In a previous post, I summarized an article by Joseph Spencer entitled “Prolegomena to Any Future Study of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon.” Recently, I had the chance to email back and forth with Joe and ask him some questions I still had after reading his article, and he gave me permission to post our exchange as an interview.
I recently read an article that pointed out some interesting patterns. In 1 and 2 Nephi, Isaiah and several themes related to his teachings are used extensively. Then, suddenly, Isaiah goes completely unused in Enos through Helaman (and the first part of 3 Nephi). Then, Isaiah is reintroduced “with a vengeance” in 3 Nephi by the Savior, almost as soon as He appears to the Nephites. Joe Spencer drew some interesting conclusions as to why that might be.