Isaías 7,14 no texto massorético e no texto grego: a obra de Joachim Becker

Resumo

In his work, Isaias, the Prophet and his Book (coll. Stuttgarter Bibel Studien n.° 30, Stuttgart, 1968), Joachim Becker maintains that the Proto-Isaias, as it has come down to us in the Hebrew original, is a rereading of the text carried out in exilic and post-exilic times. Its actual message is different from that of the prophet's VIIIth. cent. original. The Author considers Isaias to have been a court prophet, similar, for example, to Nathan. The prophetic words of «judgement» and of national «perdition» are, therefore, the product of an institutional prophecy and of the prophetic service carried out at court. Thus Is. 9,5 would not originally have refered to a physical childbirth, nor to the fulfilment of Is. 7,14, but to the «birth of the king» in accordance with the oriental kingship ideology taken up by Yahwism. Redactional work appears in certain themes and motifs, as for example, the people as object of God's graciousness returning to their land in a new Exodus; the instalment of Yahweh's kingship in Sion; the return from exile seen, in number and power, as a miraculous event. Yahweh's theocracy is clearly accentuated (Is. 24,23; 33,17.22; 52,7). Having studied the text of Is. 7,14 in the light of its surrounding context (Is 4,2; 10,17-19; 11, 10; 28,6), we agree in general outline with J. Bccker, but have many reservations to make on certain exegetical details. Mainly, we would like to underline the originality of the LXX translation in relation to our Hebrew text, for it represents a rereading and an interpretation in a very different historical and theological context. The «rest» theme is now the centre of attraction, for it is considered as being accomplished in the translator's own lifetime. It is a small and poor «rest», living in diaspora and suffering the injustices of the impious classe of its people. These injustices are regarded, in the light of faith, as coming from God's hand to purify it. In the LXX reading of Is. 7,14, the «virgin» is really the new Israel, the holy rest, not clearly distinguishable from her son, Emmanuel. Just as the «daughter of Sion» stands for the city and for its people, so now the «virgin» stands for the holy rest, the new people of God. The «virgin» is a personified reality and not an individual. The name, Emmanuel, can be related to the «new name» mentioned in Is. 65,15, and to the «holy rest» which has God with it (Is. 8,10). If the historical exegesis of the VIIIth. cent. Hebrew original is already different from that of the Masoretic Text of the exilic or post-exilic period, the historical exegesis of the LXX takes a further step forward and in turn actualizes the Masoretic Text taking up its general line of thought, that is, always supposing we agree in outline with J. Becker's exegesis. It is probable the LXX understood the new dimension of their contemporary text (MT) and, therefore, followed the same perspective. In that case no more was done than carry on the hermencutical line already laid down, altering here and there the received text in order to underline further the theological concept of the «rest», «the new people of God», identified as «God-with-us». In this way it is understandable that Is. 7,25 and Is. 7,4 should have been altered by the introduction of new, positive, salvific elements.