Description
Book SynopsisIsaiah 24-27 has been an enduring mystery and a hotly contested text for biblical scholars. Early scholarship linked its references to the dead rising to the New Testament. These theories have remained influential even as common opinion moderated over the course of the twentieth century. In this volume, Christopher B. Hays situates Isaiah 24-27 within its historical and cultural contexts.He methodically demonstrates that it is not apocalyptic; that its imagery of divine feasting and conquering death have ancient cognates; and that its Hebrew language does not reflect a late composition date. He also shows how the passage celebrates the receding of Assyrian power from Judah, and especially from the citadel at Ramat Rahel near Jerusalem, in the late seventh century. This was the time of King Josiah and his scribes, who saw a political opportunity and issued a peace overture to the former northern kingdom. Using comparative, archaeological, linguistic, and literary tools, Hays'' volume changes the study of Isaiah, arguing for a different historical setting than that of traditional scholarship.
Table of Contents1. The rhetoric of chaos: apocalyptic and eschatological interpretations of Isaiah 24–27; 2. The royal and divine victory banquet: feasting and the construction of reality; 3. Revivification of the dead as national deliverance; 4. The lofty city and the army of the height: the archaeology and history of Ramat Raḥel; 5. Josiah and the remains of Israel; 6. The language of Isaiah 24–27 in light of Hebrew diachrony; 7. Stirring the echoes: an intertextual re-analysis of Isaiah 24–27; Conclusion: a scribe's story; Appendix A. Administrative seals and the history of Ramat Raḥel; Appendix B. Catalogue of LBH features in prophetic texts; Appendix C. The Moab fragments.
