Isaiah 1-39 (review)

Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 177 Reviews the Josianic reformation, and serving as a foundation document and theological framework for the great exilic history which seeks to evoke repentance (Wolff) and hope (von Rad). What would believers be like today if they saw reality, like Josiah, through the Deuteronomic lens as opposed to that of a consumer culture? Instead of adding to their wardrobes, they might be doing something else. Finally, on the technical side, the publisher has made a glaring mistake on page 136, printing the verses of 1:41-43 instead of 4:41-43. The above points are made in the spirit of constructive criticism, intended to suggest ways in which an already sound piece of work could be improved. Stephen Dempster Atlantic Baptist College Moncton, N.B. CANADA E1C 9L7 ISAIAH 1-39. By Christopher R. Seitz. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Pp. xvi + 271. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993. Cloth, $22.00. The purpose of the Interpretation Bible Commentary series is to provide Christian teachers, ministers, and priests with a contemporary, expository commentary that "presents the integrated results of historical and theological work with the biblical text" (p. v). Seitz's volume on Isaiah 1-39 fulfills this purpose admirably in that it offers a perceptive theological exposition of the text that is infonned by his own previous work and that of other scholars who are currently engaged in discussion of the literary formation, historical settings, and theological significance of the book of Isaiah as a whole. Seitz makes an important methodological point in this volume that has been increasingly recognized by scholars working on the final form of the book of Isaiah: the literary context of the book as a whole plays a determinative role in interpreting the constitutive sub-units of Isaiah. This principle will be anathema to those who argue that the text may be interpreted only in relation to its "original" historical setting, but it points to the theological dynamism and creativity that led to the formation and continued vitality of the book of Isaiah in the first place. The book of Isaiah was Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 178 Reviews fonned over some four centuries, and it grew because later readers were able to read earlier texts in relation to their own historical settings and issues. Thus, the eighth century prophet's statements concerning the punishment of Israel and Judah by Assyria and the projected restoration of a remnant of the people once that punishment was over were understood in relation to the punishment suffered under Babylon and the subsequent restoration under Persian rule in the sixth century and beyond. In sum, the book grew because Jews in later periods thought that Isaiah ben Amoz spoke to their times, and they expanded the original prophet's writings to apply his message to their own situations and concerns. In light of this scenario for the fonnation of the book of Isaiah, Seitz also makes an important theological point that detennines his own view of the literary structure and theological message of the book of Isaiah: "Isaiah is less a prophet who presents himself to us than he is a prophet who has been presented by others to us" (p. 22). This points to the independent authority of the word of the Deity rather than to the authority of the prophet who conveys it in the book of Isaiah. Because the book is concerned with the presentation of the word of the Deity, the historical prophet Isaiah ben Amoz tends to slip into the background. That is why the book of Isaiah begins with a presentation of the word of the Deity through the prophet in Isaiah 1-4 that encapsulates the message of the book, whereas the prophet's call narrative appears only in Isaiah 6. Long after Isaiah ben Arnoz passes from view, his message remains "the 'spiritual possession' both of [the Deity; alteration mine] and the generations who continued to look to him" (p. 31). Seitz's exposition of Isaiah makes it clear that the book focuses on the destiny of Zion and the role of the Davidic monarchy, in that it articulates a future restoration of Jerusalem...