son, these eunuchs have now left the imperial service and returned to the
wasteland of Jerusalem. That these possible compromisers have returned
back to Judah, itself symbolic of repentance, now expresses a clear yearning
to be re-instated into the worshipping community. Yet, rather than refer to
previous injunctions (known from the Torah tradition) to their inclusion
in the community and counter to the dominant Babylonian culture from
which the community was emerging, the prophet offers a merciful resolu-
tion by focusing on the new situation and seeming work of the Spirit in
re-establishing these minority groups into the worshipping community.
It has been suggested by scholars such as Achtemeier and Hanson, 22
that Third Isaiah offers one side of an argument and one possible resolu-
tion to this topic. The community was clearly not in consensus over this
issue as they presented competing visions for the future. The alternative
approach of Ezra and Nehemiah in the post-exilic situation in removing
foreign infl uences from the community reinforces this perspective. While
proponents such as the Ezra-Nehemiah tradition may insist on commu-
nity purity (described by some as an “ethnic cleansing”) and exclusivity, 23
the vision presented by Third Isaiah is of a unifi ed community in which
every member is included, valued and awarded dignity. It is a commu-
nity dedicated to Torah obedience, marked by an inclusive love of neigh-
bor regardless of ethnicity or disability. As Brueggemann notes, “What
is remarkable is that our text voices a counterurging that directly, per-
haps intentionally, fl ies in the face of the old torah [sic] provisions.” 24
While the response of the Lukan community to confl ict was to initiate a
council of the apostles and elders (Acts 15) as the Spirit at Pentecost had
been democratized, in the pre-Pentecost community of Third Isaiah, the
solution was to hear the voice of the prophet (singular). Therefore, for
the post-exilic community of Third Isaiah in confl ict over a theological
issue, the prophet offers a solution. Despite the seemingly clear injunc-
tion of the earlier Torah tradition, the prophet offers these two minority
groups a place within the community, thereby overruling the previous
Torah (specifi cally Deuteronomist) tradition. For the prophet, “this” situ-
ation is clearly not “that.” It is a new context and new experience, and so
previous solutions to theological and ethical issues cannot be assumed.
The Spirit at work in the Isaian community is clearly doing something
different. The response of the prophet takes into consideration the new
context. Therefore, the solution is to include these previously excluded
groups, albeit with conditions.
150 J. GREY