Isaiah 40

Isaiah 40-55

Class Discussion Questions and Prompts for Extra Credit Essay (20 points - Choose One - Directions Below)

1. Describe how Second Isaiah (2 Isaiah) addresses the historical circumstances of the exile and the rise of Cyrus of Persia. (For passages which describe Cyrus as a savior figure see 41:25; 43:14-21; 44: 24-28; 45:1-7).

2. Creation and Redemption. How does 2 Isaiah use creation traditions and tie them to the role of God as redeemer? See especially: 40:12-31, 48:12-13, and 51:1-11. How does he relate God as creator to the traditions of the Exodus and Zion?

3. New Exodus. How does 2 Isaiah reinterpret and adapt Exodus traditions in passages such as 40:1-5; 41:17ff; 42:16; 43:1-21; 48:21; 49:8-13; and 51:10? Why?

4. Servant Songs. Read the Servant Songs in 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12. There are a number of difficulties in interpreting these passages. These include

a. the origin of the passages and their relationship to rest of II Isaiah,

b. the identity of the Servant (Is the servant an individual or a collective entity such as Israel? Or both? Is the servant real or ideal? Are the servant and his mission present or future? What kind of symbol is evoked? A tensive symbol designed to evoke multiple meanings or a steno symbol (like ( with only one possible meaning)?,

c. the interpretation of the dense poetic imagery and metaphor, especially imagery which may have its origin in the stereotyped imagery of cult and worship,

d. the theological import of the suffering of the servant, particularly the vicarious suffering in the last song.

Discuss the possible interpretations of the identity of the servant? What elements of the text support each interpretation? What elements argue against each identification? How do these songs try to make theological sense of Israel’s experiences especially the exile?

Possible Interpretations of the Identity of the Servant

a. Servant is the people Israel or Judah or An Individual who Represents the People (Corporate Personality)

b. Modifications of A. - The servant is the ideal Israel, not the historic Israel. It is the pious remnant or the exiles. Or, the servant embodies the idea of Israel’s mission to the world.

c. Servant represents an institution - prophecy or kingship. Or the servant typifies the ideal prophet or king.

d. Servant is a particular historical figure: Zerubbabel or Jehoiachin as representatives of the Davidic dynasty; Moses; the prophetic author himself; Jeremiah; an anonymous figure known to the prophet, etc.

Note: In the New Testament these songs are reinterpreted to apply to Jesus, especially in relationship to the passion.

Requirements For Essays

1. Your essay should be word-processed, double-spaced, one-inch to one and one-half inch margins. It should be spell-checked. Pages Numbered. Font no smaller than 12 point.

2. You should have a cover page with title, date, topic/prompt, and your name. (You can simply cut and paste the topic/prompt from the list below onto your cover page.)

3. Number each paragraph. Bold your thesis. After the end of the essay, attach an OUTLINE of the essay with the thesis clearly stated and at minimum a line for each paragraph.

4. The essay should be approximately two to three pages long (not including the title page or Works Consulted page).

5. You must include a Works Consulted/Cited Page. You need not consult any other sources than what we have read for class except as mentioned in the prompts below.. Those sources and any other sources you consult (if you do so) must be included in your Works Consulted/Cited and cited in-text or in footnotes/endnotes. CAREFUL AND CORRECT CITATION IS REQUIRED. WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE. Remember that simply paraphrasing or changing every third word is not OK. Quote and cite or radically summarize and cite. Use quotation marks when quoting or indent if quote is five lines or longer. Guessing at where your information comes from is not OK. Use page numbers in your in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes. Book or journal titles are italicized or underlined. You may consult Citation for Biblical Studies for information related to citing biblical studies sources.

6. Click here for the Grading Rubric for the essay. This is a checklist I will use in grading the essay.