Deutero or: SecondIsaiah 4055

1
Deutero (or Second)-Isaiah (40-55)

• HUMA 3810

2
Historical Background

• fall of Assyria ? fall of Babylon (includes 586
  exile!)
• Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus (556-539) Harran, Sin,
  Adad-Guppi, Tema, Akitu-Festival
• Rise of Persia Cyrus, 539
• Cyrus Edict 538 (Cyrus Gordon, etc. cf.
  Alexander)
• Isaiah, Deutero-Isaiah, Trito-Isaiah
• Break between 39 40
• 8th century prophet
• Anonymous prophet of 550-540 BCE
• Collection of oracles from around 520 BCE

3
Message of Deutero-Isaiah

• Rescue of Israel from exile
• Consolation 401-5 546-10
• New exodus 4820-21 519-11 (mythological
  recrudescence)
• Cyrus as Gods unknowing agent 4424-457
• Monotheism
• No other gods 449-20
• God as universal creator 459-13, 18-19
• Universalism?
• While some texts can be interpreted in this
  manner
• Nations as witnesses of salvation/triumph of
  Jews?
• Cf. 514-5 433-6 4514-17 4922-26 521
• Image of Israel as servant/vassal (covenant
  language!) of God
• Prophet as suffering servant? (cf. Moses, Jer,
  Ezek)
• 421-4/9 491-6/9 504-9 (no ebed!)
  5213-531