In reply to the second argument, we observe that it is not certain that the word lirpicrthyrav, "they were sawn asunder," is used in Hebrews with reference to Isaiah. The statement in the Fathers, and in Oriental writers is entirely de duced from the Jewish tradition, which is throughout of so doubtful a character that no conclusive argument can be based upon it.
With regard to the third argument, we re mark, that the differences discernible, if we com pare the latter with former portions of Isaiah, can, and ought to be, differently accounted for. Such merely external attempts at explanation always prove unsatisfactory when closely exam ined.
On the other hand, the superscription of the book indicates that the prophet's public ministry, if not his life, closed either during the life of Hezekiall or very soon after that king's death. According to this superscription, all the prophe cies of Isaiah were uttered within the period from Uzziali to Hezekiali. Not one of the proph ecies which is headed by a separate superscrip tion of its own is placed after the fifteenth year of Hezekiah ; and the internal evidence leads us in none beyond this period. Hence, we infer that the prophetic ministry of Isaiah terminated soon after its fullest development, to which it attained during the period of the Assyrian invasion, in the reign of Hezekiah.
According to these statements Isaiah belongs to the cycle of the most ancient prophets whose predictions have been preserved in writing. He was a contemporary of Hosea and Amos, al though younger than those prophets, who be longed to the kingdom of Israel. He was like wise a contemporary and co-worker of the prophet Micah in the kingdom of Judah.
Isaiah was a resident, and perhaps a native, of Jerusalem. He was married, his wife being called "the prophetess" (viii :3). TWO of his sons are mentioned, Shear-jashub and Maher shalal-hash-baz. These significant names, which he gave to his sons, prove how much the prophet lived in his vocation. He did not consider his children to belong merely to himself, but ren dered them living admonitions to the people. In their names were contained the two chief points of his prophetic utterances: one (Maher-shalal hash-baz, "Spoil-speeds-booty-hastes") recalled to mind the severe and inevitable judgment wherewith the Lord was about to visit the world, and especially his people ; the other, Shear-ja shub, which signifies "The-remnant-shall-return," pointed out the mercy with which the Lord would receive the elect, and with which, in the midst of apparent destruction, he would take care to preserve his people and his kingdom.
His wife's name, "the prophetess," cannot mean the wife of a prophet. but indicates that the prophetcss of Isaiah had a prophetic gift, like Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah. The appel lation here given denotes the genuineness of their conjugal relation.
Even the dress of the prophet was subservient to his vocation. According to chapter xx :2, he wore a garment of haircloth or sackcloth. This seems also to have been the costume of Elijah, according to 2 Kings i :8 ; and it was the dress of John the Baptist. Hairy sackcloth is in the Bible the symbol of repentance (compare Is. xxii :t2; xxxvii 2, and Kings xxi :27). This costume of the prophets was a sernio propheticus realis, a prophetic preaching by fact. The prophetic preacher comes forward in the form of personi fied repentance. What Ile does, exhibits to the people what they should do. Before he has opened his lips his external appearance pro claims trErciroeire, repent.
2. Lost Writings Ascribed to Isaiah. Be sides the prophecies which have been preserved to us, Isaiah also is said to have written two historical works. It was part of the vocation of the prophets to write the history of the kingdom of God. to exhibit in this history the workings of the law of retribution, and to exhort to the true worship of the Lord. History, as written by the prophets, is itself retroverted prediction, and, as such, offers rich materials for prophecy, strict ly so-called. Since all the acts of God proceed from his essence, a complete understanding of the past implies also the future; and. vice versa, a complete understanding of the future implies a knowledge of the past. Most of the historical books in the Old Testament have been written by prophets. The collectors of the Canon placed most of these books under the head si.:4s;.:,,firoph ets; hence, it appears that, even when these his torical works were remodeled by later editors, these editors were themselves prophets. The Chronicles are not placed among the prophets; this is no sign that they were not writ ten by a prophet. Their author constantly indi cates that he composed his work frotn abstracts taken verbatim from historical monographs writ ten by the prophets; consequently the books of Ruth, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther are the only historical books of the Old Testament which did not originate from prophets.