Who is the servant of the Lord?
Subtitle: Jewish and Christian interpretations on Isaiah 53 from antiquity to the Middle Ages
By: Antti Laato
Series: Studies in rewritten Bible -- 4; Studies in rewritten Bible -- 4.
Publisher: Åbo Akademi University; Eisenbrauns
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Turku, Finland; Winona Lake, Indiana
Language: eng
Number of pages: 434
ISBN-13: 9789521227851
Subjects: Criticism, interpretation, etc., Jewish; Bible; Criticism, interpretation; Exegese; Servant of Jehovah; Bible. O.T. Isaiah - Hebrew; Rabbinismus; Bibel; Bible. Isaiah, LIII - Criticism, interpretation, etc., Jewish - History; Bibeln; Gamla testamentet; Bible. Isaiah, LIII - Criticism, interpretation, etc. - History; History
Description: Isaiah 53 has been regarded as a difficult passage within the Hebrew Bible because it describes a person who had to suffer and die vicariously in order to atone for the sins of others. Such a view is in strong contrast to the covenant theology which predominates in the Hebrew Bible and lays the foundation for the principle of retribution: Everyone must bear the consequences of his sins. It is for this reason that Klaus Koch called Isaiah 53 the "erratic block" in the Hebrew Bible. This study, the fruit of international co-operation in the network Rewritten Bible (established in 2006), consists of eleven articles on early interpretations of Isaiah 53 which is the central text in Jewish-Christian encounters through centuries. The articles are written so that they can be read independently. Nevertheless they all are interconnected and, therefore, an introduction and conclusions are included in the volume.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-417) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The traditio-historical background to the suffering servant in Isaiah 53; title: The influence of Isaiah 53 on early Jewish martyr theology; title: Isaiah 53 as a proof text for a suffering righteous; title: A messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53 in pre-Christian time?; title: Targum interpretation on Isaiah 53; title: Isaiah 53 in the New Testament; title: Isaiah 53 in patristic evidence; title: Perspectives on Isaiah 53 in rabbinical writings; title: Pesikta rabbati and the sufferings of the Messiah; title: Medieval Jewish interpretations of Isaiah 53; title: The Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53; title: Conclusions.