Jesaja 61:1-3(4-9)10-11: ’n “identikit” van die Dienaar van die Here? Deel I

Abstract

On the basis of the historical-critical approach the book of Isaiah has been divided into three different parts. This resulted in the demarcation of three literary units (Is 1-39; 40- 55, and 56-66). Each unit was ascribed to a different author (called Proto-, Deutero- and Trito-Isaiah), and to three different periods of time, the Assyrian (± the 8th century BC), Babylonian (± first part of the 6th century BC), and Persian periods (± middle-last part of the 6th century BC). As a result scholarly opinion has ruled out the possibility that Isaiah 61:1-3(4-9)10-11 (or only some of these texts) might be given the status of a so-called Servant Song along with the other group of “genuine” Servant Songs, which are restricted to Deutero-Isaiah (Is 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12, cf 51:16; the number of texts may vary from passage to passage, depending on scholars’ opinions). Or in other words, the division of the latter part of Isaiah into two literary units (40-55 and 56-66) provided the main argument for the exclusion of chapter 61 from the category of Servant Songs. This article argues that Isaiah 61 should be integrated with the other four Songs, bringing the number of the Songs of the Servant to five. Part I includes a brief survey of relevant studies on the matter and prepares the way for an attempt to understand Isaiah 61 as a Song of the Servant. In Part II (see following article) arguments to support the case include a profile of the figure in chapter 61 in relation to the one described in the first four Songs. The concept of what may be called “democratisation” is applied as interpretative key to reinforce this view. The literary structure of Isaiah 56-66 also forms part of the reasoning. These constructs are used to determine the status of the present chapter in relation to the other four Servant Songs.