Isaiah Begins Prophecy
740 BC
📂 BIBLICAL
📖 About This Event
Isaiah, son of Amoz, began his prophetic ministry in Jerusalem during the year King Uzziah died (approximately 740 BC). His calling vision (Isaiah 6) is one of the most profound theological visions in all of Scripture. Isaiah saw the Lord 'high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple.' Seraphim cried out, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'—a doxology that the Catholic Church repeats at every Mass. The smoke from the altar filled the temple, and Isaiah cried, 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!'
A seraph touched Isaiah's lips with a live coal from the altar and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.' Then the Lord asked, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' And Isaiah answered, 'Here I am! Send me.' Isaiah's prophecy would span approximately 40 years, covering the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and addressing the Assyrian threat, the fall of Jerusalem, the Babylonian exile, and the coming of the Messiah.
Isaiah is the most 'Christian' of the Old Testament prophets, with more messianic prophecies than any other book. The Suffering Servant passages (Isaiah 52-53) are read at every Catholic Easter Vigil. Key Scripture: Isaiah 6; Isaiah 53; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 4:17-21; CCC 420-421
📜 Key Facts
Date
740 BC
Category
Biblical
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