Senior Lecturer Shawn Zelig Aster

Reflections of Empire in Isaiah 1-39 Senior Lecturer Shawn Zelig Aster

This book will allow the reader to understand better the hidden meaning behind many passages in Isaiah. Many of the majestic prophecies of Isaiah contain a hidden polemic with the imperial propaganda of the Assyrian Empire, which ruled the ancient world in the time of Isaiah. This book explains the arguments found in many passages of Isaiah, including chapters 1-2, 6-8, 10-12, 14, 19, 31, and 36-37. In these, the prophet adapts motifs from Assyrian propaganda, while subverting Assyrian claims to universal dominion. He does this in order to promote belief in a single omnipotent God who is more powerful than any human empire. The book exposes the meaning behind these passages, as well as the history of biblical Israel in the period 745-701 BCE.