The Motif of Renewal in the Book of Prophet Isaiah: Interpretation by some Ancient Church (The 4th — Early 5th Centuries) Exegetes and Interpretation by Brevard Childs (Part 1)

Abstract

The authors of the article seek to demonstrate how Isaiah’s prophecies about the renewal of the world and man should be understood using the example of their interpretation by church exegetes of the ancient Church and modern biblical scholars. Analytical, historical, philological and comparative methods are used for this purpose. Commentaries of Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Jerome, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Theodoret of Cyrus on the Book of Isaiah serve as the sources of church exegesis. Brevard Childs’ monograph, which summarized a number of comments, has become a source for revealing the modern interpretation of Isaiah’s prophecies. The study led to the conclusion that Isaiah’s prophecies, which contain the renewal motif, have both an explicit and an implicit character. Some prophecies are unique: about a new name, a new heaven and a new earth, since they have no parallels in other books of the Old Testament, while others are traditional: about a new song and a new Exodus. Ancient church exegetes see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies about the renewal of the world and man in the events of the New Testament, while modern exegetes regard these prophecies as a presentation of the history of Israel, connected with the return of God’s chosen people from the Babylonian captivity and the restoration of Jerusalem.