In his criticism of the Book of Mormon based on its use of Isaiah, Matthew Paulson wrote the following:
Wright and Tvedtnes have missed something very
important in comparing the Book of Mormon to the KJV Bible. They both neglect
discuss on chapter and verse separations. Many quotations in the Book of Mormon
begin and terminate at the KJV verse separations. Punctuations, chapters, and
verses were established long after the text was written. In AD 1228, the Bible
text was divided into chapters. Bible verse notations were established by AD
1551. Interestingly, the Book of Mormon author was able to begin and finish on
many of the partitions of Isaiah, and Matthew. It is an additional evidence
that the source of the Isaiah quotations was the AD 1611 KJV Bible.
. . .
It is stated and not denied that the Book of Mormon
closely quotes 15 whole chapters the KJV Bible. In doing so, the Book of Mormon
redactor frequently begins and ends at the Bible chapter divisions, which were
decided in the 14th century. This evidence provides the most damaging evidence
against the Book of Mormon.
. . .
All Isaiah quotations in the Book of Mormon begin
and terminate at the KJV verse separations. The Greek language has no
punctuation in the manuscripts. The chapter and verses for the KJV Bible were
established long ago. In AD 1228, Stephen Langton divided the Bible text into
chapters. The verses were established by AD 1551; these separations were
educated guesses. The Book of Mormon author was able to begin and finish on
many of the educated guesses of Isaiah, Malachi and Matthew. This is additional
evidence that the source of Isaiah quotations was the AD 1611 KJV Bible! (Matthew A. Paulson, Breaking the Mormon Code: A Critique of
Mormon Scholarship Regarding Classical Christian Theology and the Book of
Mormon [Livermore, Calif.: WingSpan Press, 2006, 2009], 218, 224, 265)
This is not exactly correct. As Royal Skousen noted:
Third finding: The original
Book of Mormon chapter divisions of the Isaiah quotations follow a larger
thematic grouping, not the interruptive chapter system found in the King James
Bible.
Although the base text for the
Isaiah quotations in the Book of Mormon is the King James Version, the original
Book of Mormon chapter divisions ignore the chapter system found in the King
James Bible. The division into the 66 relatively short chapters in Isaiha dates
from late medieval times. The original Book of Mormon chapters are based on narrative
unity and group the King James chapters into more coherent units. And in one
case, the grouping does not overlap with the beginning and ending of the King
James chapters:
|
Original Book of Mormon |
King James Version |
Current Book of Mormon |
|
1 Nephi VI |
Isaiah 48-49 |
1 Nephi 20-21 |
|
2 Nephi V |
Isaiah 49:24-52:2 |
2 Nephi 6-8 |
|
2 Nephi VIII |
Isaiah 2-5 |
2 Nephi 12-15 |
|
2 Nephi IX |
Isaiah 6-12 |
2 Nephi 16-22 |
|
2 Nephi X |
Isaiah 13-14 |
2 Nephi 23-24 |
Of course, the current LDS chapter
system in the Book of Mormon does not agree with the King James chapter system,
but this has only been true since 1879, when Orson Pratt divided up the
original Book of Mormon chapters to facilitate the versification of the text.
(Royal Skousen, “Textual
Variants in the Isaiah Quotations,” in Isaiah in the Book of Mormon,
ed. Donald W. Parry [Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon
Studies, 1998], 378-79)
On a similar argument raised by Paulson concerning the use of the Fourth Servant Song in the Book of Mormon, see:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Mosiah 14, and KJV Chapter and Verse Separations in the Book of Mormon
Further Reading:
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