Friday 8 July 2011

Patricia K. Tull on Isaiah 1-39


Patricia K. Tull, Isaiah 1–39, The Smyth & Helwys Bible commentary (Macon: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2010), 605pp., ISBN 9781573120715.


A generous excerpt from Patricia Tull’s commentary on Isaiah 1-39 includes her Introduction to this part of the prophecy.


She writes:


‘My hope in writing this commentary is to come to understand Isaiah better myself, and to learn more about the paths the book traveled through history as it took on new meanings, and thereby to help preachers, teachers, and students to imagine afresh the connections between modern people and this ancient book. I am convinced that continuity can indeed be traced from Isaiah to our time and needs, and that attention to his words offers us theological riches far greater than we may imagine’ (2).


She notes the importance of reading Isaiah for ‘its deep theological engagement with political realities unfolding as the book took shape’:


‘There is indeed continuity both of message and of method between the prophets of old and the prophets of our day. And because of this, it is helpful for preachers to attend not only to what Isaiah and other prophets discussed, but also to how they crafted their messages’ (3).


The Introduction then carries her reflections in three main sections:


• Isaiah’s Life and Times

• The Life and Times of the Book of Isaiah

• Isaiah’s Afterlife

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