Concentricity and Continuity: The Literary Structure of Isaiah

Overview

This monograph explores the structure and rhetoric of the book of Isaiah. Its thesis is twofold. First, the book of Isaiah best manifests its structural unity, thematic coherence, and rhetorical emphasis when read as an exemplar of prophetic covenant disputation. Second, the principal arrangement of the book comprises seven asymmetrical concentric sections, each made up of complex (triadic and quadratic) framing patterns. They are: an exordium (1:1, 2–5), two threats of judgment (2:6–21; 3:1–4:1), two programs for the punishment and restoration of Zion and the nations (4:2–11:16; 13:1–39:8), an exoneration of Yahweh (40:1–54:17), and an appeal for covenant reconciliation (55:1–66:24).