Isaiah and Imperial Context: The Book of Isaiah in the Times of Empire

by Andrew T. Abernethy, Mark G. Brett (Editor), Tim Bulkeley (Editor)

Interpreting Isaiah requires attention to empire. The matrix of the book of Isaiah was the imperial contexts of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. The community of faith in these eras needed a prophetic vision for life. Not only is the book of Isaiah crafted in light of empire, but current readers cannot help but approach Isaiah in light of imperial realities today. As a neglected area of research, Isaiah and Imperial Context probes how empire can illumine Isaiah through essays that utilize archaeology, history, literary approaches, post-colonialism, and feminism within the various sections of Isaiah. The contributors are Andrew T. Abernethy, Mark G. Brett, Tim Bulkeley, John Goldingay, Christopher B. Hays, Joy Hooker, Malcolm Mac MacDonald, Judith E. McKinlay, Tim Meadowcroft, Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, and David Ussishkin. "Various parts of the book of Isaiah were written when Israel and Judah lived under imperial domination. It is therefore surprising that this multi-faceted topic has not been the subject of extended analysis before. In the kaleidoscope of essays collected here new patterns within the book are exposed and a colorful light is shed on many of its separate parts and themes. I am sure this will prove invigorating for future research and exegesis." --Hugh Williamson, University of Oxford "An excellent and innovative discussion by a group of scholars engaged in a reading of Isaiah centered on imperial empire. The diversity of approaches extends from a focus on historical background, language, and social custom to the present reception of the text, particularly from the perspective of post-colonial theory." --Ed Conrad, University of Queensland "The editors have produced a collection of essays that are sharply focused on . . . reading the texts of Isaiah in the context of the imperial realities of Assyrian and Babylonian military and economic power. The essays are consistently well-written, and the collection is both helpful and even quite provocative. I suggest this book be required reading for any modern studies of Prophetic literature." --Daniel Smith-Christopher, Loyola Marymount University Andrew T. Abernethy is Lecturer in Old Testament at Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College. Mark G. Brett is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Whitley College, MCD University of Divinity. Tim Bulkeley recently retired as Lecturer at Carey Baptist College, Auckland, and is now a freelance scholar. Tim Meadowcroft is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Laidlaw College, Auckland.

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2013

Reviews

[Hayden Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of essays that will aid the student of Isaiah in understanding the issues that are being debated in our day.

The first chapter on archeology is worth the price of the book. It is absolutely fascinating.

2 criticisms: the word "post-colonialism" comes up a lot. Goldingay even admits it is a scholarly fad but then procedes to use it as a methodology. In 20 years, this method will be discarded for a new one. Secondly, these papers were mostly written by scholars in an NZ and Australian context. As they get more specific about their own context, the work becomes less timeless.

That being said, this is a great read for studying the current scholarship on Isaiah from distinguished perspectives interacting with each other fairly and graciously.