Isaiah S Servants In Early Judaism And Christianity

The Book of Isaiah describes an Israelite group called the "servants," who suffered for their righteousness and were promised vindication. This collection of essays shows how the Isaian "servants" texts were used by early Jewish and Christian readers to shape their own community identity. It includes analyses of Psalms 22, 69, and 102, Daniel, Wisdom of Solomon, Mark, Luke and Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Peter, Revelation, and Targum Jonathan on Isaiah, as well as investigations into the relationship between exegesis and identity formation and into how the Isaian Servant(s) are presented within the framework of Israel's history.

Translated by Daniel P. Bailey The Servant Song of Isaiah 53 has been highly significant in both Jewish and Christian thought. Rarely, however, has it been explored from the broad range of perspectives represented in this long-awaited volume. In "The Suffering Servant ten talented biblical interpreters trace the influence of the Servant Song text through the centuries, unpacking the theological meanings of this rich passage of scripture and its uses in various religious contexts. Chapters examine in depth Isaiah 52:13-53:12 in the Hebrew original and in later writings, including pre-Christian Jewish literature, the New Testament, the Isaiah Targum, the early church fathers, and a sixteenth-century rabbinic document informed by Jewish-Christian dialogue. Contributors: Jostein Adna Daniel P. Bailey Gerlinde Feine Martin Hengel Hans-Jurgen Hermisson Otfried Hofius Wolfgang Hullstrung Bernd Janowski Christoph Markschies Stefan Schreiner Hermann Spieckermann Peter Stuhlmacher

Preliminary material /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Introductory Statement /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Chapter One: The Biblical Term \'Servant\' in Relation to the Lord /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Chapter Two: The So-Called \'Servant of the Lord\' Sections in Second Isaiah /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Chapter Three: The So-Called \'Suffering Servant\' and \'Vicarious Sufferer\' in Isaiah 52-53 /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Chapter Four: The Identity of the \'Servant\' in Second Isaiah /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Appendix /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Conclusions /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Bibliography /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Index of Biblical and Other References /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Index of Authors and Subjects /Harry M. Orlinsky -- Isaiah 40-66: A Study of the Teaching of the Second Isaiah and its Consequences /Norman H. Snaith -- Introduction /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter One: Isaiah 40-55 and 60-62 /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Two: The Prophet of the Return /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Three: The Nationalist /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Four: The Servant of the Lord /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Five: Exegesis of Isaiah 40-55, 60-62 /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Six: Jesus the Servant of the Lord /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Seven: Exegesis of Chapters 56-66 /Norman H. Snaith -- Chapter Eight: Jerusalem from 538 B.C. To 397 B.C. /Norman H. Snaith -- Index of Biblical References /Norman H. Snaith.

Isaiah 53 has been regarded as a difficult passage within the Hebrew Bible because it describes a person who had to suffer and die vicariously in order to atone for the sins of others. Such a view is in strong contrast to the covenant theology which predominates in the Hebrew Bible and lays the foundation for the principle of retribution: Everyone must bear the consequences of his sins. It is for this reason that Klaus Koch called Isaiah 53 the "erratic block" in the Hebrew Bible. This study, the fruit of international co-operation in the network Rewritten Bible (established in 2006), consists of eleven articles on early interpretations of Isaiah 53 which is the central text in Jewish-Christian encounters through centuries. The articles are written so that they can be read independently. Nevertheless they all are interconnected and, therefore, an introduction and conclusions are included in the volume.

Written by eleven biblical scholars, this study explores the theology of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 and answers a number of imporant questions: What is a Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53? What is a Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53? How did the New Testament writers understand Isaiah 53? How should forgiveness and salvation be understood in Isaiah 53? How can Isaiah 53 be used in Jewish evangelism? How do we preach Isaiah 53?

Written as only a dedicated missionary to the Israelites could write it, this is a penetrating analysis of the Son of God as a servant as is pictured in Isaiah 53. Author Baron is acknowledged as an authority on the history of Israel and on the writings of the Old Testament. His exposition of Isaiah 53 is broken down as follows: Part I - Critical Examination of the Non-Messianic Interpretations of Isaiah 53 Part II - The Exposition A. Jehovah's Introduction of His Servant B. Israel's Penitential Confession C. The Resurrection and Future Glory of the Servant of Jehovah D. Jehovah's Final Word Concerning the Servant - the Glorious award for His Sufferings Appendix - The Suffering Messiah of the Synagogue 'The Servant of Jehovah' will prove invaluable not only for devotional reading but also as source material on the death and resurrection of Christ for ministers, Bible students, Sunday school teachers and other Christian laity.

Who is the servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12? Answering this question is what this study is all about. Through the centuries countless commentaries have been written, tracts have been distributed, debates have raged over the identification of the servant in this passage. Here we investigate the evidence presented over the last 2000 thousand years for the two leading candidates for this role of servant of the Lord. The two are Jesus and the Jewish people. Christians see in this passage the literal fulfillment by Jesus of all it contains. Jews see it in its plain meaning as a historical overview of Jewish history and the suffering to be endured by the nation of Israel until the final redemption. Source materials used by opposing sides in discussing this passage are thoroughly reviewed. In particular, each verse in the passage is studied in depth. But, the purpose of this volume is not simply to have an intellectual discussion of the issues involved. Its intent is to make it an unavoidable issue for Christians that there are very real disqualifications of Jesus from being the suffering servant and to identify the subject of the servant passage as none other than the nation of Israel. Furthermore, we seek to educate Jews so they do not fall prey to those who would have them believe Jesus is the Messiah.