Woe unto the Empire. Isaiah 5,8-24 as a postcolonial prophecy

Abstract

This in-depth study takes on the task of finding a postcolonial voice in the socio-political critique of Isaiah 5,8-24. For this purpose, the paper gathers insights from postcolonial thinkers and applies them with the help of a historical-critical exegesis. Said, Spivak and Bhabha are introduced as the most relevant theorists in this context and are therefore discussed prior to the work with the text. Furthermore, a comparison of Hebrew and Assyrian prophecies takes place to highlight peculiarities in the phenomenon of ancient Middle Eastern prophecy and to begin the search for the subaltern in prophetic literature. Subsequently, the outcome of these two preceding steps is employed alongside historical-critical method.