READING ISAIAH

Edgar W. Conrad

"Edgar Conrad's book is an act of considerable methodo-logical courage. It seeks to articulate with sustained argu-ment and with textual specificity an interpretation of the Book of Isaiah that reflects a drastically changed interpretative situation. His argument reflects on how far we have moved in Old Testament studies in a short time. Conrad shows how asking different questions of the Book of Isaiah permits our hearing afresh. His is a remarkable achievement, well written, thoughtful, irenic while daring. His is a major marker in the new season of Isaiah interpretation, sure to invite and generate more work in new directions..... Conrad shows a way in which careful interpretative work may permit the Bible a serious hearing in a larger, more dangerous, more urgent arena."