Second Isaiah and the Aaronid Response to Judah's Exile (Forced Migrations)

The exile (forced migrations) of Judah provoked a specific set of theological reflections among the Aaronid tradents of the Priestly Torah. The poetic prophecies of Second Isaiah present us with an impressive sampling of these priestly reflections, revealing their particular themes, motifs, and concerns oriented on a theology of reverence before the numinous otherness of God. This paper will outline the social provenance of Second Isaiah's Aaronid tradents and examine several of the Aaronid marks characterizing Second Isaiah's unique handling of the exile. It will highlight the distinctiveness of Isaiah's theology of exile over against the very different approach to these forced migrations apparent in the book of Ezekiel and in the book of Jeremiah.