What's With the "Two Isaiahs"?

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Ed Walsh

Puritan Board Senior
Is the answer below adequate? Do any of you believe in "Two Isaiahs"?

It is common for biblical critics to teach that there were at least two Isaiahs, one of whom lived after the events described in the latter chapters (40–66) and the other of which lived earlier and wrote chapters 1 to 39. But Jesus quoted from both sections of the book as the writing of “the prophet Isaiah” (see ISAIAH, DEUTERO). In Luke 4:17 Jesus cited the last part of Isaiah (61:1), reading: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:17–18). In Mark 7:6 Jesus cited from the first section of Isaiah (29:13), saying, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’ ” (Mark 7:6). Jesus’ disciple John made it unmistakably clear that there was only one Isaiah by citing from both sections of Isaiah (chapters 53 and 6) in the same passage, claiming of the second that the same “Isaiah said again” (John 12:37–41).

Geisler, N. L. (1999). Bible, Jesus’ View Of. In Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics (p. 102). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
 
Yes, I would say so. Of course you have the weasely weasels like Pete Enns who would say, 'well Jesus is just speaking like a first century Jew.'
There is a fascinating debate between that part of which, James White showed on the DL a couple years ago where an Orthodox Jew versing Craig Evans and he brought up Isaiah and its purported numerous authors. The Orthodox Jew sounded more like a Christian than many of these 'Christian scholars' who accept such a notion. He basically said they don't accept Isaiah as the author not because of a linguistic study, since there aren't any, its because they cannot accept the fact that once Cyrus is mentioned by name they would have to see prophecy is true.
 
Liberals say God can't supernaturally tell Isaiah what would happen in the future so there are actually two (or three) Isaiahs and later Jews and early Christians were just too stupid to realize that.
 
Isaiah 1-39 is supposed to be about "judgment" whereas 40-66 is about "salvation". Wallah, there must be two different authors. Thing is, the whole theme of Isaiah is judgment AND salvation, all the way through. For the attentive student, there's plenty of salvation in 1-39 and plenty of judgment in 40-66.
 
Talk of two or more Isaiahs is a sure sign that you're dealing with unbelieving scholarship. It's the same deal as with scholars who talk of J,E,D,P when it comes to the Pentateuch -- denying Mosaic authorship of the first five books of the Bible. It sounds sophisticated, but this is just unbelief, plain and simple.
 
Yes, I would say so. Of course you have the weasely weasels like Pete Enns who would say, 'well Jesus is just speaking like a first century Jew.'
There is a fascinating debate between that part of which, James White showed on the DL a couple years ago where an Orthodox Jew versing Craig Evans and he brought up Isaiah and its purported numerous authors. The Orthodox Jew sounded more like a Christian than many of these 'Christian scholars' who accept such a notion. He basically said they don't accept Isaiah as the author not because of a linguistic study, since there aren't any, its because they cannot accept the fact that once Cyrus is mentioned by name they would have to see prophecy is true.
Jesus was God Incarnate, so he should have known whether there were just one or two authors, and very interesting to me that throughout history of Israel and the Church, that there no one who stated who this other great Prophet was in Israel if not first Isaiah?
 
I think there was probably a single guy responsible for the whole book. But I don't think we should automatically condemn those who suggest there were two main authors as being "stupid" or "weaselly." Some (though certainly not all) of them hold a high view of the truth of Scripture. They just recognize it is not our place to insist Jesus follow the rules of 21st Century academia when speaking about authorship.

Perhaps if another author, inspired by the same Spirit, picked up on and completed the work of Moses, or of Isaiah, Jesus saw it fitting to think of them as if they were one guy. I'm not at all sure this is the case, but I'm not prepared to hurl insults at Bible-believing scholars who suspect it may be so.
 
Isaiah began his ministry during the reign of Uzziah who died approx 741bc. He continued his ministry until the reign of Hezekiah who died around 687bc. Isaiah was still alive during Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem which was around 701bc so his ministry was at least 40+ years long. One would expect the style of one's ministry to change and develop over that period of time and any speaker or author contrasting his early sermons or books with his later ones would notice some difference in style over the years; yet still the same person. Then because of the different subject matter (chaps 1-39 mainly historical whilst chapters 40-66 are mainly prophetical and poetical), again one would expect a different style for both genres. Although Shakespeare only wrote for 23 years or so, his comedies, histories and tragedies have a different style to his sonnets, yet I don't hear people talking about two or more Shakespeares.

Liberal scholars like to hear the sound of their own voice rather than the voice of God speaking through the scripture.
 
I think there was probably a single guy responsible for the whole book. But I don't think we should automatically condemn those who suggest there were two main authors as being "stupid" or "weaselly." Some (though certainly not all) of them hold a high view of the truth of Scripture. They just recognize it is not our place to insist Jesus follow the rules of 21st Century academia when speaking about authorship.

Perhaps if another author, inspired by the same Spirit, picked up on and completed the work of Moses, or of Isaiah, Jesus saw it fitting to think of them as if they were one guy. I'm not at all sure this is the case, but I'm not prepared to hurl insults at Bible-believing scholars who suspect it may be so.
Enns has done great harm through his posts and published works. I have little sympathy for third a rate scholar who can't think for himself and only popularizes heretical liberal arguments against the Bible in evangelical circles. I cannot think of a better way Satan could use such a person. I do pray God turn him around though.

Jesus was God Incarnate, so he should have known whether there were just one or two authors, and very interesting to me that throughout history of Israel and the Church, that there no one who stated who this other great Prophet was in Israel if not first Isaiah?
You're asking statements or stating questions again. ;)
 
Just to be clear, I did not mean to comment on the work of any particular Bible scholar.
 
Liberal scholarship isn't bringing a new charge. I remember reading in a particular Father (it might have been Augustine's City of God; it was for sure an apologetic work) that they pagans themselves thought that there were several authors of Isaiah and that Daniel was written in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes rather than during the Babylonian Exile; the same stuff the liberals-- and unfortunately also otherwise theological conservatives-- are saying today.
 
I might have come across as excessively harsh on critical scholarship (that was intended) but I saw too many souls destroyed at my liberal Baptist college on this point--and the premise behind it is naturalistic and anti-semitic.

I do know some godly men hold to quasi-critical views on this point. I wish they didn't but I know they aren't attacking the faith. Many, however, are eroding the foundations.
 
Enns has done great harm through his posts and published works. I have little sympathy for third a rate scholar who can't think for himself and only popularizes heretical liberal arguments against the Bible in evangelical circles. I cannot think of a better way Satan could use such a person. I do pray God turn him around though.


You're asking statements or stating questions again. ;)
Both in this posting, as asserted Jesus as God should know who wrote that Book, and that why would the church and Israel not know the identity of another author for that part of the Book?
 
I might have come across as excessively harsh on critical scholarship (that was intended) but I saw too many souls destroyed at my liberal Baptist college on this point--and the premise behind it is naturalistic and anti-semitic.

I do know some godly men hold to quasi-critical views on this point. I wish they didn't but I know they aren't attacking the faith. Many, however, are eroding the foundations.
The ones that would deny Isaiah as the only author just refused to accept the predictive element in prophecy, and that is the main reason reject Daniel dating also.
They also would really be denying full inspiration, and worst pf all, assuming Jesus as God did know fully know of what he spoke on concerning Isaiah.
 
Liberal scholarship isn't bringing a new charge. I remember reading in a particular Father (it might have been Augustine's City of God; it was for sure an apologetic work) that they pagans themselves thought that there were several authors of Isaiah and that Daniel was written in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes rather than during the Babylonian Exile; the same stuff the liberals-- and unfortunately also otherwise theological conservatives-- are saying today.
They would be denying that God can and did predict history before it even happened through the scriptures then.
 
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