The Record of Zeniff ~ Living in Shilom and Nephi

For the next few days, we will be talking about the records of the people of Zeniff.  This is one of those complexities of the Book of Mormon story because we are going back in time three generations to shortly after the time Mosiah I. when Zeniff led his people out of the Land of Nephi.  We are also moving geographically from Zarahemla in the lowlands back into the highlands of the Land of Nephi.

When the group first left Zarahemla, they were led by a blood-thirsty man who wanted to take back the Land of Nephi by force, slaying all of the Lamanite who were now living there.  Zeniff, a member of the group, and many others wanted to live in harmony with the Lamanites and not slay them.  Civil war erupted in the group and all but 50 were killed.  Those survivors returned to Zarahemla and, after resting and restocking their supplies, left again for the Land of Nephi under the leadership of Zeniff.

When they arrived in the City of Nephi, Zeniff approached the Lamanite king - whose name was Laman - and asked for living and farming land in the area.  King Laman gave them permission to settle in the City of Nephi (Kalminaljuyu) and the land along the northern shores of Lake Amatitlan in the area the Nephites called Shilom (Fructa).  The Lamanite king actually asked his own people to relocate from the City of Nephi to surrounding cities in the Guatemala Valley.

Zeniff's people were happy in this newly found friendship with the Lamanites.  In the words of Zeniff we read:

And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city, yea, even the walls of the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom.  And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas*, and with sheum*, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land. (Mosiah 9: 8-9)

But all was not well, as Zeniff and his people learned to their sorrow. There was method to King Laman's madness, which we shall discuss tomorrow.

* neas and sheum ~ In my search for the possible meanings for these words, I found almost all references consider them to be grains since they are grouped with other grains in the Mosiah quote above. Val Sederholm writes in his blog:

 

When the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the gold plates, he occasionally came across a word for which he was not able to give an English equivalent. In lieu of translation, he chose to give a transliteration of the word and to leave it at that. Left at that, it is a sign of authenticity for his work as a translator. (April 30, 2011 post)

 

He goes on to postulate that sheum may be the equivalent of shm', an Egyptian grain used to make bread.  One Egyptian bread grain with which I am personally familiar is kamut.  Kamut is a ancient grain used in bread making because of its ability to develop gluten. It is a heritage grain (not GMO) and many people who have a gluten intolerance can eat kamut.  (All of our wheat is GMO.) I have cooked with kamut and it is a delicious grain with a nutlike flavor.

 

Another Egyptian word that might transliterate as neas was a grain used in Ancient Egypt for beer making.  Perhaps neas were hops?

http://valsederholm.blogspot.com/2011/04/and-with-neas-and-with-sheum-mosiah-99.html

 

The Nephite Code at BlogSpot suggests that neas may refer to a super grain indigenous to South America, but unknown in 1830: quinoa.  Quinoa is a complete protein grain introduced to mainstream America in the last decade or so and is often eaten as a substitute for rice because it is more nutritious and has a low glycemic index.  Another South American grain not in use in North America to my knowledge is Kiwicha.  The blogger suggests that this might be sheum.

http://nephicode.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-were-neas-and-sheum.html

 

From the Mormon Dialogue Forum, I found a reference to a Hebrew word, sheuit:

 

Sheum ~ Has the same root as sheuit(תשעועי), beans. http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/56247-possible-hebrew-sources-for-nephite-words-neas-and-sheum/

 

Also from Mormon Dialog:

Posted 14 November 2011 - 12:59 PM

In a FARMS article Matthew Roper explains that sheum "is a perfectly good Akkadian cereal name . . . dating to the third millennium B.C., which in ancient Assyria referred to wheat, but in other regions of the Near East could be applied to other grains" (FARMS Review of Books, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1997, p. 120). He notes that this word was not known to scholars until at least 1857, long after the book of Mormon had been published.

http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/56267-sheum-a-new-lead/

 

I think the Sederhom quote above says it best: there was no equivalent English word to which Joseph could relate, so he transliterated the original word to the best of his ability.  I, too, think this is a good testimony that the work is a translation and not an original 19th century document.  The fact that there are many possible sources for the words in ancient languages of the Near East seem to suggest that Joseph didn't simple make up those words.  But in the end, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter what the words mean.  A testimony of the Book of Mormon comes through the Holy Spirit.  I have such a testimony.

 

Copyright July 2013, Gebara Education

 

Pictures from www.lds.org

 

 

The Lineage History Continues ~ Searching for the People of Zeniff

Shortly after the Nephites left their homeland of Nephi and arrived in Zarahemla, a group of Nephites decided that they were strong and mighty enough to return to the Land of Nephi and reclaim it.  They were led by a man named Zeniff.  This was in the early days of the reign of King Mosiah I.  Nothing was heard of the Zeniffites during all of Mosiah's reign nor during the reign of his son, King Benjamin.  But during the reign of Benjamin's son, King Mosiah II, things changed.

Three years into Mosiah's reign, the leaders of the Nephites decided it was time to send a small group of faithful men out of the land of Zarahemla to look for the remnants of the Nephites who had followed Zeniff.  This group was led by a strong man by the name of Ammon.

Ammon and his group traveled back toward the Land of Nephi when they stumbled upon a group of people.  They were captured and bound and taken before the king of that group, a man named Limhi.  After this rough beginning, Limhi allowed Ammon to speak and found out that he and his group had come from Zarahemla looking specifically for them.  Limhi was overjoyed and had Ammon's bands removed and all of Limhi's people rejoiced.

Limhi was a descendent of Zeniff.  He and his people had been in bondage to the Lamanites since the time of their first arrival.  They were given the City of Nephi and the land of Shilom* as a place for them to live, but at an horrendous cost.  By the time Limhi was king, the Nephites were required to pay a tribute of 50% of their increase to the Lamanite king! 

On their own, the people of Limhi were not strong enough to escape their captors and return to Zarahemla.  However, they had kept detailed records of their doings all those years.  Limhi brought the records to Ammon so that he might read them.  Remember when I said that the Book of Mormon is a complex story?  This week we will be talking about what those records revealed about a rebellious people.

*Where was Shilom?

If you look almost dead center on this map of pre-classic Mayan sites, you will see Kaminaljuyu, the City of Nephi.  Traveling south and slightly westward, you will see the site of Frutal near the smaller of two lakes.  This is the site that some LDS scholars, including Sorensen, believe to be the Land of Shilom.  Sorensen writes:

The land of Shilom, the lower level of the Valley, would have lain between the curving Rio Villalobos and the north side of Lake Amatitlan.  San Antonio Frutal, second largest site in the Valley, sits in this flatish zone, near 4,300 feet elevation [Kaminaljuyu is between 4,800 and 5,500 feet] . . . It occupies a position in relation to the city of Nephi, about seven or eight miles away, which neatly fits the Book of Mormon statements involving the two. (p 168) 

Many of the ruins at this site date to the late pre-Classic period, which would coincide with this time in Book of Mormon history.  Coincidence?  Maybe; but it is the right time and in the right place.  Perhaps it is not a coincidence after all.

Text copyright July 2013, Gebara Education

 

Pictures:

King Mosiah from www.bookofmormonbattles.com

Frutal, possible site of Shilom from www.wn.com

Map of pre-classic Mayan sites in Guatemala from www.latinamericanstudies.org

Other Hebraism in the Account of King Benjamin

In addition to Sukkot references, there are several other Hebraisms in the story of King Benjamin and his tower.  Here are a few I have noted:

Passing on the crown to a son when the king is old rather than waiting for him to die and doing so before witnesses particularly the rulers and clergy of the people.

Bible:
So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.  And he gathered together all the princes of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. (1 chronicles 23: 1-2) 

 

Book of Mormon:

And moreover, I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might declare unto you that I can no longer be your teacher, nor your king;  For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you, and hath commanded me that I should declare unto you this day, that my son Mosiah is a king and a ruler over you.  (Mosiah 2: 29-30)

Using the occasion to take a census and count all of those who numbered themselves in the covenant with God.

Bible:

These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. (Numbers 26: 63)

 Book of Mormon:

And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments.  And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant . . . (Mosiah 6:1-2)

Using the time when the civil authority is passing from one king to the next to number and organize the priests and other spiritual authority.

Bible:

Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward: and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty and eight thousand (1 Chronicles 23:3)

 
Book of Mormon:
 

And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their families, to their own houses. (Mosiah 6:3)

The Hebrew tradition of a man beginning his life's mission at age 30.

Bible:

See 1 Chronicles quote above.

John the Baptist and Jesus both began their missions at thirty years of age.

Even today, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi begins his service at age thirty.

Book of Mormon:

 

And Mosiah began to reign in his father’s stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem (Mosiah 6:4)

 

One or even two of these similarities could be coincidence, but the Book of Mormon is full of such cultural Hebraism.  Once you begin to search for them you will find them everywhere.

 

Text copyright July 2013, Gebara Education

 

Pictures:

 

King David in old age from www.turnview.com

Moses numbering Israel from www.oztorah.com

King David instructing Joab to number Israel from www.etc.usf.edu

John the Baptist and Jesus Christ from multiple sources on the web.

Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon ~ King Benjamin's Teachings

There are many a sermon that could be preached based on the richness of Benjamin's teachings.  I would invite all of you to read the full text of that speech in Mosiah, chapters two through six.* I am choosing one of my favorite themes for today's life lesson.  We read first Benjamin's humble description of himself.  He is certainly not like any king I have ever studied.

 

But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people . . . (Mosiah 2: 11)

 

Then Benjamin continues by reminding his people that he did not impose taxes on them; rather he labored for his own economy, which probably included farming by his own hand and that of his family.

I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you . . . And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne - and all these which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day . . . Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? (Mosiah 2: 12, 14, 18)
 
This humble king then continued his sermon by reminding the people that there was another King - a Heavenly King - whom they should serve.  He points out that because of the blessing God gives the obedient, they are forever in His debt.  Therefore, what have any of us done that justifies arrogance or pride? 

And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King! . . . And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.  And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.  And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? (Mosiah 2: 19, 22-24)

 

The scripture tells us that the people at this time were living under the Law of Moses and that Benjamin was such a righteous king that he taught his people to keep the Law and God's commandments.

 



Mayan Stone Altar

And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses;  And also that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, . . . and [who gave them a king] who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men. (Mosiah 2: 3-4)

 

The summary statement of this part of the sermon is one of my many favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon:

 

After Sandy

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2: 17)

 

When asked: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22: 36-40) 

 

Isn't it great to know that when we are loving and serving our Father's children, we are loving and serving Him?

 

Read Benjamin's sermon @ http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah?lang=eng.

Text copyright July 2013, Gebara Education

 

Pictures:

Benjamin on tower from www.lds.org

Benjamin's people helping one another from www.lds.org

Benjamin from www.lds.org

Mayan stone altar from www.flickr.com

Volunteers cleaning up after Sandy from www.nydailynews.com

Archaeology and Benjamin's Tower

What the Book of Mormon Says

 

For the multitude being so great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them. And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words . . . (Mosiah 2: 7-8)

 

What Archaeology Says

 

Sorenson explains that the temples of the Nephites were of a style Babylonians called ziggarut.  The temple proper was at the top and, like Solomon's temple, was thought to be the place were God could dwell among his people.  Archaeologists call these ziggaruts, pyramids, and temples artificial mountains.  Moses spoke with God on the top of Mount Sinai and the temple in Jerusalem was referred to as the mountain of the Lord's house (see Isaiah 2:22.) One of God's names in Hebrew, Sur, means mountain (see 1 Samuel 2:2.)

 

These temple mountains had both religious and political significance.  Sorenson quotes a study by archaeologist, A. Wiercinski, which showed that the largest ziggarut in Babylon, the pyramids in Egypt and the pyramids in Mesoamerica (specifically the two in Teotihuacan, Mexico) are mathematically specific edifices. They turn out to be a kind of coded, numerical representation of time and space relations of sun, moon, and stars and their motions.  These "cosmic mountains" of the ancients appear to have been sort of mathematical models of the dimensions of the universe. (p 172)

 

These ziggarrut/temple structures were called torres (which means towers) by the early Spanish conquistadors. 

Writing the Words He Spoke

There are several ways King Benjamin's words could have been written down.  The two most likely modes would be scrolls made of animal hide or clay tablets. Benjamin wanted to be sure that everyone in the congregation knew and understood his words because they were important. 

Today, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when important information is given by the Prophet, it is usually given verbally at a general conference of the Church - which conferences are held twice a year.  However, if something important arises between conference times, it is written in letter form and sent out to all of the Bishops and Stake Presidents, District and Mission Presidents of the Church.  The letter is then read aloud to every congregation in the world so that every member of the Church is aware of the important information. 

 

The LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City: A Modern-day tower from whence the word of the Lord goes forth unto all the world.

 

Text copyright Gebara Education

Pictures:

King Benjamin's temple tower www.lds.org

Temple tower in Mesoamerica from www.essentialhumanities.NE.com

Clay tablet from www.betnaraihranorg

LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City from www.lds.org

King Benjamin and Sukkot

סוכות‎  Sukkot ~ The Feast of the Tabernacles

All Israel celebrates 3 major feasts as prescribed by the Lord to Moses:  Passover in the spring; Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement - in the late summer; and Sukkot or The Feast of the Tabernacles - in the early fall.  Today, I want to talk about the last of these: Sukkot.  We read in Leviticus:
 
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days . . . And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.  And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. (Leviticus 23: 39-44)

סוכה‎ Sukkah ~ The Tabernacle

In the Hebrew language, the word for booth (seen above in Hebrew) also means tabernacle (hence the name, Feast of the Tabernacles) or tent (such as Moses' Tabernacle of the Congregation in the wilderness.)  The sukkah had to be made of organic materials and must have at least 2 1/2 sides.  The sides can be of fabric, but they must be staked firmly so as not to blow in the wind.  The open side or doorway had to be facing the temple.  The roof had to be made of branches, thick enough to provide more shade than sun during the daytime, but loosely woven enough that one could lie in the tabernacle at night and see the heavens.

King David used Sukkot as a time to address his people.  They would pitch their tents or booths with the open doorway facing the temple and David would talk to them about matters important to the kingdom.  Later on, the Jews used the time of Sukkot as a time of coronation so that as many people in the kingdom as possible could see the new king and recognize him (see yesterday's post.)

Several years ago, while I was on my mission, we had a guest speaker named Daniel Rona. Daniel is a Jew by birth, having been born in Palestine during World War II and raised in Israel until the age of 12.  At that time, his parents divorced and Daniel and his father moved to the United States.  Daniel's father was doing some serious soul-searching as to the identity of God and of his relationship with Him.  During that search, Daniel and his father found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  After months of intensive study and prayer, Daniel and his father were baptized.  Daniel is a licensed tour guide in the State of Israel and holds dual citizenship in Israel and the United States. 

King Benjamin and Sukkot

While studying the Book of Mormon, Daniel felt right at home as a Jew because the Book of Mormon is full of Hebraisms that he recognized immediately - things a gentile reader might miss.  One of those involved King Benjamin's tower speech.  We read in Mosiah:

And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another. And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them; (Mosiah 2: 5-6)

Daniel recognized this immediately as a celebration of Sukkot!

Like David of old, King Benjamin did address his people on matters important to the kingdom.  He also used that time when all of Zarahemla was gathered to announce the passing of the kingdom to his eldest son, Mosiah.

It's amazing what you find in the Book of Mormon when you know where to look!
 

Text copyright July 2103, Gebara Education

 

Pictures:

Moses from www.lds.org

A sukkah in the desert from www.baldwinpergolas.com

New archaeological finding of temple complex in Jerusalem, believed to be King David's temple, downloaded from the web

Kind Benjamin from www.lds.org

The Lineage History Continues ~ King Benjamin

When we last spoke of the Nephite's history, they were living in the Land of Zarahemla.  The City of Zarahemla as an area that could have been located at La Rosa or Chiapa de Corzo, but the entire Grijalva River basin encompassed the Land of Zarahemla.  The last of Jacob's line, Amaleki, when he was about to die, gave King Mosiah the care of the precious plates of the Nephites.

King Mosiah died and his son, Benjamin ruled in his stead.  There had been a great deal of warfare involving marauding Lamanites, but under Benjamin, they were triumphant and peace reigned in the land.

King Benjamin had three sons whose names were Mosiah, Helorum, and Helaman.  He knew that it was important that his sons should be taught the traditional language and writing of their ancestors so that they could be the stewards of the precious plates; the Nephite history on golden plates (at least two sets) and the brass plates brought by Lehi from Jerusalem.

When Benjamin was growing older, he chose his son, Mosiah (named after Benjamin's father) to be king in his stead.  As was the custom in ancient Israel, the king wanted to announce the coronation publicly so that there would be no question in anyone's mind as to whom his heir and rightful king would be.  He also wanted to speak to the people, so he asked that they assemble at the temple in Zarahemla.

What the Book of Mormon says:

And it came to pass that after Mosiah had done as his father had commanded him, and had made a proclamation throughout all the land, that the people gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them.  And there were a great number, even so many that they did not number them; for they had multiplied exceedingly and waxed great in the land . . .  For the multitude being so great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them.  And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words. (Mosiah 2: 1, 2, 7, 8)

 

What Archaeology Says:

Did the ancient Mayans build tall towers such as this?  According to Sorensen, they did.  He spoke of one hill in Guatemala in particular.  I quote: Just northwest of the valley of Guatemala lies a prominent by gently sloping hill elevated a few hundred yards above the pass adjacent to it.  . . . on the top of that hill are the remains of an archaeological site, including a pyramid structure, named Alux by archaeologist Edwin Shook who first reported it. (See picture to the left of E. Shook; quote from Sorensen, p. 167)  The site was never officially studied and Shook died in 2000, so I was unable to find any pictures, but I would have loved to have seen it.  Sorensen compares Alux it to another Book of Mormon report on a King called Noah who built a tower just such as Alux to look out for enemies who might be coming. (We will talk more about Noah next week.)

The Law of Common Consent

The precedent for making a transfer of authority a public affair is found throughout the Middle East as well as in Mesoamerica.  In that way everyone over whom this person will exercise authority knows that the authority is legitimate.  It was to discourage those who would usurp that authority for their own purposes.

In the LDS Church today, we practice the Law of Common Consent.  When a new leader is called whether it be the prophet, a bishop, or the nursery leader in the Primary, that person is presented before the congregation assembled.  Those who are willing to accept that person's legitimate authority and support him or her will raise their hands in affirming support.  Anyone who has a problem with the person in the position can raise their hands in opposition and be given the opportunity to be heard in private before the transfer of authority is made.  I think even some Latter-day Saints think they are voting the person into office.  This is not the case.  People are called to positions by revelation and inspiration from God and only God's vote counts; but Common Consent does give us the right to be heard on the issue if we have a legitimate problem and to pledge a vote of our individual support to the person in his or her new calling.  In that way, everyone present knows who the prophet is, who the bishop is, and who the primary nursery leader is.  I find it to be a good practice.

Text from the Book of Mormon and Sorensen's An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon. 

 

Additional text copyright July 2013, Gebara Eduation

 

Pictures:

Zarahemla www.bigboardgames.com

King Benjamin in his tower www.lds.org

Edwin Shook www.wikipedia.com

Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?

Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon is a collection of books written by kings and prophets under inspiration from God.  It covers 1000 years of history from 600 B.C. at the time of the Babylonian conquest until 400 A.D. when the Nephites were destroyed as a people.  As with the Bible, there are many of the writings of these prophets to which we have no access in our current Book of Mormon.  

Unlike the Bible, these texts were not translated by hand over those centuries.  They existed in their original form until about 322 AD.  The guardian of the plates and the prophet among the Nephites at that time was a man named Ammaron. By then, the Nephites had rebelled against God and had degenerated into a state of wickedness such that Ammaron hid all of the Nephite records in a cave in a hill called Shim for fear they would be destroyed (i.e., it was a common practice in Mesoamerica for conquering people to destroy all the records of the conquered people.) Ammaron knew that he had to entrust the secret of the plates to someone else before he died.  After prayerful consideration, he found a ten-year-old boy that he found to be “sober” and “quick to observe.”  That boy’s name was Mormon.  Ammaron told Mormon where the records were hidden and instructed him to wait until he was 24-years-old before seeking the plates.

 

Mormon did as he was told. Under guidance from the Lord, Mormon spent the rest of his life abridging the records of the Nephites until he had a set of plates which, although heavy, could be carried by one man.  He may not have known the significance of that when he began, but he certainly did by the time he concluded his task.  By 385 A.D., the Nephites had been almost completely destroyed.  Only twenty-four individuals remained.  Mormon was an old man by then.  He hid up the Nephite records in a hill named Cumorah, but gave his abridgment along with a few other things, like the Liahona, to his son, Moroni. 

Moroni took those sacred things and traveled northward, avoiding their enemies, the Lamanites, because the Lamanites would kill any Nephite who would not deny Jesus Christ and Moroni would not deny Jesus Christ. (Moroni 1: 1-3) He wandered northward for 30 years, stopping when possible to add his own thoughts and feelings to the record.  He then hid up those things in a stone box in another hill whose name is not given in the Book of Mormon. (Tradition talks about the hill in upstate New York as Cumorah, but that is not the same hill spoken of by Mormon.  The hill in New York has been called the Hill Cumorah since Oliver Cowdery gave it that name.)

It was Moroni, as a resurrected being, who led Joseph Smith to the records. Joseph translated the plates through the guidance of the Lord.  The Book of Mormon was published in English in March of 1830.  The first edition was for 5,000 copies.  Now the Book is available in dozens of languages and millions of copies.

Text copyright July 2013, Gebara Education

 

All pictures from www.lds.org

- except - 

Picture of First Edition Book of Mormon which is from www.ldsseminary.wordpress.com