69: The Other Isaiah Problem w/ Kolby Reddish

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of the Great Isaiah Scroll on the historicity of the Book of Mormon and explores various biblical texts and their origins.

Join Kolby, Nemo, Julia, and Dr. John Dehlin for one of our most in-depth LDS Discussions episodes yet as we unpack “The Other Isaiah Problem” and what it means for the historicity of the Book of Mormon. In this episode, we explore why scholars overwhelmingly view isaiah as a multi-author work, how the Great Isaiah Scroll challenges the Book of Mormon’s use of Isaiah, and why the text consistently aligns with the King James Version rather than ancient sources. We walk through the history of the brass plates, the transition from scrolls to codex technology, and the anachronisms the Church now quietly acknowledges. We compare the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Masoretic Text, the Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, revealing where Joseph Smith appears to be pulling from later biblical scholarship –including Adam Clarke’s commentary –and where verses in the Book of Mormon simply did not exist in ancient manuscripts. We ask the question: What does this mean for believers who want the text to be historical? Whether you’re deeply familiar with LDS scholarship or just starting your faith journey, this episode lays out the evidence clearly…

People in this episode

Host: Nemo

Guest: Kolby Reddish

Topics covered

• Isaiah
• Book of Mormon historicity
• LDS scholarship
• ancient manuscripts
• biblical scholarship
• anachronisms

Keywords

• Isaiah
• Book of Mormon
• Great Isaiah Scroll
• anachronisms
• LDS scholarship
• biblical texts
• Joseph Smith

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Book of Mormon, Great Isaiah Scroll, Masoretic Text, Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible

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