"Dennis Sansom’s use of Isaiah to develop a uniquely Christian theology of history is a word in due season. Amid the current disillusion over the future of our planet, the rise and fall of nations, their self-serving leaders and military conflicts, Sansom reminds us that the Lord is still at work bringing good out of evil, wresting joy and redemption from the pit of despair, leading people ever onward toward the New Jerusalem—and using our free moral agency and best efforts to do so, despite their limitations. He helps us to think like the prophet Isaiah, whose preaching on the eve of the fall of Jerusalem is full of ancient wisdom on the providence of God in the midst of great chaos. This book will be an encouragement to thoughtful Christian laity, especially sensitive souls overwhelmed by the destruction of our natural environments and civilizing projects. Sansom writes from several decades of experience as a professor of philosophy at Samford and a regular preacher and teacher in many church settings. I commend his project with enthusiasm."
Douglas A. Sweeney | Dean and Professor of Divinity 
Beeson Divinity School

"This book abounds with hope. From his formidable grasp of philosophy and history, Dennis more than meets a lofty goal by helping us think like Isaiah and discern the ways God has acted in real time across different periods and peoples. We are brought again and again to our great, eschatological hope: God is the Lord of human history. Rather than misplacing our hope in some sort of progress, with Isaiah we can discern how the eschaton heals history’s “long arc” and recognize the dramatic interruptions which are the actions of God. This is a timely, welcome, and helpful aid."
Gil Kracke | Director of Programs and Parish Life 
Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, Alabama

"As someone who regularly teaches on the Prophets (Intro to the Prophets happens to be my upper level offering this very fall), I can attest that few biblical books manage to be as frustrating as Isaiah. On the one hand, the book is undeniably beautiful. Although it is surely the work of several hands, each of those varied hands writes in a style that is both elegant and captivating. On the other hand, the book’s structure seems almost deliberately obtuse. Its leaps across literary genres and historical settings in a way that can be positively bewildering. The result of this is that the book as a whole can prove quite difficult to understand. Its individual snatches of poetry remain as powerful as ever, but its overall message can prove exceedingly elusive.
It is in arena of plumbing the overall message of the book that Dennis Sansom’s volume on Isaiah proves so valuable. Sansom has so imbibed the text of Isaiah that he proves to be an able guide in helping readers understand the way both the various Isaiahs who authored the book and the book as a whole “think.”
Equally valuable in this regard is the way Sansom’s philosophical expertise allows him to connect the message of the biblical book to modern political and ideological movements. Sansom knows the critical issues in Isaiah well enough and deftly addresses them where they are relevant for understanding the text. Where he really shines, though, is in his ability to show how the prophet’s message bumps up against a Marx here or a Nietzsche there, a Manifest Destiny’s optimism or a Stoic’s reserve. In this regard, Sansom’s approach fits well alongside the approaches of a Brueggemann or Heschel.
Especially in light of Sansom's wedding of modern political and philosophical understanding with a perceptive reading of the biblical text, I am happy to recommend this work for publication. Students of Isaiah will benefit greatly from it."
Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D. | Professor of Biblical Studies
Department of Biblical and Religious Studies