The prophet of Third Isaiah subsequently calls for the boundary mark-
ers of the faith community to be re-defi ned in the light of the impact
of the exile. The Spirit-empowered prophet now calls those marginalized
by the exile and traditionally disqualifi ed from access to the Temple to
join as honored participants. The conditional acceptance of the gentiles
requires that this previously excluded group now also practice faithfulness
to the Torah, described here as keeping “covenant.” It is a little ironic
that for the community to be included they need to be adopting a cov-
enant that includes faithfulness to texts that exclude them. Yet, for the
prophet, this does not seem to be an issue. Perhaps this is because an
underlying assumption in the inclusion of the gentiles and eunuchs is that
these groups are already practicing a level of, or at least willing to prac-
tice, faithfulness to the Torah, particularly the prioritization of particular
requirements such as keeping the Sabbath. Alternatively, it may be that
some of the specifi cs of Deuteronomy have been nullifi ed as the post-exilic
community re-reads these injunctions in the light of the new context of
exile and its application to the diverse geographic communities of those
located in Jerusalem, those returning from the diaspora and those still liv-
ing in the diaspora. Despite these conjectures, clearly the Spirit is doing
something new among these minority groups. Their very application to be
included in the community suggests that the Spirit is active among these
groups. Therefore, to adjudicate this application for inclusion, the prophet
utilizes three main components in Isaiah 56. These three components are
not unknown to this discussion but refl ect those identifi ed by Thomas in
his discussion of Acts 15.
The announcement of the prophet to include the gentiles and eunuchs
can be seen to comprise the three components utilized by the Council of
Jerusalem, as highlighted by Thomas. It includes the Spirit (noting the
actions of God in stirring the hearts of foreigners to desire to join the
worshipping community and for eunuchs to re-join), experience (return
from exile) and text (an inference to one that is not in agreement with
the work of the Spirit). In light of the above discussion, it is the role of
experience in Isaiah 56:1–8 that is of most interest at this point. Like the
situation of the Council of Jerusalem, the experience to be considered
includes not just the work of the Spirit but also the context of the situa-
tion. The communities of Isaiah 56:1–8 were not living in a vacuum, but
were products of the international political situation of the ancient Near
East. The community was engaging not only the Torah as they wrestled
with this question of the inclusion of the gentiles and eunuchs but also
WHEN THE SPIRIT TRUMPS TRADITION: A PENTECOSTAL READING OF ISAIAH... 151