1 - Introduction

Summary

Few writings have shaped the world as much as the book of Isaiah. Its lyricism, imagery, theology, and ethics are all deeply ingrained into us, and into Jewish and Christian culture more generally. It has been a cultural touchstone from the time when it was formed, and it influenced later biblical authors as well. The book of Isaiah is also a complex work of literature, dense with poetry, rhetoric, and theology, and richly intertwined with ancient history. For all these reasons, it is a challenge to read well. The Cambridge Companion to Isaiah serves as an up-to-date and reliable guide to this biblical book. Including diverse perspectives from leading scholars all over the world, it approaches Isaiah from a wide range of methodological approaches. It also introduces the worlds in which the book was produced, the way it was formed, and the impacts it has had on contemporary and later audiences in an accessible way.