A Step Toward Cracking The Deutero Isaiah Codes

The late distinguished Professor R.N. Whybray of Old Testament wisdom literature formerly with the University of Hull, England, once commented on who the Servant is in the second half of the book of Isaiah. He said to the effect that the reason the later generations are so confused about the identity of this Servant is because the key to understanding the background of the original language has been lost. This author thinks that he has found the ?key? that will unlock the meaning, or the codes, if you will, of many verses in Isa 40-55, as amply documented in this book. Many verses that puzzled quite a few commentators for centuries have found the intended meaning through the use of this ?key?. The key is to read Isa 40-55 through the book of Jeremiah. This brand new approach to interpreting these sixteen much treasured chapters of Isaiah is a must read for all serious Bible students.The most satisfying and illuminating result of this study is that the Jeremiah new covenant is unveiled in two DI texts and in a split-up pattern. The Suffering Servant is positively identified as the Principal of the Superior Party of the new covenant. Through His willing acceptance of the vicarious suffering unto death, the new covenant and salvation are established. Furthermore, the receiving party of the new covenant is no longer limited to the house of Israel and Judah, but is extended to include all the peoples on this earth. And this prophecy was uttered hundreds of years before the Era of the New Testament. This is surely among the greatest prophecies, if not THE greatest prophecy.

The New Testament's messianic interpretation of the Old is an important key to its theology. This book examines the way the author of the Gospel of Mark uses the Old Testament to convey the identity of Jesus.

Scholars have traditionally isolated three distinct sections of what is known as the Book of Isaiah, and inIsaiah 40–55, distinguished biblical scholar Joseph Blenkinsopp provides a new translation and critical commentary on the section usually referred to as Second or Deutero Isaiah. The second volume in a three-volume commentary, it easily maintains the high standards of academic excellence established byIsaiah 1–39. Second Isaiah was written in the sixth century b.c.e., in the years just before the fall of the mighty Babylonian Empire, by an anonymous prophet whom history has erroneously identified with the real Isaiah (born ca. 765 b.c.e.). Scholars know that Second Isaiah was written by someone other than Isaiah because the contexts of these prophecies are so very different. When Second Isaiah was written, the prophet believed that Israel’s time of suffering was drawing to a close. There was, he insisted, a new age upon them, a time of hope, peace, and renewed national prosperity. The main thrust of the prophet’s argument was intended to rally the spirits of a people devastated by war and conquest. One of the most famous examples of this optimistic tone is the well-known and beloved Song of the Suffering Servant, which is found in Chapters 52–53, and about which Blenkinsopp has some challenging new ideas. The final chapters of Second Isaiah, however, are in an entirely different key as it becomes clear that the new world the prophet foresaw earlier was not going to come to pass. This despair finds its most poignant expression in the final section of the Book of Isaiah, which Blenkinsopp will address in his forthcoming third volume.

In the Care of Troublesome people Wayne Oates combines family systems theory with insightful analysis of five types of behavior that frequently create conflict in congregations. Dr. Oates provides biblically based approaches to assist clergy, congregational lay leaders, and denominational leaders in the care of persons demonstrating these behaviors. You will learn how to approach the troubled and troublesmoe people in your congregation in specific ways that are not dismissive but are caring, affirming, and firmly grounded in God's grace. Rather than point fingers, fix blame, or characterize such people as bad or evil (which can only serve to create further turmoil), Oates purposes a bold new way to care for troublesome people that focuses on not just the battles, but the issues of wholeness and care for the individual, ourselves, and the congregation. -- cover

For decades, the prophetic book of Joel has been the focus of scrutiny that belies its brevity. It captures readers with its vivid descriptions of locusts and military invasion and the distress that they cause. It then reveals the concern of YHWH for the covenant community as it systematically reverses the crises that it announces. The book of Joel also offers a window into the rhetorical function of “the day of YHWH” as it uses the phrase to announce both judgment and restoration. Reflecting the creativity of the Old Testament prophetic spirit, the book then guides its readers from utter anguish to the hope of restoration, rooted in the presence of YHWH. From the Depths of Despair to the Promise of Presence delves into Joel’s rhetoric and explores the ways in which it seeks to persuade its audience to adopt its perspective in order to respond to a time of crisis. Barker evaluates the state of the discussion surrounding Joel’s composition and relationship to the Book of the Twelve. He develops a model of rhetorical criticism that builds on the foundations of previous approaches and proposes modifications that address the specific challenges posed by the book of Joel. He then puts this model into practice and demonstrates that the book of Joel moves from scenes of devastation to promises of restoration in articulating the necessity of calling and relying on YHWH in all circumstances. He explores the persuasive potential of Joel by focusing on its rhetorical structures and strategy. He examines the way the book of Joel engages its audience and guides the people to realize that they must turn to YHWH so that YHWH will turn and bring restoration. From the Depths of Despair to the Promise of Presence invites the reader to enter into the world of Joel. It calls the reader to experience the ways in which the book of Joel intertwines threats of destruction and the hope of renewal in order to reveal the character of YHWH.

This book focuses on the expressions used to describe Job’s body in pain and on the reactions of his friends to explore the moral and social world reflected in the language and the values that their speeches betray. A key contribution of this monograph is to highlight how the perspective of illness as retribution is powerfully refuted in Job’s speeches and, in particular, to show how this is achieved through comedy. Comedy in Job is a powerful weapon used to expose and ridicule the idea of retribution. Rejecting the approach of retrospective diagnosis, this monograph carefully analyses the expression of pain in Job focusing specifically on somatic language used in the deity attack metaphors, in the deity surveillance metaphors and in the language connected to the body and social status. These metaphors are analysed in a comparative way using research from medical anthropology and sociology which focuses on illness narratives and expressions of pain. Job's Body and the Dramatised Comedy of Moralising will be of interest to anyone working on the Book of Job, as well as those with an interest in suffering and pain in the Hebrew Bible more broadly.

Draws upon a wide range of historical sources to examine the factuality of the Old Testament, arguing that the Bible's stories are firmly based on fact and refuting evidence from modern scholars who claim otherwise.

Many Christians sense that their encounters with the Bible are supposed to be deep, life-forming, and powerful, but that isn't always the case. They may be overly familiar with the text to the point of finding it predictable, or they may be disillusioned with the church. Too often, and for a variety of reasons, believers make the Bible an idol and unwittingly turn the Word into stone. Author and pastor Debbie Blue helps readers discover how to turn the stone back into living Word. She first gives general guidelines for letting the Bible breathe, then looks at the Bible's main themes as dynamically encouraging and challenging. Blue frees believers from dumbed-down spirituality as she reveals that the Word is alive and thrilling.