The Desert Will Bloom: Poetic Visions in Isaiah

In this third collection of exegesis on the biblical book of Isaiah, Everson (religion, California Lutheran College, CA) and Kim (biblical studies, Methodist Theological School, Ohio) and their contributors examine the poetry and mysticism of the book. The poetic imagery and symbolism are looked at in terms of what the reader/listener would understand at the time of composition and how the perception of meaning has been adapted over the centuries. The book begins with an indictment of the sins of the Hebrew people but ends with a prophecy of hope and the renewal of Zion. Papers discuss the composition of Isaiah and its many symbolic references to food, marriage and the keeping of the covenant. The scholars, all well versed in biblical Hebrew, provide thoughtful insights into the enigmatic book that many Christians feel prefigures the coming of Jesus. The Society of Biblical Literature publishes the paperbound edition; Brill publishes the hardbound. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A. Joseph Everson is Professor of Religion at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California. Hyun Chul Paul Kim is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible in the Williams Chair of Biblical Studies at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Delaware, Ohio. The editors co-chair the Formation of the Book of Isaiah Group of the Society of Biblical Literature, from which these papers are drawn.