-
Views
-
Cite
Cite
Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, The ‘Way of the Lord’ in the Book of Isaiah. By Bo H. Lim., The Journal of Theological Studies, Volume 62, Issue 1, April 2011, Pages 275–277, https://doi.org/10.1093/jts/flq162
Close - Share Icon Share
Extract
The main thesis of this monograph, the revised version of the author’s doctoral thesis from 2006, is that the motif of the ‘Way of the Lord’ (WOL) has eschatological notions throughout the book of Isaiah. Lim thus challenges the common view that the WOL motif in Isaiah 40–55 refers to a literal way through the wilderness upon which the returning exiles will wander, while the later Isaiah 56–66 transforms it into a metaphor denoting an ethical way of living. Lim also rejects any firm dichotomy between a literal and figurative understanding of the WOL motif and instead maintains that the exiles’ return to Jerusalem is an integral part of its eschatological meaning.
The introduction surveys various models for understanding the WOL motif in Isaiah 40–66. Lim notes that those who accept Duhm’s three-part division of Isaiah are inclined to differentiate between a literal meaning in Isaiah 40–55 and an ethical meaning in Isaiah 56–66. In contrast, those who regard Isaiah 40–66 as the product of one author or those who look at the text from a canon-critical perspective tend to see the WOL motif as a figurative/eschatological/theological/allegorical concept throughout the material.
