reedybrad

Why Trito-Isaiah

- Bernhard Duhm proposed that certain parts of Isaiah do not fit with other writings from the Persian Period, therefore according to Duhm, Isaiah must have multiple authors and span a fairly large period of time in the writing process.  

- Duhm also states that because 2nd & 3rd Isaiah contain prophetic material they must be later writings because prophetic material is not introduced till duting the exile.

- There are other theories such as, a complete unified book writing by Isaiah (probably not likely from scholarship), also 1st and 2nd Isaiah (1-39 & 40-66), and also a theory of an Isaiah school which composed the book over several hundred years.

Breakdown of book and its dates

- Isaish 1-39, writing somewhere between 742-701 BCE, probably writing in Jerusalem

- Isaiah 40-55, possibly writing somewhere between 545-539 BCE, while in the Exile

- Isaiah 56-66, possibly writing as late as 520-515 BCE, while in Jerusalem

Other issues

- Certain texted seemed to be ‘dropped’ into sections of Isaiah, such as Isaiah 24-27 which contains references to resurrection which would seem to make it a later writing even though it is within 1st Isaiah.

There seems to be no clear understanding about the composition of Isaiah, either authorship or dating.  Outside of this Isaiah still speaks powerful to us today and no matter the dating or authorship still is a vital part of the canon.