Opening the Sealed Book

Interpretations of the Book of Isaiah in Late Antiquity

Joseph Blenkinsopp

• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN:
  9780802840219
• eBook ISBN:
  9781467427838
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. Isaiah: The Book
• 2. Isaiah: Author, Prophet, Man of God
• 3. Isaiah at the Beginnings of Jewish Sectarianism
• 4. Reading Isaiah at Qumran
• 5. Reading Isaiah in Early Christianity, with Special Reference to Matthew’s Gospel
• 6. Isaianic Titles in Qumran and Early Christianity
• 7. Exile in the Interpretation of Isaiah
• 8. The Many Faces of the Servant of the Lord
• Bibliography