An Egyptian View of the Monotheism of Second Isaiah

Abstract: This article reexamines the contested issue of the nature of the monotheism of Second Isaiah. I approach this subject with an interdisciplinary method that compares the declarations of monotheism in Second Isaiah with those in ancient Egyptian religious texts (primarily hymns). I argue that the Egyptian material may illuminate the monotheistic declarations of Second Isaiah by setting those declarations in a cross-cultural ancient Near Eastern rhetorical context. This comparative approach reinforces the reading of the text that sees Second Isaiah's monotheism as a monotheism of perspective that exalts Yhwh above the gods of the nations, rather than as a strict ontological monotheism that altogether denies the existence of deities other than Yhwh. This article, accordingly, makes the additional case for the utility of Egyptian evidence in topics related to critical biblical scholarship.