Reaching for Unity in Isaiah

Abstract

This paper surveys recent proposals regarding the 'unity' of Isaiah, emphasizing those which argue that certain programmatic texts (Isa. 1; 35.1-40.8, and 65-66) signal the presence of an overarching structure that forms the essential literary context for interpretation of the book's individual parts. A closer look at these texts reveals that they only imperfectly organize a diverse tradition not amenable to final closure. Recent studies focusing on these programmatic texts have helped illuminate their macrostructural pretensions and parallel them in a shared attempt to 'reach for unity' in Isaiah.