Introduction

the world of Isaiah

Raymond Cohen

Raymond Westbrook

pp. 1-14

in: Raymond Cohen, Raymond Westbrook (eds), Isaiah's vision of peace in biblical and modern international relations, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008

Abstract

The image of swords being beaten into plowshares, of weapons transformed into agricultural implements, is one of the most powerful metaphors in the Bible. For over 2,500 years Isaiah's prophecy of a peaceful, disarmed mankind has inspired Jews and Christians alike. His scenario of harmony between predator and prey, and the replacement of violence by cooperation, has become part of the heritage of Western civilization. "The wish lor a world without war has long been the dominant theme in normative thinking about international relations. (Andrew Hurrell in his chapter in this volume reviews the debate on world order and global governance.)