8th century BC
The Prophet Isaiah
First of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, active in Jerusalem in the 8th century BC and, according to tradition, put to death under King Manasseh.
Biography
Isaiah, son of Amoz, was born in Jerusalem around 774 BC and is regarded as the first and greatest of the four major prophets. He was called to his prophetic ministry around 738 BC, after seeing in a vision the Lord seated on a high throne, surrounded by six-winged seraphim, when a burning coal touched his lips and cleansed him of sin.
He prophesied through the reigns of several kings of Judah, in an age of deep moral decline and idolatry. According to tradition, when he publicly rebuked the impiety of King Manasseh, he was condemned to death and executed by being sawn in half.