Divine spirit as an agent of societal justice in Isaiah

Dodson, Warren D.

Etd

Divine spirit as an agent of societal justice in Isaiah

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MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Dodson, Warren D. Divine Spirit As an Agent of Societal Justice In Isaiah. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/a01db7a9-cf8d-407f-b68d-e2bf1f39a4d7.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

D. W. D. Divine spirit as an agent of societal justice in Isaiah. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/a01db7a9-cf8d-407f-b68d-e2bf1f39a4d7

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Dodson, Warren D. Divine Spirit As an Agent of Societal Justice In Isaiah. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/a01db7a9-cf8d-407f-b68d-e2bf1f39a4d7.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Dodson, Warren D.

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In Copyright

Abstract

This thesis considers whether Isaiah portrays divine spirit as an agent of societal justice. Mišpāṭ, ṣədāqâ, ṣedeq, and rûaḥ all occur frequently in the book of Isaiah. Some occurrences of mišpāṭ, ṣədāqâ, and ṣedeq refer to societal justice, specifically to right conduct with respect to the poor and needy members of the community. As we will observe in the chapters that follow, Isaiah scholarship has noted the importance of societal justice as a major theme of the book evidenced, in particular, in the opening chapters. While not every occurrence of rûaḥ in Isaiah refers to divine spirit, i.e., the invisible activity of God in the midst of his people, a number of its occurrences do have this meaning. There are six texts in Isaiah (4:2–6; 11:1–9; 28:5–6; 32:15–20; 42:1–9; 61:1–11) where mišpāṭ, ṣədāqâ, and/or ṣedeq may relate to societal justice and occur in close proximity to rûaḥ. This thesis considers each of these six texts to determine (1) whether it refers to divine spirit, (2) whether it refers to societal justice as reflected in concern for the poor and needy, and (3) the relationship between divine spirit and societal justice in each text. Following chapters of introduction, literature review, and methodology, the fourth chapter contains a lexical analysis of mišpāṭ, ṣədāqâ, ṣedeq, and rûaḥ. The fifth chapter contains a historical-grammatical exegesis of the six texts seeking to answer the three questions set out above. Chapter six states the thesis’s conclusions. This thesis finds that all six texts speak of divine spirit. In some texts (11:1–9; 32:15–20; 42:1–9; 61:1–11) this conclusion is straightforward as rûaḥ is described as coming from the Lord upon a person or people. Isaiah 4:4 instead speaks of the Lord effecting a purifying judgment by means of “a spirit of judgment” and “a spirit of burning.” In Isaiah 28:5–6 the Lord himself becomes “a spirit of justice” to the one who exercises judgment. The thesis also finds that all six texts with the exception of Isaiah 42:1–9 clearly or likely speak of societal justice as seen in concern for the poor and needy. The vocabulary and context of Isaiah 11:1–9 and 32:15–20 show that these texts clearly refer to societal justice. While the distinctive vocabulary of societal justice is lacking in Isaiah 4:2–6 and 28:5–6, the context within which these texts appear makes it likely that they refer to societal justice. Isaiah 61:1–11 presents a vision of future shalom which, in view of its context and vocabulary, likely includes societal justice. Isaiah 42:1–9’s lack of distinctive vocabulary and its implied audience and literary context make it unlikely that it refers to societal justice. Five of the texts (11:1–9; 28:5–6; 32:15–20; 42:1–9; 61:1–11) show a direct relationship between divine spirit and whatever from of “justice” is in view in the text. The relationship in Isaiah 4:2–6 is more indirect as the spirit there primarily executes judgment against the injustice of the people, presumably resulting in a community more characterized by societal justice. Concerning the ultimate question as to whether Isaiah portrays divine spirit as an agent of societal justice, Isaiah 11:1–9 and 32:15–20 clearly do; 4:4–6; 28:5–6; and 61:1–11 likely do; and 42:1–9 likely does not.

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