Abstract
Isaiah 40‒48 emphasizes that Yahweh is a unique creator-god. Did the author(s) arrive at this idea by adopting, adapting or refuting other texts and traditions, and, if so, which? This article offers fresh arguments and re-examines the potential relations between Isaiah 40‒48, Zoroastrianism, Babylonian religion and the creation account in Genesis 1.
Highlights
Isaiah [40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48] emphasizes that Yahweh is a creator-god, and that Yahweh is unique
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Blenkinsopp gives an excellent summary of the previous discussion on Zoroastrianism and its relations to the Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 40–48.3 He agrees with others that the author of Isaiah 40–48 “may have come in contact with Zoroastrian ideas”[4] through Persian agents spreading propaganda in Babylon before Cyrus’ arrival, yet he cautions his readers by drawing attention to the fact that there is no “evidence for Zoroastrian influence on the Persian court prior to Darius I [ruling [522—486] B.C.E.]” but rather a “plurality of deities, cults and religious practices,” as well as there being a “language problem” since the Gathas, i.e., Zoroastrian sacred texts, are written in the language Avestan.[5]
Summary
Creation in Collision? Isaiah [40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48] and Zoroastrianism, Babylonian Religion and Genesis 1
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