use of a certain symmetrical arrangement of the members of their sentences. But since they are rather orators than poets, their rhythm is usually distinguished from lyric poetry by the use of longer periods. When they relate facts, they make use of prose. The later prophets, whose inspiration had grown cold, suffered their rhythmical periods to flow into the prosaic, or, perhaps, wrote wholly in prose. § 206. THE COMPOSITION OF THE PROPHETIC BOOKS. The oldest prophets seem to have written nothing ; probably because, in their time, the living speech and action were more efficient, and literature was not sufficiently advanced. A prophetic literature first arose more than two hundred years after the establishment of the schools of the prophets." In the written prophecies that have come down to us, it is mentioned, sometimes, that the command of God was given to write down particular words, as in Isa. viii. 1, xxx. 8; or a whole prophecy, as in Hab. ii. 2, 3, Jer. xxx. 2; or a whole collection of prophecies, as in Jer. xxxvi. But sometimes they are written down a See the article in Eichhorn's Allg. Bib. vol. x. p. 1077, sqq. "Why do the written oracles of the Hebrew prophets begin about 800 B. C.?" [It is evident there were prophets from the commencement of the Hebrew state, and fragments of their oracles appear throughout the early course of Jewish history, from Joshua to Joel; e. g. Judg. ii. 1—3, an anonymous prophet appears, and is called an angel of Jehovah. Deborah, also, is a prophetess. An anonymous prophet appears, also, Judg. vi. 8, sqq. See the other instances collected in Eichhorn, l. c.] without mentioning any such express command of God, as in Jer. li. 60. But where no such remarks about the reduction of the prophecies to writing occur, we must assume that the genuine works of the prophets, now extant, were all written down by themselves, or their assistants. Some of them were written down after they had been delivered in public, and even long after their first delivery, (Jer. xxxvi. ;) and others were written without any such previous delivery." The greater part of the extant prophecies, probably all, whereof the occasion is not mentioned, seem to have originated in this latter way. It can scarcely be true that we possess discourses taken down by others, or sketches of discourses afterwards delivered. Some prophets, in writing down their oracles, seem to have designed to produce a complete literary work; others, at least, wrote down their separate speeches in a collection. Only a few flying leaves of some other prophets appear to have got into circulation; and these have been badly interpolated, in a course of uncritical treatment, provided with false inscriptions, put in a false connection, or worked over anew. Finally, it has happened that later predictions have been falsely attributed to the old prophets. This has been done, not merely as an idle sport of fancy, but with real prophetic design. a [About twenty-three years elapsed between the time he first began to prophesy, (i. 1, sqq.,) and the date of his committing his works to writing. Jeremiah is the only prophet who has given any account of his writings.] See below, § 217–219. See above, § 147, 159, and below, § 257. CHAPTER I. ISAIAH." § 207. HIS LIFE AND TIMES. We know nothing of the person of Isaiah, except that he was the son of Amos, (or Amotz,) an unknown man, a Jerome, Comm. in Proph. maj. in his Opp. iii. Mart. iv. v. Vallars. Cyrilli Alex. Εξήγησις υπομνηματικὴ in Isa. Opp. ii. Is. Abarbanel, Comm. in Isa. Dav. Kimchii Comm. in Isa. Lat. Interpr. Cæs. Malanimeo; Flor. 1774, 4to. Jo. Calvini Comm. in Jes.; ed. 3, Genev. 1570, fol. Victorin. Strigelii Conciones Esaiæ Proph. ad Ebr. Veritatem recogn. et Argumentis atque Scholiis illustrate; Lips. 1565. Wolfg. Musculi in Esaiam Comm.; Bas. 1570, fol. Casp. Sancti in Comm.; Mogunt. 1616, fol. Andr. Hyperii in Jes. Oracula Annotatt.; Bas. 1547. Seb. Schmidii Comm. super Prophet. Isa.; Hamb. 1702, 4to. Campegii Vitringa Comm. in Librum Prophet. Isa.; Leov. 1714, 1720, 2 vols. fol. Extracts by Büsching; Halle, 1749, 1750, 2 vols. 4to. Esaiæ adversus Lowthii Criticam; Esaias ex Rec. Textus Hebr. Latine vertit et Notas subjecit J. Chr. Döderlein; ed. 3, 1789. H. E. G. Paulus, Philol. Clavis über das A. T. Jesaia; Jen. 1793. Exeget. Handb. des A. T. 6, 7 pt. Der Prophet Jesaia, übers., mit e. vollst. philol. krit. u. hist. Comment. begleitet, von D. Wilh. Gesenius; Lpz. 1820, 1821, 3 vols. Der Proph. Esaias., übers, &c., von Hitzig; 1833. Hendewerk, Des Proph. Jes. Weissagungen, chronolog. giordnet., &c. pt. i. the proto-Esaianic prophecies; 1838; German version, by J. H. Walther, 1774, 4to. G. F. Seiler, 1785, with notes. J. D. Cube, with notes, 1785, 1786, 2 vols. extending to chap. xxxix. Ch. G. Hensler, 1788. G. Krägelius, 1790, 1791, 2 concerning whom the rabbins have a tradition, which makes him a prophet, and the brother of Amaziah." It is unnecessary, as well as uncertain, to suppose that his standing with Hezekiah depended on any thing except his piety, and vocation as prophet; to say that it depended on his family, and offices at court, is a supposition equally needless and unfounded.' According to vi. 1, he appeared as a prophet in the year of King Uzziah's death, 759 B. C.; and according to i. 1, he prophesied in the reigns of the three following kings-Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This is confirmed by the subject and contents of his prophecies, and [with xix., which is of somewhat uncertain authenticity, and belongs to the time of Manasseh] brings us down to the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, 710 B. C. The legendary story that he was put to death by Manasseh, is very uncertain. incontestable reason for extending the action till the time of Manasseh's reign. There is no period of his vols. [See the English works of White, 1709; Stock, 1804; Harris, 1739; Horsley, 1801; Jones, 1830; Jenour, 1831; Maculloch; Barnes, Phil. 1840, 3 vols. 8vo.; Noyes's New Translation Heb. Proph., Bost. 1833, sqq., 3 vols. Svo., 2d ed. 1843.] See list of writers in Rosenmüller. a Megilla, f. 10, c. 2: " R. Levi said, there is a tradition, received from our fathers, that Amos and Amaziah were brothers." But here is, the father of Isaiah, is confounded with i. See, on the contrary, Jerome's Procem. to Amos. For the rabbins' opinion that he was a prophet, see Carpzov, (l. c. p. 91, sqq.,) who also gives the more ancient literature relating to Isaiah. See Augusti, § 203. Bertholdt, p. 1348. Paulus, Clavis, p. 62. And on the other side, Gesenius, Com. vol. i. p. 14, sqq. See chap. vii. xiv. 28, xxii. and many other passages. Comp. xxxvi.— xxxviii. According to Gesenius, chap. xix. belongs in Manasseh's time. It is Möller's hypothesis that Isaiah composed the second part of his prophecies during the exile of Manasseh. See De Authent. Oracc. Es. c. 40-66, p. 121, sqq. See below, § 210. Jebamoth, f. 49, c. 2. Sanhedr. f. 103, c. 2. Justin Mart. Dial. p. 349, In Isaiah's time, the powerful kingdom of Assyria arose, and assumed a very threatening aspect. Its lust of conquest was so much favored by the blind policy of the small states of Syria, Israel, and Judah,-which mutually enfeebled one another,—that, after a few years, an Assyrian army stood in the neighborhood of Jerusalem. § 208. SPURIOUSNESS OF THE SECOND PART OF THE PROPHECIES ASCRIBED TO HIM. The whole of the second part of the collection of oracles under Isaiah's name (xl.-lxvi.) is spurious." It contains discourses designed to console and admonish the people, then in captivity, and promises their return to their native land, and the restoration of the state. The following are the arguments that support this opinion: 1. There is a difference of style.-The style is more ed. Col. H. Michaelis, Præf. in Jes. c. v. in the Halle Bible. Stäudlin, l. c. p. 12, 17, sqq.; and on the design and effects of the death of Jesus, in Gött. Theol. Bibl. vol. i. p. 321. Gesenius has examined these legends, (1. c. p. 10, sqq.) a The following works relate to this part of the subject: L. J. E. Justi, on the oracles of Isaiah, and the deportation of the Jews in the Babylonian captivity, in Paulus, Mem. vol. iv. p. 139, sqq., and enlarged in his Abhandlungen, vol. i. p. 254, sqq., vol. ii. p. 1, sqq. Eichhorn, § 525. Bertholdt, p. 1374. Gesenius, 1. c. vol. ii. p. 19, sqq. Hitzig, p. 463, sqq. Knobel, vol. ii. p. 332, sqq. Maurer, p. 386, sqq., and others cited by Bertholdt, p. 1356 On the other side are Hensler, Uebers. d. Jes. Beckhaus, Integrität, d. proph. Schriften d. A. T.; 1796, p. 152, sqq. Jahn, 1. c. vol. ii. pt. i. p. 458, sqq. Dereser's version of Isaiah, in Brentano's Bibelwerk, p. 2, sqq. Greve, Ultima Capp. Jes.; Amst. 1810, 4to. Proleg. p. 1-21. J. U. Möller, I. c. A. F. Kleinert, Echtheit. sämmtl. in d. B. Jes. enthaltenen Weissag. vol. i.; 1829. Hengstenberg, Christologie, d. A. T.; 1829, vol. ii. p. 172. [See, also, a reply to Gesenius, in the Biblical Repository, vol. i. p. 700, sqq.] |