Volume I: Introduction and Translation with a Parallel Version from the Hebrew Volume II: Texts and Notes

The second part of a 2-volume work, this study combines recent approaches that treat the formation and early interpretation of the final form of the book of Isaiah with the more conventional historical-critical methods that treat the use of traditions by Isaiah's authors and editors. Studies investigate Isaiah's use of early sacred tradition, the editing and contextualization of oracles within the Isaianic tradition itself, and the interpretation of the book of Isaiah in later traditions (as seen in the various versions of the text and various communities). Contributors of this volume include virtually all of the major scholars of Isaiah and the leading scholars of biblical interpretation in the intertestamental, New Testament, and early Jewish periods.

In Septuagint, Targum and Beyond leading experts in the fields of biblical textual criticism and reception history explore the relationship between the two major Jewish translation traditions of the Hebrew Bible. In comparing these Greek and Aramaic versions from Jewish antiquity the essays collected here not only tackle the questions of mutual influence and common exegetical traditions, but also move beyond questions of direct dependence, applying insights from modern translation studies and comparing corpora beyond the Old Greek and Targum, including, for instance, Greek and Aramaic translations found at Qumran, the Samareitikon, and later Greek versions.

In this text-critical, literary, and theological investigation of Paul's interpretation of Isaiah in Romans, it is argued that Paul's citations and allusions evince sustained and careful attention to significant portions of Isaiah, in concert with other scriptural voices. Through a radical rereading of Isaiah, Paul appropriates these prophetic oracles as prefigurations of his own mission to Gentiles while simultaneously appealing to Isaiah as a witness to God's continuing fidelity to Israel. The book examines each of Paul's citations and allusions to Isaiah, situating them both within the milieu of early Jewish interpretive practices and within the context of Paul's unfolding argument in Romans. This volume contributes to the current debate about early Christian interpretation of scripture by tracing the complex and dynamic interrelationship in Paul's letter of Scripture, theology, and mission. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.