Sin and Punishment in the Book of Isaiah

2020 ◽  
pp. 248-264
Author(s):  
Blaženka Scheuer
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Book Of Isaiah ◽  
Recent Scholarship

This chapter explores the themes of sin and punishment through the lens of a theodicy that the authors and redactors of Isaiah offer to justify Yhwh’s actions and to instruct the Israelites to stay loyal to him. The three parts of Isaiah agree that the exile was Yhwh’s punishment for the Israelites’ rebellion demonstrated through social injustice and idolatry. However, because of the different historical realities that they address, they present varied understandings of the identity of the sinners and of the rationale for their punishment. The chapter also surveys the changes in recent scholarship in the study of sin and of the correspondence between sin and punishment in the Hebrew Bible. It draws attention to the fact that amid all the declarations of the Israelites’ sins, Isaiah gives voice to the human experience of unjust punishment.

scholarly journals Judas or Jesus’ Other Disciples? The Old Testament or Jesus’ Word? A Mysterious Reference to the “Scripture” in John 17:12

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-176
Author(s):  
Adam Kubiś
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Fourth Gospel ◽  
Recent Scholarship

The fulfillment of “the Scriptures” in John 17:12 has long been a bone of contention among commentators on the Fourth Gospel. The majority of authors have argued that ἡ γραφή unmistakably refers to a passage in the Hebrew Bible. Wendy Sproston (North) and Francis Moloney, however, picking up on an earlier observation by Edwin Freed, suggest Jesus’ own words as a more appropriate referent of ἡ γραφή in this verse. The issue of the correct scriptural referent is intrinsically connected with the question of the thematic referent within the verse in question. As it turns out, the fulfillment of the scripture can refer to either the tragic fate of Judas or the preserving of Jesus’ other disciples. The article surveys recent scholarship on these issues in order to identify the most convincing solutions.

Conclusion

2017 ◽  
pp. 211-221
Author(s):  
Hussein Ali Abdulsater
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Intellectual History ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Critical Questions ◽  
Cultural Milieu ◽  
Recent Scholarship

Murtaḍā’s theology is assessed to gauge its debt to Muʿtazilism, with reference to the findings above. Its contribution to the consolidation of Imami Shiʿi identity is likewise examined, with the aim of tracing the scope and duration of his influence. The interaction of cosmology, ethics and theology is investigated, particularly where they converge to answer critical questions of human experience. The dynamics of this interaction thus serve as a basis for classifying Murtaḍā’s doctrinal system in light of his cultural milieu and with reference to recent scholarship. As such, the monograph serves to deepen readers’ understanding of Islamic intellectual history writ large and to depict a particularly influential conceptual framework from within the parameters of religious faith as shaped by sectarian identities.

The Rise and Impending Demise of Wisdom Literature

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Kynes
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Near East ◽  
Dead Sea Scrolls ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Wisdom Literature ◽  
Experience Of God ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Biblical Texts

After summarizing the growing doubts about the Wisdom category, this chapter traces the development of Wisdom scholarship in the twentieth century, focusing on the question of the category’s limits. Despite efforts to limit its spread, in recent scholarship Wisdom has extended both across the Hebrew Bible and to the “heart of the Israelite experience of God.” As in the similar expansion of Wisdom in the Psalter, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient Near East (analogous to the spread of Deuteronomistic texts), attempts to define Wisdom resort eventually to the scholarly consensus concerning which biblical texts make up the category’s core. This factor carries all the weight in the current debates about Wisdom, and yet little research has been put into how this consensus developed or how it affects interpretation.

Measuring Style in Isaiah: Isaiah 34–35 and the Tiberias Stylistic Classifier for the Hebrew Bible

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Joshua Berman
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Linguistic Analysis ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Text Corpus ◽  
Book Of Isaiah ◽  
Syntactic Features ◽  
Diachronic Development

Abstract Scholars routinely discern the diachronic development of the book of Isaiah with a discreet focus on vocabulary, phrases, themes, and motifs. All but absent from consideration are the distribution and recurrence of grammatical, morphological, and syntactic features within the text. This study serves as a proof-of concept for the linguistic analysis of such features now available with the launch of the Tiberias Stylistic Classifier for the Hebrew Bible (https://tiberias.dicta.org.il/#/). Measuring and weighing the linguistic features of Isa 1–33 and Isa 40–55, the study brings to light the morphological and syntactic features most characteristic of each text corpus. The study also demonstrates that chs. 34 and 35 of Isaiah are much closer in morphology and syntax to chs. 1–33 than they are to chs. 40–55. The implications of these findings are examined in consideration of the scholarly debate concerning the provenance of these two chapters.

The Roots of Solomonic ‘Wisdom’ in the Pre-exilic Period (Focusing on Proverbs)

2020 ◽  
pp. 92-111
Author(s):  
Katharine J. Dell
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Wisdom Literature ◽  
Relative Dating ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Wisdom Tradition ◽  
Relationship Of

The concern of this chapter is to explore the possibility of a vibrant and living wisdom tradition in the pre-exilic period. Whilst this used to be a ‘given’ of scholarship, the tendency towards later and later dating in recent scholarship has led to the need to reaffirm such ideas. Three approaches are taken—first a literary-historical one; second a theological one, and finally a comparative one. The focus is on the book of Proverbs, since it is arguments on the relative dating of parts of Proverbs that are of major concern, as well as the wider issue of whether the thought-world of wisdom was in the consciousness of early Israelites. It is found that there is a closer relationship of ‘wisdom literature’ to mainstream Yahwism than has often been thought with the key theological theme of God as creator providing an essential link. Links of the theological outlook of Proverbs with other parts of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and with the ancient cultures of the ancient Near East confirm these conclusions.

Six Viable Readings from Isaiah 1–39 in the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)

Théologiques ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-239
Author(s):  
Peter W. Flint
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Textual Criticism ◽  
Hebrew Text ◽  
Main Text ◽  
Book Of Isaiah ◽  
Scribal Habits

In order to illustrate the contribution of the Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran (1QIsaa) to textual criticism, this paper presents six viable readings for Isaiah 1–39, i.e. variants that most likely represent the original Hebrew text. In assessing the cases of Isaiah 3 : 24 ; 9 : 16 [English 9 : 17] ; 18 : 7 ; 19 : 18 ; 21 : 8 ; 23 : 10, the author takes into account the textual character of the manuscript, the scribal habits of the copyist, the work of scholars and commentaries on the Book of Isaiah, recent translations of Isaiah, as well as the context and the overall sense of the passage. In all six instances — with the possible exception of Isa 19 : 18 — the reading in 1QIsaa is found to be compelling. These readings and similar ones should therefore be included as part of the main text of Isaiah (not the apparatus) in future editions of the Hebrew Bible, and part of the main text of Isaiah in future translations (not the footnotes).

“Even unto this Bitter Loving”: Unhappiness and Backward Feelings in Ruth

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Rhiannon Graybill
Keyword(s):  
Queer Theory ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Critical Attention ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Well Of Loneliness

Feminist and queer readings of the Hebrew Bible frequently treat the book of Ruth as a “happy object.” At the same time, contextual readings have suggested that Ruth is a narrative of exploitation, including possible sexual exploitation or trafficking. Building on recent scholarship about queer feelings and affect, this article negotiates a reading that takes seriously both the history of lesbian and queer readings of Ruth and Naomi and the critical attention on structures of exploitation. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s The Promise of Happiness (2010) and Heather Love’s Feeling Backward (2007), I argue for the importance of feeling, especially unhappy or backward feeling, in reading Ruth. My reading also frames the biblical book in conversation with Radclyffe Hall’s classic 1928 lesbian novel (and source for lesbian and queer theory) The Well of Loneliness. By following unhappiness and backwardness in and around Ruth, we are able to snatch a glimpse of queer feeling, and the space of promise it opens.

In Vino Veritas? Drunkenness and Deceit in Micah and Isaiah: A Conversation with Richard J. Bautch

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ndikho Mtshiselwa
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Unethical Behaviour ◽  
Old Babylonian ◽  
Probable Interpretation

When viewed in light of the expression, In Vino Veritas, the notion of drunkenness and deceit in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the prophetic books of Micah and Isaiah, raises certain questions. First, is the phenomenon of In Vino Veritas present in Micah and Isaiah? Second, did Micah and Isaiah have in mind issues of unethical behaviour and social injustice in the allusions to drunkenness and deceit? This article examines the translation of Micah 2:11 to ascertain whether a reading that associates drunkenness and deceit with In Vino Veritas can be considered anachronistic. It also attempts to identify the addressees of Micah 2 in order to locate the text in its historical context. It argues that when read in relation to verses 6-11 and verses 1-5, Micah 2:11 expresses concern about unethical behaviour and social injustice. Unlike in the Micah text however, the probable interpretation of In Vino Veritas in the Old Babylonian sources could apply to Isaiah 28:7 mainly because Isaiah denounced prophets who prophesied under the influence of alcohol.

Isaiah

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marvin A. Sweeney ◽  
Kevin Tolley
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Textual Studies ◽  
Persian Period ◽  
Thematic Content ◽  
Book Of Isaiah ◽  
Worship Service ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Babylonian Exile

The book of Isaiah is the first of the major prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible, although rabbinic tradition sometimes places it third, following Jeremiah and Ezekiel, because of its thematic content (b. Baba Batra 14b–15a). It presents the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, who lived in Jerusalem during the late 8th century bce in the reigns of the Judean kings Uzziah (r. 783–742 bce), Jotham (r. 742–735 bce), Ahaz (r. 735–715 bce), and Hezekiah (r. 715–687/6 bce), a period of Assyrian aggression. Isaiah interpreted the theological significance of the contemporary Assyrian invasions of Israel and Judah as an act of YHWH to bring divine judgement upon the two biblical kingdoms, although he also anticipated the restoration of Judah and Israel once the punishment was complete. Modern scholarship identifies Isaiah 40–55 as the work of an anonymous prophet (or prophetic school), known simply as Second or Deutero-Isaiah, who spoke at the close of the Babylonian exile concerning the restoration of the exiles of Judah to Jerusalem when King Cyrus of Persia ascended to the throne of Babylon (c. 545–539 bce). (Expansions from Second Isaiah and the Isaiah school may also be present in Isaiah 1–39.) Isaiah 56–66 is generally identified as the work of anonymous prophets, known collectively as Third or Trito-Isaiah, from the early Persian period of Judean restoration (c. 520–400 bce). The book of Isaiah plays an important role in both Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, Isaiah is the most widely read book among the Haftarot, the synagogue lectionary cycle of prophetic texts that are read following the Torah portions of the Jewish worship service. In Christianity, Isaiah is one of the most widely quoted books in the New Testament, where it plays an important role in defining Christian views of Jesus as the Messiah. The scholarship dictates that sources on this subject be separated into commentaries, textual studies, and critical/theological studies; certain sections of Isaiah are represented under two or three of these categories.

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