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  • From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
  • To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] A correction about one, two, or three Isaiahs
  • Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 01:55:15 +0000

Bryant Williams wrote:

"Conservative scholarship treats Isaiah being produced by one person, the
prophet Isaiah. Most modern scholarship treats Isaiah as being written by
two, maybe three persons. It is based on the discredited JEDP theory of
Graf-Welhausen. SEE archives for previous discussions."


I have a few corrections/comments to make about this.

Firstly, I know many conservative scholars who believe Isaiah is the product
of at least two or three people. To use the term 'conservative' to
characterise a position on this is, I believe, not helpful or accurate.
Perhaps 'traditionalist' is a better term for those who argue for singular
authorship of Isaiah.

Secondly, the argument for two or three authors for Isaiah actually has
little to do with the Graf-Wellhausen Documentary Hypothesis ('JEDP'). The
'JEDP' hypothesis really relates only to the Pentateuch.

Thirdly, the JEDP theory is a source-critical theory, that argues for
particular documents as the sources lying behind the current Pentateuch. The
argument for two or three authors of Isaiah is not really a source theory,
but rather a redaction-critical theory.

Fourthly, some of the conservatives who argue for two or three authors also
add a theological argument (when God speaks, it is immediately relevant and
demands an immediate response from the prophet's audience). I don't want to
argue the pros or cons of this argument, but I do need to state that this
position is held by certain proponents of the two/three authors theory.


GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au





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