Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses
Date of Award
5-9-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
First Advisor
Dr. Lance Hawley
Abstract
The study examines Isaiah’s vision of “a new heavens and a new earth” (Isa 65:17). Isaiah’s vision is often understood as either wholly symbolic or purely futuristic; however, this study contends that the vision is both historically inaugurated in the post-exilic community and eschatologically consummated in the renewal of creation. Through textual analysis of the biblical text, it demonstrates that the restoration taking place in Jerusalem functions as the initial realization of YHWH’s broader cosmic purposes.
This study further traces the reception of Isaiah 65:17–25 in early Jewish and Christian literature, including 1 Enoch 91:16; Jubilees 1:29; Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 3:9–10; 2 Peter 3:10–13; Revelation 21:1–8; and Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho 80–81. While acknowledging points of discontinuity, it argues that these interpreters share a fundamentally this-worldly eschatological vision: creation will be renewed as the eternal dwelling of God and humanity. Together, these findings suggest a sustained trajectory in which Isaiah’s hope is neither abandoned nor radically reimagined; instead, it is further developed toward the same hope: YHWH will dwell in his cosmic temple.
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Recommended Citation
Nichols, Preston S., "The Reception History of Isaiah's “New Heavens and New Earth”: Isaiah 65:17–25 in Jewish and Early Christian Thought" (2026). Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses. 53.
https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-etd/53
