Isaiah and the Book of Mormon - Revision history

GregSmith at 01:42, 3 June 2024

2024-06-03T01:42:14Z

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	The rest of the changes can be found ~~by trowling through~~ Royal Skousen’s [https://bookofmormoncentral.org/content/analysis-of-textual-variants-of-the-book-of-mormon Analysis of Textual Variants in the Book of Mormon] online.		The rest of the changes can be found in Royal Skousen’s [https://bookofmormoncentral.org/content/analysis-of-textual-variants-of-the-book-of-mormon Analysis of Textual Variants in the Book of Mormon] online.

	The vast majority of Book of Mormon changes to Isaiah are on places where italicized text was placed in the King James Bible.<ref>~~Stan~~ Spencer~~, "[https~~:~~//journal.interpreterfoundation.org/missing-words-king-james-bible-italics-the-translation-of-the-book-of-mormon-and-joseph-smith-as-an-unlearned-reader/~~ Missing Words: King James Bible Italics, The Translation ~~of the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith as an Unlearned Reader]," ''Interpreter~~: ~~A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship'' 38 (~~2020~~): 45–106.~~</ref> Some of these changes do not reflect a better translation of the earliest extant Isaiah source we have today.		The vast majority of Book of Mormon changes to Isaiah are on places where italicized text was placed in the King James Bible.<ref>{{Interpreter:Spencer:Missing Words King James Bible Italics The Translation:2020}}</ref>{{Rp\|106}} Some of these changes do not reflect a better translation of the earliest extant Isaiah source we have today.

	===The Book of Mormon’s rendering of Isaiah does not purport to be the original text of Isaiah===		===The Book of Mormon’s rendering of Isaiah does not purport to be the original text of Isaiah===

GregSmith at 01:38, 3 June 2024

2024-06-03T01:38:44Z

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	\|title=Significant changes to Isaiah material in the Book of Mormon		\|title=Significant changes to Isaiah material in the Book of Mormon

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GregSmith at 01:37, 3 June 2024

2024-06-03T01:37:58Z

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GregSmith: /* Do the changes in the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages reflect a better translation of the underlying Hebrew? */

2024-06-03T01:37:11Z

Do the changes in the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages reflect a better translation of the underlying Hebrew?

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	= Do the changes in the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages reflect a better translation of the underlying Hebrew? =		= Do the changes in the Book of Mormon Isaiah passages reflect a better translation of the underlying Hebrew? =

	Here are the changes to the Isaiah text in the Book of Mormon that ~~we know about that try to~~ make a ~~substantial~~ change to the meaning of the text. These changes are taken from ''Book of Mormon Reference Companion'' (2003) edited by Dennis L. Largey.<ref>Please forgive blurriness from scanning/transmitting the images.</ref>		Here are the changes to the Isaiah text in the Book of Mormon that may make a significant change to the meaning of the text. These changes are taken from ''Book of Mormon Reference Companion'' (2003) edited by Dennis L. Largey.<ref>Please forgive blurriness from scanning/transmitting the images.</ref>

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	~~[[File:IsaiahDifferences1.png]]<br>~~
	[[File:IsaiahDifferences2.png]]<br>		[[File:IsaiahDifferences2.png]]<br>
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	The rest of the changes can be found by trowling through Royal Skousen’s [https://bookofmormoncentral.org/content/analysis-of-textual-variants-of-the-book-of-mormon Analysis of Textual Variants in the Book of Mormon] online.		The rest of the changes can be found by trowling through Royal Skousen’s [https://bookofmormoncentral.org/content/analysis-of-textual-variants-of-the-book-of-mormon Analysis of Textual Variants in the Book of Mormon] online.

GregSmith at 22:50, 2 June 2024

2024-06-02T22:50:47Z

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	\|link1=KJV italicized text in the Book of Mormon		\|link1=KJV italicized text in the Book of Mormon
	\|subject1=KJV italicized text in the Book of Mormon		\|subject1=KJV italicized text in the Book of Mormon
	\|summary1=		\|summary1=Many changes in the Book of Mormon occur in the KJV italicized text. What is that text for? Did Joseph focus on it during the translation?
	}}		}}

GregSmith at 22:42, 2 June 2024

2024-06-02T22:42:57Z

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	Stan Spencer laid out three hypotheses for the italicized words of the KJV in the Book of Mormon including how and why they were revised or omitted:		Stan Spencer laid out three hypotheses for the italicized words of the KJV in the Book of Mormon including how and why they were revised or omitted:

	# Elder B.H. Roberts hypothesized that the italics interaction represents what was on the actual Book of Mormon plates. In Spencer's words: "Roberts attributes the differences in the Book of Mormon to ancient variants in the Nephite plates, presumably reflecting the record on the brass plates, at least in the chapters Nephi and Jacob say they are reading." According to Roberts, the version of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon is consistently "superior [in] sense and clearness."<ref name="spencer"></ref>{{Rp\|56}} Spencer calls this the '''Ancient Variants Hypothesis'''.		# Elder B.H. Roberts hypothesized that the italics interaction represents what was on the actual Book of Mormon plates. In Spencer's words: "Roberts attributes the differences in the Book of Mormon to ancient variants in the Nephite plates, presumably reflecting the record on the brass plates, at least in the chapters Nephi and Jacob say they are reading." According to Roberts, the version of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon is consistently "superior [in] sense and clearness."<ref name="spencer">{{Interpreter:Spencer:Missing Words King James Bible Italics The Translation:2020}}</ref>{{Rp\|56}} Spencer calls this the '''Ancient Variants Hypothesis'''.
	# Spencer calls the second the '''Italics Revision Hypothesis'''. Advocates include Stan Larson, David P. Wright, and believing Book of Mormon scholar Brant Gardner. It holds that Joseph Smith was intentionally targeting italics in the King James Bible, knew what they meant, and intentionally revised them.<ref name="spencer"></ref>{{Rp\|56-58}}		# Spencer calls the second the '''Italics Revision Hypothesis'''. Advocates include Stan Larson, David P. Wright, and believing Book of Mormon scholar Brant Gardner. It holds that Joseph Smith was intentionally targeting italics in the King James Bible, knew what they meant, and intentionally revised them.<ref name="spencer"></ref>{{Rp\|56-58}}
	#Spencer's own theory he names the '''Missing Words Hypothesis'''. This theory holds that Joseph was given a vision of a biblical passage in his mind with missing KJV italics and that part of the work of translation for Joseph Smith was to decide whether to supply words to the passage and, if so, what words to supply.<ref name="spencer"></ref>		#Spencer's own theory he names the '''Missing Words Hypothesis'''. This theory holds that Joseph was given a vision of a biblical passage in his mind with missing KJV italics and that part of the work of translation for Joseph Smith was to decide whether to supply words to the passage and, if so, what words to supply.<ref name="spencer"></ref>

GregSmith: /* The Book of Mormon text would have been far removed from Isaiah: The brass plates version would have been at least a century after the fact */

2024-06-02T22:41:34Z

The Book of Mormon text would have been far removed from Isaiah: The brass plates version would have been at least a century after the fact

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	Even the Book of Mormon text would have been far removed from Isaiah. The brass plates version would have been at least a century after the fact (with many copies intervening), and that was copied and recopied into Book of Mormon records. The Nephite texutal tradition was a Josephite one (Ephraism and Manasseh) from the Northern Kingdom of Israel—this is where Lehi hailed from. It was thus probably an independent stream of textual variation from the Judah-based texts that our modern bible draws from. Differences between these two traditions would be expected.		Even the Book of Mormon text would have been far removed from Isaiah. The brass plates version would have been at least a century after the fact (with many copies intervening), and that was copied and recopied into Book of Mormon records. The Nephite texutal tradition was a Josephite one (Ephraism and Manasseh) from the Northern Kingdom of Israel—this is where Lehi hailed from. It was thus probably an independent stream of textual variation from the Judah-based texts that our modern bible draws from. Differences between these two traditions would be expected.

			{{Endnotes sources}}
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	[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]]		[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]]

GregSmith: /* Single or multiple Isaiahs?—Summary */

2024-06-02T22:41:11Z

Single or multiple Isaiahs?—Summary

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	:<blockquote>''Egyptian gods gave only victories to kings—and defeats indicated divine disapproval, not applause! It is no use looking for administrative registers giving the Hebrews "customs clearance" to clear out of Egypt. In fact, 99 percent of all New Kingdom papyri are irrevocably lost (administrative and otherwise), the more so in the sopping mud of the Delta; the few survivors hail from the dry sands of Sawwara and Upper Egypt, far away from Pi-Ramesse's total of our administrative texts so far recovered from Pi-Ramesse!''<ref>Kenneth A. Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, MA: William B. Eerdmans, 2010), 311.</ref></blockquote>		:<blockquote>''Egyptian gods gave only victories to kings—and defeats indicated divine disapproval, not applause! It is no use looking for administrative registers giving the Hebrews "customs clearance" to clear out of Egypt. In fact, 99 percent of all New Kingdom papyri are irrevocably lost (administrative and otherwise), the more so in the sopping mud of the Delta; the few survivors hail from the dry sands of Sawwara and Upper Egypt, far away from Pi-Ramesse's total of our administrative texts so far recovered from Pi-Ramesse!''<ref>Kenneth A. Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, MA: William B. Eerdmans, 2010), 311.</ref></blockquote>

	::Thus, depending on what environmental conditions obtained upon deposition, the papyri or scrolls are likely lost. (In some ways, the survival of any ancient text is a near miracle given everything that can happen.)		::Thus, depending on what environmental conditions obtained upon deposition, the papyri or scrolls are likely lost. (In some ways, the survival of any ancient text is a near miracle given everything that can happen to it.)

	::But even in good ~~[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taphonomy taphonomic]~~ conditions, it may be years before such a document were uncovered. Consider that one archaeological excavation took some 30 years to uncover a ''Philistine cemetery'' in southern Israel.<ref>ABC News, "Philistine cemetery uncovered in archaeological dig in Israel, Goliath's people were 'normal sized'," <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-11/old-bones-cast-new-light-on-goliath-people/7584904> (4 November 2019).</ref> This argument against the Book of Mormon is an [[Logical_fallacies/Page_1#Argument_from_silence\|argument from silence]]. A single discovery can overturn such silence.		::But even in good conditions for preservation, it may be years before such a document were uncovered. Consider that one archaeological excavation took some 30 years to uncover a ''Philistine cemetery'' in southern Israel.<ref>ABC News, "Philistine cemetery uncovered in archaeological dig in Israel, Goliath's people were 'normal sized'," <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-11/old-bones-cast-new-light-on-goliath-people/7584904> (4 November 2019).</ref> This argument against the Book of Mormon is an [[Logical_fallacies/Page_1#Argument_from_silence\|argument from silence]]. A single discovery can overturn such silence.

	{{To learn more box:Book of Mormon: anachronisms: Isaiah}}		{{To learn more box:Book of Mormon: anachronisms: Isaiah}}

GregSmith: /* Single or multiple Isaiahs?—Summary */

2024-06-02T22:40:40Z

Single or multiple Isaiahs?—Summary

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	**The texts themselves, if preserved, would most likely be contained within [https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=studiaantiqua temple deposits]. These would have been ransacked by the Babylonians when they took Israel captive circa 600 BCE. Upon taking Israel, the Babylonians pillaged and destroyed the Israelite's temples, records, and other belongings.<ref>Wikipedia, "Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)," <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(587_BC)> (25 January 2020).</ref> The most likely temple site would be the Temple of Solomon which is buried under the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is archaeologically inaccessible by law for religious and political reasons.		**The texts themselves, if preserved, would most likely be contained within [https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=studiaantiqua temple deposits]. These would have been ransacked by the Babylonians when they took Israel captive circa 600 BCE. Upon taking Israel, the Babylonians pillaged and destroyed the Israelite's temples, records, and other belongings.<ref>Wikipedia, "Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)," <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(587_BC)> (25 January 2020).</ref> The most likely temple site would be the Temple of Solomon which is buried under the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is archaeologically inaccessible by law for religious and political reasons.
	**The texts, if they survived outside temple deposits and survived Babylonian or other foreign invasion, would rarely survive for two millennia. For example, K.A. Kitchen commenting on arguments against the historicity of the Exodus narratives in the Bible, wrote the following:		**The texts, if they survived outside temple deposits and survived Babylonian or other foreign invasion, would rarely survive for two millennia. For example, K.A. Kitchen commenting on arguments against the historicity of the Exodus narratives in the Bible, wrote the following:
	<blockquote>Egyptian gods gave only victories to kings—and defeats indicated divine disapproval, not applause! It is no use looking for administrative registers giving the Hebrews "customs clearance" to clear out of Egypt. In fact, 99 percent of all New Kingdom papyri are irrevocably lost (administrative and otherwise), the more so in the sopping mud of the Delta; the few survivors hail from the dry sands of Sawwara and Upper Egypt, far away from Pi-Ramesse's total of our administrative texts so far recovered from Pi-Ramesse!<ref>Kenneth A. Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, MA: William B. Eerdmans, 2010), 311.</ref></blockquote>		:<blockquote>''Egyptian gods gave only victories to kings—and defeats indicated divine disapproval, not applause! It is no use looking for administrative registers giving the Hebrews "customs clearance" to clear out of Egypt. In fact, 99 percent of all New Kingdom papyri are irrevocably lost (administrative and otherwise), the more so in the sopping mud of the Delta; the few survivors hail from the dry sands of Sawwara and Upper Egypt, far away from Pi-Ramesse's total of our administrative texts so far recovered from Pi-Ramesse!''<ref>Kenneth A. Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, MA: William B. Eerdmans, 2010), 311.</ref></blockquote>

	::Thus, depending on what environmental conditions obtained upon deposition, the papyri or scrolls are likely lost. (In some ways, the survival of any ancient text is a near miracle given everything that can happen.)		::Thus, depending on what environmental conditions obtained upon deposition, the papyri or scrolls are likely lost. (In some ways, the survival of any ancient text is a near miracle given everything that can happen.)

GregSmith: /* Single or multiple Isaiahs?—Summary */

2024-06-02T22:40:00Z

Single or multiple Isaiahs?—Summary

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:40, 2 June 2024
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	**The texts themselves, if preserved, would most likely be contained within [https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=studiaantiqua temple deposits]. These would have been ransacked by the Babylonians when they took Israel captive circa 600 BCE. Upon taking Israel, the Babylonians pillaged and destroyed the Israelite's temples, records, and other belongings.<ref>Wikipedia, "Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)," <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(587_BC)> (25 January 2020).</ref> The most likely temple site would be the Temple of Solomon which is buried under the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is archaeologically inaccessible by law for religious and political reasons.		**The texts themselves, if preserved, would most likely be contained within [https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=studiaantiqua temple deposits]. These would have been ransacked by the Babylonians when they took Israel captive circa 600 BCE. Upon taking Israel, the Babylonians pillaged and destroyed the Israelite's temples, records, and other belongings.<ref>Wikipedia, "Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)," <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(587_BC)> (25 January 2020).</ref> The most likely temple site would be the Temple of Solomon which is buried under the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is archaeologically inaccessible by law for religious and political reasons.
	**The texts, if they survived outside temple deposits and survived Babylonian or other foreign invasion, would rarely survive for two millennia. For example, K.A. Kitchen commenting on arguments against the historicity of the Exodus narratives in the Bible, wrote the following:		**The texts, if they survived outside temple deposits and survived Babylonian or other foreign invasion, would rarely survive for two millennia. For example, K.A. Kitchen commenting on arguments against the historicity of the Exodus narratives in the Bible, wrote the following:
	**<blockquote>Egyptian gods gave only victories to kings—and defeats indicated divine disapproval, not applause! It is no use looking for administrative registers giving the Hebrews "customs clearance" to clear out of Egypt. In fact, 99 percent of all New Kingdom papyri are irrevocably lost (administrative and otherwise), the more so in the sopping mud of the Delta; the few survivors hail from the dry sands of Sawwara and Upper Egypt, far away from Pi-Ramesse's total of our administrative texts so far recovered from Pi-Ramesse!<ref>Kenneth A. Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, MA: William B. Eerdmans, 2010), 311.</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>Egyptian gods gave only victories to kings—and defeats indicated divine disapproval, not applause! It is no use looking for administrative registers giving the Hebrews "customs clearance" to clear out of Egypt. In fact, 99 percent of all New Kingdom papyri are irrevocably lost (administrative and otherwise), the more so in the sopping mud of the Delta; the few survivors hail from the dry sands of Sawwara and Upper Egypt, far away from Pi-Ramesse's total of our administrative texts so far recovered from Pi-Ramesse!<ref>Kenneth A. Kitchen, ''On the Reliability of the Old Testament'' (Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, MA: William B. Eerdmans, 2010), 311.</ref></blockquote>

	::Thus, depending on what environmental conditions obtained upon deposition, the papyri or scrolls are likely lost. (In some ways, the survival of any ancient text is a near miracle given everything that can happen.)		::Thus, depending on what environmental conditions obtained upon deposition, the papyri or scrolls are likely lost. (In some ways, the survival of any ancient text is a near miracle given everything that can happen.)
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	{{To learn more box:Book of Mormon: anachronisms: Isaiah}}		{{To learn more box:Book of Mormon: anachronisms: Isaiah}}


	= Why does Isaiah in the Book of Mormon not match the Dead Sea Scrolls? =		= Why does Isaiah in the Book of Mormon not match the Dead Sea Scrolls? =