Shem

instructed him; and while Abraham was the first to offer prayer at dawn, and Jacob at night, Isaac instituted the evening prayer—Rabbinical deductions from pa ages in Genesis as to the lives of these patriarchs. Isaiah. Hebrew: “Yah saves”: the famous son of Amos (Amoz), living late in the 8th century B.c.; of whom we however know nothing but what we are told in the Bible. The book which bears his name, we are now informed by Prof, Duhm and Dr Cheyne, not only includes the work of two or more authors, but also “interpolations going down to the close of the 2nd century B.c.” (Academy, 24th Decr. 1892). The learned and cautious Dr A. B. Davidson (Temple Bible, 1901) says: “Only the first part of this book is written by Isaiah.... nor is the editing of these writings his work, but that of scribes— collectors and arrangers of the scattered fragments of the sacred literature of their day.... Chapters xl to lxvi cannot be by Isaiah, but mostly belong to the time of the exile.” This is by no means a new view, and it was held a century ago by Gesenius and others. Prof. Davidson cannot say who is intended by the “servant of Jehovah,” who is a well-known figure in the later chapters, and apparently discards the explanation in the Gospel applying the words to Christ. The references to Cyrus, and to the Hebrews as in captivity and just about to return to Jerusalem, in the second part of the book, were brought to the notice of Europe only in 1790. But the discu ion as to the Virgin Mother is traced back to the 2nd century, when Trypho (Rabbi Tarphon) discarded the opinion of Justin Martyr as to the correct translation, on the same grounds that modern critics urge. Prof. Duhm (Das Buch Jesia, 1892) thinks that chapter lx was the — close of the composite book about 540 B.c., and that chapters Ixi to Ixv were added later by three different writers, while the “ Deutero- Isaiah” was an author living near the Lebanon, and responsible for chapters xl to lv “ exclusive of later insertions,” The poetical pa ages (xlii, 1-4; xlix, 1-6; 1, 4-9; lii, 13; liii, 1-12) with respect to the persecuted “Servant of Yahveh” are by this Deutero-Isaiah of 540 B.c.; while chapters lvi to lx are (by Duhm) thought to have been written in Jerusalem about 430 B.c. Even the first thirty-five chapters contain corrupt additions by some later writer of the 2nd century B.C. [These speculations, like others, may however be considered as uncertain as the views of older critics which they aim at superseding, Dr Davidson’s more generally accepted views have long been those held by educated scholars; but in detail critical a umptions have sometimes been proved to be unfounded. Thus chapter xiii was supposed once to be late because it notices (verse 17) the Medes whom we now know to have been encountered by the A yrians as early as 840 B.c.; and the destruction of Babylon in 698 B.c. (chapter xiv), is also now historically established by the records of Sennacherib (see also xxi, 2, 9). The early part of Isaiah (to chapter xxxix inclusive) is full of political allusions, now illustrated by the monumental notices between 720 and 700 B.c.—Ep.] It is well known that the word ’Almah (vii, 14) does not mean a “ virgin” in Hebrew; but it is clear that, during ages of oppre ion, the Hebrews looked forward to a Me iah or “anointed king” —a “brauch” of the stem of Je e, and a descendant of David (Isaiah iv, 2; xi, 1: Jeremiah xxiii, 5: Hosea ili, 5: Ezekiel xxxvii, 24, 25: Zech. iii, 8; vi, 12). The “Servant of Yahveh ” (Isaiah xlix, 5, 6) appears to be the writer himself. The Me iah could not have been expected to be a “man of sorrows” despised and rejected (iii, 3), and the figure stands apparently for Israel generally (xliv, 1). The writer refers to the “former things ” as having been fulfilled (xlii, 1-9), apparently with reference to the older chapters, then known for nearly 200 years. The application of such pa ages to the history of Christ's death is forced and difficult. He was not blind (xlii, 19), nor was he “taken from prison and from judgment” (liii, 8), neither had he any sons (verse 10), nor were his days “prolonged.” He did not even himself claim (as far as we are told) to die, or to be smitten, for the sins of others. The epithets applied to the expected Me iah (ix, 6) are all applicable to a human prince, since the words “mighty God” and “ everlasting father” may be better rendered: [“his name shall be called Wonderful, counselled by God, hero, father of ages, lord of peace.” —Ep.] The predictions of the first part of the book refer to events just about to happen in the 8th century B.c, Isaiah was wroth with his people for their cowardice and corruption, and they resented or laughed at his denunciations. The whole work, as Dr Davidson remarks, is based on the belief that Yahveh the God of Israel is the only true God, but one declaring vengeance against the Hebrew nation, for their sins and neglect of his service, and even commanding the prophet (vi, 10): “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed,” No doubt a historic Isaiah may have seen visions and had moments of ecstasy, believing that he saw what he describes. He often gives utterance to noble thoughts in beautiful language; but these things are familiar to those who have witne ed the exaltation of living nabis or “ prophets” in the East. They wander still all over Asia, and frequent the holy places of India, clad in sackcloth, or even quite naked when this is permitted. They are still religious politicians, and prophets whose predictions are not always fulfilled. They have caused us much trouble in India, and in Egypt alike. The reports of their miracles and visions spread far and wide among the ma es, and they have often incited Me iahs and Mahdis (‘‘ guided ones’’) to their own destruction after terrible bloodshed (see Rivers of Life, ii, p. 597). 327