Is the prophet Isaiah a magician? On the question on the interpretation of 2 Samuel 20.1–11 (=isa 38.1–21)

Annotation

This article is devoted to an important question of whether the prophet was Isaiah a magician? This problem is relevant for theology and biblical studies, as well as for the history of religion. The paper examines a specific biblical passage, 2 Samuel 20.1–11 (=Isa 38.1–21). This passage is not chosen arbitrary, since it is here that the healing of King Hezekiah by the prophet Isaiah is narrated, and Rüdiger Schmitt, a well-known German biblical scholar, interprets this narrative as «magic» of the prophet. The paper is devoted to refuting the German scholar’s position. On the basis of textual criticism, the paper suggests that the verses telling about the «magic» of the prophet are later interpolations to the story. It is also noted that this is the only biblical passage that can be interpreted as Isaiah’s «magic», which shows the weakness of Schmitt’s position (a single fact shouldn’t be generalized). The article is intended to provide an insight the role and significance of the prophet Isaiah in Hebrew religious history.

Keywords

prophet Isaiah, King Hezekiah, magic, healing, Old Testament, textual criticism, canonical approach.

Literature

1. Ben-Noun, L. L. (2003). Figs — the earliest known ancient drug for cutaneous anthrax. In: Annals of Pharmacotherapy. 37(2). S. 297–300. (In English)
2. Berges, U., Beuken, W. A. (2016). Das Buch Jesaja: Eine Einführung. 4647. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN: 978–3–8252–4647–1. (In German)
3. Brueggemann, W. (2012). 1 & 2 Kings: a commentary. Macon: Smyth & Helwys Publ. 668 s. (In English)
4. Burrows, M. (ed.). (2005). The Dead Sea Scrolls of St. Mark’s Monastery. Isaiah Manuscript and the Habakkuk Commentary. New York. P. XIII–XIV. (In Hebrew)
5. Childs, B. S. (1978). The canonical shape of the prophetic literature. In: Interpretation. 32(1). S. 46–55. (In English)
6. Hoffer, V. (1992). An exegesis of Isaiah 38.21. In: Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. 17(56). S. (In English)
7. Kalimi, I. (2005). The Date of the Book of Chronicles: Biblical Text, Elephantine Papyri and ElIbrahimiah’s Aramaic Grave Inscription. In: An Ancient Israelite Historianю Leiden: Brill. S. 41–65. (In English)
8. Kasher, R. (2001). The Sitz im Buch of the Story of Hezekiah’s Illness and Cure (II Reg 20, 1–11; Isa 38, 1–22). In: Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. 113. S. 41–55. (In English)
9. Kutscher, E. Y. (1982). A history of the Hebrew language. Leiden: Brill Publ. 335 s. (In English)
10. Long, B. O. (1991). 2 Kings. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. 10. 338 s. (In English)
11. Malinowski, B. K. (2015). Magiya, nauka i religiya [Magic, Science and Religion]. Moscow: Akademicheskii proekt Publ. 298 s. (Russian translation)
12. Montgomery, J. A., Gehman, H. S. (1951). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Books of Kings. Edinburgh: T. & T. CLARK. 576 s. (In English)
13. Pereira, G. C. (2015). An Evaluation of the Canonical Approach: Is it adequate for the task of Old Testament theology in Christian hermeneutic endeavour? In: Scriptura: Journal for Contextual Hermeneutics in Southern Africa. 114(1). S. 1–12. (In English)
14. Person, R. F. (1997). The Kings–Isaiah and Kings–Jeremiah Recensions. Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter Publ. 252. 138 p. (In English)
15. Person, R. F. J. (1999). II Kings 18–20 and Isaiah 36–39: a text critical case study in the redaction history of the book of Isaiah. In: Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. 111. S. 373–379. (In English)
16. Rahlfs, A. (ed.). (1979). Septuaginta. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. ISBN: 3–438–05121–4. (In Ancient Greek)
17. Rofé, A. (1991). Storie di profeti. La narrativa sui profeti nella Bibbia ebraica: generi letterari e storia. Brescia: Paideia. 266 s. (In Italian)
18. Rudolph, W., Elliger, К., Kittel, R. (eds.). (1997). Biblia hebraica Stuttgartensia = Tôrā, nevî’îm û-ketûvîm. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. 1646 s. (In Hebrew)
19. Schmitt, R. (2004). Magie im Alten Testament. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag. 313. ISBN: 3–934628–52–4. (In German)
20. Schmitt, R. (2006). Magie (AT). In: Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet. URL: https://bibelwissenschaft.de/stichwort/25310 (accessed: 22.09.23). (In German)
21. Smelik, K. A. (1986). Distortion of Old Testament prophecy: The purpose of Isaiah xxxvi and xxxvii. In: Crises and perspectives. Cambridge: Brill Publ. S. 70–93. (In English)
22. Zakovitch, Y. (1985). Assimilation in Biblical Narratives. In: Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism. Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publ. S. 175–196. (In English)
23. Zenger, E. (2008). Svoeobrazie i znachenie izrail’skih prorokov [Eigenart und Bedeutung der Prophetie Israels]. In: Vvedenie v Vethii Zavet [Einleitung in das Alte Testament]. Moscow: BBI Publ. S. 541–555. (Russian translation)