Isaiah 6 Analysis Essay

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Bible

Isaiah Chapter 6 addresses Isaiah's commission, and is a perfect example of the use of narrative structure, format, and style in the Hebrew Bible. A plethora of Tate's literary elements pertain directly to Isaiah, and reading Isaiah with Tate's elements in mind enhances understanding of the text. In particular, Isaiah 6 reflects Old Testament narratology: the method by which the story is being told. Hebrew narratology retains core elements, some of which are adhered to and some of which are subverted in Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6 is told from a first person point-of-view, evident from the first line: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple," (Isaiah 6:1). The first person point-of-view establishes a literary, thematic, and semantic bond between implied reader and implied narrator. Moreover, the first person point-of-view engenders trust. Isaiah is speaking to the reader personally, encouraging a personal response. The reader may situate himself or herself within the text. Finally, the narrative structure of Isaiah 6 differs from those in other sections of the Pentateuch precisely because of the point-of-view. The narrator is clearly defined, and speaks directly to the reader. In other Biblical passages, especially in the Old Testament, the narrator is less clearly defined.

Although Isaiah is the first person implied narrator, the passage of Isaiah 6 also uses the characteristic omniscient narrator employed throughout the Hebrew Bible, as Tate points out. Isaiah himself is not the omniscient narrator; rather, he is the implied author. The omniscient narrator that Tate refers to seems notably absent in Isaiah 6, which is told from a more personal point-of-view. Yet God fills the role of omniscience, as it is God who tells Isaiah what to do next, and Isaiah obeys. An intratextual and intertextual analysis reveals that there is an overarching agenda to the entire book and to the Pentateuch.

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This would be the Hebrew narrative structure that Tate refers to, and which provides underlying meaning and focus for the entire Bible. Yet Isaiah 6 also has what Tate calls organic unity: in which the form and content are sufficient in providing meaning.

Thus, Isaiah provides a complex narrative world. He offers narrative elements that extend beyond that of other books in the Pentateuch. For example, there is a distinct setting, plot, and structure in the exposition of what Isaiah is telling the reader. Isaiah starts out by establishing the narrative chronologically, situating it in space and time. The story begins with the death of King Uzziah, and it is implied that there is a power vacuum. Isaiah therefore foreshadows his being chosen by God to be a prophet. The inclusion of flying seraphim, "each with six wings," offers almost a caricature or stereotype of a moment of glory (Isaiah 6:2). Seraphim are angelic creatures, and they symbolize the spiritual power that Isaiah is ready to possess and wield in the world. Isaiah offers the implied reader narrative dialogue rather than relying solely on his own narrative voice.

Isaiah is not a static character with a single dominant trait, but a dynamic character whose life and perspective changes through the experiences described in his narrative. In Chapter 6, Isaiah experiences a violent paranormal shaking of the temple structure, which "was filled with smoke" as God manifests to him (Isaiah 6:4). In line 5, Isaiah assumes the stance of a humble human being, who trembles in the face of the Lord as he has been taught to do. Isaiah states, "Woe to me!...I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty," (Isaiah 6:5). This is an example of Isaiah's interiorization, as Tate would point out......

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