"Faith is ... the certainty of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
livingwithfaith.org
  • ARTICLES
  • E-BOOKS
  • AUDIO-BOOKS
  • PODCASTS
  • BLOG

How Many "Isaiahs" Were There?

5/15/2023

 
Picture
 The question of how many individuals wrote the book of Isaiah is an old one, but it is still frequently asked.

One Isaiah, Two Isaiah, Three Isaiah, Four?

The book of Isaiah clearly has two distinct halves – what is sometimes called “first Isaiah”(chapters 1-39), and  “second Isaiah” (chapters 40-66). These two halves have very different approaches and themes.

The first half of the book looks at judgment while the second half looks at redemption. The first section focuses on Judah and Assyria, while the second is about Jerusalem and Babylon. The second half of the book also appears to be set about two centuries after Isaiah lived and prophesied. The first half speaks of future captivity for the Jewish people, the second half speaks of their release – from what appears to be the perspective of that later date. There are also specific details which could not have been humanly known in Isaiah’s time. For example, the Persian king Cyrus is named 150 years before he lived (44:28; 45:1).

As a result of these facts, many claim that the second half of Isaiah cannot be ascribed to the same author.  Some scholars go one step further and divide Isaiah into three parts by citing differences between chapters 40-55 and chapters 56-66, and yet other scholars see indications of even more Isaiahs – other individuals who may have contributed later sections to many parts of the book. This last viewpoint is based largely on the fact that some ideas in Isaiah (such as the end of the age and the resurrection of the body mentioned in 26:19) are presumed to not have come into existence till much later, and while some sections of the book speak of the prophet in the first person (for example, chapters 6, 8), other sections such as chapters 7, 20, and 36-39 are stories about him, like those we see in the books of Kings – and so they are presumed to have been added by later writers.

Arguments for unity

On the other hand, there are numerous reasons why Isaiah can be viewed as the work of a single author.

Vocabulary and expressions:  Isaiah uses by far the largest Hebrew vocabulary in the Old Testament (almost 2,200 different words) and although there are subtle differences between the use of words in the two sections there are at least 25 words and expressions that are used nowhere in the Old Testament except in Isaiah, but which are used in both halves of the book.  For example, the expression “the Holy One of Israel” is rarely used in the rest of the Old Testament, but occurs 12 times in Isaiah 1-39 and 14 times in chapters 40-66, suggesting a single author.

Structure: The first half of Isaiah records his commission to preach condemnation (chapter 6), the second half records his commission to preach comfort (chapter 40). Both halves of the book of Isaiah begin with the old city of Jerusalem (1:1 and 40:2) and both close with God’s new city on Mount Zion (35:10 and 66:20). Structural parallels such as these suggest a unity in the work.

Argument from logic:  If the prophet could predict the coming of the Messiah in detail hundreds of years before that happened (chapters 42; 53; etc.), he could certainly have foreseen the return of the nation of Judah from eventual captivity, or the name of king Cyrus. This is no different from the  foretelling of Josiah’s name and reign three centuries before his birth (I Kings 13:1–2).

Manuscript Evidence: There is no known ancient manuscript of Isaiah, either in Hebrew or in Greek, which is divided in a manner indicating it was originally composed as two or more books. For example, the Isaiah scroll found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and dating to the second century before Christ, has what we call chapter 40 beginning in the same column that contains what we call chapter 39. This is a strong early witness to the unity of Isaiah.

Evidence of the New Testament:  Jesus and the writers of the New Testament all speak of Isaiah as a single individual wherever they quote from the book. In John 12:37-41 Jesus quotes from both halves of Isaiah and attributes both quotes to the same author. Similarly, Matthew 3:3 and 4:14, Mark 1:2 and 7:6, Acts 8:30 and 28:25, and Romans 9:27 and 10:16 all quote Isaiah as a single person.

Conclusion
​

While it is perfectly possible that Isaiah was edited in some details in the course of later biblical history – perhaps by later prophets – most of the differences between the major sections of the book can be explained by the possibility that Isaiah completed the first half of the book in the period between 740 BC and  686 BC., and the second section somewhat later. The opening of the second section of Isaiah “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for” would then show that the prophet was looking ahead, past the judgment that had occurred, with words of comfort for the new situation of the second half of the book.  

Who is my Friend?

5/1/2023

 
Picture
Most Christians know the story of the teacher of the law who asked Jesus, “Who is my Neighbor?”  This was the question that prompted Jesus to reply with the Parable of the Good Samaritan – showing that even our enemies are neighbors when it comes to the law of God.

But what if the teacher had asked the question in a slightly different way, saying, “Who is my Friend?”  Could the answer to that question also impact our understanding of the Way of Christianity?  We don’t have any indication in the New Testament of that question being asked of Jesus, but we do have Jesus’ answer to it, nevertheless.

In his Gospel, Matthew tells the story of Jesus’ betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas Iscariot, the disciple turned traitor, had led a group of soldiers and other armed men to where he knew Christ would be in order to betray him for a cash reward.  As Judas approached Jesus in the dark of night and greeted him with a kiss in order to identify him to those who were to arrest him, Matthew records Jesus’ surprising  words:  “ ‘Do what you came for, friend.’ Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him” (Matthew 26:50).

Think about this. Jesus was not one to soften the truth. He was the one who called the Pharisees “whitened sepulchers” and a “brood of vipers” – to their faces.  But at the very moment of his betrayal , Jesus did not call Judas all the things we probably would have done. He did not call Judas “Traitor!” “Enemy!” “Back-Stabber!” – he did not even call him “False Friend!”  Amazingly, he just called him “friend.”

Now if we want to get technical, the word the Bible uses to record what Jesus called Judas was not philos, the Greek word usually translated “friend” and meaning “dear” in the sense of a close friend.  It uses the word hetairos meaning “friend” in the sense of a comrade, one who is a friend without necessarily having any affectionate relationship.  But he did call Judas by a word that means “friend” in the general sense (Matthew also uses the word in this sense in Matthew 20:13 and Matthew 22:12).

How do we apply his example?   The Old Testament gives us some clues.  Hebrew has a word, merea, which is very similar in meaning to the Greek hetairos – it also means friend in the sense of companion or comrade and it is found in Job’s words: “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14). It is the same word that is used to tell us that after Job prayed for his “friends” (the individuals who had been haranguing him), God forgave them (Job 42:10).  

So if righteous Job prayed for the “friends” who mistreated him, and Christ could even call Judas “friend” as he betrayed him, can we learn a lesson from this? When we pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44), do we pray grudgingly, with reservations, or do we pray for them as we would for a friend?  

    BLOG

    Follow @livingbelief

    RSS Feed

    For a smart browser-bookmark showing new blog postings, click on the RSS Feed icon.  

    Author :

    Unless otherwise stated, blog posts are written by R. Herbert, Ph.D.,  who writes for a number of Christian venues – including our sister site: TacticalChristianity.org
    ​
    For more about us, see our About Page.

    Categories :

    All
    Behind The Stories
    Bible Study
    Biblical Concepts
    Books Of The Bible
    Christianity-culture
    Christian Living
    Christian-living
    Dealing With Doubt
    Discipleship
    Encouragement
    Faith Hall Of Fame
    Faith & Trust
    Faith & Works
    Family
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    God
    Gratitude
    History & The Bible
    Hope
    Knowledge & Wisdom
    Love
    Persecution
    Prayer
    Relationships
    Salvation
    Scripture In Question
    Spiritual Growth
    The Christian Calling
    The Christian Faith
    The Life Of Jesus
    Truth
    Works Of Faith

    Archives :

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Community :

    Picture
    - Charter Member -
© 2014 – 2025 LivingWithFaith.org