Book of Mormon Central officially launched on January 1,
2016, and with the publication of KnoWhy
22 yesterday, BMC completed its first month’s publication cycle. Each KnoWhy
is about some particular detail in the Book of Mormon—all but the first 2
this month, on something in 1 Nephi—and at least one reason why that detail is,
or should be, interesting. Hence, it is about knowing why Joseph Smith was martyred, or Nephi wrote in Egyptian,
or Lehi compares his sons to a valley and river. So on and so forth. You can
read about the reasoning behind this name at Why KnoWhy, if you would like. Here, I simply present all 22 of the KnoWhys published in this last month.
1.
What
Does It Mean to be a Martyr? Joseph and Hyrum Smith are remembered in
Latter-day Saint memory as martyrs for the Gospel. But what does it mean to be
a martyr? More than merely suffering for religious convictions, the word
literally means “witness” and in a Gospel sense carries with it a special
connotation beyond its popular usage. Joseph and Hyrum were truly martyrs for
the Book of Mormon in the fullest sense of the word.
2.
An
Apostle’s Witness: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland bore powerful testimony of
the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon during the October 2009 General
Conference. His testimony highlights that modern apostolic witnesses have born
testimony of the Nephite record.
3.
Are
There Mistakes in the Book of Mormon? Critics of the Book of Mormon
have assailed the book’s authenticity on the grounds that it has undergone many
changes since its 1830 publication. Royal Skousen has looked carefully at the
transmission history of the Book of Mormon and has highlighted many interesting
things about the text that inspire confidence in its reliability and Joseph’s
ability as a translator.
4.
Did
Ancient Israelites Write in Egyptians? Nephi claims to write in
Egyptian, an idea that was viewed skeptically in Joseph Smith’s time. Today,
however, over 200 examples of Egyptian writing are known from Israel and Judah,
often mixed with Hebrew writing as well. Scholarly analysis of these writings
suggests that Nephi phrase “learning of the Jews and the language of the
Egyptians” is an apt description of such scripts.
5.
Did
Lehi Use the Poetry of the Ancient Bedouin? Lehi’s admonition to his
sons to be like the river and valley where they camped is poetic, and shares several
characteristics with poetry by the Bedouin of the Arabian desert. This suggests
that there is a common geographical and literary origin for the poetry of Lehi
and the Bedouin.
6.
Why
Does Nephi Always Go Down to the Wilderness and Up to Jerusalem? Nephi
always says he goes “up” to Jerusalem and “down” to the wilderness. This is
consistent with Hebrew and Egyptian idiom, and reflects the topography of
Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Such a minor detail is easy to miss, which
makes it so important. Someone like Joseph Smith probably would not have gotten
a detail like this right.
7.
Did
Jerusalem Have Walls Around It? Emma remembered, from when she acted as
his scribe, a time when Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon and was
startled to learn that Jerusalem has walls around it. She saw this as an
indication that Joseph did not know history or the Bible well enough to write
the Book of Mormon. This is also an example of how revelation expands our
knowledge.
8.
Were
Any Ancient Israelite Women Named Sariah? Although unknown in Joseph
Smith’s day, the name Sariah appears as a woman's name in an ancient Jewish
text from not long after Lehi's departure from Jerusalem. This small detail
bolsters the Book of Mormon's claim of being an ancient text from the world of
the Near East. It grounds the text in the ancient world and helps readers
better appreciate its historical background and provenance.
9.
How
Could Lehi Offer Sacrifices Outside of Jerusalem? The Book of Mormon
indicates that Lehi offered sacrifices outside the vicinity of the Jerusalem
temple after a 3-day journey. Some critics of the Book of Mormon have claimed
this action by Lehi violated the law of Moses, which some have interpreted
instructed ancient Israelites to not offer sacrifice outside of the temple.
However, a recent reexamination of this claim in light of more recent evidence
(for example, from a passage in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls) indicates that
Lehi may actually not have been contravening the law of Moses as some have
supposed.
10. What
Fruit is White? Lehi’s vision of the tree of life included the detail
that the fruit of the tree was exquisitely white. One non-Mormon scholar,
Margaret Barker, was surprised by this detail, as she knows of at least one other
ancient text discovered after Joseph Smith’s lifetime that includes this detail
about the fruit of the tree of life. Thus, in addition to being a powerful
symbol for that which is holy and celestial, the white fruit of the tree of
life in Lehi's vision also finds parallel in ancient Judeo-Christian belief.
11. Why
Did Nephi Write his Small Plates? Nephi made two sets of plates—the
“large” plates and the “small” plates. Although the plates plates were made for
the more spiritual things, he nonetheless makes a complex political argument on
them. Given that Nephi felt he was called to rule the people by revelation, and
that the challenge to his rule from his brothers was serious enough for him to
lead his people away, it is no surprise that he would feel a need to defend his
right to rule through his personal narrative.
12. Did
Pre-Christian Prophets Know About Christ? How could an ancient
Israelite prophet know so much about Jesus Christ? Some have argued that the
Book of Mormon's heavy focus on Christ is anachronistic, as the Old Testament
seems to lack any detailed knowledge about the coming of Jesus Christ on the
level of the Book of Mormon’s knowledge. However, scholars have now begun to
see the roots of early Christian teachings about Jesus as rooted in ancient
Israelite beliefs that extend many centuries before the coming of Christ.
Pre-Christian knowledge of Christ may therefore not be as out of place for an
ancient Israelite prophet as some have supposed.
13. What
Does the Virgin Mary have to do with the Tree of Life? When Nephi asks
about the meaning of the tree of life, he is shown the virgin Mary and her
divine child, and similar adjectives are used to describe the mother and the
tree. While this is often confusing to us today, in both ancient Israel and
Egypt mother-goddesses were linked to sacred trees. This background helps us
make sense of the imagery in Nephi’s vision and enriches the beauty of the
text.
14. What
was the Great and Terrible Gulf in Lehi’s Dream? Lehi’s dream is filled
with highly symbolic images. One of these is the river of filthy water, which
formed a terrible gulf dividing the wicked from the righteous. In Arabia, wadis
(valleys or canyons) create gulfs through which muddy torrents of water flow
after the rainy season. This provides a background through which we can better
understand the powerful imagery of Lehi’s dream and the impression it would
have made on Lehi and his family.
15. Were
Plain and Precious Doctrines Lost? Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 11–14
included details about the apostasy of the early Christian church. Part of this
apostasy included the loss of many covenants as well as many “plain and
precious” parts of scripture. Recent scholarship confirms that the Bible indeed
suffered scribal manipulation that led to the eventual confusion and
sectarianism that is seen throughout much of Christianity today, as Nephi
prophesied.
16. Are
There Really Only Two Churches? Today there are many different
churches, but Nephi says there are only two—one of God and the other of the
devil. This is consistent with the teachings of ancient Judeo-Christian
sources, like Lehi’s contemporary Jeremiah and the Savior himself. These and
many other sources taught that, ultimately, there really is only two ways—one
that leads to life, and another that leads to death. This teaching permeates
the Book of Mormon, and indicates that ultimately, all choices lead us down one
of these two paths.
17. How
Did God Call His Prophets in Ancient Times? Ancient Israelite prophets
were commonly called and commissioned following a biblical pattern that brought
the prophet into God’s presence, made him a member of God’s divine council, and
imparted with him heavenly secrets. Both Lehi and Nephi followed this biblical
pattern in their respective prophetic commissions, which grounds the Book of
Mormon in the world of ancient Israel.
18. What
are the “Fiery Darts of the Adversary” Spoken of by Nephi? 1 Nephi
15:24 speaks of "the fiery darts of the adversary." This imagery
appears to mirror Paul's description given in Ephesians 6:16, which speaks of
"the fiery darts of the wicked" (KJV). While it might be tempting to
see 1 Nephi 15:24 as a reflection of this New Testament language, the phrase
"fiery arrows" is attested in biblical Hebrew and the use of fiery
incendiaries is attested in ancient Near Eastern warfare both before and after
the time of Nephi.
19. Who
Called Ishmael’s Burial Place Nahom? While Lehi names all his other
stopping places himself, Nahom appears to be a pre-existing place name, which
could potentially be located archaeologically. In fact, there is a place in
modern day Yemen called Nehem, which is in the right place for Nahom. The name
is inscribed on altars from this region which date back to before Lehi’s time,
demonstrating that the name was there when Lehi would have passed through. This
constitutes strong archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.
20. Why
Would Nephi Call the Ocean “Irreantum”? When Nephi and his family
arrived at the end of their Arabian trail, they named the body of water they
encountered “Irreantum,” which is interpreted by Nephi as meaning “many waters.”
Some have wondered whether this peculiar-sounding name has any plausible
ancient etymology. In fact, the work done by scholars associated with the Book
of Mormon Onomasticon project have suggested possible ancient elements in the
name, thus lending support to the Book of Mormon’s historicity.
21. Did
Ancient People Sail the Seas? The Book of Mormon presents the migration
of three separate groups from the Old World to the Americas via respective
maritime routes. This has led many to wonder whether there is any evidence for
pre-Columbian contact between the Old and New Worlds. Although many see the
Book of Mormon’s depiction as implausible, recent scholarship has shown strong
evidence for pre-Columbian contact with the Americas. While this may not prove
the Book of Mormon is true, it at least lends further plausibility to its
depiction of ancient maritime migration.
22. What
Kind of Ore Did Nephi Use? Nephi says he made his “plates of ore” after
finding gold, silver, and copper ore deposits. In pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, an
alloy called tumbaga was popular. This alloy consisted primarily of gold and
copper, and sometimes included silver. Plates of tumbaga would fit witness descriptions
of the weight and appearance of the plates. Tumbaga also had a number of
practical advantages over plates of pure gold, while maintaining the “golden”
look appropriate for a sacred object.
Monday, February 1, another month begins, and we have
several excellent KnoWhys in the
works. We start to get into Isaiah and 2 Nephi, and there is some very exciting
stuffing coming down the pipeline. (Seriously, if you have ever struggled with
Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, you’ll want to paying attention throughout February
and into March.)
Neal,
ReplyDeleteThe Knowhys are so cool and so much fun. I'm thankful to everyone who is contributing.
I would love it if number 15 were to be supplimented by the information in Margaret Barker's paper "Text and Context" http://www.knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/were-plain-and-precious-doctrines-lost. She identifies a lot of changes, corruptions and deletions from the old testament that I would love to see put in this knowhy.
http://www.margaretbarker.com/Papers/TextAndContext.pdf