The 2nd and 3rd Books of Isaiah
Fall 2004 Bible Study

Overview

"St. Joan of Arc Bible Study is an open and growing group that meets for fellowship and to discuss the Bible and other faith-centered literature. Our informal study group draws from biblical scholarship, historical perspectives, current events and personal reflections. We welcome honor and respect the personal ideas and spiritual journeys of all who join us."

Greetings

Following the merriment and good cheer of our potluck dinner(right) last week, we kept the party going with our kick-off gathering for the communal exploration of the 2nd and 3rd books of Isaiah. You may ask, "What about the 1st book?" and that is a good question and was asked by several folk at the gathering! It is also a long story and deserves its own article. Look for it soon at a newsstand near you.

It was really a pleasure to welcome back some of our fellow explorers that take time off from time to time for various reasons. It is so good to see you again!

We opened our gathering with a spontaneous prayer of thanksgiving for our lives now and for the revelations that are sure to come during our time together. We are open and receptive.

We were lucky enough to again be blessed with the presence of our resident Adult Religious Educator, spiritual guru, the man we pay to play, Mr. Tom Smith-Myott. Tom always adds such a rich dimension to our studies and by the time he leaves us, we are abuzz with ideas and questions!

Tom shared with us an introduction to the "Prophets" including background information and outlines of certain themes and time schemes that we may want to be aware of. Because there is so much to talk about with Isaiah, Tom said he had trouble keeping it to a 45 minute presentation. It was very enlightening and we are happy to share the handout here in its entirety. Betty has extra copies for those not able to be with us this first night.

Bible Study - Tom Smith-Myott
Church of St. Joan of Arc

Second and Third Isaiah

Introduction to the Prophets

1. Called "the conscience of Israel"
2. Deeply insightful men and women who saw beyond what was going on
   1. Deeply spiritual persons with close although sometimes troubling (see Jeremiah) relationship with God
   2. Often tried to talk their way out of being called by God
   3. Had vision of how things should be - based on covenants with God, rooted in God's justice and compassion which the people were to imitate
   4. Critical of current injustice and oppression and clear about consequences
   5. Offered hope if people changed
   6. Risked their lives, not listened to, sometimes killed by the people in power

1. Second longest book in the bible - after Psalms
2. Second most cited Hebrew Scripture book in the gospels - after Psalms
3. Prominent among Dead Sea Scrolls - 19 manuscripts and 5 commentaries
4. Chapters 40-66 seen as separate work in late 1700's because of different
   1. Historical background
   2. Themes
   3. Style and vocabulary
5. Chapters 56-66 seen as separate work in late 1800's

1. Historical context
   1. Hebrew monarchy - 1120-587BCE
   2. Period of Exile - 587-539
   3. Return from Exile - 539-39BCE
   4. Greek Conquest and Influence - 332-39BCE
   5. Roman Period - 39BCE-100CE
2. Entire book of Isaiah spans period from 742-c500BCE
   1. Chapters 1-39 (735-687) - focus on preserving Davidic dynasty and Jerusalem - message of challenge
   2. Chapters 40-55 (587-539) - focus on destruction of kingdom and city and a people in exile in Babylon - message of comfort and hope
   3. Chapters 56-66 (537-500) - focus on restoration of city and temple - message of hope and vision

1. Rooted in God's covenant(s) with the people
   1. Creation - clear that the God of creation is the God of history
   2. Sinai - Mosaic Law
   3. Davidic (in 1st Isaiah)
2. Justice - rooted in God's justice
   1. "Right relationship" with God presupposed right relationship of people and nations with one another
   2. Critique especially focused on how rich and powerful oppressed the weak * In traditional terms of "orphans, widows and strangers in the land"
   3. 1st Isaiah, in time of kingdom and prosperity, challenged the rulers
   4. 2nd Isaiah, in time of exile, offered hope to the people
   5. 3rd Isaiah, in time of poverty, powerless and hopelessness, offered encouragement and vision
3. Salvation
   1. Salvation = liberation
   2. Move from focus on salvation for Israel to Israel's role as model and source of salvation for entire world
   3. Expressed in metaphors of hope for a messiah
      1. One like a Davidic king
      2. A priestly figure
      3. A prophet like Moses
4. Servant Songs (in 2nd Isaiah)
   1. Seen sometimes as an individual and sometimes as people of Israel
   2. Idea of redemptive suffering (esp. 3rd & 4th Songs) - related to Wounded Healer archetype
   3. Counter-intuitive - runs against natural desire for perfect models and exemplary people
   4. Focus not on perfection but on broken wholeness
   5. Led to Christian shift on meaning of "ransom" from "to liberate from bondage" to a focus on the metaphor of "the cross" - see Mark 10:43-45
   6. Four songs
      1. 42:1-4 - "he shall bring forth justice"
      2. 49:1-7 - "I will make you a light to the nations"
      3. 50:4-11 - "I gave my back to those who beat me"
      4. 52:13-53:12 - "it was our infirmities that he bore"

1. Trust in God - even when things are not going well
2. Live lives of justice and compassion

Tom also wanted to mention a film that is showing now and forgot, so here is his email note to us...

The movie I forgot to mention to folks is "What the Bleep Do We Know?" at the Edina Landmark. It's a combination of interviews with scientists about quantum physics and what it tells us about reality and a dramatization starring Marlee Matlin about a woman finding a new, freer way to look at reality. I've seen it twice and highly recommend it for thinking people. You can also find information at www.whatthebleep.com. Thanks for the invite to share with the bible study group. I always enjoy it. Tom