Benedetta Rossi, Dominic S. Irudayaraj, and Gina Hens-Piazza, eds. <i>Unity in the Book of Isaiah</i>

This volume originated with papers delivered at the 2019 International SBL Meeting in Rome as a session titled “Promises and Challenges of the ‘Unity’ Movement for Isaiah Studies.” After plans to incorporate papers presented in a sequel session in 2020 were disrupted by COVID-19, the conveners decided to move forward with publishing the initial papers and to also invite essays from several scholars who had not participated in the original conference. The volume consists of an introduction from the three editors and fifteen individual essays, closing with a bibliography and indexes of biblical/ancient references and authors.In their introduction, the editors point out that scholarship on the issue of Isaiah’s “unity” encompasses a wide range of methodological perspectives and approaches. Such diversity stands at the center of the present volume, and, in the view of the editors, presents new paths forward in the quest for unity. The volume has been arranged into three sections, representing broadly the perspectives from which one may interpret the book of Isaiah and attempt to articulate its unity: (1) the world behind the text, (2) the world of the text, and (3) the world in front of the text.The first section includes six essays under the rubric of the world behind the text, each approaching the unity of Isaiah diachronically—albeit with certain qualifications. The two opening pieces are unique in that they feature semi-autobiographical reflections from senior scholars with decades-long involvement in Isaiah scholarship. Ulrich Berges redefines the issue as not “unity or complexity” but instead “unity in complexity,” suggesting that the necessary way forward is a methodological approach of “diachronically-reflected synchrony” (p. 17). Hugh Williamson critiques previous synchronic attempts to achieve a unified reading of Isaiah and expresses the conviction that “the best way to a synchronic reading is through the diachronic” (p. 36). Hyun Chul Paul Kim conducts an analysis of Isa 34 and its intertextual ties to other parts of the book, then reflects on how such inner-Isaianic allusions contribute to unity and reveal efforts toward the book’s unification. Next, Benedetta Rossi examines scribal processes in Isaiah through a case study of Isa 56:1–8 and the book’s references to the Sabbath, discussing how the example attests to a unity both assumed and advanced by later scribes who developed new ideas in dialogue with previous textual material. Peter Dubovsky analyzes all direct references within Isaiah to historical events and people, concluding that these were inserted by editors or scribes at later compositional stages to present an alternative, unified vision of world history and bring unity to Isaiah’s seemingly disparate prophecies. Wrapping up section one, Jacob Stromberg utilizes Isa 6, 7–9, 36–39, and 40 to demonstrate how the strategies of analogy and symmetry function “to portray a history wherein the past portends the future” (p. 125), enabling readers to compare the two halves of Isaiah and perceive coherence in its textual structure.The second section features four contributions attending to the world of the text, with studies in this group adopting a text-centered or literary approach to Isaiah’s unity. Willem Beuken shows how Isa 1 and 12 create a rhetorical and dramatic frame around the intervening material of chs. 2–11, suggesting that this literary structure contributes to the book’s unity by presenting chs. 1–12 as a small-scale prefiguration of Isaiah in its entirety. Next, Marvin Sweeney explores intertextual connections between three Isaianic text blocks (chs. 2–4, 5–12, 40–54) and various Pentateuchal texts related to the figure of Jacob. He argues that Jacob serves as a unifying motif across the book’s final form and aids in establishing its synchronic unity. As an expert on Jeremiah, Georg Fischer reconsiders its relationship with the book of Isaiah. Proffering evidence that Jeremiah drew from the entirety of Isaiah (not merely chs. 1–39), he posits that the latter was finalized as a unity earlier than is often supposed. Lastly, Boris Lazzaro applies cognitive linguistics and metaphor theory to a case study of “knowing is seeing/hearing” in Isa 42–43, illustrating how this method may procure insights reinforcing the cohesion of Isaiah on a synchronic level.The third section, the world in front of the text, comprises five chapters that adopt a synchronic approach to the unity of Isaiah by investigating the text from various standpoints. Dominic Irudayaraj traces the theme of “desolate spaces” using critical spatial theory, suggesting that its various occurrences reveal patterns that can bolster synchronic, coherent readings of Isaiah. Gina Hens-Piazza offers a feminist reading of Zion’s metaphorical portrayal as a woman, comparing the depictions of Isa 1 and 66. She observes a significant shift in the book’s imagery, which “may qualify Woman Zion as one theological linchpin in the yet to be realized Isaian eschatology” (p. 211). Blazenka Scheuer investigates Isaiah’s theme of suffering using Albert Camus’s notion of the “absurd.” She proposes that Isa 6, 53, and 63–64 be read as instances of (post)exilic reflection and protest on “the absurdity of Israelite existence” that unify the book. Through a study of Isa 1–12, Elizabeth Esterhuizen and Alphonso Groenewald illustrate the potential of trauma theory for informing readings of Isaiah as a coherent, literary unity. Finally, Attila Bodor uses the Peshitta to highlight how ancient translations of Isaiah exemplify holistic readings from a reader-oriented perspective, presenting signals that the Syriac translator deliberately unified passages across the book with the motif “God as supporter/helper.”Generally speaking, the “three worlds” classification is a positive feature of the volume. Yet, as the editors acknowledge from the outset, these points of view are not mutually exclusive. This blurring of lines is certainly evident in some essays, and a few contributions could have arguably been placed in different categories. Notwithstanding, the three worlds schema still serves as a helpful heuristic device.The key strength of the volume is the diverse range of voices and methodologies on display. The editors are to be commended for assembling both seasoned and younger scholars representing research spanning continents and countries with contributors hailing from institutions in Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. Each was given freedom to approach the concept of “unity” as they see fit, resulting in variety even within the three broad types of approaches and providing unique and fresh contributions.The volume’s presentation is satisfactory overall, although it could have been more carefully edited. Small typos and errors occur throughout, and occasional inconsistencies in style and formatting are visible across the essays.As with any edited volume, each reader will find certain essays more compelling than others. Ultimately, the extent to which a given chapter is perceived as productively contributing to the task of articulating the unity of Isaiah will be determined in large part by one’s hermeneutical presuppositions and preferred methodological approach(es). Nevertheless, this volume should be deemed successful in achieving its stated aim of stimulating further research on an important topic. It embodies an exciting and welcome addition to the ongoing scholarly discourse about the unity and coherence of the book of Isaiah, showcasing cutting-edge research from an assortment of authors and collectively producing a strong contribution to the field. Scholars will do well to engage the contents of this work critically and carefully in the continued quest for the unity of Isaiah.

Fetched live from OpenAlex and de-inverted. Abstracts are not stored in this database: the inverted indexes are 8.6 GB of the frame’s 9.3 GB of text, and the host has 13 GB free.