669 



ISAIAH. 



ISMAEL. 



870 





his uame, it is nearly certain that the prophecies are not arranged at 

 present in the order in which they were delivered. The sixth chapter 

 apparently contains an account of the inauguration of the prophet 

 in his sacred office, and appears to have been the first prophecy that 

 was published by him. The twenty-second chapter consists of two 

 separate parts which have no connection with each other, and were 

 probably published at different times ; the former half of the chapter 

 (1-14) containing a prediction of the invasion of the Medea and 

 Persians, while the latter half gives an account of the disgrace of a 

 courtier of the name of Shebna during the reign of Hezekiah. It is 

 therefore difficult to give any connected account of the contents of the 

 book ; but the following arrangement, taken from Gesenius, is perhaps 

 the best upon the whole. 



The first part (i.-xii.) principally consists of prophecies relating 

 immediately to the Jewish people ; the second part (xiii.-xxiii.) contains 

 predictions against the Babylonians, Assyrians, Philistines, Moabites, 

 Syrians, Egyptians, and other foreign nations ; the third part (xxiv.- 

 xxxv.), with an historical appendix (xxxvi-xxxviii), containing an 

 account of the invasion of Sennacherib, contains prophecies of the 

 invasion of Judsea by the Babylonians, of the destruction of Jerusalem, 

 the captivity of the people, and then- final restoration to their native 

 country ; the fourth part (xi-lxvi.) principally refers to tho restoration 

 of tho church ; it contains many prophecies respecting the deliverance 

 of the Jews from captivity, the destruction of idols, the spread of the 

 true religion over the earth, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the 

 coming of the Messiah. 



The prophecies of Isaiah have always been held in great venera- 

 tion by the Jews. Jesus, the son of Sirach, speaks of Isaiah as "a 

 prophet great and faithful in his vision, who saw by an excellent spirit 

 what should come to pass at the last, and comforted them that 

 mourned in Sion. He showed what should come to pass for ever, and 

 secret things before they came." (Ecclesiusticus, xlviii. 22-25.) 

 Joaephus and 1'hilo frequently speak of laaiah in terms of the 

 greatest respect; and his prophecies are constantly quoted by the 

 writers of the New Testament. Sou Matt i 22, 23, compared with 

 Is. vii 14; Matt. iii 3, with Is. xl. 3; Matt iv. 14-16, with Is. ix. 

 1. -1; xlii 7; Matt. viii. 17, with Is. liii 4; Matt xiii 14, 15, with 

 Is. vi. 9, 10 ; Matt xxi 13, with Is. IvL 7; Luke, iv. 17-19, with Is. 

 Ixi 1-3 ; Acts, xiii. 34, with la. Iv. 3 ; Acts, xxviii 25-27, with Is. vi. 

 9, 10; Horn. ix. 27, 28, with Is. x. 22; Rom. ix. 29, with Is. i. 9 ; 

 Rom. ix. 33, with Is. viii. 14 ; Rom. x. 16, with Is. liii 1 ; Rom. x. 

 20, 21, with Is. Ixv. 1, 2; 1 Cor. L 19, 20, with Is. xliv. 25; 2 Peter, 

 iii. 13, with Is. Ixv. 17. 



A considerable part of the prophecies of Isaiah are supposed by 

 most Christian divines to relate to the Messiah. The following list 

 is taken from Gray 'a 'Key to the Old Testament,' pp. 369, 370; the 

 divine character of Chriat (vii. 14 ; ix. 6; xxxv. 4; xL 5, 9, 10 ; xlii. 

 6-S ; Ixi. 1 ; Ixii. 11 ; Ixiii 1-4) ; his miracles (xxxv. 5, 6) ; his peculiar 

 qualities and virtues (ix. 2, 3 ; xl. 11; xliii 1-3); his rejection (vL 

 'J-l ii; viii. 14, 15; liii. 3); his sufferings for tho sins of man (liiL 

 4-11) ; his death, burial (liii. 8, 9), and victory over death (xxxv. 8 ; 

 liii. 10-12); his final glory (xlix. 7, 22, 23; Iii 13-15; liii 4, 5), and 

 the establishment, increase (ii 2-4 ; ix. 7 ; xlii 4 ; xlvi. 13), and per- 

 fection (ix. 2-7; xi 4-10; xvi 5; xxix. 18-24; xxxii 1 ; xi 4, 5; 

 xlix. 9-13; Ii 3-6; Iii 8-10; Iv. 1-3; lix. 16-21; Ix. ; Ixi. 1-5; Ixv. 

 his kingdom. Tho number of Isaiah's prophecies relating to 

 the Messiah was thought by Jerome to be so numerous and import- 

 ant, that he says, in his preface to the book, that Isaiah ought rather 

 to be called an Evangelist than a prophet ; and many modern com- 

 mentators give him the title of the Evangelical Prophet 



The stylo of Isaiah is said by Lowth (' Prelect.,' xxi.) " to abound 

 in such transcendent excellencies, tbat he may be properly said to 

 afford the most perfect model of the prophetic poetry. He is at once 

 elegant and sublime, forcible and ornamented ; he unites energy with 

 copiousness, and dignity with variety. In his sentiments there is 

 uncommon elevation and majesty; in his imagery the utmost pro- 

 priety, elegance, dignity, and diversity; in his language, uncommon 

 beauty and energy ; and notwithstanding the obscurity of bis subjects 

 a surprising degree of clearness and simplicity. To these we may 

 add that there is such sweetness in the poetical composition of his 

 sentences, whether it proceed from art or genius, that if the Hebrew 

 poetry at present is possessed of any remains of its native grace and 

 harmony, we shall chiefly find them in the writings of Isaiah." 



In addition to the book of prophecies, Isaiah is also said to have 

 written the lives of Uzziah (2 Chron. xxvi 22) and Hezekiah (2 

 Chron. xxxii. 32). The former work is entirely lost ; but we probably 

 possess the greater part, if not tho whole, of the latter in chapters 

 xxxvi-xxxviii. of his prophecies. 



We learn from the Fathers that several apocryphal works which 

 were in circulation in the early ages of the Christian era, were attri- 

 buted to Isaiah. An Ethiopia translation of one of these works 

 entitled the 'Ascension of Isaiah,' which was originally written in 

 Greek, and is quoted by Epiphanius (' llccres,' xl. 2) and Jerome 

 ('Commentary upon Is. Ixiv. 4'), was published for the first time by 

 In: Laurence, Oxf. 1819, 8vo. This work contains an account of 

 tho prophet's ascension through the firmament and the six heavens 

 into tho seventh, and also of his martyrdom during the reign of 

 lUlMMMh, 



(The Introductions of Eichhorn, Jahn, de Wette, Augusti, and 

 Home ; Vitringa, Commentarius in Librum Proph. Isaice, 2 vols. fol. 

 1714-1720; Lowth, Isaiah, Lond. 1778, frequently reprinted ; there is 

 a good German translation of this work with many additions by 

 Koppe, 4 vols. 1779-1781 ; Doderlein, Esaias, 8vo, 3rd. ed., 1789, with 

 excellent notes ; Rosenmiiller, Scholia ; Gesenius, Der Prophet Jesaia, 

 iibersetzt und mil einem vollitundigen philologisch-critischen und histo- 

 risctien Commentar begleitet, Leip. 1821-29, &c.) 



ISIDORE of Charas lived probably in the 1st century of our era. 

 It appears from Athenxus ('Deip.' iii) that he wrote an account of 

 the Parthian empire, of which there is only a small part extant, 

 entitled the ' Parthian Halting-places." This work gives a list of tbe 

 eighteen provinces into which the Parthian empire was divided, with 

 the principal places in each province, and the distances between each 

 town. This list was probably taken from official records, such as 

 appear, from the list of provinces, &c., in Herodotus, to have been 

 kept in the ancient Persian empire. 



The ' Parthian Halting-places ' has been printed iu the second 

 volume of Hudson's 'Geographiaa veteris Scriptores Grseci Minores,' 

 with a dissertation by Dodwell ; and in the collections of the minor 

 geographers by Hbschel (1600) and Miller (1839). There is also a 

 ' Meinoire ' on Isidore by Sainte-Croix in the 50th volume of tho 

 ' Acaddmie des Belles-Lettres ; ' and some remarks on the ' Parthian 

 Halting-places ' in the ' Journal of Education," vol. ii. p. 305, where 

 the question of the site of Ecbatana is discussed and determined. 



ISIDORE, SAINT, of Pelusium in Egypt, lived in the first half of 

 the 5th century, and wrote, according to Suidas (' Isidorus ') " 3000 

 epistles, explaining the divine Scriptures." Upwards of 2000 are still 

 extant; they are for the most part very short, and contain many 

 repetitions. They have been published in Greek and Latin by Scuolt, 

 Paris, 1638. Dr. Heumann has published a ' Dissertation on Isidore ' 

 (Hanover, 173S, 4to), in which he argues that most of the letters are 

 fictitious, and not a real correspondence. 



ISIDORE, SAINT, Bishop of Seville, in Spain, from 595 or 596 to 

 636, one of the most celebrated of the Spanish bishops, was born at 

 Carthagena. He was well acquainted with Greek and Hebrew, and 

 was considered by the council of Toledo (650) as the most learned 

 man of his age. The style of his works is however not very clear, and 

 his judgment appears to have been very defective. 



The most important of his works are 'A Chronicle from the 

 Beginning of the World to A.D. 626 ; ' 'A Book of Ecclesiastical 

 Writers,' in 33 chapters ; ' Three Books of Opinions, selected from 

 the Writings of the Fathers, and especially from St Gregory ; ' 'Com- 

 mentaries upon the Historical Books of the Old Testament ; ' ' Alle- 

 gories on the Old and New Testaments;' ' Two Books of Ecclesiastical 

 Duties,' printed in the ' De divinis Catholics) Eeclesise Officiis ac 

 Ministeriis,' Cologne, 1568; ' A Book of Prolegomena to the Old and 

 New Testaments;' ' Twenty Books of Origiues or Etymologies,' which 

 wero left unfinished, and were published after his death by ISraulio, 

 bishop of Saragoza ; the first edition of this work was published at 

 Augsburg, 1472. 



The works of Isidore have been published by Du Uruul, Paris, 

 1601, and Cologne, 1617; at Madrid, 1778; and by Arevali, Rome, 

 1797-1803. 



ISMAEL, from whom originated the ISMAELITES, or ISMAELIANS, 

 originally a branch of the Shiites, or followers of ALI BEN AEI TALEB, 

 was the elder sou of Djafar Madeck, the sixth Imaum in a direct line 

 from Ali On the death of Ismael, Djafar Madeck appointed his 

 younger son Mousa to be his successor. This caused a schism among 

 the Shiites iu the second century of the Hegira. Those who con- 

 tended that the office of Imaum ought to have descended to the 

 posterity of Ismael, and not to his younger brother, were called 

 Ismaelites, and also Karmathi and Batcnis ; in Persia they were called 

 Talimis, from the word Talimi, which means ' learning," because they 

 maintained, contrary to the orthodox Mussulmans, that man can learn 

 the truth only by studying. They established two powerful dynasties, 

 one in Egypt [FATIJUDES], and another in the Irak Ajemi, a part of 

 Persia, the capital of which was Casbin. The Assassins of Persia and 

 Syria were a fanatical sect of Ismaelites. The Ismaelites of Persia, 

 Syria, and Arabia had frequent wars against the Abbaside kalifs and 

 the other Sunneo Mussulmans, until the dynasty of Casbiu was over- 

 thrown by the Tartars about the middle of the 13th century. After 

 that time the Ismaelites became scattered through Asia, maintaining 

 their tenets, and observing their rites in concealment and obscurity. 

 Their tenets appear to have been of a loose kind ; they were the free- 

 thinkers of Mohammedanism. At the end of the last century they 

 were still existing in Persia, and had their imautu at lihakh, a village 

 m the district of Khom, enjoying the protection of the shah, although 

 considered as heretics by the Persian Shiites. They had followers 

 even in India. (J. F. Kousseau, 'Memoire sur les Isrnaelis et les 

 Nosairis," with notes by De Sacy.) Those of Syria have continued to 

 live in the mountains of Semmak, which join Lebanon, and their 

 chief place was Maszyad, near Hamah, on the Orontes. The Druses 

 are supposed by some to be a ramification of the old Ismaolites, but 

 they are a distinct people, both in their religious and social character, 

 from the present Ismaeliaus. In 1809 the Nosairis, another sect living 

 in the same mountainous tract, took Maszyad by surprise, murdered 

 the emir, with most of the Ismaeliaii inhabitants, and carried off a 



