ProtoIsaiah

Proto-Isaiah is a scholarly designation for the earliest major portion of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to the prophet Isaiah of Jerusalem and dated to the 8th century BCE during the Assyrian crisis. In modern biblical scholarship, Proto-Isaiah typically refers to chapters 1–39, the material judged to originate in the prophet’s own time or within a close circle. Many scholars, however, view this section as a composite work shaped by later redactors before and during the Babylonian exile, while traditional attributions sometimes hold that the entire portion stems from Isaiah himself.

The content of Proto-Isaiah includes calls for repentance, ethical reform, and covenantal faithfulness, emphasizing sincere worship over ritualism. It contains oracles directed at Judah and Jerusalem as well as at surrounding nations, urging reliance on YHWH and opposing unjust social practices. The text blends judgment with promises of restoration and a hopeful future, and it contains early hints of messianic expectations and a Davidic king, themes that influence later prophetic books.

In scholarly practice, Proto-Isaiah is central to understanding the religious, political, and social milieu of Judah in the late 8th and early 7th centuries BCE, especially in response to Assyrian dominance. The term helps scholars analyze how the prophetic voice established authority, defined monotheism, and set literary patterns that recur in the later sections of Isaiah. For broader context, see also Deutero-Isaiah and Trito-Isaiah.