1. First Isaiah: Isaiah of Jerusalem (1-39)

The first major section of the book of Isaiah, chapters 1-39, contains a core of material attributable to Isaiah of Jerusalem. Chapters 1-11 are a series of prophetic judgment statements delivered by Isaiah and autobiographical accounts by Isaiah. Chapters 13-23 are a set of oracles against foreign nations. Chapters 24-27 are the so-called Isaiah Apocalypse, a collection of sketches on apocalyptic themes such as universal judgment, the eschatological banquet, and heavenly signs. Chapters 28-32 are a set of prophetic oracles datable to 715-701 B.C.E. concerning Judah and foreign policy. Chapters 34-35 appear to be postexilic additions that have affinities with chapters 40-66, and may have at one time served to bridge First and Second Isaiah. Chapters 36-39 are an historical appendix, paralleled in 2 Kings 18:13-20:19, dealing with Hezekiah and the Assyrian crisis. We will spend the most time on Isaiah 1-11 and 28-33, which are most securely connected with the prophet himself. These chapters apply to events surrounding the Assyrian crisis of the eighth century.

The Prophet Isaiah, by Raphael (1483-1520)

1511-1512, Church of Sant' Agostino of Rome -- WebMuseum, Paris

    We do not know a lot of detail about the book's namesake, Isaiah, son of Amoz. We only know for sure that he began functioning as a prophet in Jerusalem in the latter half of the eighth century B.C.E. He appears to have been from Judah and generally had a high opinion of the Davidic dynasty, at least in principle. Gauging by the social circles in which he moved, he could very well have belonged to the Jerusalem aristocracy.
    Isaiah has a lot in common with the other, mostly earlier, prophets of the eighth century, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. It even seems likely that he was influenced to a degree by them. In material dating to the early years of his ministry, Isaiah's critique of official religion in contrast to the demands of social justice (1:12-17) sounds a great deal like Amos. The next section, chapters 2-4, contains material also like his predecessor's, condemning the aristocracy and high society women, whose lifestyles implied disdain for the needs of the disadvantaged. Isaiah differs from Amos, of course, in targeting the ruling class of Jerusalem rather than that of Samaria.
    Isaiah may also have been familiar with Hosea, judging by his description of a faithless people as a harlot. Isaiah berates Jerusalem, describing it as a prostitute (1:21-26), and later uses images from the fertility cult to denounce Jerusalem, perhaps dependent on Hosea 10:1. Again, Isaiah takes metaphors earlier applied to the north and reapplies them to Judah.
    Isaiah opposed the priestly and prophetic spokespersons who stood in the service of the royal court and its policies. He frequently equated them with the "smooth talkers" of the foreign nations, the diviners, soothsayers, and necromancers. He seems to have viewed himself differently, more as a teacher of Torah (5:24; 30:9) than as a prophet (see Jensen 1973).
    Unlike Amos and Hosea, Isaiah did not draw significantly from the resources of the Mosaic tradition of the exodus and settlement or the traditions of the Sinai covenant to give shape to his prophetic analysis. Isaiah's treasury was the complex of images and assurances dependent on Zion as the fortress of Yahweh (see the Zion poems in 2:2-4 and 4:2-6), and on the dynasty of David which administered Yahweh's rule on earth.

Zion. The name Zion originally applied to the Jebusite fortress that David captured and made his capital (see 2 Samuel 5). Later it came to refer to the temple area and even to the entire city of Jerusalem. Zion, or Mount Zion, was considered the dwelling place of Yahweh as king.

The prophecy of First Isaiah is set within the turbulent times of the second half of the eighth century B.C.E. Assyria was a serious threat to the independence of both Israel and Judah. By the end of the century only Judah had survived, and only barely.

Life and Times of Isaiah of Jerusalem

750 Rezin became king of Damascus/Syria (750-732)

745 Tiglath-Pileser III became king of Assyria (745-727)

743-738 Tiglath-Pileser III campaigned in Syria-Palestine (he is called Pul in 2 Kings 15:19)

742 Isaiah's temple call vision inaugurated his prophecy (Isaiah 6)

742 Ahaz became king of Jerusalem/Judah (742-727)

738 Menahem king of Samaria/Israel paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III

735 Pekah assassinated Pekahiah king of Samaria/Israel, became king (737-732)

734-732 Syrian-Israelite War against Judah; Isaiah's war memoirs (Isaiah 7-8)

732 Hoshea assassinated Pekah of Samaria/Israel, became king (732-724)

732 Tiglath-Pileser III conquered Damascus/Syria

726 Shalmaneser V became king of Assyria (726-722), Hoshea became his vassal

725 Hoshea turned to Egypt for help

724 Shalmaneser V besieged Samaria/Israel

721 Sargon II became king of Assyria (721-705), conquered Samaria/Israel

715-701 Oracles during Hezekiah's reign (Isaiah 28-32)

704 Sennacherib became king of Assyria (704-681)

701 Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem/Judah, was unsuccessful (Isaiah 36-39)

Figure 10.3 Isaiah of Jerusalem

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