would, as such, normally be carried no further than notice of the differences, and an attempt to interpret them as corroborative of the other types of argument. The linguistic argument always was conceded to be the weakest of the three types, and its cogency is today as minimal as ever. Furthermore, if the other two types of argument are shown to have feet of clay, the independent value of the literary argument is virtually nil. Isaiah’s Life and Times There is not the slightest debate about the historical