Opening the Sealed Book: Interpretations of the Book of Isaiah in Late Antiquity

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Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Nov 7, 2006 - Religion - 315 pages
Of all the texts in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, perhaps no book has a more colorful history of interpretation than Isaiah. A comprehensive history of this interpretation between the prophet Malachi and the first days of Christianity, Joseph Blenkinsopp's Opening the Sealed Book traces three different prophetic traditions in Isaiah -- the "man of God," the critic of social structures, and the apocalyptic seer.

Blenkinsopp explores the place of Isaiah in Jewish sectarianism, at Qumran, and among early Christians, touching on a number of its themes, including exile, "the remnant of Israel," martyrdom, and "the servant of the Lord." Encompassing several disciplines -- hermeneutics, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple studies, Christian origins -- Opening the Sealed Book will appeal to Jewish and Christian scholars as well as readers fascinated by the intricate and influential prophetic visions of Isaiah.

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Contents

The Book
1
Author Prophet Man of God
28
Isaiah at the Beginnings of Jewish Sectarianism
56
v
69
Reading Isaiah at Qumran
89
Reading Isaiah in Early Christianity with
129
Isaianic Titles in Qumran and Early Christianity
169
Exile in the Interpretation of Isaiah
222
The Many Faces of the Servant of the Lord
251
Bibliography
294
Index of Biblical and Other Ancient Texts
302
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About the author (2006)

Joseph Blenkinsopp is John A. O'Brien Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His other books include The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible, A History of Prophecy in Israel, and the three-volume Anchor Bible commentary on Isaiah.

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