Rhetoric and Social Justice in Isaiah
Overview
Rhetoric and Social Justice in Isaiah applies a literary methodology to the book of Isaiah in order critically to explore the nature and sources of the social justice encoded in the world created by the text. After a close reading of Isaiah 1:16–17, Gray establishes grounds for a trajectory to Isaiah 58, preparatory to examining if it offers a deepening of the concept of social justice in the Isaianic corpus.
Gray raises the issue of divine reliability to assess the impact on the theme of social justice of the rhetoric of universal punishment by the divine/prophetic voice. He evaluates the ways the stark Isaianic dichotomy between reliance on God and anything of human origin is affected by trust in God being destabilized: if trust in God is demonstrated to be difficult on account of legitimate doubts about divine justice, then the way is opened for retaining an active human role in the search for justice. Gray demonstrates the ways that social justice attains primacy in Isaiah, the ways that humanity if given a role in pursuing social justice, and the ways that Isaiah 58 impinges upon the idea of social justice within the book as a whole.
Key Features
- Examines the composition, meaning, and interpretive challenges in Isaiah
- Discusses questions of authorship, historicity, and canonicity
- All Scripture references linked to the Hebrew texts and English Bible translations in your library
Product Details
- Title: Rhetoric and Social Justice in Isaiah
- Author: Mark Gray
- Publisher: T & T Clark International
- Publication Date: 2006
- Pages: 320
Reviews
1 rating
Chris Trevino
12/3/2022
In the volatile political activist climate of the current 2020's the term "social justice" brings with it nebulous connotations of what it actually means. Such movements claiming to rest on the foundation of "social justice" continue in a pursuit of failure because without a solid place of understanding there will never be a solution. Mark Gray's book "Rhetoric and Social Justice in Isaiah" departs from contemporary squabbles and through the book of Isaiah Gray effectively defines "social justice" from the biblical text and forms a scriptural solution brought forward from those ancient days to the moment of now. When mankind tries to set himself apart from God to solve social issues, he will most certainly fail and make things worse, but in turning to God the answers in Isaiah are right there in front of us.