Isaacus. See Isaac LE\TrA.
Isabella of Castile, queen of Spain, one of the most celebrated characters of the 15th century, deserves our notice on account of the part she acted in the relig- ious history of Spain, and those dominions subject to her rule. Isabella, born April 23, 1541, was the daugh- ter of John 11, king of Castile and Leon. In 14G9 she married Ferdinand V, surnamed '• the Catholic," king of Aragon. She was not the heir-apparent to the throne on the death of her father in 1481, as she had an elder sister. But, assisted by the powerful armies of her hus- band, a man of some sterling qualities, but of very lit- tle conscience, she succeeded in ascending the throne. Mr. Prescott and most modern historians seek to re- lieve her of the stigma that she was responsible for the cruelties that were inflicted on those of her sub- jects who chose to differ with the Church of Rome in their worship of their divine Maker. It seems certain that she was deceived by tlie Jesuits, and consented to these outrages only because, in her fervor for the Roman Catholic cause, she believed the very existence of the Church of Rome threatened; and, though we pity her weakness in the hour when resoluteness on her part was most needed to defend and protect her subjects, she saw that, Spain once reformed, Romanism would have passed from the world in the 16th century, instead of still lin- gering in oiu: midst at this late hour. But if we excuse the conduct of queen Isabella of Castile on the ground of her piety and misled devotion to the Church of Rome, quite otherwise must we treat the conduct of her hus- band. He it is upon whom must fall the guilt of the outrages committed in the name of God in Spain and other lands under her dominion by the " Holy Lea"-ue." It was the desire of money, the longing for "power%nd extension of his government to the American shore that made him the docile follower of the Jesuits, and brought ruin upon Spain. But he was well rewarded for his low and parsimonious conduct bv the disturb- ances which followed the death of Isabella (Nov. 26. 1504) in Castile, and his expiUsion from that country^ over which, l)y the will of his departed wife, he had been appointed regent. See Si'ain. (J. H. W.)
Isagogics. See Introduction.
Isai'ah (prop. Heb. Ycshaijah', ri^r"^'^, saved by Jehovah; but this shorter form occurs^ with reference to this person, only in the Rabbinic title of the book: the text always has the name in the paragogic form Yeiha;)a'hii, ^n^rd'', Sept., Joscphus, and N.T.'Haa- ««C, Vulg. AwVm ; Auth. Vers. N. T. " Esaias :" but the Heb. name, both in the simple and im.longed forms, occurs of other persons likewise, although differenth- Anghcized in the Eng. Vers. ; see Jesiiaiaii ; Jksaiah), one of the most important of " the (Greater Prophets " who gave title to one of the books of Scripture.
I. Personal Ilistor,, of the Prophef.—Utna is known respecting the circumstances of Isaiah's life. Kimchi
(A.D. 1230) says in his commentary on Isa. i, 1, "We know not his race, nor of what tribe he was." His fa- ther's name was Amoz (i, 1), whom the fathers of the Church confound with the prophet Amos, because they were unacquainted with Hebrew, and in Greek the two names are spelled alike (so Clem. Alex. ; Jerome, Praf. in Am.; August. Civ. D. xviii, 27). See A310Z. The opinion of the Rabbins (Gemara, Megilla, x, 2) that Isaiah was the brother of king Amaziah rests also on a mere etymological combination (see Carpzov, De rer/iis Jesaim natalibus, Rost. 1735). Isaiah resided at Jeru- salem, not far from the Temple (ch. vi). We learn from ch. vii and viii that he was married. Two of his sons are mentioned, Shear-jashub and Maher-shalal-hash- baz. These significant names, which he gave to his sons, prove how much Isaiah lived in his vocation. He did not consider his children as belonging merely to him- self, but rendered them living admonitions to the people. In their names were contained the two chief points of his prophetic utterances: one recalled to mind the se- vere and inevitable judgment wherewith the Lord was about to visit the world, and especially his people ; the other, which signifies "The remnant shall return," pointed out the mercy with which the Lord would re- ceive the elect, and with which, in the midst of appar- ent destruction, he would take care to preserve his peo- ple and his kingdom. Isaiah calls his wife a prophetess. This indicates that his marriage-life was not only con- sistent v.'ith his vocation, but that it was intimately in- terwoven with it. This name cannot mean the wife of a prophet, but indicates that the prophetess of Isaiah had a prophetic gift, like Miriam, Deborah, and Holdah. The appellation here given denotes the suitableness as well as genuineness of their conjugal relation.
Even the dress of the prophet was subservient to his vocation. According to xx, 2, he wore a garment of hair-cloth or sackcloth. This seems also to have been the costume of Elijah, according to 2 Kings i, 8 ; and it was the dress of John the Baptist (!Matt. iii, 4). Hairy sackcloth is in the Bible the symbol of repentance (com- pare Isa. XX, 11, 12, and 1 Kings xxi, 27). This cos- tume of the prophets was a sernio propheticus realis, a prophetic preaching by fact. Before he has opened his lips his external appearance proclaims fitrapotlra, re- pent.