"No other textual source in all the world makes the contribution to understanding Isaiah that the Book of Mormon makes," Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in his address at the 1995 Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (FARMS) Symposium, "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon."
The symposium was held at Brigham Young University May 20 with educators from BYU and the Church Educational System presenting papers. The intent was to help Latter-day Saints understand Isaiah's writings, of which the Savior said, "Great are the words of Isaiah." (See 3 Ne. 23:1.)Elder Holland's address was titled, " `More Fully Persuaded': Isaiah's Witness of Christ's Ministry." Some 600 people listened in the auditorium of the Joseph Smith Building as Elder Holland described "the grandeur of the Savior as subject and the grandeur of Isaiah as writer."
Elder Holland said he took the title of his address from the 19th chapter of 1 Nephi, where the ancient prophet said "that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah." (1 Ne. 19:23.)
"We can help the whole world be `more fully persuaded' of Christ's divinity because of our LDS view of Him as seen through the eyes of Isaiah," said Elder Holland.
Isaiah's very name, meaning "Jehovah saves" or "the Lord is salvation," seems to indicate that "Isaiah was prepared from birth - and of course we would say from before birth - to testify of Messiah and bear witness of the divinity of Christ's mission," Elder Holland said.
Citing the research of several BYU professors, Elder Holland said of the 433 verses of Isaiah quoted in the Book of Mormon, some 391 of them refer to the attributes and mission of Christ. He also noted that Isaiah provides 61 names and titles of Deity in his writings, titles that are found 708 times in the Book of Isaiah, or an average of one every 1.9 verses.
"Surely it is because of this messianic focus - messianic preoccupation, we might say - that Nephi feels so strongly about Isaiah's writings," Elder Holland noted.
He quoted Elder Bruce R. McConkie who suggested, "If our eternal salvation depends on our ability to understand the writings of Isaiah as fully and truly as Nephi understood them - and who shall say such is not the case! - how shall we fare in that great day when with a Nephi we shall stand before the pleasing bar of Him who said `great are the words of Isaiah'?"
Elder Holland gave special emphasis to five aspects of Christ's divine mission that are testified to and outlined by Isaiah:
1. Christ's birth and mortal ministry.
2. Christ visiting the spirits in prison.
3. Christ's kindness to and preservation of latter-day Zion.
4. The millennial Christ.
5. Images of the crucifixion and atonement.
As he spoke of each aspect, Elder Holland cited several scriptures, from the Isaiah passages contained in the Book of Mormon.
He concluded his address by quoting three passages from Isaiah's text, "of which there are not more beautiful passages anywhere regarding the Savior's atonement and crucifixion.
"I provide no commentary, but invite you to enjoy the eloquence of the prophet's testimony," Elder Holland said of the three passages.
He first quoted Isaiah 61:1-3 and followed with Isaiah 50:5-7.
Elder Holland concluded his address by reading Isaiah 53, as contained in Mosiah 14 of the Book of Mormon. Quietly he read Isaiah's witness of Him who was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . [who] was wounded for our transgressions, [and] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. . . ."
"May we `set our faces like a flint' and bear the same powerful witness of Christ that Isaiah has done," Elder Holland declared to those attending the symposium.