Book of Mormon Central One Year Later (Now Two)

Here's a video from last years Book of Mormon Central  Conference going over some of the accomplishments and future plans for BMC.  I was even mentioned and given a nice little ovation for my work as a freelance artist in this video.  This is such an exciting and impressive group.  I just wanted to share this video in an attempt to resurrect my blog starting this Easter weekend.  Much of my future content will be videos and other articles from BMC as I think their research and insights have been a gigantic step in the right direction for bringing the Church as a whole out from underneath its condemnation for its lack of use and understanding of the Book of Mormon. 

Jerry Grover's Translation of the "Caractors" Document Book of Mormon Central Presentation

I was blessed to be able to attend the Book of Mormon Central Conference in Provo, Utah last month. I will be sharing some of the amazing presentations from the conference on my blog starting with this one from Jerry Grover.  He explains how he has attempted a translation of the "caractors" document that is commonly referred to as the Anthon Transcript (although it definitely is not).  If you are familiar with the history of this document containing some of the caricatures from the "Gold Plates" that Joseph Smith used in the translation of the Book of Mormon than you will find Jerry's work extremely interesting.  As I followed Jerry's translation process copying the caricatures I couldn't help feel closer to the prophets of old who compiled the records contained in the Book of Mormon especially Mormon and Moroni.  Well done Jerry thanks for your work. 

The Incursion of Foreigners

Ariel View of Guatemala City

In the Book of Omni in the Book of Mormon (Omni 1:12) Abinadom gives a quick history of Mosiah I who was made king of the Land of Zarahemla.  Before Mosiah I became king of Zarahemla Abinadom advised that Mosiah had been forewarned by the Lord to flee out of the Land of Nephi and take as many people as would follow and flee into the wilderness.  At this time Mosiah was more than likely the king of the Nephites and resided in the Land of Nephi which was south of Zarahemla.  The Book of Omni states that the events contained in that book take place between 323-130 BC.  So if the Book of Mormon is an actual history of the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations and actually took place in Mesoamerica than there should be historical events that coincide roughly with that time period.


Now the Book of Mormon does not say what the reason for fleeing was other than being warned of the Lord but we do know that shortly thereafter the Land of Nephi was inhabited by the Lamanites as the largest population in that area even after Zeniff leads a party of Nephites to return back to the Land of Nephi which is later referred to as the Land of Lehi-Nephi.

Ruins at Kaminaljuyu

John Sorenson has proposed the most feasible and popular attempt at establishing a Book of Mormon geography.  He sets his perimeters in Mesoamerica mainly focusing on Guatemala and Southern Mexico.  He sets the Land of Nephi roughly in the area of modern day Guatemala City which does cover ancient ruins of a city known as Kaminaljuyu that dates to Book of Mormon timeframes.  Brant Gardner in his book, "Traditions of the Fathers" has noted,

"It is plausible that Mosiah and his people fled from Lamanite invasion.  Around 200 B.C., there was a massive incursion of people into highland Guatemala (Sorenson's land of Nephi) from the northwest.  They were likely Quichean peoples.  Julia Guernsey indicates that these Quicheans' appear to have moved south and eventually invaded such places as La Lagunita and Kaminaljuyu.  They displaced much of the local population and replaced the elites, which, in the case of Kaminaljuyu, were likely Cholan speakers.  The displaced inhabitants of Kaminaljuyu fled the area with the arrival of these people.  Both Quichean and Cholan are different Mayan language groups, as Spanish and French are both Romance languages.  Thus, at the right time and in the right place, we have an incursion of foreigners that created an exodus of residents." (Traditions of the Fathers pg. 214-215)

Although we don't have specific evidence that this incursion of foreigners were indeed the Lamanites of the Book of Mormon we do know that the right activities are happening right where and when they should be happening if Sorenson's educated guess for the Land of Nephi is correct. 

Maintaining Faith by Scott Gordon President of Fair Mormon

This is Scott Gordon's address he gave in Sweden titled "Maintaining Faith". There has been a bit of controversy or backlash from John Dehlin in regards to how he was addressed in this video.  I for one am a fan of this video and feel that Scott who is the President of Fair Mormon did a great job addressing some contoversial issues.  

Uto-Aztecan vs Egyptian and Hebrew

This is a video of Brian Stubbs recent talk at the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum Conference.  His insights and comparison on the Egyptian and Hebrew languages and the Uto-Aztecan language found in the Southwestern United States down through parts of Mexico is amazing.  Although he only briefly touches on this it is in my opinion one of the most exciting new evidences for the Book of  Mormon.  This study is still in its infancy and will be needing much more research but the possible conclusions are thrilling.

Here is a 16 page excerpt from Brian Stubbs and Jerry Grover's book Exploring the Explanatory Power of Egyptian and Semitic in Uto-Azteca.

http://www.bmaf.org/sites/bmaf.org/files/image/Egyptian-Semitic-in-Uto-Aztecan-by-Brian-Stubbs-Jerry-Grover.pdf

The Book That Holds the Truth, Hopi Prophesied Book of Truth and the Book of Mormon

In the history of Hopi prophecy there is a story of the white man’s book of truth.  This book is said to hold many things.  It has been said that it holds the history of the Hopi people and their ancestors.  It is said that  if the Hopi learn the truths of this book they can compete with the white man.  It is a story that has been handed down from generation to generation.  When this prophecy originated is unknown but seems to have been known on different Hopi Mesas.

  In my research I have been able to collect two accounts of the prophecy of the “Book of Truth” the first one is contained in the life story of Helen Sekaqueptewa called, “Me and Mine”.    She tells of when she was living in Hotevilla (Third Mesa) during the winter time her father would share the teachings of the kiva to pass the long hours.  She described her father’s teachings as such, “You are young now and may not be interested, but I must teach you now while I am here with you.  As you grow older then you will learn to understand and know it is the truth.” (Helen said “this has come to pass”).  He taught, “The white man has kept a written record of the history of the people from the beginning, while the Hopis have passed their history from one generation to another by word of mouth.  With the telling over the years, some of it has been omitted or misunderstood, and changes have been made.  The written record is more accurate and true.  There will come a time when the written record will be brought to the Hopis by the white man.  There will be many religions taught.  You will need to be wise to recognize and choose the right church.  It will teach you to be humble and will not try to force you into it.  When that time comes we should all forsake our native religion and join this true church.  There will come a time when all the people of the earth will belong to the one true church, and we will all speak the same language and be as one people.” ( Me and Mine: the Life Story of Helen Sekaquaptewa as to Louise Udall pg. 234-235.)

Helen Sekaquaptewa

Helen advised that her father shared these teachings many times stating, “I tell you this because you are my own blood.  I want you to take it to heart and teach it to your children.  I want you and your children to live by those teachings and benefit by what I have said.”( Me and Mine: the Life Story of Helen Sekaquaptewa as to Louise Udall pg. 234-235.)  These teachings were shared with her and her husband Emory long before they had ever heard of the Book of Mormon.  In addition she said “the traditionals would now deny that this is what their father’s used to teach.  When we heard of and read the Book of Mormon it sounded like a familiar story.  Reading the Bible and the Book of Mormon has helped us to understand the Hopi traditions, and the Hopi traditions helped us to understand these books of scripture.

She also related the following story, “When the Mormon missionaries came to Second Mesa, they taught the first chapters of the Book of Mormon, telling of a prophet named Lehi who was told by the Lord to take his family, a wife and four sons, and leave Jerusalem because that city was going to be destroyed because of the wickedness of the inhabitants (this in the year 600B.C.), how they journeyed many days in the wilderness on their way to the sea, how Lehi sent his sons back to Jerusalem to get their records of their forefathers and the teachings of their prophets, how they were led to a land that was choice above all other lands, having crossed the mighty waters and landed in America.

The head priests of the Hopis at Second Mesa, hearing these things, accosted the Elders and angrily said, “How come you know these things? You are not old enough to know it.  Who told you these things? Only older men, high in the priesthood, know that.  You keep your mouths shut.”( Me and Mine: the Life Story of Helen Sekaquaptewa as to Louise Udall pg. 241-242.)

Helen admits that these teachings were given to her from her father before she had ever heard of the Book of Mormon or was ever baptized in to the LDS church but readers of this article may assume that this is a biased opinion of Helen influenced by the LDS teachings and history of the Book of Mormon.  As I have stated in earlier blog posts my uncle served as missionary to the Hopi in the 1950’s under president Golden Buchanan and knew Helen personally and spoke highly of her and her family so I believe her account of these teachings.  With that in mind I still continued to search for any other teachings of this record of the white man with the truth or history of the people that may have been shared to other Hopi’s as a traditional prophecy.  In my research I came across the book “Born a Chief” the story of Edmund Nequatewa.  This story moves us from the Helen’s village of Hotevilla on Third Mesa to Mishongnovi of Second Mesa.  This is the same mesa that Helen recounted the story of the Hopi Elders being angry at LDS missionaries for sharing the story of Lehi and his family because it was a sacred story only to be known by Hopi Elders.

Edmund Nequatewa

Edmund Nequatewa was a young man in line to be an Elder on Second Mesa and because of this his grandfather made the decision to send him to school and even farther away to Phoenix to boarding school.  Before doing so he gave him some instruction advising that he wants him to learn as much as he can at these schools and to learn the ways of the white man.  He also advised that the white man had a book of knowledge which holds the truth.  He stated, “The book that holds the truth is a black book, and it is about that thick.  The white people keep it at the bottom of the pile, where Hopis cannot see it.  If we ever learn the truth of this book, then we can compete with the white man.  This is why he is afraid to teach us right now.  This is the truth that I want to know.”( Born a Chief: The Nineteenth Century Hopi Boyhood of Edmund Nequatewa, as told to Alfred F. Whiting pg. 111.. )

He further advised, “…Don’t forget what I am sending you down there for.  And if that book really contains the truth, you will surely learn something.”  He also advised for him to learn as much as he can from the different Kachina ceremonies but added, “We told you that the Kachina are supernatural beings, but they’re not, and all the ceremonies are like that.  In a way, every ceremony is devious.

The different clans who have taken up these ceremonies have passed away, one after another.  The day will come when all my relatives will vanish.  When that day comes, no matter where you go-to Walpi, Second Mesa, Third Mesa-you will find that clans that support different ceremonies will be vanishing.  If this was the true way, the clans that have carried these ceremonies should be the only ones to prosper, and the poor people who never had any ceremonies would have vanished long ago because they would have had no god.  But this is not the way it is.  All these traditions have been handed down during many, many years from one generation to the other, and up to this day all these things are all vague in our minds.”( Born a Chief: The Nineteenth Century Hopi Boyhood of Edmund Nequatewa, as told to Alfred F. Whiting pg. 112-113.)

Edmund later recognized the mysterious book as the Bible and applied its teachings to his life.  I find it interesting that we have a second witness (non LDS) to these traditional teachings of a mysterious book that would be had by the “white man” that has a hidden truth or history of Hopi and their ancestors that would be shared with the Hopi at a later date to bring truth and understanding.  Although Edmund recognized the book as the Bible and Helen recognized it as the Book of Mormon (and the Bible) we see that the connection to applying this prophecy to ancient scripture is the current thought process.  I would agree with both of them in their understandings and applaud Helen Sekaqueptewa’s conclusion because when comparing Hopi traditional migration stories with migrations of the Lamanite and Nephite populations found in the Book of Mormon there seems to be a correlative connection to be had.  Current studies are being held in regards to the Uto-Aztecan language spoken by that of the Hopi (and many other native tribes from Utah south to Northern Mexico) and the Egyptian and Hebrew languages. These studies are still in their infancy so more will be forth coming in the future.  Until then I add the "Book of Truth" as one more interrelationship between the Hopi and the Nephite/Lamanite populations of the Book of Mormon.

The Pistis Sophia and the Book of Mormon

The Pistis Sophia is a Gnostic document that surfaced in 1773 and was purchased by the British Museum in 1795.  It is part of the Askew Codex named after Anthony Askew.  It was originally written between the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D.  It was written in Coptic but would have been a copy of an original text still missing written in Greek.  The text is broken into four sections and relates the teachings of Jesus to his disciples which included his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and Martha during an 11 year time period after his resurrection.  The teachings cover the mysteries of descending and ascending through the different levels and hierarchies of Heaven, important figures in the Gnostic cosmology and the Gnosticism aspect of Sophia a female divinity which ties to many capacities including a mother on high, revealer of perfect mysteries and even the Holy Spirit itself.  I know it sounds interesting…and it is but this post will be focused on the correlations of the teachings and dealings of Jesus to his disciples found in the Pistis Sophia and the Book of Mormon.  

According to Pistis Sophia 3, there was, at the time of Jesus' ascension into heaven, a great earthquake that lasted for three hours. An alternate view given in the manuscript is that the earthquake lasted from the third hour on the fifteenth day of the month Tybi until the ninth hour the following day. This accords with the statement in 3 Nephi 8:19 that "the quakings of the earth . . . did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater."For three days after the earthquake and other agitations of nature, the Nephites were "howling and weeping" in the darkness and lamenting the destruction of the people in a number of cities (3 Nephi 8:23-25; 10:8). In Pistis Sophia 4, we read that "the disciples sat together in fear and were in exceedingly great agitation and were afraid because of the great earthquake which took place, and they wept together, saying: "What will then be? Peradventure the Saviour will destroy all regions?' Thus saying, they wept together." During this time, the heavenly host "all sang praises . . . so that the whole world heard their voices" (Pistis Sophia 3). Among the Nephites, after the quaking had stopped, "all the people of the land" heard the voice of Christ (3 Nephi 9:1-10:8).

Christ descending in the Americas

On the day following the earthquake, according to Pistis Sophia 4, as the disciples "wept together . . . the heavens opened, and they saw Jesus descend, shining most exceedingly . . . so that men in the world cannot describe the light which was on him." Joseph Smith used similar terminology to describe the brilliant light that surrounded the Father and the Son when they appeared to him in the Sacred Grove in the spring of 1820 (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17). We are also reminded of Joseph Smith's description of Moroni on the night of his first appearance, 21/22 September 1823: "his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person" (Joseph Smith-History 1:32). The gradients of light are features shared by both Jesus and Moroni. Of Moroni's departure, Joseph Smith wrote, "I saw the light in the room begin to gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left dark, except just around him; when, instantly I saw, as it were, a conduit open right up into heaven, and he ascended till he entirely disappeared, and the room was left as it had been before this heavenly light had made its appearance" (Joseph Smith-History 1:43).

In Pistis Sophia 6, the apostles, unable to withstand the brilliant light, asked Jesus, "withdraw thy light-glory into thyself that we may be able to stand. . . . Then Jesus drew to himself the glory of his light." The opening of the heavens and the drawing of the light to the person of the heavenly visitor is a feature shared by both stories.

Part 2

The Book of Mormon does not say that Jesus was surrounded by light when he descended from heaven to visit the Nephites after his resurrection, but it is significant that he introduced himself by saying "I am Jesus Christ. . . . I am the light and the life of the world" (3 Nephi 11:10-11). The Book of Mormon text notes that Jesus appeared to the Nephites "after his ascension into heaven" (3 Nephi 11:12), while in Pistis Sophia 3-4 the reappearance of Christ to his apostles occurred the day following his ascension. The apostles were frightened, so Jesus reassured them by saying, "Take courage. It is I, be not afraid" (Pistis Sophia 5). To the Nephites, who had fallen "to the earth" (3 Nephi 11:12), he said, "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet. . . . And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet" (3 Nephi 11:14-15). In Pistis Sophia 6, "all the disciples took courage, stepped forward to Jesus, fell down all together, adored him, rejoicing in great joy."

In both stories, Jesus then teaches the people, though the contents of his teachings are not identical. To the Nephites, he delivered the sermon he had previously given to his disciples in the Old World. To the apostles of Pistis Sophia 6-7, he told of the preexistent world from which they had come and of his return to his Father after the resurrection to receive his heavenly garment. One passage is of particular importance because it, too, has a parallel in the Book of Mormon. Jesus told the twelve apostles, "when I set out for the world [from the preexistence], I brought from the beginning with me twelve powers, as I have told you from the beginning which I have taken from the twelve saviours of the Treasury of the Light, according to the command of the First Mystery [i.e., God]. These then I cast into the womb of your mothers, when I came into the world, that is those which are in your bodies today" (Pistis Sophia 7).

This scene is like one from Lehi's vision, in which "he saw the heavens open, and . . . God sitting upon his throne," then "he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth" (1 Nephi 1:8-11). The brilliance of Christ and his twelve apostles, as described by Lehi, reminds us that, in the Pistis Sophia, they are said to have come forth from "the Treasury of Light."

Nephi, having asked to see what his father had seen in vision, was also shown Christ and his twelve apostles (1 Nephi 11:27-29). Like Lehi, he "saw the heavens open" and was shown Jesus' mother Mary, "a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins," who became "the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh" (1 Nephi 11:14-21). Similarly, in Pistis Sophia 8, Jesus, speaking of the preexistence, says, "I looked down on the world of mankind and found Mary, who is called "my mother' according to the body of matter," into whom his spirit was then placed when the spirits of the apostles were placed inside their mothers.

Part 3

Christ and his Disciples in America

A number of Latter-day Saint practices and beliefs introduced by Joseph Smith are also found in the Pistis Sophia. In one scene (Pistis Sophia 136), the apostles and their wives stand around Jesus dressed in linen as he prays for them at the altar, reminiscent of the prayer circle. The words spoken by Jesus are unintelligible and are hence merely transliterated (and not translated) in the English text. This reminds us that, in the Book of Mormon, when Jesus prayed for the Nephites, his words were so great that they could not be recorded (3 Nephi 17:15-17). In Pistis Sophia 141-43, as the apostles stand around Jesus with the "cipher" of "the name" in their hands, Jesus tells them about the power he has given them to seal on earth and in heaven, so they can perform the mysteries for men, and mentions anointing and the mystery that leads into the Holy of Holies, in  connection with the ciphers and names. In several passages of the Pistis Sophia (128, 130, 146-47), Jesus talks about baptism for the dead and indicates that the living must perform for them that which they can no longer do for themselves. Did Joseph Smith get his ideas for the temple from this ancient document that was unknown in his day?

There are other parallels as well. In Pistis Sophia 7-8, Jesus speaks of the "soul of the rulers" in the premortal existence, in terms reminiscent of Abraham 3:23 in which, in the premortal world, God stood among a group of spirits and declared, "These I will make my rulers." The following is an interesting comparison between part of a revelation received by Joseph Smith and a section of the ancient Coptic text:

D&C 18:15-16--

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the

kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

Pistis Sophia 104 (Mead's translation)--

Amen, amen, I say unto you: He who shall keep in Life and save only one soul, besides the dignity which he possesseth in the Light-kingdom, he will receive yet another dignity for the soul which he hath saved, so that he who shall save many souls, besides the dignity which he possesseth in the Light he will receive many other dignities for the souls which he hath saved.

The Vision of Mani and the Vision of Nephi

The Persian Prophet Mani

Over two years ago I did a blog post about a correlation between the Book of Mormon and the Narrative of Zosimus.  This was spawned by some of the research that I had read through by John Welch and his comparison between the two texts.  This post will continue on those same lines with a comparison between the Cologne Mani Codex and the Book of Mormon.  I would like to thank a colleague of mine Tyler Livingston President of the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum for pointing this one out to me as well as another comparison between the Book of Mormon and the Pistis Sophia which will be forth coming in a blog post as well.  It is these resemblances and parallels that I love because they act as an accompanying witness or testimony in favor of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  For the above mentioned Narrative of Zosimus correlations blog post please follow this link.

http://inthecavityofarock.blogspot.com/2013/08/correlations-between-book-of-mormon-and.html

Manichaeism was a religion that was founded in modern day Iran by the prophet Mani around 216-276 AD.  It actually consisted of Zoroastrian, Dualism, Babylonian folklore, and Buddhism.  It survived as a popular religion in both the East and the West although it flourished mainly in the east Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Turkestan, China and Northern India through 1000 A.D. but eventually died out at an uncertain date. 

Mani is a title or term of respect rather than a personal name thought to mean “Light King” or “the illustrious”. It is assumed that he took the title and replaced his personal name.  Exactly what his personal name was is still unknown.  Two Latin versions have been handed down Cubricus and Ubricus.  Some scholars have stated that these are corrupt uses of the name Shuraik.  

At the age of 12 is when Mani received his first revelation. He was visited by an angel who appeared to him and advised him to leave the Mandaeans and live chastely but to wait another 12 years before proclaiming himself to the people. On Sunday March 20^th 242 A.D. Mani finally proclaimed his gospel in the royal residence, Gundesapor, on the coronation day of Sapor I in Babylon.  He taught, “As once Buddha came to India, Zoroaster to Persia, and Jesus to the lands of the West, so came I in the present time, this prophecy through me, the Mani, to the land of Babylonia” a proclamation from this “Apostle of the true God”.  With limited success Mani left Babylon and set up Manichaean communities in Turkestan and India.  He did eventually return to Persia and converted the brother of Sapor I (Peroz).  During his travels Mani used epistles (encyclical letters) to spread his doctrine and teachings.  His popularity varied with different leaders of Persia.  He was later imprisoned by Sapor I, released by Ormuzd I but under his successor Bahram I he was crucified, had the corpse flayed, and the skin stuffed and hung up at the city gate as a warning to his followers in roughly 276-277 A.D.

The Prophet Nephi

Fast forward to 1969 when a group of four parchment palm sized pieces of vellum were purchased by the University of Cologne.  They were originally found in Asyut (Upper Egypt) at an undetermined date.  When translated these documents contained a Greek translation of the earliest Manichean teachings and the life of Mani including his youth and missionary activity and his introduction into the Elkesaite Baptist sect entitled “On the Origin of his Body”. 

The first translations were done in 1969 and the first English translations were done in 1979 roughly 149 years after Joseph Smith had translated the Book of Mormon.  I say this because there is an interesting comparison to the content of Mani and his visitation by an angelic being and Nephi from the Book of Mormon and his visitation from an angelic being.  In the Book of Mormon in the book of 1Nephi the prophet Nephi while pondering on the meaning of a vision his father Lehi had received was given the opportunity to have the same vision opened to him.  This took place in Jerusalem in roughly 600 B.C.  We will now compare similarities between what Mani experienced to what Nephi experienced.  In doing this I will put BOM next to the reference or scripture for 1 Nephi to represent the Book of Mormon and I will put CMC next to the Cologne Mani Codex reference for ease in comparison. 

BOM-For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen . . . as I sat pondering in mine heart (11:1)

CMC-I was reflecting about how all the works came to be. As I pondered (43) 

BOM-I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord (11:1)

CMC-The Spirit snatched me up (41)

Suddenly the living [Spirit] snatched me, [lifted me up] with greatest [force] (43)  

BOM-yea, into an exceedingly high mountain (11:1)

CMC-set me [down] on [the pinnacle] of a [very] high mountain (43)

…and carried me off to the mountain in silent power (41)  

BOM-And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou? (11:2) [Nephi wants to have the "mysteries of God" revealed to him (10:17, 19)]

CMC-Now he spoke with me and said: He who is eminently most powerful sent me to you so that I may reveal to you the secrets which you pondered (43) 

BOM-The Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all (11:6)

CMC-The living [Spirit] . . . said to [me: . . .] give glory to the greatest King of honor (43) 

BOM-[Nephi beheld many things in a vision (11-14)]

 CMC-There many great [visions] were revealed to me (41) 

BOM-And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me (11:14)

|CMC-I saw a glorious throne room coming down from the highest height and a mighty angel standing by it (43)  

BOM-[Nephi beheld many places in his vision (11:13; 12:1; 13:1; 14:11-27), including other angels (11:30)]

CMC-[to the] north and I beheld there enormous mountains and angels and many places (43) 

BOM-[Nephi is questioned by the angel (11:14, 16, 21; 14:8)]

CMC-He beheld everything and carefully questioned the angels (47) 

BOM-[Nephi is forbidden to write many of the things which he sees since others have and will write them (14:28)]

 CMC-Now all these things that are hidden, write (43) 

BOM-The things which I have written sufficeth me [He writes only what the angel tells him he can write] (14:28)

 CMC-And whatever they said to him, he would inscribe in his writings (47) 

BOM-[Lehi's family has "plates of brass" (13:23). Nephi makes plates of ore (19:1-6). The Lord commands him to make another set of metal plates later in 2 Nephi 5:30]

CMC-Write upon bronze tablets (43) 

BOM-These things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb (13:35). [Records similar to Nephi's are "sealed up to come forth" in a latter time (14:26)]

CMC-And store them up in the desert land (43) 

BOM-[The Nephites] shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious (13:35)

CMC-All that you write, write most clearly (43) 

BOM-[John sees "many things" which Nephi has seen, but Nephi only wrote "but a small part" of the things he saw (14:24, 28)]

CMC-[Now many other things] like these are in his writings, which tell about his rapture and revelation (43) 

BOM-These plates should be handed down from one generation to another (19:4)

 CMC-For all which he heard and saw he wrote down and bequeathed to all posterity of the Spirit of Truth (43)

BOM-[Following his vision Nephi is left weak from the experience and sorrows over his brothers' unbelief (15:1-6)]

CMC-My heart became heavy, all my limbs trembled, my backbone was shaken violently, and my feet did not stand on their pins (41) 

Although the comparison between these two visions shows many correspondences between them, critics may say that it doesn’t stand as physical evidence for the Book of Mormon.  They would be right if this were the only case but when it is combined with the above mentioned Narrative of Zosimus and other texts such as the next blog post on the Pistis Sophia we can begin to see the Lord working in similar manner to his prophets and apostles of old.  These texts work as literal voices from the dust within their own right.   

Book of Mormon Tributes v.s. Aztec Tributes

"Matricula de tributos" of the
Codex Mendoza

Throughout the Book of Mormon there are many stories of groups who at one point or another fell under tribute/bondage to other larger groups.  These usually happened as one group conquered another in warfare or through mutual agreements used to avoid further warfare.  Rather than recognizing the individuals in the tributary groups as direct property or as slaves they were set up as tributes where taxes or heavy burdens were placed up on them.  This practice was also commonly used among the Aztecs.  This is not assuming that slavery to some degree didn't exist in both the Book of Mormon and by the Aztecs because it more than likely did but to the degree that was practiced with the Israelites in Egypt or Africans driven into slavery in the Americas that doesn't seem to be the case.  This article will be a quick peak into the practices of tributaries in the Book of Mormon and among the Aztec populations. 

In the Codex Mendoza which was an Aztec codex that was created after the Spanish conquest of Mexico (14 years after the conquest) it contains multiple sections, one section in particular has a portion of 39 pages which provide a list of the towns conquered by the Triple Alliance which is better known as the Mexica Aztec Empire.  The Triple Alliance was made up of an alliance between three Nahua city-states Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan.  These three "altepetl" (city states) ruled the Valley of Mexico from 1428-1521 when they were defeated by the combined forces of the Spanish conquistadores and their native allies under Hernan Cortes.  In the 39 pages mentioned above there is a smaller section known as the "Matricula de tributos" which details the tributes paid from the lesser towns of a province to the principal city-state.  These tributes include gold and other precious metals for jewelry, cocoa, cotton, jars of honey, granary, copal, feathers, strings of semiprecious beads, warrior suits, animals and many, many other goods.

Many of these tributes were in such large quantities that it would have been hard for a conquered people to compile and would have been considered an extreme hardship.  This caused the hatred for the Aztec Empire from the smaller towns and city-states that were forced to pay tribute.  It was this hatred and discontent that eventually caused many of these tributaries to join forces with the Spanish conquistadores in hopes of alleviating this burden. Bernal Diaz spoke of one such king who ruled on the Veracruz coast who had to deal with this burden.  "This king was known only as the Fat King or Fat Chief who, "broke into bitter complaints "saying, the Mexica (Aztecs) ruler "had taken away all his golden jewelry, and so grievously oppressed him and his people that they could do nothing except obey him, since he was lord over many cities and countries, and ruler over countless vassals and armies of warriors."1

Captain Moroni and Zarahemna

This same type of oppression is seen throughout the pages of the Book of Mormon.  At many points there are military wars between the Lamanites and the Nephites because the Lamanites delighted in bloodshed and wanted to destroy the Nephites or subject them to bondage.  This was the case in the wars between the Lamanite (Amalekite) leader Zarahemna and the Nephite leader Captain Moroni in Alma 43 and 44.  Captain Moroni and the Nephites fought to uphold their freedom (including religious freedom) and their families and lands, whereas the Lamanites fought for bloodshed and to put the Nephites in bondage through making them a tributary state.

This is seen again in more detail when we look at the people of Limhi and their dealings with the Lamanites in Mosiah 19. There was internal turmoil between the previous King of the Nephites (the group who lived in the lands of the Lamanites) a man named wicked King Noah and another man named Gideon.  This turmoil caused dissensions between the Nephites and their loyalty to the wicked King Noah.  It was at this precise time that they were attacked by the Lamanites who conquered them and scattered their leaders who had fled for their lives (Noah included).  In the absence of leadership and being subjected to bondage a tributary King was placed over the Nephites named Limhi (the son of King Noah) and his people were forced to pay a grievous tribute as noted in Mosiah 19:15 which states,

"Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives and carried them back to the Land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up King Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property, even one half of all they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites from year to year."

The dealings of Limhi and his people with the Lamanites only got worse form there.  At one point after some limited prosperity the people of Limhi had multiple wars against the Lamanites in which they were badly beaten three times in a row.  These losses caused them to be humbled as Mosiah 21:13 states,

"And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitted themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies."

Fat Aztec Chief

The resemblance between the tribute chronicled in the Matricula de tributos and the tribute paid by the people of Limhi is uncanny.  Both tributes were obviously hindrances that had to be endured by all tributary parties involved.  A comparison of the scenarios of King Limhi and those of the Fat King or Fat Chief from Veracruz coast noted above show many similarities as well.  The burdens placed on both leaders as tributes were enough to bring about complaints and murmurings.  In the case of Limhi, he and his people eventually escaped to join the larger group of Nephites in the land of Zarahemla in order to ease their hardships and gain freedom.  Unfortunately we do not have the outcome of the Fat Chief but it is assumed that he would have either continued to either comply or joined the movement with other tributaries to join the conquistadors and battle the Mexica Aztecs in Tenochtitlan.  Either way it is easy to see the parallels between both practices held by the Nephites and later by the Aztecs.  If the Nephites were a minority population during the same period as the Maya than it would be easy to see why this practice of tributary bondage was still alive and well during the time of the Aztecs.

1. Stuart Gene S, Glanzman Louis S, The Mighty Aztecs, May 1982.



 

Hopi Mixed Dance Ragalia and Jewish Prayer Shawl. Shesh, How Permanent is this Stuff?

This is a Mixed Animals Dance done by the Hopi on First Mesa (Sichamovi).  I am just using this video to point out similarities between some of the Hopi dance regalia and some of those worn by Jews during their ceremonies.  In particular I would like to point out the Kachina's dancers which are dressed as deer or antelope have a white shawl hanging behind them from their waist.  These are extremely similar to ones used by Jews in their ceremonies.  With that in mind I would like to share a quick insight by Hugh Nibley in regards to some of these ceremonial harmonies. 


Nibley was quick to share these intimate experiences among the Hopi with others.   Numerous times he took friends and family to observe the Hopi.  On one occasion he shared the following:

“And when I had taken professors from Israel to visit the Hopi’s they were simply bowled over.  Whats his name? Professor Shinar (Pessah Shinar Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies) who teaches Hebrew at Hebrew University at which he is Arabic at Hebrew University, paid us a visit and I took him too, with the Raphi brothers [actually the Patai brothers Raphael (was Hungarian-Jewish ethnographer, historian, orientalist and anthropologist) and Saul Patai (Organic chemist) both from Hebrew University] who are Israeli and he saw a woman who was making something and he said, “What’s that?” and I said, “well, that’s a shawl, a prayer shawl”.  He says, “Well, we have the same kind” and said, “Well, what do they call it?” I said, “a shesh” (Hebrew for white fine linen) and he nearly fainted and said, “that’s what we call it”.  And Raphi, well some little boys were beating some drums on a mound and Raphi stopped and said, “That’s a song, we used to sing that in my village”.  How permanent is this stuff? It gives you the creeps.”[1]

To sum it up in Nibley’s own words he stated, “My own connections with the Hopi…are exhilarating, puzzling, and faith-promoting.”[2]


[1](Hugh Nibley, Hugh Nibley Speaks on Temples: Temples Everywhere. Track 7 [audio cd])

[2] (Boyd J. Petersen. "The Home Dance: Hugh Nibley among the Hopi" Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 31.1 (1998): 27)

Black Elk’s Vision and Lehi’s Dream

Black Elk



This blog post is technically an extension of my previous post on Crazy Horse and Joseph Smith except this post deals with one of the main sources of my information for Crazy Horse, the one and only Sioux Oglala medicine man/healer and visionary Black Elk.  Much of the previous post’s information on Crazy Horse was taken from Black Elks accounts of his and his father’s dealings with Crazy Horse (Black Elks second cousin).  The source for most of this information was John G. Neihardt’s book “Black Elk Speaks” which shares the life story of Black Elk and covers the history of his people as well as his history of his visions and dealings that lead to him becoming a warrior and Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux.  While reading his story I couldn’t help but feel his love for his people and his family as well as his desire to understand his purpose here on earth. This desire was magnified by an early vision he received as a kid when he was about 9 years old when he had become very sick for several days and received an interesting vision.  He used this vision to search for understanding throughout his life; he even used it to gain insights into other visions he later received.  This blog post is in regards to one of his “later” visions he received and its comparison to Lehi’s dream which was also seen by his son Nephi. 

The vision I speak of happened in the spring of 1890 according to the book.  This would have roughly made Black Elk about 27 years old.  He was assisting in a dance on Wounded Knee Creek just below Manderson South Dakota.  During the ceremony Black Elk states he was taken into a vision and described the visions happenings as follows,

“As I touched the ground, twelve men were coming towards me, and they said: “Our Father, the two-legged chief, you shall see!”

Then they led me to the center of the circle where once more I saw the holy tree all full of leaves and blooming.

But that was not all I saw.  Against the tree there was a man standing with arms held wide in front of him.  I looked hard at him, and I could not tell what people he came from.  He was not a Wasichu (white man) and he was not an Indian.  His hair was long and hanging loose, and on the left side of his head he wore an eagle feather.  His body was strong and good to see, and it was painted red.  I tried to recognize him, but I could not make him out.  He was a very fine looking man.  While I was staring hard at him, his body began to change and became very beautiful with all colors of light, and around him was light.  He spoke like singing: “My life is such that all earthly beings and growing things belong to me.  Your father, the Great Spirit, has said this….

Then one of the twelve men took two sticks, one painted white and one red, and, thrusting them in the ground, he said: “Take these! You shall depend upon them.  Make haste!”….

There was a fearful dark river that I had to go over, and I was afraid.  It rushed and roared and was full of angry foam.  Then I looked down and saw many men and women who were trying to cross the dark and fearful river, but they could not.  Weeping, they looked up to me and cried: “Help us!”  But I could not stop gliding, for it was as though a great wind were under me.”

Black Elk entered this vision by being greeted by twelve men who advised him that “Our Father, the two legged chief, you shall see”. In the Book of Mormon Lehi was a prophet about 600 B.C. in Jerusalem who was given many visions.  One in particular was not only given to him but also to his son Nephi who was also a prophet.  Lehi and Nephi and their families and followers were led by the Lord to the Promised Land which is in the Americas (presumably in Central America).  Lehi’s children broke apart into two civilizations the Nephites and the Lamanites. It is commonly thought that these civilizations have contributed to some degree to the current Native American populations found throughout the Americas especially in Central America and the South Western United States.  I will be using both Lehi’s and Nephi’s accounts of this vision in comparison with that of Black Elks. 

Like Black Elk Nephi was also shown twelve men in 1 Nephi 11:29 he states,

“And I also beheld twelve others following him (Christ) and it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not.”

Both Lehi and Nephi also saw a sacred and holy tree as well and Nephi referred to it as the “tree of life”.   Lehi explained it like this in 1 Nephi 8:10,

“And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.”

Nephi went into further detail saying,

“And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.

  And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all. (1 Nephi 11:8-9)”

Now Black Elk also beheld a man standing in front of the tree who was not Native American or Caucasian but he had long hair and stood with his arms wide open.  He stated he was a very fine looking man and light shined all around him.  Nephi’s vision also beheld a man, the literal Son of God!

“And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God. (1 Nephi 11:7)”

Now Nephi’s vision went into further detail into the things that the Son of God would do and how he would be born which are details that were obviously not included in Black Elks vision.  I would like to skip to the end of Black Elk’s vision where he sees “a fearful dark river….which rushed and roared and was full of angry foam…and many people who tried to cross this river but they couldn’t”.  A similar river was seen in Lehi’s dream as he recalled,

“…I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking of the fruit. (1 Nephi 8:13)”

His son Nephi was able to receive further clarification about this river in his vision when an angle advised in 1 Nephi 12:16,

“…Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell.”

So we see that there are multiple similarities between the visions of Lehi/Nephi and that of Black Elk.  Interestingly enough both Nephi and Black Elk feared for their people and their welfare as if these visions were to lead them in future events to help save them.  Nephi had seen the entire destruction of his people in vision and Black Elk had seen signs he hoped would offer future assistance.  It is this future assistance which I would like to shift the focus too.  I will have to back track to a point in Black Elks vision where he stated,

The Bible and the Book of Mormon
(The Stick of Judah and the Stick of Joseph)

“Then one of the twelve men took two sticks, one painted white and one red, and, thrusting them in the ground, he said: “Take these! You shall depend upon them.  Make haste!”….

Joseph Smith taught that the Biblical prophecy given by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:16-17) regarding the “two sticks” one of Judah and one of Ephraim was fulfilled through the combination of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, the Bible being the record of Judah and the Book of Mormon being the record of Ephraim.  Could this “two stick” prophecy about the Bible and Book of Mormon have been a sign for Black Elk to look for throughout his life?  Could the truths contained in these “sticks” have been and still be part of the answer needed to help redeem these Native cultures to their fullness?  The Book of Mormon cover page seems to think so when it states,

“Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile…Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever… And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations”

On top of all of the above noted parallels and similarities there are a lot of interesting symbolism taking place in the background of these visions and prophecies.  One in particular is that the one of the twelve men who appeared to Black Elk took the two sticks and “thrust them in the ground”…as noted above these could very well be interpreted to be the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is noted as being “A voice from the dust” meaning that it was a record that was sealed up and buried in the ground only to be revealed at a later date.  Could this stick thrust in the ground be a hint at the voice from the dust connection?  I find the parallels stunning and the possible message intriguing especially for the future of the Sioux people for whom Black Elks vision was shared.  If this is indeed the case I hope that the time will come when the connection will be made and the prophecies tested!  Exciting things may still await.  

Joseph Smith and Crazy Horse

Black Elk and Elk

I have posted blog posts in the past based off of books about Native American chief’s or shaman or other important individuals such as “The Sun Chief” about Don C. Talayesva or “Big Snow Falling” about Albert Yava.  This post is more of the same but with a slight twist. The research for this post is mainly from John G. Neihardt’s book “Black Elk Speaks” about the Oglala Sioux Holy Man Black Elk and his visions and dealings throughout his life.  The caveat is that this post isn’t necessarily about Black Elk but rather it’s about his father’s cousin, the great Sioux Oglala leader and warrior Crazy Horse.  It is Black Elks description and stories about Crazy Horse that are significant and interesting when compared to the life of Prophet Joseph Smith.  Now it appears there have been others who may have noted some of these interesting comparisons but I felt I would add my version to the list. 

The Book does not spend an inordinate amount of time speaking about Crazy Horse but what little it does say, shows that Black Elk and his father held Crazy Horse in high regards.  The first correspondence noted is Black Elk quoting his father who is describing the vision Crazy Horse had that led to him being called Crazy Horse,

“he said that Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things.  That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that world.  He was on his horse in that world, and the horse and himself on it and the trees and the grass and the stones and everything were made of spirit, and nothing was hard, and everything seemed to float.  His horse was standing still there, and yet it danced around like a horse made only of shadow, and that is how he got his name, which does not mean that his horse was crazy or wild, but that in his vision it danced around in a queer way.”[1]

This world of spirits seen by crazy horse correlates very well with what Joseph Smith described as the spirit world.  Joseph Smith taught,

“the righteous and the wicked all go to the same world of spirits until the resurrection.”[2]

During a funeral sermon Joseph touched on the location of this spirit world when he taught that righteous spirits,

“are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire they are not far from us.”[3]

And to show his belief in this teaching he also stated to Benjamin F. Johnson while visiting the Johnson farm,

 “From a boy I have been persecuted  . . . Why should I not wish for my time of rest?” And then he said, “I would not be far away from you, and if on the other side of the veil I would still be working with you, and with a power greatly increased, to roll on this kingdom.”  [4]

We also find in Doctrine and Covenants section 77 the teachings revealed to Joseph Smith that things in the spirit world are like those in this temporal world,

“that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.”[5]

Possible Photo of Crazy Horse

We can see that the revelations received by and the teachings given from Joseph Smith relate directly to what Crazy Horse saw in his vision.  Crazy Horses vision offers an interesting parallel to the Joseph’s teachings because they were received in a different context but still attest to similar truths but his vision isn’t the only correlation the two have in common.  It was taught that Crazy Horse also carried a sacred stone with him one that he had either seen in a vision or used to see a vision.   Black Elk shared the following,

“They used to say too that he carried a sacred stone with him, like one he had seen in some vision, and that when he was in danger, the stone always got very heavy and protected him somehow.  That, they used to say, was the reason no horse he ever rode lasted very long.”

Now Joseph Smith was known to have had or used at least one if not multiple seer stones also referred to as a peep stone during his lifetime.  Now whether the seer stone offered him direct protection like the stone that Crazy Horse used it is not known.  But we do know that visions and revelations were directly tied to Joseph Smith’s seer stone including his ability to translate ancient texts like prophets of old.  It was Joseph Smith’s seer stone that helped him translate what we now have as the Book of Mormon.     After Joseph Smith’s death his wife Emma Smith was remarried (Emma Smith Bidamon) and gave the following account of Joseph’s use of the stones during the translation process.

“Now the first that my husband translated, [the book] was translated by use of the Urim, and Thummim, and that was the part that Martin Harris lost, after that he used a small stone, not exactly, black, but was rather a dark color.”[6]

Joseph Smith jr.

Another account of Joseph’s use of the seer stones was given by David Whitmer one of the original three witnesses of the Book of Mormon who described how Joseph Smith would use the stone to translate. 

“Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.” [7]

So the visions the seer stone and the similar understanding and teachings of the spirit world were not the only things that these two leaders had in common.  They were similar in death as well.  Both were not captured before being killed or martyred but they turned themselves in.  Joseph and his brother Hyrum were shot at Carthage Jail and Crazy Horse was stabbed with a bayonet during a scuffle at Fort Robinson.  Both deaths are shrouded in controversy.  On the disposal of Crazy Horses body Black Elk recounts the following,

“When it was day, Crazy Horse’s father and mother brought him over to our camp in a wagon. Then they put him in a box…They fastened the box on a pony drag and went away alone toward the east and north…the old people never would tell where they took the body of their son.”[8]

Sketch of Crazy Horse by Mormon Missionary

Upon the death of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum their bodies were taken back to Nauvoo IL the next day in a wagon where they were cleaned and examined.  On June 29^th 1844 there was a public viewing after which the empty coffins weighted with sandbags were used to avoid any theft or destruction at the public burial.  The coffins with the actual bodies of the brothers were first buried under the Nauvoo House only to later be moved and reburied under an out-building on the Smith homestead.

It can be seen that both Joseph Smith and Crazy Horse lived very separate and different lives that in many ways seem to have mirrored each other in certain aspects and they each have left their influence on the future generations of their people and followers.  It is interesting that a Mormon missionary in 1934 after investigating Crazy Horses sister made the above referenced sketch of Crazy Horse.  Upon completion Crazy Horses sister claimed the depiction was accurate.

---

[1] Niehardt John G. Black Elk Speaks pg 85

[2] Teachings of The Prophet Joseph Smith, Pg. 310

[3] Teachings, page. 326

[4] LDSLiving Magazine, Life After Death: 6 Insights into the Spirit world 11/17/2014

[5] D&C 77:2

[6] Emma Smith Bidamon to Emma Pilgrim, 27 March 1870, “Early Mormon Documents, 1:532.

[7] David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Mo.: n.p., 1887, p. 12.

[8] Niehardt John G. Black Elk Speaks pages 143-144.