From Propaganda to Apocalypse. An Empirical Model for the Formation of Isaiah 24-27

This paper suggests a new empirical model for the formation of Isaiah 24-27 on the basis of the demonstrable redaction and apocalyptic reinterpretations of propagandistic royal literature in the Hellenistic period. It concludes that the core of Isaiah 24-27 is Josianic, and that it only came to be understood as apocalyptic in the Hellenistic period, possibly through the excision of historical references from the text. A number of texts from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant demonstrate the deep ancient Near Eastern roots of Isaiah 24-27's imagery. One of those texts, the »Potter's Oracle« underwent a process of composition and redaction through which it was de-historicized and came to appear »apocalyptic« - a process that may parallel the textual history of Isaiah 24-27.