The Teachings of Isaiah and Their Relevance to the Contemporary Reader.
“This is the way, walk ye in it.” Isaiah, 30. 21
Isaiah (meaning “the Lord saves”) was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem about 2700 years ago and is considered “one of the greatest figures in the prophetic series” (Blunt 1953: 49). Little information is known Isaiah the man, and what information exists is often contradictory or ambiguous. What Charpentier (1982) gathers from his writing is that he had a wife (known as the prophetess) and three children. Isaiah’s most famous prophecy was that of the birth of Jesus when he wrote, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”(Isaiah 7:14) but his other writings are also often accredited with being some of the most accurate of all the prophets. So prominent is the reality that those who preserved a knowledge concerning Isaiah have done so with a sole interest in his message surely stresses its importance to the contemporary reader. Due to its geographical location between the strong nations of the Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and Assyrians it was rare to have a time when Canaan was not under attack. What is more, after the death of Solomon the kingdom was divided in two, with Israel to the North and Judah to the south remaining under the rule of David. In 721 BC Assyria invaded from the north and conquered the northern capital Samaria. Therefore when Isaiah undertook his ministry in 736 BC, the year that Uzziah died, the north and south were divided, and soon after, the “northern kingdom was in turmoil” (Charpentier, 1982:20).
It has been contested by many scholars (Clements & Heaton)that the book of Isaiah has in fact been written by more than one person. This is due to the variations in writing style, tone throughout the book. Furthermore, at different parts of the book, the political situation Isaiah refers to seems to change, some information coming from a time after he was thought to have ended his
Isaiah (meaning “the Lord saves”) was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem about 2700 years ago and is considered “one of the greatest figures in the prophetic series” (Blunt 1953: 49). Little information is known Isaiah the man, and what information exists is often contradictory or ambiguous. What Charpentier (1982) gathers from his writing is that he had a wife (known as the prophetess) and three children. Isaiah’s most famous prophecy was that of the birth of Jesus when he wrote, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”(Isaiah 7:14) but his other writings are also often accredited with being some of the most accurate of all the prophets. So prominent is the reality that those who preserved a knowledge concerning Isaiah have done so with a sole interest in his message surely stresses its importance to the contemporary reader. Due to its geographical location between the strong nations of the Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans and Assyrians it was rare to have a time when Canaan was not under attack. What is more, after the death of Solomon the kingdom was divided in two, with Israel to the North and Judah to the south remaining under the rule of David. In 721 BC Assyria invaded from the north and conquered the northern capital Samaria. Therefore when Isaiah undertook his ministry in 736 BC, the year that Uzziah died, the north and south were divided, and soon after, the “northern kingdom was in turmoil” (Charpentier, 1982:20).
It has been contested by many scholars (Clements & Heaton)that the book of Isaiah has in fact been written by more than one person. This is due to the variations in writing style, tone throughout the book. Furthermore, at different parts of the book, the political situation Isaiah refers to seems to change, some information coming from a time after he was thought to have ended his
Bibliography: Blunt A W F (1953) The Prophets of Israel London: Oxford University Press. Charpentier, E. (1982) How to Read the Old Testament London: SCM press. Clements, R E. (1980) The New Century Bible Commentary: Isaiah London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott. Translated by Eyre & Spottiswoode (1611) The King James Authorised Version of the Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments. London: Her Majesty’s Printers. Heaton E W (1977) The Old Testament Prophets London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd.