Three Year Lectionary and Isaiah First Isaiah 1-39 Year A 11; Year B 8; Year C 10 Second Isaiah 40-55 Year A 15; Year B 12; Year C 11 Third Isaiah 56-66 Year A 6; Year B 6; Year C 9 Totals Year A 32; Year B 26; Year C 30 or 88 in all!
New Readings of Isaiah Old Critical Consensus First Isaiah 1-39 8c; related to the prophet himself. (some parts of these chapters later than Second and Third Isaiah) Second Isaiah 40-55 6c, before 539, in exile Third Isaiah 56-66 Late 6c, after the return to the land These historical decisions remain (roughly) the same, but now we ask: What sense does the book make as a whole? Were Second and Third Isaiah once separate works or were they always supplements to the previous work of Isaiah?
Holy One of Israel First Isaiah: 1:4; 5:16, 19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 37:23 Second Isaiah: 41:14; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 48:17; 54:5 Third Isaiah: 60:9, 14 Holy One of Israel rare elsewhere only in Ps 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; Jer 50:29; 51:5 The word holy appears 63 times in the book First Isaiah 26x Second Isaiah 17x Third Isaiah 20x
Isaiah mentioned by name Sixteen times in the book of Isaiah ( Jeremiah occurs 131 times in his book; Ezekiel twice in his book) Superscriptions in 1:1; 2:1; 13:1 7:3 Isaiah s son: Shear-jashub 20:2-3 Isaiah walks naked and barefoot! Sennacherib s invasion 37:2, 5, 6, 21 Hezekiah s illness 38:1, 4, 21 Envoys from Babylon 39:3, 5, 8 No mentions of Isaiah after ch. 39
Five themes in the book of Isaiah Judgment on Judah/Israel in the Assyrian period (throughout First Isaiah) Judgment on Judah/Jerusalem in Babylonian period (chap 39; implicit in 40-55) Judgment on Israel s neighbors (chaps 13-23 = Oracles against Foreign Nations) Judgment on the whole cosmos (chaps 24-27 early apocalyptic; cf. 2:20-22) Restoration of Zion (2:1-5; 4:2-6; 40-66) and a new creation (11:6-9; 65:17)
Historical Events within the book 734-732 Syro-Ephraimite War (Chapters 7-8) 722 Fall of Samaria 5:25; 9:8-21 715 Revolt of Ashdod (4:28-32; 18:1-7; 20:1-6) 701 Invasion of Sennacherib (Chapters 28-33; 36-37) Outcome of invasion unclear 597/586 Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon 539 Babylon fell to Cyrus (predicted in chs. 40-55) who sent Jews home (presupposed in chs. 56-66) 516 Rebuilding of the temple (presupposed in chs. 56-66)
Isaiah chapter 1 a speech of God sums up the book 1:1-9 Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard (cf. chs 36-37 and the devastation brought about by the invasion of Sennacherib). If Yahweh of hosts had not left us a few survivors. 1:10-26 Polemic against sacrifices. Zion s sparing was a warning, not a time for rejoicing; instead, option for rebellion was chosen by the people (v. 20); the faithful city became a harlot (v. 21); I will turn my hand against you and smelt away your dross (v 25); afterward you will be called the faithful city (v. 26) 1:27-31 Zion will be redeemed by justice (of the people? Of Yahweh?; 52:3; 59:17); 2:1-5 temple mount will become highest mountain
Isaiah 2:1-5//Micah 4:1-5 Heaven? Utopia? God s future Liturgical response in Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of Yahweh For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever. Mic 4:5
The Song of the Vineyard 5:1-7 Hope for grapes; but only wild grapes Devastating attack on the vineyard Yahweh hoped for jpvm mishpat (justice), but got mishpach xpvm (bloodshed) Yahweh hoped for hqdc sedaqah (righteousness) but got hq[c se`aqah (a scream for help)
The Call of the Prophet 6:1-13 Yahweh of the heavenly armies is HOLY The fullness of the entire earth is Yahweh s glory Purification of Isaiah s lips Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Harsh message: hardening of heart The holy seed is its stump
Hardening of heart - Isa 6:9-13 God speaking ironically, sarcastically, or in hyperbole Judgment was good that s what Isaiah perceived at the time of his call The people s refusal to hear is not a sign of Isaiah s failure Prepares Isaiah for the hardness of his assignment At the end of his career Isaiah concluded: God meant this all along, from the beginning Imperatives characterize people in their readiness not to hear, rather than commanding them not to hear. No ultimate contradiction between hardening from God and responsibility of people. Isaiah s mission is to prevent repentance and healing, but his question How long (v. 11) is an objection and a prayer of intercession. Things have to get worse before they get better: The holy seed is its stump.
Isaiah 5-12 5:1-7 Song of the Vineyard (I will make it a waste, without rain) 5:8-24 Woes that name the crime (social injustice) 5:25 For all this his anger is not turned away 5:26-30 God summons a nation far way (Assyria?) as his agent 6:1-9:7 Memorandum about the Syro-Ephraimite War 9:8-21 For all this his anger is not turned away 10:1-4a Woes that name the crime (oppressive statutes) 10:4b For all this his anger is not turned away 10:5-34 Words against Assyria for its arrogance remnant of Israel will lean on Yahweh Yahweh the woodsman will chop down the tallest trees
Woes in 5:8-24; 10:1-4a 8-10 Land grab 11-13 Party time without faith 20 Call evil good and good evil 21 Wise in one s own eyes 22-24 Heroes in drinking and in injustice 10:1-4a Makers of oppressive laws. Exod 21:4-6?
9:8-21; 5:25-30 Judgment--and no consequent repentance 8-12 Attacks by Arameans and Philistines 13-17 Judgment on Israel s leaders 18-21 Wickedness led to civil war 5:25 Attack by Yahweh 5:26-30 Attack by Assyrians 10:4b for all this Yahweh s anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 12-- total restoration of (reversal of 5:1-7) You were angry, but your anger turned away (v. 1) God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid (v. 2a) The name Isaiah = Yahweh saves Yahweh is my strength and my might (Exodus 15); has become my salvation (v. 2b) You will draw water from the wells of salvation (v. 3) Yahweh has done gloriously (v. 5) in your midst is the Holy One of Israel (v. 6)