READ CAREFULLY BUT DO NOT UNDERSTAND:

 

ISAIAH 6:9-10 AND THE ETHICS OF READING

 

by

 

David C. L. Driedger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of

 

PROVIDENCE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

 

in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

 

MASTER OF DIVINITY

 

2004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

 

 

ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       vii

 

 

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      1

 

Chapter

 

1.          ETHICAL INTERPRETATION AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF KEVIN VANHOOZER
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     5

 

                        I. Text and Interpretation in Recent Times

II. God as Author, Jesus as Word: Vanhoozer’s

Metaphysics and Epistemology of Language

                        III. Vanhoozer’s Ethic of Reading

 

 

2.          THE “ORIGINAL” TEXT OF ISAIAH 6:9-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       30

 

3.          ISAIAH 6:9-10 IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       39

4.          ISAIAH 6:9-10 IN THE SEPTUAGINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       50

5.          ISAIAH 6:9-10 IN THE TARGUMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      68

6.          ISAIAH 6:9-10 IN THE NEW TESTAMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      77

                        I. Prolegomena to the Synoptics: The Parable of the Sower

                        II. Mark

                        III. Matthew

                        IV. Luke

                        V. John

                        VI. Acts

                        VII. Conclusion

 

7.          ISAIAH 6:9-10 AND ITS RECENT INTERPRETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   101

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   115

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   122

 

 

ABBREVIATIONS

 

 

ATR                 Robertson, A. T. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research. Nashville, 1934.

 

BAGD              Bauer, W., W. F. Gingrich, and F. W. Danker. A Greek-English

Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2d ed.  Chicago, 1979.

 

BHS                 Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Edited by K. Ellinger and W.

Rudolf. 5th ed. Stuttgart, 1997.

 

BHSyn             Waltke, Bruce and M. O’Connor. An Introduction to Biblical

Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990.

 

Bib                   Biblica

 

BibInt              Biblical Interpretation

 

CBQ                Catholic Biblical Quarterly

 

CRB                 Critical Review of Books

 

GKC                Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch.

Translated by A. E. Cowley. 2d. ed. Oxford, 1910.

 

GöttIsa            Isaias. Edited by Joseph Ziegler. 3d ed. Göttigen, 1983.

 

HUBIsa           The Hebrew University Bible: The Book of Isaiah. Edited by Mosher Goshen-Gottstein. Jerusalem, 1995.

 

Jastrow           Jastrow, M. A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli

and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature. New York, 1989.

 

JBL                  Journal of Biblical Literature

 

JETS                Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

 

JSNT               Journal for the Study of the New Testament

 

JR                    Journal of Religion

 

JTS                  Journal of Theological Studies

 

NA²⁷                Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland, 27th ed.

 

pm                   permulti = very many other manuscripts

 

SJT                  Scottish Journal of Theology

 

TSR                  Trinity Seminary Review

 

VT                   Vetus Testamentum

 

WTJ                 Westminster Theological Journal

 

ZAW                Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft