ABSTRACT
Toward the end of the Babylonian Exile, a new prophetic voice arose among the exiles of Judah. The words of this otherwise anonymous prophet appear in the latter part of the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 40–66). A careful examination of the material in these chapters reveals that we are no longer hearing the words that Isaiah of Jerusalem spoke at the end of the eighth century (c.742–700 b.c.e.), but rather words addressed to Jewish exiles shortly before their liberation at the hands of Cyrus of Persia in 538 b.c.e. Why then is this material part of the book of Isaiah instead of a new book bearing this exilic prophet’s name? The most likely answer is that the exilic author considered his work a continuation or application of Isaiah’s message in a new historical moment. What Isaiah of Jerusalem had prophesied about God’s salvation for a remnant of Judah and the future restoration and glorification of the holy city Jerusalem was now taking shape in a new way 200 years later.
