Isaiah is a massive book and certainly one of the most influential works in the canon. One can hardly hope, however, to cover it in depth in a single semester. The aims of this course are therefore:
a. primarily, to acquaint students with the leading themes of the multifaceted message of Isaiah, noting in particular both their continuity and development throughout, and thereby providing students with a sense of the unity and diversity of material within the overall purpose of the book;
b. to assist students in understanding the relevance of the various Isaianic concerns to the life of the people of God in the contemporary world and in so doing to highlight ways in which the book can be preached both in the church and the world.
c. secondarily, when the occasion arises to articulate the theological contribution of Isaiah to the NT by examining the ways in which numerous Isaianic texts have profoundly shaped the message of NT authors (e.g. Isa 6 in the Gospels and Acts; the use of the so-called Messianic prophecies), and to discuss the problems related thereto.

Rikk E. Watts is Professor of New Testament at Regent College. He is author of a recently published book on the use of Isaiah in the Gospel of Mark entitled Isaiah's New Exodus and Mark.