The Prophets and Isaiah
Dear Bible Challenge participants,
Elizabeth Parrotte shared her thoughts about the Song of Solomon, and gave me permission to share them with you:
The Songs of Solomon were really pretty to read straight through, although parts are X-rated - especially when I read the translation notes which explain what the original Hebrew words really mean. There are many euphemisms that are lost in the translation to English . The translation notes made it a difficult read since there are extensive notes in the version of the Bible is am reading. Just about very third or fourth word had a translation note. After reading through and studying the translation notes, I kind of wonder why ancient peoples chose to keep this book as a sacred text.
Thank you, Elizabeth! So, Bible Challengers...your take on the Song of Songs and its inclusion?
We've begun our journeys in the Neviim, aka the Prophets, with Isaiah. It's helpful to remember that the prophets were not gazing into a crystal ball, or telling fortunes, but rather were calling the people to account, and warning them of the consequences of their current-day choices. For the prophets there was no secular-sacred divide: God cared about all of it, so it was time to shape up!
Isaiah is an extraordinary scroll. Most contemporary scholars believe that it was written by three authors, or schools: the 8th Century Isaiah himself, and then one or two schools of disciples writing during and after the Exile.
This Forward Movement pamphlet on Isaiah is a helpful resource as we begin this important prophetic text.
In the context of the New Testament, Isaiah is among the most-quoted of the "Hebrew" Bible authors-- though it's important to note (as John Wavrik did yesterday in the Forum) that the text Jesus (and Paul) were quoting was actually the Septuagint, of the Greek Translation of the Old Testament-- so the passages don't always read quite the same as they do in our Old Testament translations, which are primarily from the Hebrew Masoretic Text--primarily. In some footnotes the Septuagint is indicated by "LXX"-- 70-- based on the tradition that seventy scholars translated the texts, and finished simultaneously.
Have fun with "First Isaiah," as ever, thank you for being on this journey!
Peace,
Paige+
