Jesus, the son of Sirach, said that Isaiah was hnby` hgdwl, “the great prophet”
Ecclesiasticus 48:22.
Henery commentary of whole Bible, IV, 2, says that the book of Isaiah is placed first, because it is the largest of the prophetic books.And it contains more chapters than other prophetic books. Isaiah’s prominence stems from its content and style more than its length.
The Hebrew text is about 12% shorter than Jeremiah.
- Jerome, Against Rufinus 2.32, says of Isaiah, “He was more of an evangelist than a prophet.”
- Augustine, City of God, c.29, wrote, “Some say he must be called evangelist rather than a prophet.”
- Albert Barnes, notes on old testament: Isaiah I, 1950, 2, refers to Isaiah’s “strong Evangelical character”.
James Flamming, “The new Testament use of Isaiah,” Southwestern Journal of Theology 11:89, states that “Isaiah is quoted more than twice as much as any other major prophet and more more than all the minor prophets combined.
Flamming says in p.103, that the New Testament quotes Isaiah 1-39 (148 times) and Isaiah 40-66 (261 times).
— Referenced from Peter A Steveson’s commentary on Isaiah.