SOME BOOKS OF TIIE WEEK.
*Finder this headilor us notice sueli Baas ay the week as hare not beet reserved for review in other forms.) The Beak of the Prophet Isaiah. With Introduction and Notes by G. W. Wade, D.D. (Methuen and Co. las. 6d.)—This is ORO of the series of "Westminster Commentaries" appearing under the editorship of Dr. Walter Lock. We must be content with briefly indicating and illustrating the standpoint of the editor. He sees the work of three authors in the book which goes under the name of Isaiah. The " Proto-Isaiah" is the Isaiah of history and probably releted to the royal house; his work is contained in chaps. L-xxxix. The Deutero-Isaia.h (x1.-Iv.) was one of the exiles at Babylon. The Trite-Isaiah, to whom, speaking generally, the rest of the book may be assigned, lived in the fifth century ser. But. this division of the chapters among the three writers Inuit not be regarded as definite and exact. Much has been worked over by editors. We may take as an example of Dr. Wade's treatment the famous passage, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive," ec. For "virgin" he would read "young woman" ; wins not vaehres (though the latter is found lathe LXX.). The prophet expected the birth to take place within the year: a little later the formidable coalition of the Northern Kingdom and Syria would be broken up— "the land whose two kings thou abkorrest shall be forsaken." The verse "Butter and honey shall he eat when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good" is regarded as an addition, indicat- ing the troubles which would occur between the first fulfilment and the second. The promised child would have to faro on the products (curds and honey) of a land which had gone out of culti- vation. The story of the sun going back is attributed to a later date than that of the Proto-Isaiah. "The account may be merely a prosaic interpretation of a metaphor (parallel to `setting back the clock of life' or the like)." We may say that wherever we have examined Dr. Wade's book we have found it carefully executed. It is the work of a man who knows his subject thoroughly and has courage to treat it frankly.
Previous page
