Intertextuality
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 45:21-23, Philippians 2:5-11
Do you like learning new words? Well, maybe this one isn’t new to you, but it might be for some. The word is “intertextuality.” Intertextuality is the idea that a text’s meaning is shaped by another text, one that it is preceded by, and it is quoting or alluding to that earlier text. This can be a direct reference or merely an inference that is picked up by the reader who is familiar with the earlier text. When used in biblical studies, intertextuality is the idea that we recognize that the books of the Bible are interconnected. The later writers refer to and interpret the early writings.
Your Bible may have cross-reference notes in it. In part, that is what is meant by intertextuality. But it is more than just pointing out that one text might have similarities to another text. It is the realization that while the Bible has many human authors, it has One divine author, and from that we derive the understanding that since it has One Ultimate Author - God - He is telling one narrative and He is guiding the process by which that narrative is being revealed. Therefore, when we find connections between the writings of Paul and Isaiah, it is not merely that Paul saw something in Isaiah that he decided to include in his letters. It is God building on and giving more light to and interpreting what Isaiah wrote through the writings of Paul.
I gave you two texts this morning and if you read them, you see the principle of intertextuality being played out. You will notice that in both Isaiah and Paul, we find the statement, “every knee will bow, and every tongue shall swear allegiance,” or “every tongue will confess” in Philippians. In Philippians, it is clear Paul is writing about Jesus Christ, but when we go back to Isaiah and look at the text Paul is interpreting and expanding on, we find that Yahweh is speaking: “Thus says the LORD,” (verse 14); “O God of Israel, the Savior,” (verse 15); “For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens…” (verse 18); “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other…” (verse 22); etc.
That is the God who says “To me, every knee shall bow…” Yahweh, the God of Israel, the Savior, the Creator of heaven and earth, the I Am, the only God is the One who is speaking. Paul when he wrote Philippians chapter 2 was referencing Isaiah 45. He knew what he was doing. He was saying Jesus Christ is the One true God, the I Am, the Creator of heaven and earth, and so on. He is interpreting and shedding more light on Isaiah 45.
May this help you and become a part of what you are watching for as you read and study the Scriptures.
