One thing that makes the isaiah chapters of the book of mormon difficult is that is that the three major blocks of text are all read into the official. A case for the book of mormon audio cd march 4, 2019. Callisters purpose is to present a case for the book of mormon both intellectually and spiritually. Several parts of the book of mormon are highly influenced by the text of deutero isaiah. Bible scholars use tools of textual analysis to identify backdated prophecies. Dna studies annotated problems with deutero isaiah in the book of mormon. But if you simply want to have a spiritual testimony of the book of mormon then classify deuteroisaiah as something that was received through some process of revelation. Deuteroisaiah and the book of mormon students of the book of mormon bmhave recognized the problem of having explicit and lengthy quotations of isaiah chapters 4055 since at least the days of b. The ancient and formerly unquestioned tradition of the christian church, inherited earlier from the jewish tradition, was that the entire book of isaiah was written by a single author, the prophet isaiah. Chapters 4055 in the book of isaiah are believed to be the work of a prophet who lived with the hebrew exiles during the babylonian captivity. How strong is the evidence for a postexilic deuteroisaiah.
Specifically this theory claims that there were three individual authors, whose works were later compiled together under the name of the first author, the real isaiah known as protoisaiah by adherents to the theory. Indeed there seems to be a descripancy first in you analysis of the historical esxiles of the northern as well as the southern tribes. Book of mormon prophets and the resurrected lord jesus christ refer to the prophet isaiah many times. Is deutero isaiah the death nail to book of mormon truth claims self. In 2007, 70 percent of those raised in the lds church were still in it as adults, but in 2014, only 64 percent wereand among millennials, it was down to 62. A forum for exmormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the mormon church. The extensive use of isaiah poses several problems. One can easily object to the influence of isaiah 52, noted above, as source for dustrelated imagery and language in the book of mormon. How deuteroisaiah ended up in the book of mormon according to. Isaiah chapters in the book of mormon the isaiah text in the book of mormon is an inspired rendering of text taken. It seeks out and circulates news, information, ideas, comment and opinion and holds those in authority to account. Deuteroisaiah verses in the book of mormon overview of the deuteroisaiah problem in the book of mormon. For deutero isaiah in the book of mormon and a host of other issues, we can think of the problem like a light switch.
Book of mormonanachronismsbiblicaldeuteroisaiah fairmormon. May 21, 2016 the essay, isaiah in the book of mormon, is included in a book that is meant to provide answers for mormons on difficult topics in mormonisms history and teachings. The isaiah passages in the book of mormon a non aligned text the above title and link refers to a 2001 masters thesis. Lds essay on the book of mormon translation annotated lds essay on the book of mormon. Deutero isaiah archives mormon discussions podcasts full. How did deuteroisaiah respond to the destruction of the 400yearold temple, the capture of the holy vessels, and the end of the davidic. And the book of isaiah was included in the septuagint lxx, the earliest version of the old testament scriptures, translated at least 300 years earlier.
Jan 09, 2016 how did deutero isaiah respond to the destruction of the 400yearold temple, the capture of the holy vessels, and the end of the davidic monarchy. Deutero isaiah archives mormon discussions podcasts. This theory grew until some scholars claimed that the book of isaiah was a compilation of works from many authors and many periods of time. Deuteroisaiah is a problem if you want to use the book of mormon as objective history. The deuteroisaiah verses the book of mormon would probably cause me heartburn if i accepted at face value the consensus of scholars that isaiah had multiple authors, including at least one author who came after nephi obtained the brass plates a. Kjv isaiah in the book of mormon why the lds church is. Deuteroisaiah cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. The book of mormon not only quotes extensively from those chapters 4055 called deuteroisaiah, but also from portions of first isaiah which are regarded by the critics as late and not the genuine product of the son of amoz. With all due respect, it looks like cognitive dissonance to justify deutero isaiah in the book of mormon as you do. Many nonlds scholars claim that the second half of the book of isaiah was written after the time lehi left jerusalem, yet the book of mormon contains material. I am curious as to how mormons deal with fact that the book of mormon contains chapters of deuteroisaiah e. Skinner and gaye strathearn salt lake city and provo. In the book of mormon, there are many chapters of isaiah directly incorporated from the king james version kjv of the bible, complete with translation errors that were obviously not possible to have been recorded on the gold plates since the kjv was not available until thousands of years. Is deuteroisaiah the death nail to book of mormon truth.
Deutero isaiah verses in the book of mormon overview of the deutero isaiah problem in the book of mormon. But he leaves a myriad of anachronisms unaddressed, for instance the boms deuteroisaiah problem, or the boms reliance on the 1769 version of the king james edition of the bible identified by the 1769 versions errors being included in the bom. Jan 02, 2020 and the book of isaiah was included in the septuagint lxx, the earliest version of the old testament scriptures, translated at least 300 years earlier. His essay, isaiah in the book of mormon appears in the new 2016 publication a reason for faith. The isaiah problem in the book of mormon chap 11 shields. The book of mormon not only quotes extensively from those chapters 4055 called deutero isaiah, but also from portions of first isaiah which are regarded by the critics as late and not the genuine product of the son of amoz. In the book of mormon, there are many chapters of isaiah directly incorporated from the king james version kjv of the bible, complete with translation errors that were obviously not possible to have been recorded on the gold plates since the kjv was not available until thousands of years later. A composite isaiah is not in itself a problem for straightforward book of mormon historicity, but dating of deuteroisaiah to after the time lehi is thought to have left jerusalem could be.
What do members of the church of jesus christ of latterday. In other words, the most important evidence jackson can produce to counter the scholarly consensus concerning deuteroisaiah is the book of mormon itself. Nearly all academics, even some in the church, doubt that book of isaiah comes from one prophet and maybe not even from god. The late nineteenth century saw a division of isaiah into three parts by critics, who. The same way that god flashed the kjv deuteroisaiah onto smiths magic rock. Because we do not know his name, we call him deuteroisaiah or secondisaiah. In the first part of the book of isaiah, the people of israel. Kjv isaiah in the book of mormon why the lds church is true. Deuteroisaiah in the book of mormon lds discussions. Because this prophets real name is unknown and his work has been preserved in the collection of writings that include the prophecies of the earlier isaiah, he is usually designated as deuteroisaiah. Because it was a revelation from god to joseph smith. Mar 06, 2017 i consider the latter primarily artifacts of the way the text was translated.
A brief discussion about how deuteroisaiah verses are in the book of mormon, and why that is a problem for the credbility of joseph smith and why the. Plagiarism the book of mormon narrative says that the jews who left jerusalem for the new world had with them the scriptures written up until that point 600 b. The book of mormon text itself leads one to believe that nephi was the one quoting isaiah when that was clearly not the case as you admit. Is deuteroisaiah the death nail to book of mormon truth claims self. Deutero isaiah archives radio free mormonradio free mormon.
It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8thcentury bce prophet isaiah ben amoz, but there is extensive evidence that much of it was composed during the babylonian. One of the points i made in a previous post was that, besides deuteroisaiah, malachi, and other postexilic judean writings, the new testament nt was also heavily used all throughout the book of mormon bm. For more information on this, see the forthcoming knowhy from book of mormon central, why are children so prominent in 3 nephi 3 nephi 26. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship, 2012, 147174. The deuteroisaiah chapters in 1st and 2nd nephi are an uncomfortable presence, but not an inexplicable one, for, as hardy affirms, accepting a divine provenance for the book of mormon provides the theological basis to resolve difficult historical issues. It was the original argument against deuteroisaiah in the book of mormon. The deutero isaiah theory is the claim that parts of isaiah were written later than others. I checked on the net atleast to get more light of the book and i have come across your writing. Remember, the only 2nd isaiah chapters that show up in the book of mormon are isaiah 4852 and we have just the one echo from tritoisaiah. Specifically this theory claims that there were three individual authors. Ostler, who has sought to identify anachronisms in the book of mormon the book of mormon as a modern expansion of an ancient source, dialogue. Jun 30, 2019 nibley and others had noted that the book of mormon does not quote isaiah 1, nor 3rd isaiah. But if you simply want to have a spiritual testimony of the book of mormon then classify deutero isaiah as something that was received through some process of revelation. To these disheartened people, deutero isaiah calls out, here is your god.
Deuteroisaiah was a disciple of isaiah who lived in exile in babylon. Several parts of the book of mormon are highly influenced by the text of deuteroisaiah. Mormonism began as such a radical, nontraditional christian movement. Joseph fielding mcconkie, the doctrine of a covenant people. However, i feel that the book of mormon can not only withstand the challenge, but the issue can actually be used to illuminate the nature of isaiah and shed light on why this is such a profound book. Here is a brief overview regarding the authorship of isaiah. The book of mormon that is, ensconced helaman thus resolves, with deft plainness, a weighty and longstanding difficulty about quotations from what many consider a deuteroisaiah. A primer one of the points i made in a previous post was that, besides deutero isaiah, malachi, and other postexilic judean writings, the new testament nt was also heavily used all throughout the book of mormon bm. A free press is fundamental to a democratic society.
Deutero isaiah faced the task of giving new hope and encouragement to the exiles, who were on the verge of despair, feeling either that yahweh had forsaken them entirely or that yahwehs power had been broken by the superior gods of the babylonians. The book of mormon relies heavily upon deuteroisaiah. A sampling of what scholars believe to be later writings in isaiah that appear in the book of mormon includes. The book of mormon quotes 425 verses and paraphrases many others from the book of isaiah. Wrights joseph smiths interpretation of isaiah in the book of mormon. It has been declared and proclaimed by a certain school of bible students, commentators and scholars, that the book of isaiah was written not entirely by isaiah the prophet, the son of amoz in many respects the greatest of the prophets of that agebut that the book is the work of at least two men.
What about the isaiah problem in the book of mormon. Rfm points out several examples in isaiah, daniel and the new testament. This is only a small portion of the very heavy use of deuteroisaiah in the bm. The traditional problem here is that deuteroisaiah chapters 4055 are usually considered to be written fairly late usually dated to during the exile in babylon.
As a result of this, the isaiah chapters on nephis plates would have looked slightly different from the isaiah chapters that we have now in the book of mormon. Isaiah problem in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. The material in deuteroisaiah was highly influenced by the book of. In part 1, after discussing the book of mormons clever use of isaiah 52 in the context of several ancient hebrew motifs, i turn to the deuteroisaiah problem. Lds essay on polygamypolyandry in kirtland and nauvoo annotated.
In terms of literary style, theme, and vocabulary, the book of. Among his goals, he hopes to 1 further strengthen the testimony of those who already believe the book of mormon to be true, 2 help resolve issues for those who may have some honest questions about its divine origin, 3 provide insights for those who seek answers for. Jackson follows those who went before him in discussing the composition of the book of isaiah by pointing out a few of the arguments that scholars have made for the. Aug 01, 2016 thank you,i am currently studying a book written on prophet isaiah. I had not yet read barkers essay on the original setting of the fourth servant song which gathers evidence that isaiah 53 was written by isaiah of jerusalem, based on hezekiahs bout with the plague during the seige of jerusalem. Nibley and others had noted that the book of mormon does not quote isaiah 1, nor 3rd isaiah. Mormon discussion inc is a 501c3 and is in the arena of journalistic work and is part of a free press. May 18, 2016 he uses deuteroisaiah in extensive ways. Some of its chapters are not only quoted almost verbatim throughout the book, but deuteroisaiah clearly influenced many of the book of. A scientific analysis of isaiah authorship religious. What do members of the church of jesus christ of latter. Isaiah in the bom by common consent, a mormon blog. Deutero isaiah is a problem if you want to use the book of mormon as objective history.
Deuteroisaiah and the book of mormon for thus it is. The problem is that many scholars believe that isaiah chapters 4055 were written by a second author, called deutero isaiah or second isaiah, during or. Sep 09, 2019 the deuteroisaiah verses the book of mormon would probably cause me heartburn if i accepted at face value the consensus of scholars that isaiah had multiple authors, including at least one author who came after nephi obtained the brass plates a. But by far the strongest evidence that proves the unity of the book of isaiah is that the gospel of matthew quotes from both the beginning and the end of the book, attributing all of it to isaiah. One of the major flaws in past research has been to assume that the use of isa. Jacobs commentary on isaiah 5051 allows a reading of these chapters that. The book of mormon quotes twentyone entire chapters of. In making the following arguments im making extensive use of david p. Overview of the deuteroisaiah problem in the book of mormon. In the book of mormon, there are many chapters of isaiah directly incorporated from the king james version kjv of the bible, complete with translation errors that were obviously not possible to have been recorded on the gold plates since the kjv was not available until. Then he uses those same tools on the book of mormon.
The book of mormon that is, ensconced helaman thus resolves, with deft plainness, a weighty and longstanding difficulty about quotations from what many consider a deutero isaiah. Deuteroisaiah in book of mormon general discussions. How do we explain material from isaiah in the book of mormon. We have some indications from biblical studies that the switch is flipped to off, while we have some other indications from the book of mormon that the switch is flipped to on. I will share a couple of brief notes below that i think are worthy of note to take into consideration to what extent the nt influenced the bm. This theory claims that there were three individual authors, whose works were later compiled together under the name of the first author isaiah referred to as proto isaiah. Because god flashed it onto joseph smiths magic8ball rockinahat the same way that god flashed the kjv deuteroisaiah onto smiths magic rock. The book of mormon narrative says that the jews who left jerusalem for the new world had with them the scriptures written up until that point 600 b. In terms of literary style, theme, and vocabulary, the book of isaiah falls into three neat sections. May 24, 2016 the new testament in the book of mormon.
The book was put together by laura hales, an lds mom seeking answers for her children. Tight vs loose translation theories and why they matter. May 17, 2016 in other words, the most important evidence jackson can produce to counter the scholarly consensus concerning deuteroisaiah is the book of mormon itself. He preserved the teachings of his master and when the need arose among the exiles, he proclaimed a message of hope and deliverance. Since the book of mormon is a loose translation that relies heavily on the kjv to translate similar ideas this means that the kjv of deuteroisaiah was used along with many of the later edits from the exile and after the exile.
He riffs on it, expands on it, and comments on it, in ways that suggest that if another author was responsible for its inclusion, then its hard to say at what point it makes sense to talk about nephi as the author of that sermon, especially when the book of mormon indicates that nephis work was. The book of mormon quotes extensively from the book of isaiah, including entire chapters, and in many cases verbatim to the king james. If youve never heard of the deuteroisaiah hypothesis, its the modern belief isaiah didnt write the book bearing his name actually multiple authors wrote parts and those anonymous authors became compiled much later into one book called isaiah. That the book of mormon quotes from isaiah is not a problem, except that joseph smiths 1830 translation reads nearly verbatim to the 1611 king james translation. The traditional problem here is that deuteroisaiah. Sep 29, 2011 i am curious as to how mormons deal with fact that the book of mormon contains chapters of deutero isaiah e. The deutero isaiah chapters in 1st and 2nd nephi are an uncomfortable presence, but not an inexplicable one, for, as hardy affirms, accepting a divine provenance for the book of mormon provides the theological basis to resolve difficult historical issues. The deuteroisaiah theory is the claim that parts of isaiah were written later than others. Dna studies annotated problems with deuteroisaiah in the book of mormon. But to be honest, im not sure how effective this apologetic approach will ultimately prove to people struggling with their faith over issues such as the attestation of deuteroisaiah in. They date the last third of the book of isaiah to the 6th century bc nearly 200 years after isaiahs death and after lehis family left jerusalem with the brass platesthat is the isaiah problem, as it is called, in the book of mormon. There is also a dearing plunge into faslehood in supposing that,the lord wouldnt be so omnscient. The book of mormon as a witness of the old testament.
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