Reflections of empire in Isaiah 1-39 : responses to assyrian ideology

Abstract

The prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible aims to present the word of God to the human reader. The inherent difficulty of conveying messages from a force who transcends time and space to flesh and blood finds expression in the words of the prophets themselves... This book focusses on interpreting the prophetic messages of Isa 1-39 within the specific time and space of Judah in the Assyrian period. No doubt much of the text we now call Isa 1-39 contains editorial additions, but as I argue throughout this book, very substantial parts of the text derive from the period noted. Does the correlation of this text to this specific period limit its timeless messages? These passages originally belonged to a specific historical context, and understanding them within this context allows us to understand more fully how the prophet, living within his own historical period, chose to articulate the “meaning of the parable.” Understanding the historical circumstances that caused the prophet to formulate his message as he did provides more insight into the “meaning of the parable.” This insight allows us to better assess how this message can be applied in our own time. This historically-motivated understanding of prophetic literature is characteristic of the classic medieval Jewish Bible interpreters. Fate, in the form of Assyriological and archaeological research, has given our generation a degree of understanding of the Assyrian period unsurpassed since antiquity. Following in the footsteps of these interpreters, this book applies this knowledge to our understanding of Isa 1-39. I sincerely hope that it will contribute to a fuller understanding of its messages.