The critics who suppose that the present book of Isaiah was collected a considerable time after the death of the prophet, and perhaps after the exile, lay especial stress upon the assertion that the his torical section in the 36th and following chapters was transcribed from 2 Kings xviii.-xx. This sup position, however, is perfectly unfounded.
According to Ewald (p. 39), the hand of a later compiler betrays itself in the headings. Ewald has not, however, adduced any argument sufficient to prove that Isaiah was not the author of these head ings, the enigmatic character of which seems more to befit the author himself than a compiler. The only semblance of an arg-ument is that the heading 4 Oracle (better translated berden) concerning Da mascus (xvii. tj, does not agree with the prophecy that follows, which refers rather to Samaria. But we should consider that the headings of prophecies against foreign nations are always expressed as con cisely as possible, and that it was incompatible with the usual brevity more fully to describe the subject of this prophecy. We should further con sider that this prophecy refers to the connection of Damascus with. Samaria, in which alliance Damas cus was, according to chap. vii., the prevailing power, with which EphrMrn stood and fell. If all this is taken into account the above heading will be found to. agree with the prophecy. According to the Talmudists, the book of Isaiah was collected by the men of Hezekiah. But this assertion rests merely upon Prov. xxv. 1, where the men of Heze kiah are said to have compiled the Proverbs. The Talmudists do not sufficiently distinguish between what might be and what is. They habitually state bare possibilities as historical facts.
To us it seems impossible that Isaiah left it to others to collect bis prophecies into a volume, be cause we know that he was the author of historical works ; and it is not likely that a man accustomed to literary occupation would have left to others to do what he could do much better himself.
Hitzig has of late recognised Isaiah as the col lector and arranger of his own prophecies. But he supposes that a number of pieces were inserted at a later period. The chronological arrangement of these prophecies is a strong argument in favour of the opinion that Isaiah himself formed them into a volume. There is no deviation from this arrange ment, except in a few instances where prophecies of similar contents are placed together ; but there is no interruption which might appear attributable to either accident or ignorance. There is not a single piece in this collection which can satisfac torily be shewn to belong to another place. All the portions, the date of which can be ascertained either by external or internal reasons, stand in the right place. This is generally granted with respect to the first twelve chapters, although many persons erroneously maintain that chap. vi. should stand at
the beginning.
Chaps. i.-v. belong to the later years of Uzziah ; chap. vi. to the year of liis death. What fallovvs next, up to chap. x. 4, belongs to the reign of Ahaz. Chaps. x.-xii. is the first portion appertain ing to the reign of Hezekiah. Then follows a series of prophecies against foreign nations, in which, according to the opinions of many, the chronological arrangement has beeR departed from, and, instead of it, an arrangement according to contents has been adopted. But this is not the case. The predictions against foreign nations are also in their right chronological place. They all belong to the reign of Hezekiah, and are placed together because, according to their dates, they belong to the same period. In the days of Heze kiah the nations of Western Asia, dwelling on the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris, more and more resembled a threatening tempest. That the pro phecies against foreig-n nations belong to this period is indicated by the home-prophecy in chap. xxii., which stands among the foreign prophecies. The assertion that the first twelve chapters are a collec tion of home-prophecies is likewise refuted by the fact that there occur in these chapters two foreign prophecies. The prophetic gift of Isaiah was more fully unfolded in sight of the Assyrian invasion under the reign of Hezekiah. Isaiah, in a series of visions, describes what Assyria would do, as a chastising rod in the hand of the Lord, and what the successors of the Assyrians, the Chaldees, would perform, according to the decree of God, in order to realise divine justice on earth, as well among Israel as among the heathen. The prophet shows that mercy is hidden behind the clouds of wrath. There is no arg-ument to prove that the great prophetic picture in chaps. xxiv.-xxvii. was not depicted under Hezekiah. Chaps. xxviii. xxxiii. manifestly belong to the same reign, but somewhat later than the time in which chaps. x., xi., and xii., were written. They were composed about the time when the result of the war against the Assyrians was decided. With the termination of this war terminated also the public life of Isaiah, who added an historical section in chaps. xxxvi. xxxix., in order to facilitate the right understanding of the prophecies uttered by him during the most fertile period of his prophetic ministry. Then, follows the conclusion of his work on earth. The second part, which contains his prophetic legacy, is addressed to the small congregation of the iptithful strictly so called. This part is analogous to the last speeches of Moses in the fields of Moab, and to the last speeches of Christ in the circle of his disciples, related by John. This we have every where order, and such an order as could scarcely have proceeded from any one but the author.