I've been studying out the Old Testament prophets recently; Daniel was extremely faith-building as I researched the historical accuracy and the arguments behind dating its writing. I'm working on Isaiah now, which is also amazing for its accuracy. However, I've come across theories such as one claiming there were two writers (as the book can be divided easily into two parts) who wrote in different centuries. What is your view on the subject? Other than the fact that we know Isaiah is inspired, what is (or where can I find) evidence that the prophecies are all from one man around the time of the reign of Hezekiah and a few of his predecessors? Am I taking the correct stance on the subject? -- Gina Guyer

Two authors or one, Isaiah is inspired by God.

Isaiah 8 actually indicates that his disciples were probably involved in "authoring" this book of prophecy. Liberal scholars (and many conservatives, too) claim that Isaiah 1-39 was written before the Assyrian conquest (700s BC), while chapters 40-66 were written after the return from the later Babylonian exile in the 500s.

The one-author hypothesis rightly emphasizes that holding that no writer or prophet could foresee what would happen in the future--and this bias seems to lie at the heart of the liberal claim--is to make a huge assumption. For more on this, see Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. The two-author option, held by Bible believers, takes into account the obvious implication of Isaiah 8, and I think it is probably the correct view.

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