Recent doctoral theses on Trito-Isaiah have interpreted the post-exilic restoration and eschatology as universalistic. I contend such an interpretation for these reasons: post-exilic Israel's desire to become a strong people of God is an indication of particularism, and the incorporation of foreigners and the nations under her wings nurtures nascent universalism. Thus, a tension is formed. The present thesis studies the eschatological concepts of Trito-Isaiah. These are the product of post-exilic Yehud, its reflection on its own tradition and declaration of its ideologies under Persian rule. This thesis concentrates on four key texts, namely Isa 61:1-7; 56:1-8; 65:13-25; and 66:18- 24. It is exegetical and theological, drawing connections and inferences within Isaiah and with other books of the Hebrew Bible. In doing so, I seek to probe the authors' intention in the choice of words and the use of tradition in the proposed changes to religious and social practices. This exercise seeks to trace the development of the eschatological concepts in connection to the community's history. Since Trito-Isaiah exhibits, in various parts, terseness and sudden changes in theme or content, scholarship has often ascribed this to redaction. This thesis debates with scholars' fragmentation of the textual units, in the hope of connecting the themes/content from nearby texts. Chapter 1 introduces Trito-Isaiah, the use of redaction in the composition of the book of Isaiah, and the nature and the role of eschatology (its relationship with apocalypse) in this segment of Isaiah. Afterwards, a definition of universalism and particularism is provided. The history of research in Trito-Isaiah includes the works of O. Plöger, K. Pauritsch, P. Hanson, K. Koenen, and E. Dim. The distinctive position of this thesis is presented. An explanation of the diachronic approach and inner-biblical interpretation is also provided, as these are helpful in providing an account of how the writing communities of Trito-Isaiah might have interacted with the Jewish traditions and contemporary writings to produce a unique theology. There will be a section on the selection of texts, the writing communities behind Trito-Isaiah, and the intended readers for these texts. Chapter 2 deals with the dating of the selected texts and related texts, so as to construct a working hypothesis for the writing communities' intentions behind their theology. Chapter 3 studies 61:1-7, one of the earliest eschatological passages in the post-exilic period. I shall argue that the concepts of the King-Redeemer and the Servant figure are inherited from the Isaianic tradition and reinterpreted to build a righteous community. Later Trito-Isaianic material elaborates these concepts. Chapters 4 and 6 discuss 56:1-8 and 66:18-24 as the framework of Trito-Isaiah. Within the framework is found an encouragement to a community to govern themselves well in preparation for the establishment of a righteous Zion and a strategy to expand the eschatological kingdom. Since the treatment of foreigners has become controversial during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, many scholars tend to take the framework as democratization of the priesthood, hence, marks of universalism. I shall argue that the framework has a particularistic agendum, alongside the proclamation of the universality of God's rule. Chapter 5 argues that the creation of the new Jerusalem in 65:13-25 will demand the righteous behaviour of its inhabitants. Many modern scholars treat the new Jerusalem as a perfect new world but miss the determination of the writing communities to purge evil. By comparing the traditions within and external to Isaiah, I shall demonstrate that the writing communities foster the righteous rule in Jerusalem for the purging of evil. Chapter 7 presents a summary of my major arguments and the conclusion of my research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:606458 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Hung, Si Wai Hedy |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=210084 |
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