M.J. de Jong

Winner Dissertation Prize 2007

Dissertation
Isaiah among the Ancient Near Eastern Prophets. A Comparative Study of the Earliest Stages of the Isaiah Tradition and the Neo-Assyrian Prophecies (UL)

Supervisors: Prof. dr A. van der Kooij, Prof dr W.H. van Soldt, Prof. dr M.H.E. Weippert
Nomination: Leiden University, Faculty of Theology

Report by the selection committee

This thesis is about prophecy as a historical phenomenon. The analysis of the earliest stages of the tradition of the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah shows a dating in the second half of the eighth century B.C. The Assyrian empire is the historical background of these texts. Then the author compares the Isaiah material with the Assyrian prophecies from the same period. The result is a convincing new view on the biblical Prophet Isaiah.