Among thedead sea scrolls, it isone of the oldest, written about 125 bc, making it nearly onethousand years older than the oldest manuscripts used to produce our modern book of isaiah. Full text of the dead sea scrolls complete english translation. Check out a weeklong series on the dead sea scrolls and mormonism on viewpoint on mormonism that originally aired on feb. The peoples of the dead sea scrolls, also the family of lehi was messianic israelites. Oct 25, 2009 the dead sea scrolls are some of the most powerful archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. The dead sea scrolls provide valuable information but also embrace notions. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation. In addition to writing the dead sea scrolls, the essenes had the pseudepigrapha, ancient texts not included in the bible. In this interview, stephen ricks explains how the dead sea scrolls can help us to understand the book of mormon and isaiah. In his book immersion in mormonism selfpublished, 2014, lds laymember charles abbott references the dead sea scrolls, utilizing a book. However, some lds scholars argue that zenos book of mormon hymn of thanksgiving and praise, which elaborates upon prayer, worship, and mercy, compares favorably in style and content with hymn h or 8 and hymn j or 10 of the thanksgiving hymns of the dead sea scrolls. The kjv, following 15th century hebrew texts, reads thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
A second reason why the book of mormon isaiah passages differ from similar passages in the dead sea scrolls is that the translation of the book of mormon may not always reflect a minute and highly detailed analysis of every word on the gold plates. To make sure the record would not deteriorate over time, the record keepers used gold or an alloy of gold to engrave their writings upon. Joseph smith received the first vision of god the father and jesus christ in 1820. Marks isaiah scroll of the dead sea community 1961. Why new testament words and phrases are in the book of mormon part 6. Keith terry and stephen biddulph, dead sea scrolls and the mormon connection. Do the dead sea scrolls prove the book of mormon is true. I believe these backgrounds such as this dead sea scrolls issue, as well as the lachish letters, and the jaredites, all show that the book of mormon is actual ancient history and fits in with the ancient history genre far better and. Here is some more background to the book of mormon.
A textual comparison of the isaiah passages in the book. We have already received the bible, book of mormon, and pearl of great price, and we look forward with. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end. Just as the similarities between hebrews and the dead sea scrolls likely stem from the fact that they both drew on a different version of the old testament that has not survived, the similarities between hebrews and the book of mormon might be explained in the same way. Chapter 3 of the book evidences of the true church by dennis k.
While there are numerous spelling and grammatical differences, the dead sea scrolls are essentially the same as the masoretic texts for the most part. This means that the discovery of the entire book of isaiah in cave 1dated about 125 bcpredates the masoretic text by a millennium. Lds church official statement on homosexuality must read. Full text of the dead sea scrolls complete english. They give an overview of the history of the scrolls, compare the scrolls and their writers to the book of mormon and its authors, and discuss what the scrolls teach about topics like the messiah and the plan of salvation. Lds perspectives on the dead sea scrolls deseret book. Similarities between hebrews and the dead sea scrolls suggest that hebrews draws on a version of the old testament that may have been on the plates of brass but has now been lost to history. The book of mormon and the dead sea scrolls summary. One of the most important of the dead sea scrolls is a document inscribed on a copper plate that had been rolled up and hidden away. Replicas of dead sea scrolls on display at mormon temple. Im currently going through the bom for the first time. The dead sea scrolls and latterday truth, by andrew c. Like the dead sea scrolls and the nag hammadi library, the book of mormon was stored away for over a millennia.
The free exhibit, sponsored by the institute for the study of. An exhibit featuring replicas of the dead sea scrolls has opened at the visitors center at the mormon temple in kensington, maryland. Recently the dead sea scrolls came to salt lake city for a 6month exhibition. President monson dedicates the private federal reserve zions bank. But even more intriguing is the fact that additional, previously unknown or littleknown texts about enoch were discovered at qumran. The prophet joseph smiths claim to have translated the book of mormon from metal plates was given significant credibility by the discovery of a unique document at qumran. Nov 12, 2019 just as the similarities between hebrews and the dead sea scrolls likely stem from the fact that they both drew on a different version of the old testament that has not survived, the similarities between hebrews and the book of mormon might be explained in the same way. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world.
But when he read the book of mormon, the doctrine and covenants and the pearl of great price. This list consists of the book of moses, the books of the prophets, and david and in the events of ages past. The essays in this book help to answer questions related to the dead sea scrolls and the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness.
For latterday saints, whose scriptural tradition speaks of sacred records to come forth in the last days, the dead sea scrolls naturally give rise to questions such as. In 2 nephi 27, nephi borrowed extensively from the language of isaiah 29 to describe the coming forth of the book of mormon. I have no opinion on the bom and am letting it present itself. A major theme in the teachings of zenos was the destiny of the house of israel. Why does nephi use isaiah 29 as part of his own prophecy. The isaiah passages in the book of mormon a non aligned text the above title and link refers to a 2001 masters thesis. Skinner, dean of religious education, brigham young university, ensign, feb 2006. Deseret book and farms, 1986, 24551 what are the dead sea scrolls. The muchcelebrated dead sea scrolls are a treasure trove of ancient jewish religious texts discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 different desert caves near the northwest shore of the dead sea.
Among the many texts unearthed was the singular find of cave 3 in 1952. Hugh nibley teachings of the book of mormon sem 1 lect 10 the book of mormon and the dead sea scrolls full text. The dead sea scrolls contain the entire book of isaiah as well as parts of every canonical book in the hebrew bible except for esther, along with several apocryphal writings. The isaiah scroll found at qumran cave 1 should have caused a great deal of joy among mormon scholars, for here is a manuscript of isaiah which is hundreds of years older than any manuscript previously known. Biblical scrolls fragments of every book of the hebrew bible except the book of esther were found in the qumran caves, the most famous of the dead sea scrolls sites. Using the worlds most advanced imaging technology, the digital library preserves thousands of scroll fragments, including the oldest known copies of biblical texts, now accessible to the public for the first time.
Ive read the bible and gone through the some of the dead sea scrolls. The leon levy dead sea scrolls digital library offers an exceptional encounter with antiquity. These ancient writings have some similarities with the book of mormon and other mormon scripture, lichtenstein said. Far from being scared to death of criticisms, we rather study things out and see just what the issues are. The longest quotation of zenos is his beautiful allegory of the live tree jacob 5. All but one of the five major components of the ethiopic anthology have turned up among the scrolls. Dead sea scrolls connection outside of the book of mormon, there is no direct evidence that zenos existed. In doing so, he was not quoting from isaiah but reappropriating his. Nov 12, 2019 how the dead sea scrolls shed light on similarities between hebrews and the book of mormon submitted by jonathon riley on november 12, 2019. The messiah, the book of mormon, and the dead sea scrolls.
Why is it that the quotes from isaiah contained in the book of mormon have the same translation errors contained in the king james version instead of matching the original. Be sure to examine the additional sections of that chapter, section 1, section 2, and. This email speaks of similarities between a dead sea scroll which is unlike the other scrolls, and the similarity of content found in the book of mormon, recognizing these texts were written within a. What do you think about these facts from the dead sea.
Many scholars regard the scrolls as the greatest archaeological find of the twentieth century, having been composed or copied between approximately 250 b. The messiah was keenly a part of the focus of the writers of the dead sea scrolls as also lehi and his family, and isaiah as well. Nephi frequently borrowed the language of isaiah 29 to describe his own visions and prophecies about the latterdays. The dead sea scrolls are some of the most powerful archaeological evidence for the book of mormon. Among a host of other reliable studies are a few which are standards in the field frank.
Modern bible translation committees employ the dead sea scrolls as they prepare new translations of the bible. The same allegory is in hymn j or 10 in the dead sea scrolls, whose author is not mentioned. They discuss the history of the scrolls, compare them and their writers to the book of mormon and its authors, explain what the scrolls teach about several gospel topics, give a time line of lds involvement in dead sea scrolls research, and describes how sophisticated technology is aiding analysis and translation of the scrolls. Apr 14, 2011 the dead sea scrolls contain the entire book of isaiah as well as parts of every canonical book in the hebrew bible except for esther, along with several apocryphal writings. The book of mormon contains a number of quotations from an old testament prophet named zenos, who is not mentioned in the bible. They discuss the history of the scrolls, compare them and their writers to the book of mormon. How the dead sea scrolls shed light on similarities between hebrews and the book of mormon. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. Dupontsommer says, it is now certain and this is one of the most important revelations of the dead sea discoveries that judaism in the first century b.
Book of mormonrelationship to the dead sea scrolls fairmormon. Book of mormonrelationship to the dead sea scrolls. The dead sea scrolls, for instance, should provide a great deal of evidence for the book of mormon if it is really an ancient record. Before the dead sea scrolls, the earliest texts we had of the old testament dated no earlier than the 10 th century ad the masoretic text. The essays in this book address these and many other questions. The dead sea scrolls provide valuable information about a complex time period to which latterday saints and all christians, for that matter trace their spiritual roots. Dead sea scrolls reference alma in the book of mormon. Some members of the church recall the book of mormon passage, many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the bible 1 nephi. None of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned abrahams name or any of the events recorded in the book of abraham. Mistranslations of the king james version of isaiah have been corrected using the isaiah version found with the dead sea scrolls. Ever since he heard a dead sea scroll quote in 1951, he has been sharing his love of ancient documents along with his testimony of the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
Mormon and non mormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation. The essays in this collection help to answer these and other questions. Mistranslations of the king james version of isaiah have been corrected using the isaiah version. You can start with the table of contents or jump to my favorite chapter, the book of mormon and the dead sea scrolls by stephen ricks. He served as president of the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies and as chairman of the board, as the founding editor of the journal of book of mormon studies, and as associate dean of general education and honors at brigham young university. Of course, no autograph the original of any biblical book is available.
Why do the book of mormon selections from isaiah sometimes. Marks isaiah scroll from cave 1 of qumran, was found to be marked, mainly in the margins, sometimes between the lines, sometimes in hebrew written backwards, called atbash, and most often by the mark of the tau, an x, later perhaps incorporated in to xmas. Some of you may have seen or linked to an online version of the book, lds perspectives on the dead sea scrolls that used to be at. The book of mysteries book of secrets judaicaworld.
In some cases, one or more of the dead sea scrolls versions of isaiah agrees with the book of mormon version. Most of his scholarly time has been spent poring over ancient old world texts. Nibley shows that a long list of mistakes presumably made by joseph smith may actually turn out to be, on closer inspection and with fuller understanding, vindications of its authenticity. Tvedtnes, john a the messiah, the book of mormon, and the dead sea scrolls. Reprinted by permission from old testament and related studies, vol. Ancient religious writings found in caves and ruins in the judaean desert. For people who know and love the book of mormon, parts of the book of hebrews in the new testament may seem vaguely familiar. Questions and responses for latterday saints, is there one that stands out for you, a question and response that you and don gave.
The dead sea scrolls possible parallels to mormon doctrine. Why does the book of mormon talk about a land of jerusalem. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. With the dead sea scrolls before us, we now know it would be perfectly logical for them to refer to the place where christ would be born as the land of jerusalem. Why is it that the quotes from isaiah contained in the book of mormon have the same translation errors contained in the king james version instead of matching the original ancient text. We see in the quotations that we find of isaiah in the book of mormon, some of the key themes that are mentioned by isaiah. Mar 11, 2016 isaiah 29 is one of the most often cited scriptural passages of the restoration. An essay on the churchs website, titled translation and historicity of the book of abraham, explains. How the dead sea scrolls shed light on similarities between. The war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness, hebrew megillat mil. The book of mormon and other ancient documents book of. He learned later that he would be the saviors instrument in restoring the ancient church of jesus christ to the earth in these latter days.
Book of mormon central archive keith terry and stephen biddulph, dead sea scrolls and the mormon connection. Lds perspectives on the dead sea scrolls a mormon blog. Since the discovery of the dead sea scrolls, some scholars as well as hobbyists have set forth associations between the jewish sect who owned the scrolls and the nephites of the book of mormon, dr. The dead sea scrolls has the same reading, but it adds another sentence, so that the complete verse is. Ham, wayne, a textual comparison of the isaiah passages in the book of mormon with the same passages in the st. Since their initial discovery in 1947, the ancient scrolls found in caves near the dead sea have stirred public curiosity. Outside of the book of mormon, there is no direct evidence that zenos existed. If we refer back to this book again, the dead sea scrolls. The book of mormon and the manuscripts meridian magazine.
Kjv isaiah in the book of mormon why the lds church is. The dead sea scrolls are the earliest witness of the original texts, which are called autographs. Why do similar clusters of old testament texts appear in both. Use of that term was utterly illogical for joseph smith, who published the book of mormon over a century before the dead sea scrolls were even discovered. The dead sea scrolls and hidden, sealed records even before one knows what is in the dead sea scrolls, the story of their coming forth, a marvelous account, as dupontsommer rightly calls it, immediately puts the latterday saint in mind of the book of mormon. March 3, 1964 by ben crowder abraham and the early christian church, axial change period of history 600 b. The one thing that i do recollect is the similarities between what we find in the dead sea scrolls and what we find in the book of mormon. Remarkably, some of these ancient copies are identical to the traditional text of the hebrew bible that is used today.
Hugh nibley discusses broad patterns in an approach to the book of mormon, since cumorah, and the prophetic book of mormon, in cwhn, vols. Professor murray lichtenstein is a newcomer to the world of the book of mormon. My question regards how the bom quotes isaiah compared to the bible and dss. How the dead sea scrolls shed light on similarities. His allegory or parable comparing the house of israel to a tame olive tree and the gentiles to a wild olive tree constitutes the longest single chapter in the book of mormon, jacob chapter 5 see book of mormon.