Book of Isaiah (Hebrew Exegesis) (BA9510T)

Content

In this unit, students will engage with the Hebrew text of the Book of Isaiah, through exegesis of selected texts and scholarship on its composition, and historical contexts. Theological themes such as prophecy, exile and return, a Davidic messiah, and monotheism, will be studied with attention to the ways that these themes develop and change throughout the course of the book, and in their later use by New Testament writers.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Prerequisites: Introduction to the Old Testament; Biblical Hebrew A and Biblical Hebrew B (or equivalent)

Pedagogy

Twelve weekly sessions. Lecture component (online or in classroom) and tutorial component on exegesis.

Indicative Bibliography

• Abernethy, A. T., M. G. Brett, T. Bulkeley, and T. Meadowcroft (eds.) Isaiah and Imperial Context: The Book of Isaiah in the Times of Empire. Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2013.
• Aster, Shawn Zelig. Reflections of Empire in Isaiah 1-39: Responses to Assyrian Ideology. Ancient near East Monographs 19. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017.
• Boda, Mark J, Frank Ritchel Ames, John J Ahn, and Mark Leuchter (eds.) The Prophets Speak on Forced Migration. Society of Biblical Literature. Ancient Israel and Its Literature 21. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015.
• Davis, Ellen F. Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014.
• Firth, David G., and H. G. M. Williamson (eds.) Interpreting Isaiah. Leicester: Apollos, 2009.
• Hom, Mary Katherine Y. H. The Characterization of the Assyrians in Isaiah : Synchronic and Diachronic Perspectives. LHBOTS 559. New York: T & T Clark, 2012.
• Kaminsky, J., and A. Stewart, “God of All the World: Universalism and Developing Monotheism in Isaiah 40–66,” The Harvard Theological Review 99 (2006): 139–163.
• Kim, Hyun Chul Paul. Reading Isaiah: A Literary and Theological Commentary. Reading the Old Testament. Macon: Smyth & Helwys, 2016.
• Maier, Christl M. Daughter Zion, Mother Zion: Gender, Space, and the Sacred in Ancient Israel. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008.
• Tiemeyer, Lena-Sofia (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Isaiah. New York: Oxford University Press, 2021.

Assessment