T&T Clark Study Guides: The Second Isaiah

by R. N. Whybray

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 1995

Overview

While noting that the book of Second Isaiah, or Deutero-Isaiah, is free of many of the complications present in First Isaiah, Whybray suggests that the redactional history of Second Isaiah may be even more complex than any other prophetical book of the Old Testament. He considers these chapters to be some of the most important and influential chapters in the entire Bible. Isaiah 40–55 played a crucial role in the development of some of the great themes of Jewish and Christian theologies. In particular, Second Isaiah has had a profound effect on the doctrine of God because it portrays Yahweh as the unique and individual creator, as the Lord of history, as almighty and righteous, as loving and merciful, as holy, and as Savior and Redeemer. The role of Isaiah was not so much as innovator as of one who articulated with greater clarity than his predecessors the theological understanding of God and the world.

Contents

Top Highlights

“But in 1892 Bernhard Duhm put the matter in a new and precise way. He singled out four passages (42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12) in which a single individual ‘Servant of Yahweh’ is to be seen, sharply distinguishing these from the remainder of the book, in which the Servant is Israel. These four passages he called ‘Servant Songs’ (Ebed-Lieder).” (Page 66)

“He was a prophet, and a prophet for his own time: that is, he believed himself to be the messenger of Yahweh to his people in a time of crisis.” (Page x)

“In general, uncertainty about date and authorship is one of the greatest problems attending the study of the prophetical books. Almost every book contains material composed at a variety of times and added to an original body of prophecy in order to elaborate, modify or reinterpret its message.” (Page ix)

“That prophet, as will be seen, was not the prophet Isaiah who lived and prophesied during the eighth century B.C., but a prophet whose name is unknown to us (hence the title ‘Deutero-Isaiah’) who lived and prophesied in Babylon during the sixth century B.C.” (Page x)

“They are among the most important, and have been among the most influential, chapters in the entire Bible” (Page x)

Product Details

• Title: T&T Clark Study Guides: The Second Isaiah
• Author: R. Norman Whybray
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Publication Date: 1995
• Pages: 85

About R. N. Whybray

R. Norman Whybray was Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Studies at the University of Hull. His other publications include The Second Isaiah, The Good Life in the Old Testament, and The Making of the Pentateuch: A Methodological Study, available in the Pentateuch History and Origins Collection (10 Vols.).