[Heb. , ], an Old Testament prophet (commemorated May 9), according to tradition, the author of the book named after him (see Isaiah the prophet's book). Genus. in Jerusalem ca. 765 B.C.
Biblical and apocryphal legends about J.
Service time
The vision of I. in the temple, when the Lord called him to serve, according to the prophet himself, occurred in the year of the death of King Uzziah (Is 6. 1). I. preached, as follows from the testimony of the Book of Prop. Isaiah (Is 6.1; 7.1-9; 14.28; 20.1; 36-39), during the reign of the Jewish kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Is 1.1). When translating the year 1 of Uzziah's death (the year of the prophet's calling) indicated in Isaiah 6.1 into modern chronology, the time of the prophet's ministry (due to disagreements about the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah in 3-4 Kings) falls on the period from 747/6 to 735/4 B.C. (more likely between 740/39 and 735/4) (Kaiser O. Jesaja/Jesajabuch // TRE. 1987. Bd. 16. S. 636-658).
In the 7th ch. the book says that the prophet preached during the so-called. Syrian-Ephraimite War. The course and goals of this war remain largely unknown, since reports about it mainly reflect the theological understanding of these events (2 Kings 15.37; Is 7; 2 Kings 16; 2 Chron 28; Is 8; Hos 5. 8 - 7.16). Assir. power aspired in these years to world domination. Egypt, trying to stop its progress, drew the states of Syria and Palestine into the fight against it. I. was a consistent opponent of the participation of Judea in this struggle and called on the kings to focus on religious and social transformations. When Damascus and Samaria went to war against Jerusalem in order to force him to join the Anti-Assyrians. coalition, I. spoke before king Ahaz (735-715) the 1st messianic prophecy (Is 7; c. 734). But Ahaz, instead of relying on God's help, as the prophet advised, entered into an alliance with the Assyrians, who besieged Damascus and invaded Galilee. After the war, the Kingdom of Judah fell under the rule of Assyria, the Northern Kingdom lost a significant part of the territory, was reduced to the borders of the tribe of Ephraim, Damascus was also destroyed. The war ended no earlier than the conquest of Damascus by Tiglath-pileser III in 732 (see also in the article Ancient Israel). Approximately at this time, I. wrote down the 2nd messianic prophecy - about the miraculous Baby Who will bring peace to the earth (Is 9. 2-7). Since the conquest of Samaria is predicted in Isaiah 28.1-4, which fell after a 4-year siege by the soldiers of Shalmaneser V (723/2), I. had to continue serving from 732 to 722. In Isaiah 20.1 -6 refers to the word of the Lord to I. in connection with the anti-Assyrian uprising in Ashdod against Sargon II, who sent a military leader to suppress the rebellion in 713-711.
After the fall of Samaria, the tribe of Ephraim ceased to exist as an independent kingdom; the events of sacred history are concentrated in Judea, which is under the control of Assyria. At the court of the pious king Hezekiah (715-687), I.'s influence increased.
In 705, the Assyrian king Sargon II died and power passed to Sennacherib (705-681). The campaign of Sennacherib against Judah, predicted in Isaiah 36-37, deprived Hezekiah of the opportunity to support the southern Syrian uprising of 703-701. against Assyria. The embassy of the Babylonian king Merodach Valadan mentioned in Isaiah 39.1-8 is dated either 713-711 or, less likely, 703 (Kaiser. Jesaja/Jesajabuch // TRE. 1987. Bd. 16. S. 636) .
I.'s influence at court sought to weaken the party of "princes" headed by the courtier Sevna. Ethiopian. King Shabaka, who ruled in Egypt (XXV (Nubian) dynasty), was alarmed by the peaceful policy of Hezekiah and managed to set the "princes" to war against Assyria. Upon learning of this, I. went out into the street, portraying a captive slave. He predicted the imminent collapse of all political collusion. But in the end, Sevna managed to achieve his goal.
Sennacherib easily dealt with opponents and laid siege to Jerusalem (701). Hezekiah was able to escape only by paying a huge indemnity. Perhaps at this time the prophet delivered the famous diatribe, which opens his book (Is 1. 2-3). The repentant Hezekiah fell seriously ill, but was healed through the prayer of the prophet.
In the 2nd siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians (2 Kings 18.17; Is 36.1-2) Hezekiah was innocent, so I. did not denounce him, but predicted the defeat of the conquerors. It happened ok. 690 Only a miracle saved the city. The king and the prophet died after these events. Tradition claims that I. lived to the reign of the wicked Manasseh (696-641) and was martyred. 3rd messianic prophecy (Is 11. 1-9) I. wrote down, probably shortly before his death.
About the life of the prophet
very little is known from his book. It has become commonplace in tradition to identify his father with the prophet. Amos, but modern. most researchers see no reason for this. From the fact that the witness of the symbolic action of I. could be the Jerusalem high priest Uriah (Is 8.2; 2 Kings 16.10), they conclude that I. belonged to the Jerusalem aristocracy. According to Isaiah 7.1-9, I. had access to the king, Hezekiah turned to him at a dangerous moment of the siege of Jerusalem in 701 (2 Kings 19.1-5; cf. Isaiah 37.1-4) and was healed through the prayer of the prophet (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21). The conclusion about the very close connection of the prophet with the royal court, some researchers make on the basis of indications of the presence of the Philistines (Is 14. 32a) and Ethiopians. merchants (Is 18.2) in Jerusalem, and also about the Jewish embassy to Egypt (Is 30.1-2, 7; 31.1).
Until 732, I. had 2 sons, to whom the prophet gave the symbolic names Shear-yasuv (“the remnant that will return” - Is 7. 3) and Mager-shelal-hash-baz (“robbery is in a hurry, production speeds up” - Is 8. 3), predicting the first name, apparently, the decline of the power of the Jewish people, and the second - the conquest of Damascus and Israel by the Assyrian king. Mother Mager-shelal-hash-baza in Isaiah 8.3 is also called a prophetess.
According to Isaiah 8.1-2 and 30.8, I. knew how to write, which presupposes receiving an appropriate education (“wisdom”; cf. Isaiah 14.24-27; 17.12-17; 28.23-29). The text of Is 18. 1-2 and 30. 4 testifies to the knowledge of the prophet about other peoples and their lands.
Martyrdom
After completing the assir. crisis of 701 in the book of the prophet says nothing more about his ministry. A later tradition reports that I. was martyred under King Manasseh, who ascended the throne in 696.
The Christian apocrypha "The Ascension of Isaiah" (see "Isaiah the Prophet Ascension") contains a brief story about the persecution and execution of I. by King Manasseh. After the works of C. F. A. Dillmann (Dillmann A., ed. Ascensio Isaiae, aethiopice et latine. Lipsiae, 1877) and R. Charles (Charles R. H., ed. The Ascension of Isaiah: Transl. from the Ethiopic Version, which , together with the New Greek Fragment, the Latin Versions and the Latin Transl. of the Slavonic, is here Published in Full. L., 1900) (cf. also: Knibb M. A. Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah // The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha / Ed. J. H. Charlesworth, Garden City (N. Y.), 1985. Vol. 2. P. 143-149), researchers consider this story as an original Jewish document, easily distinguished from its modern. context (cf.: Charles R. H. The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the OT in English. Oxf., 1913. Vol. 2. P. 155-162; Caquot A. Martyre d "Isaïe // La Bible: Écrits intertestamentaires / Éd. A Dupont-Sommer, M. Philonenko, P. 1987, pp. 1017-1033).
The apocrypha tells how, in the presence of King Hezekiah and the young Manasseh, I. predicts his martyrdom in the reign of the latter. When Manasseh comes to power, the prophet flees to Bethlehem and then to a mountain in the desert. The place where he was hiding is given to the king by the false prophet Belkir (sometimes in tradition the name is given differently: Belir, Belhira, etc. - see the article “Isaiah of the prophet Ascension”), who accuses I. of treason (the prophet predicted troubles for Jerusalem , comparing it with Sodom (cf.: Is 1. 7-10)) and in blasphemy (contradicted Moses himself, claiming that he saw God, but remained alive (cf.: Ex 33. 20; Is 6. 5)). Manasseh ordered to put I. in prison and cut him with a wooden saw. I. accepts a martyr's death. In addition to setting out the circumstances of the death of the prophet, the apocrypha tells about I.'s ascension to heaven and his receipt of revelation (see Isaiah the Prophet Ascension). The martyrdom of I. is also known from the apocrypha “The Lives of the Prophets” (Vitae prophetarum. 1. 1).
Early Christ. the authors were familiar with this tradition. In the NT, it may already be reflected in Heb 11. 37. About the death of I. says martyr. Justin the Philosopher (Iust. Martyr. Dial. 120. 5), mentions Tertullian (Tertull. Adv. gnost. 8. 3), who sees in the prophet, who did not stop preaching even during a terrible execution, an example of patience (Idem. De patient 14.1; cf. Asc. Is. 5.14). According to Origen (Orig. In Is. 1. 5), the Jews betrayed I. a terrible execution, because, in their opinion, he deviated from the law. Commodian (III century) believes that King Manasseh or the Jewish people are guilty of the death of the prophet (Commod. Carmen apol. 221. 513-514) (Lactantius also believes - Lact. Div. inst. IV 11. 12). Potamy, Ep. Lisbon (4th century A.D.), compiled on the basis of the apocrypha “Treatise on the Martyrdom of Prop. Isaiah" (PL. 8. Col. 1415-1416; CCSL. 69. P. 197-203). Prudentius emphasizes that the life and martyrdom of the prophet is an example for Christians (Prudent. Perist. 5.524, 529). For St. Hilarius of Pictavia (Hilar. Pict. Contr. Const. 4 // SC. 334. P. 174) and St. Ambrose of Milan (Ambros. Mediol. In Luc. 9.25; cf.: Idem. In Ps. 118.3) is an example of courage. Blzh. Jerome, who, apparently, knew the apocrypha, trusts the Jewish tradition (traditio certissima; cf.: Hieron. In Is. XV 57. 1-2): I. predicted his martyrdom from Manasseh (Ibidem) and was executed, because that he compared the Jews with the princes of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah and claimed to have seen God (Ibid. I 1.10; Idem. Ep. 18A, 13; cf.: Asc. Is. 1.9; 3.8-10). The martyrdom of I. under Manasseh is also spoken of by Blessed. Theodoret of Cyrus (Theodoret. Quaest. in Regn. IV.54).
K. V. Neklyudov
Reverence I.
In the Christian tradition
The oldest mention of the burial place of I. is contained in the Burdigal itinerary of 333, according to which the tomb of the prophet was in the Jehoshaphat (Kedron) valley: Isaiah the prophet was laid on one stone, and Hezekiah, the king of the Jews, was laid in another ”(Itinerarium Burdigalense // CCSL. 175. P. 17-18 (Russian translation: Bordeaux putnik 333 // PPS. 1882. T. 1. Issue 2(2), p. 30)). Currently, these tombs are associated with the names of the prophets. Zechariah and Absalom. This news is supplemented by the information contained in the writings about the Old Testament prophets, which are attributed to St. Epiphanius of Cyprus and schmch. Dorotheus of Tire, - “On the life and death of the prophets” (De prophetarum vita et obitu - CPG, N 3777-3778; in 2 editions) and “The Lives of the Prophets” (Prophetarum vitae - BHG, N 1586), which says that I. , sawn into 2 parts by King Manasseh, was buried under an oak tree at the source of En-Rogel (on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, a little south of the junction of the Hinnom Valley with Kidron), and then his body was reburied in gratitude for the miracle of the prophet bringing water to Siloam not far from this source, near the royal tombs and behind the graves of the clergy (south of Jerusalem) (Vitae prophetarum. Lpz., 1907. R. 8-9, 40-43, 60-61). This information was included in the "Easter Chronicle" (Chron. Pasch. Vol. 1. P. 290-292), in Byzantium. Synaxari (Synaxarion of the K-Polish Church, end of the 10th century - SynCP. Col. 665-667; Minology of Emperor Basil II, end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century - PG. 117. Col. 444) and in the secondary version of the "Greek legend" I. (Paris. gr. 1534, XI-XII centuries), where they follow the main part, which is an abbreviated revision of the apocryphal "Ascension of the Prophet Isaiah" (BHG, N 958).
Arm. author VII - early. 8th century Anastas Vardapet mentions the Noravank monastery, which "is located near the grave of the prophet Isaiah, on the same side as the Mount of Olives" ( Ter-Mkrtichyan L. Kh. Armenian sources about Palestine V-XVIII centuries. M., 1991. S. 94).
Nevertheless, there were other legends about the grave of I., recorded by pilgrims. So, Antoninus from Placentsia (70s of the 6th century) indicates “the place where Isaiah was sawn up with a saw and rests” near Eleutheropol (Anon. Placent. Itinerarium. 32 // ССSL; 175. P. 145 (Russian translation) : Traveler of Anonymus from Placentia at the end of the 6th century / Ed., translated and explained: I. V. Pomyalovsky // PPS. 1895. V. 13. Issue 3 (39), p. 41)). It is not known at what time and under what circumstances the relics of I. ended up in Paneas (Caesarea Philippi), from where they were in the middle. 5th century were transferred to K-pol, to c. St. Lawrence. The transfer of the relics of I. to K-pol took place, according to the "Historical Synopsis" of Georgy Kedrin, in the 35th year of the reign of imp. Theodosius II the Younger (Cedrenus. Comp. hist. Vol. 1. P. 600), that is, in 442/3. In the Chronicle of George Amartol, this event refers to the reign of imp. Marcian (Georg. Mon. Chron. // PG. 110. Col. 756). In contrast to the chronicles, the “Description of Constantinople” by Pseudo-Codina reports the transfer of relics not from Paneades, but from Jerusalem (Patria CP. T. 2. R. 241). This source attributes the construction of K-Polish churches to St. Lawrence and Prop. Isaiah to the spouses Marcian (450-457) and Pulcheria (450-453) (Ibid. R. 241). "Anonymous Merkati" calls these churches standing together and says that in c. prophet Isaiah “half of his body lies inside the altar” (Description of the shrines of the K-field in a Latin manuscript of the 12th century / Transl.: L.K. Maciel Sanchez // Miraculous Icon in Byzantium and Other Russia. M., 1996. P. 451). Anthony of Novgorod c. 1200 reports that the relics of the prophet were in the church dedicated to him under the throne (“it lies under the table” - the Book of the Pilgrim, p. 28). Here miracles took place from the relics of I. (BHG, N 958f). As the Byzantinists noted, this shrine was venerated in various strata of society (K A. e. a. Isaiah // ODB. Vol. 2. P. 1013): among the healed were named the protospafarians Michael and Constantine, the noble lady Eupraxia, mon. Georgy, Nikolay changed, Konstantin the winegrower, John the fisherman. Descriptions of 19 healings are included in the Minology for May Bodl. baroc. 240, XII century. (Delehaye H. Synaxarium et Miracula S. Isaiae prophetae // AnBoll. 1924. Vol. 42. P. 257-265). To the relics of I. came from the provinces (for example, from Thrace and from Paphlagonia). A feature of the short synaksarist hagiographies is the erroneous name of I. as the uncle of King Manasseh (SynCP. Col. 665; PG. 117. Col. 444). The Imperial Minology contains the Praise of I. attributed to St. John Chrysostom (BHG, N 958g). The oldest of the hagiographic works in lat. language dedicated to I. , is compiled by Potamius, ep. Lisbon, in the middle. 4th century based on the apocryphal "Ascension of the Prophet Isaiah" "Treatise on the Martyrdom of the Prophet Isaiah" (PL. 8. Col. 1415-1416; CCSL. 69. P. 197-203).
Part of the honest head of I. is kept in the mon-re Hilandar on Athos; according to information collected by the Bollandists, particles of the relics of I. were in the cathedral in Brindisi, in the c. St. Gereon in Cologne, in the mon-re Santo Stefano and c. San Giovanni in Monte in Bologna.
The memory of I. was celebrated in Byzantium on May 9th. On this day, according to the Typicon of the Great c. (Mateos. Typicon. T. 1. P. 284) and the Synaxarion of the K-Polish c. (SynCP. Col. 667), a solemn service in honor of the prophet was performed in c. St. Lawrence. In Greek Stishnyh Synaxary memory of I. is also celebrated on January 25. indicating the location of his relics - “near St. Lawrence” (SynCP. Col. 423). Apparently, this date is associated either with the transfer of I.'s relics from the Holy Land to K-pol, or with the day of consecration of the church built in the capital in honor of the prophet. In cargo. calendars of the 5th-8th centuries, oriented to the ancient Jerusalem Holy Sepulcher Typicon, celebrations in honor of I. are much more common. They were performed in different churches of Jerusalem: on May 5 - the memory of I. together with Saints Mina and Foka in c. vmch. Mines built by Vassa, approximate imp. Evdokia (after 444) (Kekelidze. Kanonar. p. 112; Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 64; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 8); May 9 - the memory of I. together with St. John the Baptist, with the apostles Peter, Paul, John the Theologian, Philip, Thomas and other saints in c. Disciples on the Mount of Olives, built Equal to the Apostles. Elena (Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 65; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 10); June 3 - memory of St. John the Baptist, I., Martyrs Julian, Timothy, Maurus (Mavrian) and others in the c. mch. Juliana on the Mount of Olives built by Flavia c. 454/5 (Kekelidze. Kanonar. p. 115; Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 70; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 13); June 16 - the acquisition or position of the relics of I. in the c. vmch. Mines (Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 73; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 16); June 17 - the memory of the prophets I. and Amos in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 73); July 6 - the memory of I. in one of the churches built by Melania (Elder or Younger) on the Mount of Olives (Kekelidze. Kanonar. S. 119; Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 77; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P . twenty); July 21 - the memory of the prophets Jeremiah and I. in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 80); August 25 - the position of the relics of I., the memory of the prophets Zechariah, Daniel and 3 Babylonian youths in the temple built by the Jerusalem Patriarch St. Juvenal (422-458) (Ibid. R. 86; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 30); September 22 - the position of the relics of the apostles Peter, Paul, I., the memory of saints George, Firs, Foki in c. Rev. Hesychia, Rev. Jerusalem (5th century) (Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 91); October 2 - the memory of the apostles Peter, Paul, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, the prophets I., Zechariah, martyr. Panteleimon and other martyrs in c. vmch. Procopius, built, apparently, in the VI century. south of Jerusalem (Ibid. R. 94; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 41); October 15 - memory of St. John the Baptist, the prophets I., Ezekiel and Daniel, 3 Babylonian youths, Joseph the Beautiful in c. mch. Juliana, built by Flavia (Kekelidze. Kanonar. p. 138; Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 97; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 44); October 30 or 31 - the memory of I. and Saints Mina and Foki in c. vmch. Mines built by Vassa (Kekelidze. Kanonar. S. 141; Garitte. Calendrier Palestino-Georgien. R. 101; Tarchnischvili. Grande Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 48); November 14 - memory of St. John the Baptist, I., martyr. Bacchus, archangels Michael and Gabriel in a church built by a certain Affoniy near Gethsemane (Kekelidze. Kanonar. S. 142).
One of the above dates - July 6 - coincides with the memory of I. lat. Martyrology of Bede Venerable VIII c. (PL. 94. Col. 967) and after him the Roman Martyrology of the 16th century. (MartRom. Comment. P. 272), as well as Arm. Synaxarium IX-X centuries. (Conybeare F. C. Rituale Armenorum. Oxf., 1905. P. 526). In arm. Synaxare Ter-Israel's memory of I. is contained under 2 dates: May 9 and July 6 (Le Synaxaire arménien de Ter Israël / Éd. G. Bayan. P., 1930. P. 427. (PO; T. 21. Fasc. 4 ); Ibid. R., 1929. P. 674-675. (PO; T. 21. Fasc. 5)). In modern arm. calendar, the main celebration in honor of I. takes place on Thursday after the Transfiguration of the Lord (movable holiday).
In the Orthodox calendar communities of Khorezm at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries, preserved as part of Op. "Chronology of ancient peoples" (or "Monuments of past generations") of Muslims. the encyclopedist al-Biruni (973-1048), the memory of I., in addition to May 9, is also indicated on August 16. together with the memory of the prophets Jeremiah, Zechariah and Ezekiel (Martyrologes et ménologes orientaux / Éd., trad. R. Griveau. P., 1914. P. 307, 310. (PO; T. 10. Fasc. 4)).
In Coptic Arabic. In the Synaxar and Minologies, I. is commemorated on 6 mulberry (Sept. 3) (SynAlex. Vol. 1. P. 234-235; Les Ménologes des Évangéliaires coptes-arabes / Éd. F. Nau. P., 1913. P. 187. (PO; T. 10. Fasc. 2)), in the Syro-Jacobite Minologies - 3 Sept. and May 9 (Un Martyrologe et douze Ménologes syriaques / Éd. F. Nau. P., 1912. P. 85, 121. (PO; T. 10. Fasc. 1)). The Maronites in the manuscript calendar of the 17th century. joint memory of I. and Prop. Ezekiel is listed under 3 Apr. (Martyrologes et ménologes orientaux. P., 1914. P. 351. (PO; T. 10. Fasc. 4)).
Lit.: ActaSS. Jul. T. 2. P. 250-252; Sergius (Spassky). Monthly. T. 2. S. 136; T. 3. S. 172-173; Spadafora F. Isaia, profeta: Culto // BiblSS. T. 7. Col. 939-940; Janin. Églises et monasteres. P. 139-140; Meinardus O. F. A. A Study of the Relics of Saints of the Greek Orthodox Church // Oriens Chr. 1970. Bd. 54. S. 194; Conti M. The Life and Works of Potamius of Lisbon: A Biographical and Literary Study with English Transl. and a Complete Comment. on the Extant Works of Potamius. Turnhout 1998; Adkin N. Potamius of Lisbon, "De Martyrio Isaiae Prophetae" 1: "Periugerum fidiculae" // Euphrosyne. N. S. Olisipone, 2000. Vol. 28. P. 369-373; idem. Potamius of Lisbon, "De Martyrio Isaiae Prophetae" Again // Helmantica. Salamanca, 2005. Vol. 56. P. 99-103; Verheyden J. The Greek Legend of the Ascension of Isaiah // Philomathestatos: Studies in Greek and Byzantine Texts Presented to J. Noret for his 65th Birthday / Ed. B. Janssens e. a. Leuven etc., 2004. P. 671-700. (OLA; 137).
O. V. L.
In the Slavic tradition
Slav. translation of partly lost in Greek. version of the apocrypha "The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah" was sometimes included in four collections on May 9 (the day of memory of the prophet), for example: in the Assumption collection of the 12th century. (GIM. Usp. No. 4), in Dragolov collection of con. 13th century (NBS. No. 651), in the polemical collection of the XIV century. (Ath. Chil. Slav. N 474. Fol. 380-384), in Serbian. Chet-Minei for Dec.-Jan. with 16th century additions. (GIM. Khlud. No. 195. L. 348-352; ed.: Ivanov J. Bogomilsky books and legends. Sofia, 1925. S. 131-164), in Serbian. Chet-Minei for Dec.-Aug. 14th century (Zagreb. HAZU archive. IIIc22. P. 257-260r) and others.
Based on the "Vision of the Prophet Isaiah", "Vision of the Prophet Daniel" and Pseudo-Methodius in Bulgaria, probably in the 70s. 11th century an original historical-apocalyptic “The Tale of the Prophet Isaiah” was compiled, the plot of which was based on a description of the battle between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines (Kaymakamova M. Bulgarska medieval. historiopis. Sofia, 1990. P. 27, 48-49; T'pkova-Zaimova V., Miltenova A. Historical and apocalyptic books in Byzantium and the Middle Ages. Bulgaria. Sofia, 1996, pp. 139-160). It was preserved in several lists, senior - XV century. (Collected by Mon-rya Nikolyats. No. 52). In the 2nd floor. 13th century in Bulgaria was composed op. "The vision of the prophet Isaiah about the last times", which reflects the foreign policy events in the country in the 1st half. 13th century and a negative assessment of the rapprochement of Byzantium and Russia (Nikolov A. From the Byzantine historical topic: “Bulgari - skits”, “Slavs - skits” // Bulgarian in the Northern Black Sea Coast: Research and materials. Vel. Tarnovo, 2000. V. 7 pp. 248, Bel. 74).
M. M. Rozinskaya
In Rabbinic Judaism
The Old Testament tradition connects I. with the family of King David: father I. Amos (Is 1.1), identified here with the prophet, was the brother of King Amaziah (cf.: Babylonian Talmud. Sotah 10b; Megilla. 10b), and I. became father-in-law King Hezekiah (cf.: Babylonian Talmud. Berakhot. 10a). The compilers of midrashim often extol the authority of I. in relation to other prophets: he uttered more prophecies than other prophets (Pesikta Rabbati. 33. 3); all the prophets received prophecies from other prophets (cf.: Numbers 11.25; 2 Kings 2.15), only I. - from the “mouth of the Most High”, as stated in Isaiah 61.1 (Vayikra Rabbah. 10.2). This superiority of I. is associated with the vision in the temple (the tradition is partially preserved by Blessed Jerome (Hieron. In Is. III 6.5; cf.: Ginzberg L. Die Haggada bei den Kirchenvätern: Der Kommentar des Hieronymus zu Jesaja // Jewish Studies in Memory of G. A. Kohut. N. Y., 1935. P. 284. Thus, everything that was revealed to the prophet Ezekiel was also seen by I., but the latter reports only a part of what was revealed to him in the temple by the Lord (Babylonian Talmud. Chagiga. 13b).
In the Talmud and midrashim I. is sometimes compared with Moses. Both are considered "the greatest prophets of Israel" (Midrash Devarim Rabba. 2. 4). Without rejecting the priority of the Sinai revelation and the Torah (cf., for example: Shemot Rabba. 42. 8; Devarim Rabba. 8), various traditions value I. so highly because they associate it with this revelation. The example of J.'s sermon is sometimes used to substantiate the opinion that everything that the prophets once preached was already given at Sinai (Midrash Tanchum: Yitro. 11 with reference to Deuteronomy 29.15; cf.: Montefiore C. G., Loewe H. A Rabbinic Anthology, L., 1938, P. LXVIII). If in the apocrypha "The Ascension of the Prophet Isaiah" opponents of I. reproach him for claiming authority greater than that of Moses (Asc. Is. 3. 8-9), then one of the midrash says that Manasseh ordered the execution of I ., because I. "spoke with God, like Moses, face to face" (Pesikta Rabbati. 4. 3; cf.: Jerusalem Talmud. Sanhedrin. X 2. 28c).
The tradition that supports the information about the martyrdom of the prophet is also recorded in the Talmud. The prophet was accused of contradicting the law of Moses (Babylonian Talmud. Yevamot. 49b). I. tried to hide. At the prayer of the prophet, the cedar miraculously hides him, but the tree is cut, and the prophet dies (cf. also: Babylonian Talmud. Sanhedrin. 103b). The Jerusalem Talmud speaks of this in more detail. In the treatise Sanhedrin (X 2.28c) it is specified that the words about the “innocent blood” shed by Manasseh (2 Kings 21.16) are an indication of the martyrdom of J. The early stage of development of the tradition can be reflected in one of the glosses in the Targum of Jonathan to Is 66. 1 (Grelot P. Deux tosephtas targoumiques inédites sur Is. 66 // RB. 1972. Vol. 79. P. 525-527, 532-535): I. hiding in a tree was sawn through with an iron saw.
K. V. Neklyudov
In Muslim tradition
I. (Arab. Shaya / Ashaya) is not mentioned in the Qur'an, however, when interpreting the 4th verse of the XVII sura of the Muslims. exegetes turned to his image. In so-called. the histories of the prophets, in particular at-Tabari (died in 923), set out the main stages of the prophetic activity of I.: the prediction of the death of King Zedekiah (bibl. Hezekiah), the prophecy about the extension of the life of the king during the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib, a warning about the punishment of the Israelites, who apostatized from God after the death of the king, and the subsequent murder of I. The death of I. is described in accordance with the Jewish tradition: fleeing from fellow tribesmen, I. hid inside a tree, but the shaitan (Satan) showed them the edge of his clothes, and they sawed I. along with the tree.
In Islam, I. acts as a prophet who foreshadowed the coming of Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad. This trend (while maintaining the historical framework of the narrative) is already observed in the 1st century BC. hijra (a work probably by Wahb ibn Munabbih from Yemen; D é clais J.-L. Un récit musulman sur Isaïe. P., 2001) and is preserved in the modern. polemical literature (for example, in the work of At-Tahawi Muhammad Izzat Ismail. "Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, in the Torah, the Gospel and the Koran." [Cairo], 1972 (in Arabic)).
S. A. Moiseeva
Lit .: Bukharev A. M. St. Prop. Isaiah: A Sketch of His Time, a Prophetic Ministry and a Book. M., 1864; Jungerov P. A. Life of the prophet. Isaiah and modern watered him. the state of the kingdoms of the pagans and the Jews // PS. 1885. Part 2. No. 7. S. 381-408; Vlastov G.K. Priest. chronicle of the first times of the world and mankind. SPb., 1898. V. 5: Prophet Isaiah: Introduction and Interpretations. 2 hours; Mikhail (Luzin), bishop. Bible Science. Tula, 1901. Book: St. Prop. Isaiah and the book of his prophecies; Leclercq H. Isaïe // DACL. 1926 Fasc. 74/75. Col. 1577-1582; Gaster M., Heller B. Beiträge zur vergleichenden Sagen- und Märchenkunde: Der Prophet Jesajas und der Baum // Monatsschrift f. Geschichte u. Wiss. d. Judentums. Breslau, 1936. Bd. 80. S. 32-52, 127-128; Hoenerbach W. Isaias bei Tabar // Alttestamentliche Studien: Fr. Notcher zum 60. Geburtstage / Hrsg. H. Junker, J. Botterweck. Bonn, 1950. S. 98-119; Rad G., von. Theologie des AT. Munch., 1960, 19848. Bd. 2: Die Theologie der prophetischen Überlieferungen Israels; Childs B. S. Isaiah and the Assyrian Crisis. L., 1967; Becker J. Isaias: Der Prophet u. sein Buch. Stuttg., 1968; Dietrich W. Jesaja u. die Politic. Munch., 1976; Spieckermann H. Juda unter Assur in der Sargonidenzeit. Gott., 1982; Bickert R. Konig Ahas u. der Prophet Jesaja: Ein Beitrag zum Problem des syr.-ephraimitischen Krieges // ZAW. 1987. Bd. 99. No. 3. S. 361-384; Koch K. Die Profeten. Stuttg., 19872. Bd. 1: Assyrische Zeit; Rippin A. Sha(?)lsquo;ya // EI. Vol. 9. P. 382-383; idem. Isaiah // Encyclopaedia of the Qur "an. Leiden, 2002. Vol. 2. P. 562-563.
hymnography
In the ancient Jerusalem Lectionary of the 5th-8th centuries, preserved in cargo. translation, the memory of I. is noted repeatedly. Independently I. is mentioned on June 16 and July 6 (Tarchnischvili. Grand Lectionnaire. T. 2. P. 16, 20); liturgical following includes the prokeimenon and alleluiary common to the prophet, readings: Is 6. 1-10, Rom 10. 1-13, Lk 4. 14-22 (July 6, another Gospel is assigned - Mt 23. 23-33). The memory of I. is also celebrated on May 5 and 9, June 3, August 25, October 2, 15 and 31. (Ibid. P. 8-10, 13, 30, 44, 48) together with the memory of the apostles, John the Baptist and other Old Testament prophets, vmch. Mines; on these days, the reading of Isaiah 6:1-10 is scheduled for the liturgy.
In the Typikon of the Great c. IX-XI centuries (Mateos. Typicon. T. 1. P. 284) the memory of I. is celebrated on May 9 without liturgical following.
In the Studio-Aleksievsky Typicon of 1034, the memory of I. is not marked, however, in manuscript glory. Menaia of the Studio tradition (for example, State Historical Museum. Sin. No. 166, XI-XII centuries; see: Gorsky, Nevostruev. Description. Dep. 3. T. 2. S. 61) On May 9, the service of I. and martyr. Christopher; the saints are assigned a common canon, I. are also dedicated to 4 stichera, kontakion and sedal. A similar liturgical service (with the exception of the kontakion) is appointed by I. in the Evergetid Typicon of the 2nd floor. 11th century (Dmitrievsky. Description. T. 1. S. 453). In the Messinian Typicon of 1131 (Arranz. Typicon. P. 151), the dismissive troparion I. Τοῦ προφήτου σου Κύριε τὴν μνήμην̇ () is indicated.
In one of the earliest surviving editions of the Jerusalem Rule (Sinait. gr. 1094, XII-XIII centuries (Lossky. Typicon. P. 214)) I. appointed a dismissive troparion of the 4th tone ῾Η σεπτὴ τοῦ προφήτου σου πανήγχ (ρις̂). In the early printed Greek The Typicon of 1545 indicates the same dismissal troparion I. as in the Messinian Typicon, as well as the kontakion I. Τῆς προφητείας τὸ χάρισμα̇ (). According to the first printed Moscow Typicon of 1610, on May 9, the service of I. and martyr. Christopher is sung at Compline, since on the same day an all-night vigil is celebrated in honor of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra; I. are assigned the same dismissive troparion and kontakion as in the first printed Greek. Typicone. Similar indications are contained in the pre-Nikon printed Typikons of 1633 and 1641. In the revised edition of the Typicon of 1682 and subsequent editions on May 9, the service of I. and martyr. Christopher began to be placed “under the number”, the dismissive troparion and kontakion I. remained unchanged.
Following I., contained in the modern. liturgical books, includes: a dismissive troparion of the 2nd tone Τοῦ Προφήτου σου ῾Ησαΐου τὴν μνήμην Κύριε̇ (); kontakion of the 2nd tone: Τῆς προφητείας τὸ χάρισμα̇ () with ikos; canon (common to I. and Martyr Christopher) by Theophanes without an acrostic of the 4th tone, irmos: ῎Αισομαί σοι Κύριε̇ (), beginning: Θώτισόν με Κύριε (); a cycle of stichera-like; saddlen (different in Greek and Slavic Menaions).
According to the manuscripts, the chants of I., which were not included in the modern. liturgical books: 2 stichera-like (RNL. Sof. No. 202. L. 41v. - 42v., 11th century - see: Novgorod Service Menaion for May, 11th century: (Putyatina Menaia): Text, research ., indexes / Editor-in-chief: V. M. Markov, Izhevsk, 2003. P. 342), additional ikos (Amphilochius. Kondakariy. P. 183).
E. E. Makarov
Iconography
One of the earliest images of I. - on the mosaic of c. San Vitale in Ravenna (546-547), where he is represented by an old man in white robes, with thick gray hair, long strands falling on his shoulders, with a scroll in his hands, with a golden halo. On the mosaic of the katholikon of the mon-rya vmts. Catherine on Sinai (550-565) I. is depicted in a medallion as a young prophet with a cap of short black curly hair and a bushy beard. The images of the prophets I. and David flank the scene “Healing of the two blind men in Jericho” in the Sinop Gospel (Paris. Suppl. gr. 1286. Fol. 29, VI century); the text on the scroll (Is 35.5), which I. is holding, comments on a scene from the NT. He is shown young, beardless, wearing a white tunic with a clave on the sleeve and a yellowish-buff himation. On the miniatures from the Rossano Codex (Archbishop's Museum in Rossano, 6th century), built according to a similar scheme (i.e., on them, as well as on the miniatures from the Sinope Gospel, the texts on the scrolls in the hands of the prophets are an allusion to the one presented on the same sheet of the New Testament scene), he is twice shown young, with brown hair and a very short beard (Fol. 1, 2) and twice gray-haired, with curly hair and a short curly beard (Fol. 3v, 5).
In later monuments, I. is represented as an old man with long, as a rule, wavy hair, strands descending to his shoulders, with a wide beard tapering downwards, wearing a tunic and himation. Often in the works of the Byzantine. art on the chiton I. sewn clave, which testifies to his noble origin. In Russian monuments I. depicted with dark hair, touched by gray hair. The right hand of the prophet in front of the chest in a nominative blessing or raised up, as on the mosaic of the dome of Immanuel in the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice (end of the 12th century). The attribute I., according to the icon-painting originals, is a liar, which is quite rare on icons (for example, on the icon of the Mother of God with the Prophets of the 1st half of the 15th century from the Academy Gallery in Venice). However, its more popular attribute is tongs with burning coal, which is associated with the vision of I. So, on the icon “Our Lady Kikkotissa, with prophets and chosen saints” (1st half of the 12th century, monastery of the Great Patriotic Catherine in Sinai) a seraph is depicted large, which is holding out I. tongs with burning coal. Dr. examples of this iconography are a miniature from the Christian topography of Cosmas Indikoplova (Vat. gr. 699. Fol. 72v, last quarter of the 9th century); icon "Pror. Isaiah” from the prophetic tier of the iconostasis of the Nativity Cathedral of the Novgorod Antoniev Monastery (middle of the 16th century, NGOMZ); folded icon “Praise of the Mother of God” (c. 1471, State Museum of Metallurgical Metallurgy).
In the temple decoration, the image of I. is placed among the images of other prophets in the upper zones of the temple: in the dome (in the painting of the church of the monastery of Our Lady Peribleptos in Mistra, Greece, 2nd half of the 14th century), in the light drum (on mosaics: the church of Santa Maria del Ammirallo (Martorana) in Palermo, Sicily, 1146-1151, the church of Panagia Parigoritissa in Arta, about 1290, the monastery of Our Lady of Pammakaristos (Fethiye Jami) in K-field, about 1315; frescoes: the Church of the Righteous Joachim and Anna (Kraleva) of the Studenica Monastery, Serbia, 1314, the Church of St. Nikita near Skopje (created before 1316 and renovated in 1483-1484), the Church of Martyr Theodore Stratilat on the Creek in Vel. Novgorod, 1378), on girth arches (in the painting of the Church of the Nativity on the Red Field near Veliky Novgorod, 90s of the XIV century), in lunettes (on the mosaic of the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, 546-547) . In the lower part of the wall of the nave - on the mosaic of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice - along with the prophets David, Solomon and Ezekiel on the sides of the image of the Mother of God, 1st floor. 13th century I. is usually presented in tandem with the prophet. Jeremiah (for example, in the church of San Vitale).
Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. Mosaic c. Panagia Parigoritissa in Arta, Greece. OK. 1290
Full-figure images of I., as a rule, illustrate the Song of I. in the Psalters (for example, in the Paris Psalter c. middle of the X century - Paris. gr. 139. Fol. 435v; in the Bristol Psalter c. 1000 - Lond. Brit. Lib. Add. 40731. Fol. 252; in the Psalter created before 1074 or in the 80s of the 11th century - RNB. Greek No. 214. L. 311 rev.; in the NZ with Psalter 30-40- 14th century - State Historical Museum Greek No. 407. 504v.). Image I. together with the prophet. David or the prophet Ezekiel was included in the compositions that serve as illustrations for the introductory texts of the Gospels in such manuscripts as the Four Gospels from the Palatine Library in Parma (Parma. Palat. 5. Fol. 5, c. 1100) and from the National Library of St.. Mark in Venice (Marc. gr. Z 540 (=557). Fol. 11v, 2nd quarter of the 12th century). The miniature with the Ascension scene on the frontispiece of the Homilies of Jacob of Kokkino-baf (Vat. gr. 1162. Fol. 2v and Paris. gr. 1208. Fol. 3v, 2nd quarter of the 12th century) also contains images of the prophets David and I. with scrolls in his hands; text on the scroll I. - Is 63. 1.
Prop. Isaiah in prayer, with the personifications of Night and Dawn. Miniature from the Paris Psalter. 10th century (Paris. gr. 139. Fol. 435v)
The image of I. appears in the earliest prophetic rows of Russian high iconostases: for example, from the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery (“Prophets Solomon and Isaiah”, 1425-1427, SPGIAHMZ); from the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Kashin (the so-called Kashin rank; “Prophet Isaiah”, middle of the 15th century, Russian Museum); from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kirillov Belozersky Monastery (“Prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jonah”, c. 1497, Russian Museum); from the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Ferapontov Monastery (“Prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah”, c. 1502, KBMZ); from St. Sophia Cathedral Novgorod (“Prophet Isaiah”, 1509, NGOMZ); from c. in honor of the Miracle arch. Michael in Khonekh Chudov Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin (“Prophet Isaiah”, 1626-1628, GMMK). I. is always depicted close to the center.
I. is represented on the icons of different iconography along with the Mother of God with the Child and the prophets, for example. on the icons “Praise of the Mother of God” (middle of the 16th century, Russian Museum), “It is worthy to eat” (middle of the 16th century, State Museum of Metallurgical Museum), etc.
Bolshakov. Iconic original. S. 11). In the original G. D. Filimonov, on May 9, it is said about I.: “... in the likeness of old and gray, beard and hair like Elijah the prophet, prophetic robes, upper sankir, azure underside, a scroll in his hand, and in it is written:“ behold, The virgin in the womb will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call the name Immanuel: if we say, God is with us ”(Filimonov. Icon-painting original. P. 339). In Greek icon-painting original - Herminia ierom. Dionysius Furnoagrafiot (c. 1730-1733) - I. is mentioned several times. once. The part “How the Old Testament is Depicted” describes the scenes “The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah” and “The Prophet Isaiah, pierced by a saw” (Erminia DF. Ch. 2. § 105-106. P. 549); in the paragraph about St. about the prophets, about their appearance and prophecies, he is described as “an old man with a long beard, says: hear the sky, and inspire the earth, as if the Lord has spoken” (Ibid. § 132. No. 6, p. 562). In the part “How the New Testament is Depicted”, it is said about him in the chapters “How the Feasts of the Theotokos are Depicted”: “Isaiah holds a liar and says on the charter: I am the coal-bearing liar before the name of Thee, Pure, and the Throne of the King” (Ibid. Ch. 3. Ch. 5. No. 10. S. 557) - and “How the sufferings of the martyrs of each month of the whole year are depicted”: “The old man was sawn up with a wooden saw” (Ibid. Ch. 22. S. 417).
Lit.: Mango C. Materials for the Study of the Mosaics of St. Sofia at Istanbul. Wash., 1962. P. 58-59. (DOS; 8); Gravgaard A.-M. Inscriptions of OT Prophecies in Byzant. Churches: A Cat. Copenhagen, 1979, pp. 69-70; Lazarev V. N. On the painting of St. Sophia of Novgorod // He. Byzant. and ancient Russian. art: Sat. Art. M., 1978. S. 142, 144; he is. Byzantine history. painting. M., 1986. S. 161; Galavaris G. The Illustrations of the Prefaces in Byzantine Gospels. W., 1979; Malkov Yu. G. Frescoes c. Christmas "on the field" in Novgorod and their "prophetic order" // Ancient Novgorod. M., 1983. S. 271-294; Popovich L. D. Compositional and Theological Concepts in Four Prophets Cicles in Churches Selected from the Period of King Milutin (1282-1321) // Cyrillomethodianum. Thessal., 1984/1985. T. 8/9. P. 288; eadem. Hitherto Unidentified Prophets from Nova Pavlica // Ibid. P. 28-29; Lowden J. Illuminated Prophet Books: A Study of Byzant. Manuscripts of the Major and Minor Prophets. Univ. Park (Penn.); L., 1988; Lelekova O. V. The iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Cyril-Belozersky Monastery of 1497: Research. and restoration. M., 1988; Pogrebnyak N., prot. Prophets: Iconography and hymnography // Moscow. EV. 2004. No. 11/12. pp. 116-134; Lifshits L. I., Sarabyanov V. D., Tsarevskaya T. Yu. Monumental painting of Novgorod: end. XI - 1st quarter. 12th century SPb., 2004. S. 304-305.
I. A. Zhuravleva, I. A. Oretskaya
Sacred Biblical History of the Old Testament Pushkar Boris (Bp Veniamin) Nikolaevich
Prophet Isaiah.
Prophet Isaiah.
Especially famous among the Jewish prophets was the prophet Isaiah. He was a descendant of King David and was related to the Jewish kings. Isaiah prophesied under the kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. In the year of King Uzziah's death, in 740, God called Isaiah to prophetic ministry by a special appearance. Isaiah saw the Lord in the heavenly temple on a high throne. Six-winged seraphim stood around Him and called out: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of his glory!" Struck by the vision, Isaiah exclaimed: "Woe is me! I died! for I am a man with unclean lips, and I live among the people also with unclean lips, - and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts ”(Isaiah 6:3:5). One of the seraphim took coal from the heavenly altar with tongs and touched Isaiah's mouth with it with the words: “Behold, it has touched your mouth, and your iniquity is removed from you, and your sin is cleansed”. After that, Isaiah heard the inquiring voice of the Lord: “Who should I send? And who will go for us? Isaiah replied: "Here I am, send me!" Then the Lord commands him: “Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and you will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and you will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and they can hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes ... "(Isaiah 6:7-10). Isaiah asked: "For how long, Lord?? The Lord answered him: “Until the cities are empty, and left without inhabitants, and houses without people, and until this land is completely empty”(Isaiah 6:11).
The vision ended, and the Spirit of God rested on the holy prophet, who called him to fight against the vices and religious delusions of the Jewish people. Isaiah loudly and ardently called the Jewish people to repentance, denounced their wickedness. In words full of apocalyptic horror, he called on the inhabitants of Judea to abandon foreign gods and turn to the True God. The prophet condemned the hypocrisy of the rich, who strictly fasted, made sacrifices in Jerusalem and at the same time oppressed the poor, offended widows, orphans and small children. For the first time in the history of Israel and Judah, he preached that religious ceremonies had no meaning unless they were performed with a clear and just conscience. But the spiritually deaf and blind people could not hear the saving calls of God's chosen one. Seeing the petrification of the hearts of the Jewish people, the prophet Isaiah proclaims to his compatriots the punishment of God through the Assyrians and Chaldeans. He speaks of the coming destruction of Samaria, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians, and the Babylonian captivity. Announcing the punishment of God to the wicked people, the prophet Isaiah at the same time says that the Lord will forgive the Jews and free them from captivity if they sincerely repent of their sins.
But Isaiah prophesied especially a lot about the coming Savior of the world - the Messiah. In his prophecies, he calls the Messiah God and man, the Teacher of all peoples, the Founder of the kingdom of peace and love. The prophet predicts that the Messiah will be born of a Virgin, receive the Spirit of God, perform miracles, suffer and die for the sins of people, and rise to heaven. The Church founded by Him will spread throughout the universe. Isaiah describes the future sufferings of the Savior as clearly as if he had seen them with his own eyes (Isaiah 53).
For the clarity of the prophecy about Christ, Isaiah is called the prophet-evangelist. There is an ancient tradition that the holy prophet was martyred. For exposing King Manasseh of idolatry, he was sawn through with a wooden saw.
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Yeshaya (ישעיהו, Russian: Isaiah listen)) - the greatest prophet of the First Temple period, the spiritual head of the people of Yehuda.
He was born circumcised, without a foreskin, just like the forefather Jacob, the prophet Moshe and some other righteous ( Shoher tov 9:7).
His father, the prophet Amoz, was the brother of King Judah Amazi, the son of Joash. And reigned in 3115 year / 645 BC / Uziyau, the son of Amatsiya, was his cousin, respectively ( Megillah 15a; Yalkut Shimoni; Seder adorot).
Yeshaya calls for repentance (teshuvah)
Addressing the children of Israel, Yeshaya tried to awaken them to repentance and thereby avert the impending disaster. His prophetic address began with tragic words: “Listen, heavens, and listen, earth, for God says: I raised up the sons and exalted them, but they rebelled against me. The ox knows its master and the ass its master's stall, but Israel does not want to know me, my people do not think" ( ibid 1:2-3, Rashi).
Assessing the spiritual state of his people, the prophet bitterly says: the sons of Israel “resort to divination (i.e., to various types of occultism), like the Philistines, and are content with other people’s children (i.e., they take women from foreign nations as wives, and those give birth to them children who are no longer Jews) ”( 2:6, Rashi and Malbim).
And even when the Jews "served" the Creator, offering sacrifices to Him, praying and fasting, these actions were devoid of spiritual content, becoming an empty formality. “This people honored Me with their mouths and their lips, but moved their hearts away from Me,” the prophet conveyed the bitter reproaches of the Creator. “Their trembling before Me has become a confirmed commandment” ( 29:13 ).
It was not a ministry that saves and redeems. “Your sacrifices in the new moon and your festivals,” the prophet addressed the Jews on behalf of G-d, “have become hated by My soul. They have become a burden to Me, I am tired of enduring them. ... And no matter how much you pray, I will not hear, [because] your hands are full of blood. Wash yourself, cleanse yourself, ... stop doing evil. ... Support the oppressed, take care of the orphan, stand up for the widow! ( 1:14-17 ).
The Jews offendedly asked the Almighty: “Why did we fast, but You do not see?” But the answer transmitted through Yeshaya is this: “Is this the fast that I have chosen? ... Break the chains of anger, ... release the oppressed to freedom, and break every yoke! Isn’t it (i.e., the fast desired by the Creator) that you share bread with the hungry and bring the groaning beggars into your house?! ... Then you will call - and G-d will answer, you will cry - and He will say: “Here I am” ( 58:3-9 )».
And since the people themselves were unable to repent and correct their actions, their crimes had to be expiated by exile. "My people will go into exile because of foolishness" ( 5:13 ), predicted Yeshaya.
Such a punishment was necessary for the very people of Israel, because "if the wicked is pardoned, he will not learn the truth, he will act unjustly and will not comprehend the greatness of God" ( 26:10 ).
From the prophecy of Yeshai, it followed that the Almighty would call on the king of Assyria as an instrument of His wrath: “O Assyria, the rod of My wrath! ... I send him to an ungodly people ... "( 10:5-6 ). The ten northern tribes will fall first, and then the Assyrians will approach Jerusalem ( see (see 7:8, 7:17, 8:4, 10:11).
But Yeshaya suffered the same fate as his great predecessors Hosheyu and Amos: the people did not want to listen to their prophecies. “These are a rebellious people,” Yeshaya complained, “deceitful sons, sons who do not want to listen to the Torah of G-d. They say to the seers: “Do not see!”, And to the soothsayers: “Do not prophesy the truth to us! Tell us something flattering, predict something funny! Get out of our way, get out of the way, take the Holy God of Israel away from us!” ( 30:9-11 )».
With bitter irony, Yeshaya formulated the creed of his contemporaries: “So you said: We entered into an alliance with death and made a pact with the underworld. When the scourge sweeps swiftly, it will not overtake us, for we have made deceit our refuge and hid ourselves in lies ”(28:15). “Woe to you who call evil good and good evil, who consider darkness to be light and light to be darkness,” says the prophet. “Woe to you who are wise in your own eyes and prudent in your own way!” ( 5:20-21 ).
Prophecies are coming true
AT 3183 year / 577 BC / the throne of Yehuda ascended the twenty-year-old Ahaz, the son of Yotam.
Under the new king, the people sank deeper into idolatry and other crimes ( II Melachim; Seder adorot).
But still, “Achaz was ashamed before Yeshaya” ( Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshaya 7, 409), and the prophet conveyed to him the prophetic messages received from G‑d.
AT 3187 year / 573 BC / Yeshaya's formidable predictions began to come true: the Assyrian king Tiglath-Palasar seized the tribe of Naftali, and then expelled the three tribes of Israel who lived on the east bank of the Jordan ( II Melachim; Seder adorot).
And, nevertheless, the king of Yehuda Ahaz, contrary to the warnings of Yeshaya, called on Tiglath-Palasar to help him in the war against the Arameans and paid him for the service with the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple ( II Melachim).
AT 3199 year / 561 BC / after the death of Ahaz, his son Hizkiyau (Khizkiya) ascended the throne.
This righteous king managed to return the people of Judah to the Torah ( II Melachim; Seder adorot). Yeshaya studied Torah with the king ( Shoher tov 22:2, Otzar Ishey aTanakh).
AT 3205 year / 555 BC / the prophecy of Yeshaya about the ten tribes came true: the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom of Israel and expelled most of its inhabitants ( II Melachim 17:1-23, 18:9-12; Seder olam Rabbah 22; Seder adorot).
And in 3211 In the year /549 BC/ the Assyrians, led by the traitorous Jew Ravshakey, approached the walls of Jerusalem. But Yeshaya reassured King Hezekiah: he should not be afraid of the Assyrians, as their leader would have to lift the siege.
Indeed, Ravshakey learned that the king of Kush had opposed the Assyrians, and turned his army towards a new danger ( II Melachim, Rashi; Yeshaya 37:1-9; Seder adorot).
But in 3213 year / 547 BC / a huge Assyrian army led by King Sancherib again besieged Jerusalem. It seemed that the days of the holy city were numbered, and it would suffer the fate of the destroyed Shomron [the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel].
However, Yeshaya confidently predicted: “This is what G-d said about the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city. ... The same way he came, he will return, but he will not enter the city ”( II Melachim; Seder adorot).
Prayer of King Hezekiah
In the days when the army of Sancherib stood at the gates of Jerusalem, King Chezekiah fell mortally ill. And Yeshaya directly warned him: "Thus said G-d: Make a will to your house, for you will die and not live."
To the question of the king “Why do I need this ?!” Yeshaya replied: “Because you did not fulfill the commandment “Be fruitful and multiply.” And when the king confessed: “It was revealed to me in insight that a wicked son would come from me,” the prophet objected: “What do you care about the secrets of the Creator?! You had to do what you were commanded to do, and the Creator would do what pleases Him.”
And then King Hezekiah asked: “Give me your daughter as a wife. Perhaps, thanks to my and your merits, I will have a worthy son!” "Late. You have already been sentenced,” the prophet objected.
And the king said, “Son of Amoz! Stop your predictions and leave! My ancestor David taught that, even if the point of the sword is already at the throat, one should not stop praying for mercy ”( Brahot, 10a).
And the king's prayer was answered. The Prophet had not yet left the courtyard of the royal house, when the Creator commanded him: “Come back and tell Hezekiah: I have heard your prayer. ... Behold, I heal you - on the third day you will enter the House of G-d. And I will add fifteen years to the days of your life, and I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will protect this city II Melachim 20:4-6).
On the third day, the king recovered - and on the same night a devastating epidemic began in the camp of the Assyrians, mowed down 185 thousand soldiers. Sancherib with a small handful of surviving henchmen fled to his capital Nineveh ( ibid 19:35-36; Seder Olam Rabbah 23).
Shortly after his recovery, the king took Yeshaya's daughter as his wife. And in 3216 year / 544 BC / the prophet had a grandson - the heir to the throne Menashe ( Seder adorot).
And although, as it seemed, Judah was delivered from danger, these days Yeshaya predicted to King Hezkiah that some time later the country would be conquered by a new superpower - Babylon, and the descendants of Hezkiah, along with their people, would be expelled from their land ( II Melachim 20:16:18).
Prophecies about the nations of the world
At the same time, Yeshaya predicted the fate of all the tribes surrounding Israel: the Philistines, Moabites, Arameans, Ethiopians, Egyptians and Phoenicians ( see (ch. 14-19, 23). All these peoples were expected to be exterminated and disappear from the arena of history. And since the Creator used most of these peoples to punish Israel, the prophet says about one of them, meaning all the others: “This is the fate of our robbers and the lot of our destroyers” ( there 17:14).
But especially many of the prophecies of Yeshai are dedicated to the fate of Babylon, which will be destroyed by the hordes of Persians and Medes: “Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, ... will be like Sedom and Amor, destroyed by Gd. It will never be inhabited, ... and the Arab will not pitch his tent there, ... and the animals of the desert will live there, ... and jackals will howl in his palaces ”( 13:17-22 ). “I will rise up against them,” says the God of Hosts, “and I will destroy the name of Babylon and the remnant of it, and son and grandson. ... And I will make it ... stagnant swamps, and sweep it away with a broom of destruction, - says the G-d of Hosts ”( 14:22-23 ).
This was predicted two centuries before Babylon replaced Assyria as a world power and conquered Judah.
In that era, the children of Israel will become “a light to the nations” ( Yeshaya 42:6), and under their influence, many peoples of the earth will return to the Creator. “And it shall come to pass, at the end of days,” says the prophet, “that the mountain of the House of G-d shall be established as the top of all mountains, … and many peoples will go and say: “Let us go up to the mountain of G-d, to the House of the G-d of Jacob, so that He He taught us His ways and that we should walk in His ways” - for the Torah will come out of Zion, and the word of God from Jerusalem” ( ibid 2:2-3). And then “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, as the sea is full of water” ( 11:9 ).
And since there will be no cause for military conflicts, a lasting peace will be established: “And they will beat their swords into plows and their spears into garden shears; the people will not raise the sword against the people, and they will no longer learn to fight ”( 2:4, Radak).
Foreigners, who throughout history persecuted the people of Israel, will begin to help the Jews fulfill their life mission: -ga will call you "( 61:5-6 ).
This harmony will extend even to the natural world. “And the wolf will live with the lamb,” the prophet predicts, “... and the cow and the bear will graze, ... and the lion will eat straw like an ox, and the baby will play over the hole of the cobra” ( 11:6-8 ) - previously predatory and poisonous animals “will not cause harm” ( 65:25 ).
There are commentators who explain that in the era of Mashiach the nature of predatory animals will change, which will return to their original state, because at the creation of the world there were no predatory or poisonous animals. And there are those who explain that the “wolf”, “bear” or “ox” are just allegories pointing to peoples who used to be at enmity with each other, and in the era of Mashiach they will move on to cooperation and mutual assistance ( see Radak, Yeshaya 11:6).
Yeshaya emphasized that all the events of earthly history have long been predetermined by Gd. Moreover, the Creator informed all mankind about them through his prophets. But when these events come true, they happen as if suddenly and unexpectedly, as it was, for example, with the predicted death of the army of Sancherib under the walls of Jerusalem. “For a long time I announced the former, and it came out of My mouth,” Yeshaya conveys the words of the Creator, “... and [then] I did suddenly, and it came true” ( 48:3, Radak).
Last days
Most of Yeshaya's comforting predictions about the future were made in the last year of King Hezekiah's reign. King Hezekiah himself began the work of collecting Yeshaya's prophecies into a single book. And after the death of the king, which followed in 3228 year / 532 BC /, this work was completed by sages close to him ( Bava batra, 15a, Rashi).
After the death of Hezkiah, his twelve-year-old son Menashe, the grandson of Yeshai, reigned. As Hizkiah foresaw, the young man grew up wicked: he resumed serving Baal and other deities of the surrounding peoples, and then ordered the idol to be brought into the Temple ( II Melachim; II Divrey Ayamim; We make a slave 2:20).
Upon learning of this, Yeshaya immediately predicted that the Temple would be destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.
In response, King Menashe in anger ordered the capture of the prophet ( Psikta Rabati 4).
By order of the king, Yeshaya was killed. He was then one hundred and twenty years old.
Buried in the village of Baram, in Northern Galilee ( Seder adorot).
600 years before the birth of Jesus, all the events that happened to Him from birth to the crucifixion were described in the book of the prophet Isaiah, which is in the Old Testament.
The life of the Holy Prophet Isaiah is filled with service to the Jewish people, who were given the promise of the coming of the Messiah.
Who is Isaiah and how did he deserve the gift of prophecy
700 years before the new era, the birth of Jesus Christ in the royal family, the boy Isaiah appeared in the family of Amos, who was brought up according to the laws of the Creator and in fear of God. The book of the prophet himself says that upon reaching maturity, Isaiah married a girl who had the gift of prophecy, and they had a son, Yasub.
Holy Prophet Isaiah
By God's calling, the prophet served in the courts of several kings:
- Uzziah;
- Jatham;
- Ahaz;
- Hezekiah;
- Manasseh.
The Jewish people were created by the grace of God, and the Creator, as a loving Father, always protected them, but also punished them. To stop the wicked actions of the Jews, God sent prophets to them with His messages, the central place of which was the promise of the coming of the Messiah.
In the days when the Jews embarked on the path of wickedness, Isaiah saw the Most High, who was sitting on the royal magnificent throne in the throne room of the majestic heavenly temple, surrounded by six-winged Seraphim.
Seraphim, flying on two wings, covered their eyes with two, covered their legs with two, constantly shook the pillars of the temple with exclamations about how holy the Lord of Hosts is.
The God-fearing prophet knew that all earthly people have unclean lips and their surroundings are unclean, a feeling of fear paralyzed him. After the confession of sinfulness, a Seraphim was sent to Isaiah, holding a burning coal from the altar of God with tongs. He put coal to the lips of the sinner and thereby cleansed him, according to the will of the Lord, from all sins.
Suddenly, the Lord's voice was heard, asking whom God should send to the Jews in order to turn them to the true path, refusing to worship idols. Isaiah called. The Creator Himself promised to forgive and have mercy on those who come to Him with repentance. The stubborn and stubborn will face the punishment of the Lord and God's punishment.
The Creator told the prophet that this generation of the Jewish people would be destroyed, but a new tribe would be born from it, which would live in holiness.
On a note! In his prophetic books, Isaiah described the further fate of the Jews, their captivity and liberation, the construction of a new Jerusalem, he prophesies about the Mission.
Miracles performed by the famous prophet
Having the gift to work miracles, Saint Isaiah, filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, saved the city from thirst during the siege of its enemies. The prophet prayed at the foot of Zion, and at his request, the Lord opened the bowels of the earth, from where a source of spring water gushed. This spring was called Siloam, which means sent by the Almighty. It was with water from this spring that Jesus ordered the young man born blind to wash, after which he received his sight.
King Hezekiah fell ill and was very afraid to die, Isaiah prayed for him before God. The Creator, according to the appeals of the prophet, granted the king another 15 years.
Isaiah served the people and kings for 60 years, being in communion with God. It was through this saint that the Jews learned about the coming of the Messiah, God and man in one guise. He calls Jesus a sprout from dry ground, a new tribe of the Jewish people, as the Lord spoke of Him. The Savior in the prophecies did not stand out among the people, sometimes he was despised by society.
The prophet Isaiah recorded the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah
According to the righteous, the Teacher of the Nations, the Founder of the Kingdom on earth, filled with peace and love, will be born from an immaculate Virgin, but will be crucified for the sins of the world, like a sheep silently went to the cross.
The prophet described step by step the suffering of Christ, the mockery of him by the soldiers, and did not even miss the story of the division of clothes.
Important! Historians call the prophet the evangelist of the Old Testament, who, for 6 centuries and the resurrection of the Savior, wrote that only by His wounds we, the current generation, can be healed.
The end of the earth's journey
Having entrusted a message from the Almighty to return the Jews to the path of serving the one God, Isaiah continuously denounced the people of idolatry, hypocrisy, and false worship of the True Creator. King Manasseh and the rich, who, for appearances, observed religious rites that had long lost their spiritual strength, oppressed the poor, orphans and widows, especially got it in his denunciations.
Calls to repentance did not reach the ears of the people blinded by sins.
The enraged king Manasseh ordered the execution of the recalcitrant prophet by sawing him in half with a wooden saw. The body of Saint Isaiah was buried not far from the miraculously created spring of Siloam. Later, Tsar Theodosius the Younger transferred the relics of the prophet to Constantinople and laid them in the church of St. Lawrence.
A fragment of the head of the prophet is now kept by the Hilendar Monastery of Athos.
Theological educational institution "Bible College of the HVE"
abstract
THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH
Subject: Old Testament Prophetism
Completed by a student
3 VO courses
Tsybulenko Svetlana Stefanovna
Teacher:
Kalosha Pavel Alexandrovich (M. A.)
Minsk - 2010
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amos, was born in Jerusalem about 765 BC. The name of the prophet - jeschajehu in Hebrew means: salvation is done by the Almighty or the salvation of the Lord.
Isaiah belonged to the highest capital society and had free access to the royal house. The Prophet was married and had children, and he also had his own house. He calls his wife a prophetess (Is. 8.3). His children - sons - in their names symbolically predicted the judgment of God, which the Kingdom of Judah and Israel were to undergo (Is. 7.3; Is. 10.20; Is. 8.3.18), while the name of the prophet himself served as a symbol of salvation awaiting God's chosen ones.
Isaiah, being 20 years old, was called to his ministry in the year of the death of the Jewish king Uzziah, who reigned from 780 to 740 BC. The ministry of the prophet falls on the period of the reign of four Jewish kings: Uzziah (d. 740 BC), Jotham (750-735 BC), Ahaz (735-715 BC .) and Hezekiah (729-686 B.C.). He witnessed the invasion of the Syrian troops in alliance with the Ephraimites (Israelis) (734-732 BC - ch. 7-9); uprisings against Assyrian rule (713-711 BC - ch. 10-23); Assyrian invasion and siege of Jerusalem (705-701 BC - ch. 28-32, 36-39).
With God's help, King Uzzia managed to introduce good order in his small state. Prosperous government led to the fact that the Kingdom of Judah became important among other Asia Minor states, especially due to its success in wars with the Philistines, Arabs and other peoples. The Jewish people under Uzziah lived almost as well as under Solomon, although, however, some misfortunes sometimes visited Judah at this time, such as an earthquake (Is 5.25) and although the king himself in the last years of his life was stricken with leprosy sent to him because he showed claims to the performance of the priestly ministry. At the end of his reign, Uzziah made his son, Jotham, his co-ruler (2 Kings 15:5; 2 Chronicles 26:21).
Jotham (according to 2 Kings 15.32-38 and 2 Chronicles 26.23) ruled the kingdom of Judah for 16 years - 11 years as a co-ruler of his father and more than 4 years - independently (740-736). He was a pious man and happy in his undertakings, although already under him the Syrians and Ephraimites began to plot against Judea. But the Jewish people under Jotham, by their deviations from the law of God, began to incur the wrath of God, and the prophet Isaiah began to announce to his fellow citizens about the punishment that awaited them from God (ch. 6). It is obvious that the external successes achieved by Jotham not only did not contribute to the moral improvement of the people, but, on the contrary, as Moses predicted (Deut. ch. 32), inspired this people with a sense of pride and made it possible to lead a carefree and dissolute life.
The speeches of Isaiah contained in chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 of his book date back to this time.
After Jotham, Ahaz came to the throne (2 Kings 16.1 and 2 Chronicles 28.1), who reigned for 10 years (736-727). In direction, he was not like his father and slid into idolatry. For this, the Lord, according to the writers of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, sent enemies against him, of which the most dangerous were the Syrians and Israelites, who formed an alliance between themselves, to which the Edomites also joined (2 Kings 16.5 et seq., 2 Chronicles 28.5 etc.). It came to the point that many Jews, subjects of Ahaz, were captured by enemies and moved to Samaria with their wives and children: only the prophet Oded persuaded the Israelites to free the Jews from captivity. In addition to the Edomites, Syrians and Israelites, the Philistines also attacked Judah during the reign of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28.18). While King Isaiah spoke the speeches contained in 7, 8, 9, 10 (vv. 1-4), 14 (vv. 28-32) and 17 ch. In these speeches, Isaiah condemned the policy of Ahaz, who turned to the Assyrian king Feglaffelassar (or Tiglath-Pilezer III) for help against his enemies. He predicted that these Assyrians would finally plot to subjugate the kingdom of Judah and that only the Messiah - Immanuel would humiliate their pride and crush their strength. Referring to the internal life of the Jewish state under Ahaz, Isaiah denounced the lack of justice in the rulers of the people, and the increased licentiousness of morals among the people.
Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, (2 Kings 18.1 - 2 Kings 20.1 and 2 Chronicles 29.1 - 2 Chronicles 32.1), ruled the state of Judah for 29 years (from 727 to 698 BC). Hezekiah was a very pious and God-fearing sovereign (2 Kings 18:3,5,7) and took care of the restoration of true worship, according to the rules of Moses (2 Kings 18:4,22). Although at first he was surrounded by people who had little understanding of the essence of the theocratic structure of the Jewish state and persuaded the king to conclude alliances with foreign sovereigns, but then, under the influence of the prophet Isaiah, Hezekiah established himself in the idea that the only strong support for his state is the Almighty Himself. During Sennacherib's invasion of Judah, Hezekiah sends messengers to Isaiah for advice, and the prophet comforts the king with the promise of divine help. At the time of Hezekiah, the speeches of Isaiah, contained in ch. 22, 28-33, as well as chapters 36-39, and finally, perhaps, the entire second section of the book of Isaiah (chap. 40-66). In addition, the prophecies against foreign nations in ch. 15, 16, 18-20, and perhaps in 21 (v. 11-17) and 23 ch. Toward the very end of the reign of Hezekiah are the speeches contained in ch. 13, 14, 21 (verses 1-10), 24-27, 34 and 35.
There were other peoples who had a greater influence on the life of the Jewish state of Israel in the days of Isaiah. In this regard, Assur stood in the first place. In the days of Uzziah, king of the Jews, the first king of the new dynasty, Ful, entered the Assyrian throne. This king devastated the kingdom of Israel. The powerful Assyrian king Tiglath-Pilezer III attacked the same kingdom under Ahaz, and in the days of Hezekiah the Assyrian kingdom reached the highest degree of prosperity and King Salmonassar finally destroyed the kingdom of Israel, and his successor Sennacherib made attempts to subjugate the kingdom of Judah to himself. But already in the last years of Sennacherib, the strength of Assur began to disappear. Asar-Gaddon, however, managed to stifle the rebellion in Babylon and subjugated Judah, taking her king, Manasseh, into captivity, but the days of the Assyrian monarchy, obviously, were already numbered, and around 630, Cyoksar of Media, in alliance with Nabopolassar of Babylon, took the capital of Assyria, Nineveh, and Assyria after that became the Median province.
As for the other great power of that time, Egypt, the Jews for the most part were in alliance with her and hoped for her help when they began to dream of liberation from subjection to the Assyrians, who for the most part bothered the Jewish kings by demanding tribute from them. Egypt, however, at that time was already outdated and exhausted. In those days, Egypt was weakened by internal strife. In the era of Isaiah's activity, three whole dynasties changed on the Egyptian throne - the 23rd, 24th and 25th. In their wars with Assyria over disputed Syrian possessions, the Egyptian kings of the so-called Ethiopian dynasty (from 725 to 605) were at first defeated. Then the powerful Egyptian king Tirgaka inflicted a severe defeat on Sennacherib and restored the greatness of Egypt, although not for long: the successor of Sennacherib, Asar Gaddon, entered Egypt with his troops, and then the Ethiopian dynasty was soon overthrown.
Quite an important value in the era of Isaiah was the kingdom of Syria with its main city, Damascus. This kingdom fought all the time with the kingdom of Assyria. The Assyrian kings, especially Tiglath-Pileser III, severely punished the Syrian sovereigns who gathered allies for themselves from among the Asia Minor states subject to the Assyrian state, but in 732 Syria was finally annexed to Assyria as its province. It is known that then there was the kingdom of the Chaldees with its capital, Babylon. This kingdom, in the era of Isaiah, was in vassal relations to Assyria and the kings of Babylon were considered only the governors of the king of Assyria. However, these kings constantly tried to restore the former independence of the Chaldean state and raised the banner of indignation against the Assyrian rule, attracting to this some other kings of Asia Minor, for example, the Jewish Hezekiah, and in the end still achieved their goal.
As for the other peoples who came into contact with the Jews in the days of Isaiah - the Tyrians, the Philistines, the Maovites, the Edomites, etc., they, due to their weakness, could not cause particularly serious harm to the Jews, but for that they provided them with little help, as allies against Assyria.
It should also be noted that in the era of Isaiah, the kingdoms of Judah and Israel were almost always in hostile relations with each other, and this, of course, could not but affect the sad fate that first befell the kingdom of Israel, and then Judah.
During the second half of the 8th c. BC the prophet denounced hypocritical (1.10-15), greedy (5.18), self-indulgent (5.11), cynical (5.19) rulers, who by their depravity led the people into a state of moral decline. The prophet predicted God's judgment, which will finally decide both the fate of unworthy rulers (6:1-10) and the fate of the whole people (5:26-30). In 722 B.C. Israel was expelled from their land, and King Hezekiah barely escaped the Assyrian captivity (36:1 - 37:37). The tragic prediction of the prophet that the people of Israel with all their wealth at the time appointed by God would be taken to Babylon (39:6-7), became the basis for the further ministry of Isaiah, who was called to comfort and inspire the mourners in captivity (40:1). In a series of prophecies, both comprehensive and specific, Isaiah foretold the fall of pagan Babylon (46:1 - 47:15) and the salvation of the remnant of Israel. More than a hundred years before the reign of Cyrus, he announced that this Persian king would be God's anointed and messenger who would return the remnant of Israel to the promised land (44:26 - 45:13). Isaiah foretold the coming of a Servant-Savior greater than Cyrus. This nameless Servant will bring righteous judgment to the nations (42:1-4), establish a new covenant with the Lord (42:5-7), become a light for the Gentiles (49:1-7), take upon Himself the sins of the whole world and rise from the dead (52.13 - 53.12). The New Testament identifies the Servant-Savior with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Lord Himself in the flesh.
