Bind Up the Testimony: Explorations in the Genesis of the Book of Isaiah

Publisher: Hendrickson Academic
ISBN: 9781619705999
Type: Paperback

One of the major flashpoints in academic biblical studies
in the past 125 years has centered on the authorship and
dating of the book of Isaiah. Beginning in the late 1800s,
some scholars suggested that this book may have been
written by multiple people over a period of centuries, a view
that contrasts with the traditional one that the entire book
of Isaiah was written in the eighth century BC by the Judean
prophet Isaiah ben Amoz. Because for many conservative
scholars the latter position is the only one that respects the
divine inspiration of the text, and because they also believe
that this position is endorsed by Jesus in the New Testament,
the differing conclusions of mainstream and conservative
scholars regarding the authorship and dating of the book of
Isaiah have long served to divide these groups.
Bind Up the Testimony— a collection of essays from a
colloquium held at Wheaton College in 2013—brings
together a variety of evangelical responses to this issue.
Although a few of the essays arrive at conservative
conclusions regarding the authorship and dating of the book
of Isaiah, most of them attempt to chart new, more nuanced
directions for thinking on this subject, and suggest that
careful attention to the (complicated) compositional history
of the book of Isaiah need not be a hindrance—and can, in
fact, be a help—to Christians who understand the book of
Isaiah as divinely inspired Scripture that has spoken to God’s
people throughout the ages and that continues to speak to
them today.
Reviews
“Evangelical Protestants do not have a single view on the question of the authorial unity of the book of Isaiah. Bind Up the Testimony presents different perspectives on the question from prominent evangelical biblical scholars, with some arguing that affirmation of an eighth-century authorship of the whole is crucial for the truth of the book while others suggest that the book itself sends signals that it is a multi-voiced composition written over time. This book is an excellent resource for those who want to consider the question for themselves.”
—Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
“The book of Isaiah has been a scholarly battleground for over two centuries. Volumes like this one can help transform longstanding trenches into a fresh seedbed for a new, informed, and courteous exchange of ideas, especially among those of deep faith. In Bind Up the Testimony, evangelical scholars of different persuasions make their arguments and share disagreements. This is the kind of constructive exchange that can move debates about this prophetic text forward in fruitful ways. May this work be a harbinger of more conversations!”
— M. Daniel Carroll R., Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Denver Seminary
“This timely volume will provide an unprecedented glimpse of cutting-edge evangelical scholarship pertaining to the composition of Isaiah. Readers are bound to find information here that disrupts their categories. Traditional views take on more nuance and progressive views build well-constructed models upon tried-and-true hermeneutical foundations. Welcome to the twenty-first century in evangelical Isaianic scholarship!”
—John Walton, Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College