Prophetic Polyphony

Uniting the study of allusion with that of literary form in a prophetic book, Peter A. Heasley treats three passages long compared in form criticism and overlooked in allusion studies: Isa41,8-16.17-20, 43,1-7, and 44,1-5. Through the specific method of allusion criticism that he develops, he demonstrates how the author of these Salvation Oracles composes them using the stylistic patterns of the very passages to which they allude. This helps identify many new inner-biblical allusions, especially to the Psalms of Lament, Psalms of Praise, and Historical Hymns. The author brings these exegetical findings into an interpretative approach to form adapted from Bakhtinian dialogism, especially in its distinction between compositional form and architectonic form.