The Book Called Isaiah : Deutero-Isaiah's Role in Composition and Redaction

A highly original, major contribution to one of the most important and hotly contested issues concerning the book of Isaiah: who wrote it. The author''s provocative and important conclusions point to the key role from beginning to end of the so-called `Deutero-Isaiah'', hitherto believed to have been merely the author of chapters 40-55. Professor Williamson''s book, based upon a more rigorous methodology than ever used before, sheds much new light on many passages of Isaiah, and has had significant influence on future work on the subject.

Recent research on the book of Isaiah has been dominated by discussions of its unity and authorship. Professor Williamson''s important study provides a major and highly original contribution to these key issues, and is based upon a more rigorous methodology than ever used before. Isaiah is usually regarded as the work of two authors - the so-called Isaiah of Jerusalem (Isaiah 1-39) and Deutero-Isaiah (the author of Isaiah 40-55). Professor Williamson argues that the author of Isaiah 40-55 was in fact strongly influenced by the work of the earlier writer. Secondly, he demonstrates that the earlier work was regarded as a book which had been sealed up until the time when judgement was past and the day of salvation had arrived, and that Deutero-Isaiah believed himself to be heralding the arrival of that day. Thirdly, and most provocatively, Professor Williamson argues that Deutero-Isaiah both included and edited a version of the earlier prophecies along with his own, intending from the start that they should be read togather as a complete whole. This innovative and scholarly work, which sheds much new light on some of the more neglected passages, has had significant implications for future work on this much-loved prophetic book.