Isaiah among the Ancient Near Eastern Prophets : a comparative study
of the earliest stages of the Isaiah tradition and the Neo-Assyrian
prophecies
Jong, M.J. de
Citation
Jong, M. J. de. (2006, December 7). Isaiah among the Ancient Near Eastern Prophets : a
comparative study of the earliest stages of the Isaiah tradition and the Neo-Assyrian
prophecies. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12302
Version:
Corrected Publisher’s Version
License:
Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the
Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden
Downloaded from:
https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12302
VII
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 Introduction
1.1 Recent Developments in the Study of First Isaiah 1.1.1 Shifts of Focus
1.1.2 Approaches to the Book of Isaiah Assyria Redaction
Radical Redaction Criticism
The Book of Isaiah as a Literary Unity 1.1.3 Approaches to the Prophet
Isaiah the Eighth-Century Prophet Judgement and Salvation
The Isaiah Memoir
1.1.4 The Current State of Affairs
1.2 Recent Developments in the Study of Prophecy 1.2.1 The Rise of the Comparative Study of Prophecy 1.2.2 Recent Study of Biblical Prophecy
1.2.3 Recent Comparative Study of Prophecy Preliminary Issues
Comparisons
1.2.4 The Classical Prophets Revisited 1.3 Aim and Focus of the Present Study
1.3.1 Question of Research 1.3.2 Analytical Part Point of departure 1.3.3 Comparative Part Comparative Procedure Comparative Aim 1.3.4 Conclusion
PART I ANALYTICAL PART
CHAPTER 2 The Isaiah Tradition in the Assyrian Period 2.1 Isaiah 6-8
2.1.1 Isaiah 6:1-8:18 as a Literary Composition 2.1.2 Isaiah 7:1-17
Oracular Material Literary Composition
Early Material versus Later Composition
TABLE OF CONTENTS VIII 2.1.3 Isaiah 8:1-18 Oracular Material Later Material Isa 8:9-10
Early Material versus Later Composition 2.1.4 Isaiah 6
Connection between Isa 6:1-8 and 6:9-11 Isa 6:1-8 as an Independent Unit
The Vision turned Upside Down 2.1.5 Evaluation
2.2 Isaiah 28-32
2.2.1 Isaiah 28-32 as a Literary Complex 2.2.2 The Woe-Words in Isaiah 28-31
Woe-Sayings in the Prophetic Books
Isa 29:15 Isa 30:1-5 Isa 31:1-3 Isa 28:1-4 Isa 29:1-6
2.2.3 Further Prophetic Material in Isaiah 28-31 Isa 28:7b-10.12
Isa 28:14-18 Isa 30:6-8 Isa 30:15
2.2.4 Texts from Isaiah 28-32 belonging to the Seventh-Century Revision Isa 30:27-33
Isa 31:4-5.8-9 and 32:1-2 2.2.5 Evaluation
2.3 The Rest of First Isaiah
2.3.1 The Woe-Sayings in Isaiah 5:8-23* and 10:1-2 2.3.2 Isaiah 10:5-11:5 Isa 10:5-15 Isa 10:11 and 16-19 Isa 10:24-25 Isa 10:26a.27a Isa 10:27b-32 Isa 10:33-34 and 11:1-5 2.3.3 Isaiah 9:1-6 2.3.4 Isaiah 14*
IX Isa 17:1-3 Isa 17:12-14 2.3.6 Isaiah 18-22* Isa 18:1-6 Isa 19:1-4 Isa 20* Isa 22:1-14 Isa 22:15-18
2.3.7 The Later Perspective: Isaiah 1:4-8
2.4 The Format of the Isaiah Tradition in the Assyrian Period 2.4.1 Material from the Eighth and Seventh Century 2.4.2 The Format of the Isaiah Tradition
Compilation 1. Isa 6:1-9:6* (and 17:1b-3.12-14)
Compilation 2. Isa 10:5-11:5 (and 14:24-27.28-32, 28:1-4) Compilation 3. Isa 28-32* (and 5:8-23*.10:1-2* and 18-20.22*) 2.4.3 Conclusion
CHAPTER 3 The Assyrian Prophecies 3.1 Sources of Assyrian Prophecies
3.1.1 The Corpus of SAA 9 3.1.2 Oracles Reported in Letters
3.1.3 Oracles Quoted, Paraphrased, or Referred to in Letters 3.1.4 Other Messages from Deities
3.1.5 Oracles Integrated into Ashurbanipal’s Royal Inscriptions 3.2 Characteristics of Prophetic Oracles
3.2.1 Terms indicating Prophetic Activity 3.2.2 Oracles as Spoken Divine words
3.2.3 Characterisation of the Assyrian Prophecies 3.3 Literary Texts bearing a Resemblance to Prophecy PART II COMPARATIVE PART
CHAPTER 4 Prophecy in its Historical Setting
4.1 Historical Events in Judah and Prophetic Oracles from First Isaiah 4.1.1 The Historical Events of 734-732 BCE
4.1.2 Prophetic Words relating to 734-732 BCE Isa 7:4-9a*
Isa 7:14b.16 Isa 7:20 Isa 8:1-4 Isa 17:1b-3
4.1.3 The Historical Events of 723-720 BCE 4.1.4 Prophetic Words relating to 723-720 BCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS X Isa 28:1-4 Isa 10:5-15 Isa 10:24-25 Isa 10:27b-32
4.1.5 The Historical Events of 716-711 BCE 4.1.6 Prophetic Material relating to 716-711 BCE 4.1.7 The Historical Events of 705-701 BCE 4.1.8 Prophetic Words relating to 705-701 BCE
Alliance with Egypt (Isa 30:1-5*.6b-8; 31:1; 28:15-18*; 18:1-2*; 19:1b-4) The prophet’s opponents (Isa 28:7b-10; 22:15-18)
Isa 5:8-23* and 10:1-2 4.1.9 Evaluation
4.2 Historical Events in Assyria and Oracles from Assyrian Prophets 4.2.1 Esarhaddon’s Rise to Power (681 BCE)
4.2.2 Esarhaddon’s Accession to the Throne and First Regnal Years 4.2.3 External Threat and Internal Instability (ca 675 BCE)
4.2.4 Ashurbanipal’s Appointment as Crown Prince (672 BCE) and the War against Egypt
4.2.5 The Presumed Conspiracy of Sasî (671/670 BCE) 4.2.6 Ashurbanipal’s War against Mannea (ca 660 BCE) 4.2.7 Ashurbanipal’s War against Elam (653 BCE) 4.2.8 The War against Šamaš-šum-ukin (652-648 BCE) 4.2.9 Evaluation
4.3 Conclusion
CHAPTER 5 Function of the Prophets 5.1 Prophets in Assyria
5.1.1 Terms and Concepts
Ma‹‹û Raggimu Diglu
5.1.2 Prophets within the Cultic Order Prophets and the Cult
Royal Supplication and Divine Reassurance 5.1.3 Prophets within the Political and Social Order
Prophets and the Royal Court Prophets and the Public 5.1.4 Prophetic Claims and Criticism
Prophetic Claims Prophetic Criticism
5.1.5 The Prophets among the Diviners Prophecy as a Form of Divination Prophecy and Dreams
Prophets and Scholars
XI Status of the Prophets
5.2 Isaiah among the Prophets in Judah and Israel 5.2.1 Terms and Concepts
5.2.2 Prophets in the Old Testament Individual against Establishment
The Image of the Prophets as False and Deceptive Smooth Talkers The Image of the Prophets as True Servants of Yahweh
Connection of the Two Images 5.2.3 Prophets in Judah and Israel
Prophets as Part of the Religious Establishment Prophetic Activity
The Prophetic Message 5.2.4 The Prophet Isaiah
The Historical Isaiah Isaiah’s Activity Isaiah into Politics
Isaiah among the ancient Near Eastern Prophets 5.3 Conclusion
5.3.1 Limitations 5.3.2 Essential Similarity 5.3.3 Significant Difference
CHAPTER 6 From Prophecy to Literature
6.1 The Development of the Isaiah Tradition in the Seventh Century 6.1.1 The Hypothesis of a Seventh-Century Revision
6.1.2 The Story of Hezekiah and Sennacherib
6.1.3 History of the Seventh Century and the Reign of Josiah The International Scene
Josiah’s Reign: Questions of Territorial Expansion and Religious Reform Josiah’s Reign: Ambitions and Ideology
6.1.4 Themes and Motifs of the Seventh-Century Revision Destruction of Assyria
Judah’s Restoration
6.1.5 The Redactional Character of the Revision Literary Character of the Revision Contrast and Coherence
Yahweh contra Assyria Ideal King versus Bad Leaders Yahweh’s Plan
6.1.6 Traditio-Historical Background of the Josiah Revision State Ideology of Monarchic Judah
Psalms Ideal King
6.1.7 The Josiah Revision
TABLE OF CONTENTS
XII
Evaluation
Logic of the Development of the Isaiah Tradition 6.2 Assyrian Prophecy in Literature
6.2.1 The Prophetic Oracles Collections of Oracles
Quotations of Oracles in Letters Oracles included in Royal Inscriptions Oracles that received Literary Elaboration 6.2.2 Literary Derivatives of Prophecy
SAA 3 13 SAA 3 44 SAA 3 45 SAA 3 46 6.2.3 Literary Predictions Marduk Prophecy Šulgi Prophecy Uruk Prophecy Dynastic Prophecy
Literary Prediction in the Poem of Erra 6.2.4 Function and Purpose of the Texts 6.3 Conclusion
6.3.1 Prophecy in Literature
6.3.2 Development of Prophecy and Royal Ideology 6.3.3 Historical-Theological Perspective
CONCLUSIONS
CHAPTER 7 Summary and Conclusions 7.1 Aim and Focus of the Study
7.2 The First Base of the Comparison: The Isaiah Tradition in the Assyrian Period 7.2.1 Historical Clues
7.2.2 Different Profiles
7.2.3 The Format of the Isaiah Tradition in the Assyrian Period 7.3 The Second Base of the Comparison: The Assyrian Prophecies 7.4 Prophecy in its Historical Setting
