The Composition of the Book of Isaiah in the Light of History and Archaeology (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1910. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... LECTURE III MODIFICATION OF THE ENLARGED BOOK OF ISAIAH DURING THE MACCABAEAN PERIOD, AND ADDITION TO IT OF PROPHECIES RECENTLY COMPOSED We have seen that the Biblical account of the migration to Egypt from Palestine during the sixth century B. C. is confirmed by the papyri, from which we learn that in southern Egypt as early as 525 B. C. the immigrants had built a temple in which they offered sacrifices to Yahu (Jehovah). The present lecturer has argued elsewhere 1 from independent evidence that the book of Deuteronomy was not published in Jerusalem till after the murder of Gedaliah, and there is good reason for supposing that for some time neither the Jewish community in Babylon nor that in Egypt possessed any written law limiting sacrifice to one sanctuary. The reason that the Babylonian Jews did not, like their brethren in Egypt, build a temple to Jehovah in Babylon is probably to be found in the fact that they had in their midst the Zadokite priest Ezekiel, who had doubtless ministered in the Temple at Jerusalem, and who looked both for the rebuilding of that Temple and for the return from captivity. If we may suppose that the compact between southern Samaria (i. e. the district of which Bethel was the chief sanctuary) and Judah to make Jerusalem the one place of sacrifice for both districts 2 dates from a time subsequent to Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem, the law of Deuteronomy which embodies and extends this compact must be placed still later. It is practically certain from the book of Deuteronomy itself that the law of the One Sanctuary was only extended gradually over those districts which had originally belonged to the Kingdom of North Israel: it would seem that first southern Samaria accepted it; then northern Samaria (i. e. the district of...