereas the second is the recurring metaphor of nations as “(raging) waters” in Isaiah. The article also addresses some of the pitfalls inherent in the conventional classificatory approach to genres in biblical scholarship.

Isaiah 14:12-15 has for centuries been traditionally taught as a description of the pre-human downfall of Satan/Lucifer. This viewpoint is being largely abandoned in favor of it being a description of the hubris of a pagan king who wants to transcend the boundaries between humanity and God. This paper sets 14:12-15 in its larger context of Isaiah's taunt against such a tyrannical ruler which his people faced and which the people of God must face as new tyrants arise in our world.

The Book of Isaiah eloquently incorporates a plethora of references to mammals and birds, which have yielded different interpretations by theologians and translators.  The context of Ancient Near East mythology and the themes throughout the Hebrew Bible provide a backdrop for Isaiah’s rich symbolic meaning in his zoological motifs. The employment of natural imagery expresses prophetic imagination as a means of hope, and defining reality for Israel’s exile in Babylon serves as a model for 21st century believers living in North American exile.

SUMMARY

The analysis of Lk 24,1-49 and 4,16-30 points out some significant aspects of the connection between Jesus’ identity and his memory of the Old Testament. In 24,1-49, «making memory» of the Holy Scriptures, the Lord manifests himself as the Messiah crucified and risen from the dead, the fulfillment of the whole of the biblical revelation. In this way he strenghtens his disciples in their identity as believing witnesses of his life, death and resurrection. In 4,16-30 Jesus declares that he is bringing to completion the prophetical mission of the Servant of the Lord recalled in Is 61,1-2a and also that of Elijah and Elisha. Of these prophetic figures Jesus recalls only their deeds of liberation from evil, consigning to oblivion the punishments they admittedly inflicted. By means of acts affirming but also suppressing memory, he definitely reveals God the Father, who is unconditionally good to all.


SOMMARIO

L’indagine su Lc 24,1-49 e 4,16-30 individua alcuni aspetti significativi del nesso intercorrente tra l’identità di Gesù e la sua memoria dell’Antico Testamento. In 24,1-49 il Signore, facendo memoria della sacra Scrittura, si rivela come il messia crocifisso e risorto, compimento dell’intera rivelazione biblica. In questo modo, rinsalda i discepoli nella loro identità di testimoni credenti della sua vita, morte e risurrezione. In 4,16-30 Gesù dichiara di portare a compimento la missione profetica del servo del Signore evocata in Is 61,1-2a, ma anche quella di Elia e di Eliseo. Di queste figure profetiche Gesù ricorda solo gesti di liberazione dal male, lasciando cadere in oblio i castighi, pure impartiti dai due profeti. Con questi ricordi e «dimenticanze», egli rivela in modo definitivo Dio Padre, incondizionatamente buono con tutti.

Sennacherib's Campaign Against Judah
The campaign of Sennacherib against Judah is one of the most widely researched in Biblical Studies and Ancient Near East, and one that also poses scholarly challenges. Allusion to the event is found in Isaiah, Kings, and Chronicles, but there is no correlation between the Assyrian and Biblical descriptions of the same event. Dan’el Kahn offers a textcritical analysis of these Biblical passages that allude to the military events. Detecting repetitions, breaks in the narrative, and contradictions and inconsistencies in the texts, he traces and reconstructs different and discrete sources. Kahn demonstrates that the Biblical passages are based on earlier sources that were later edited and revised by a third hand. Based on historical events that are found in non-Biblical texts, he also offers new dates for the sources. He claims that the narrative was written for the book of Isaiah, arguing that it predates the version found in Kings

El episodio del diácono Felipe con el eunuco etíope relatado en los Hechos por Lucas nos permite comprobar la riqueza de fe y de vida que brota de la lectura creyente de la Escritura; una Escritura que en su conjunto habla de Cristo y a la vez se refiere a la vida del cristiano, iluminándola poderosamente. La lectio se nos presenta así como un camino, también representado en el viajar del etíope hacia Gaza; un camino en el que la comprensión cada vez mayor de la palabra de Dios lleva a la comunión intensa con el Señor y, así, a la experiencia del gozo verdadero.

Book essay in:
Trajkovic, Marko; van Loon, Joost (eds.): FAITH AND REASON. AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONSTRUCTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (West-östliche Denkwege vol. 25), Sankt Augustin: Academia Verlag 2016, pp. 15-32.
Abstract:
The Judean prophet Isaiah (8th cent. B.C.) announced doom to the Israelite society because, driven by greed for power and wealth, the upper class had developed oppressive struc-tures and habits which deprived poorer and weaker citizens of their very own rights. The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard, a masterpiece of poetry, communicates through the metaphorical story of a vineyard the desastrous impacts of Israel’s failure to be fruitful in terms of justice and righteousness (מִשְׁפָּט and צְׁדָּקָּה ). As part of a cosmic world order, these two values are crucial for a society to develop towards peace and happiness and contribute to God’s glory. Where they are ignored, destructive forces will ruin the community.

Dt. Zusammenfassung
Der judäische Prophet Jesaja (8. Jh. v. Chr.) kündigte der israelitischen Gesellschaft Unheil an, weil ihre Oberschicht aus Gier nach Macht und Reichtum Strukturen und Gewohnheiten der Unterdrückung entwickelt hatte, die ärmere und schwächere Mitbürger ihrer ureigensten Rechte beraubten. Das Weinberglied, ein Meisterwerk der Poesie, verdeutlicht mittels der metaphorischen Geschichte eines Weinbergs die katastrophalen Auswirkungen von Israels Versagen, positive Früchte des Rechts und der Gerechtigkeit (מִשְׁפָּט und צְׁדָּקָּה ) hervorzubringen. Als Teil einer kosmischen Weltordnung sind diese beiden Werte entscheidend, damit sich eine Gesellschaft zum Frieden und Glück hin entwickeln kann, und tragen zur Ehre Gottes bei. Wo sie missachtet werden, treiben destruktive Kräfte die Gemeinschaft in den Untergang.