The Book of Mormon's elusive "reformed Egyptian" may not be so elusive after all



Anthon Transcript

Over the past few weeks during my studies I found a continuing pattern of running into questions about “reformed Egyptian”. These were usually from naysayers stating that there is either no such thing as reformed Egyptian or people just questioning if we have any documents or findings that have reformed Egyptian because this is what we are advised by Nephi that the Book of Mormon was written in. Also if we do have any relics or documents with reformed Egyptian how do they compare with the Anthon Transcripts.



 To those not familiar with the Anthon Transcript it is a document that was a copy of some of the characters that were taken from the golden plates (Reformed Egyptian) used in the translation process of what is now the Book of Mormon. They were copied by Joseph Smith jr. and taken by Martin Harris to scholar/Egyptologist Charles Anthon of Columbia University who would confirm their authenticity and correct translation but when he asked Harris how they were obtained and finding out that they were part of the Golden plates that were given to Joseph Smith jr from an angel (Moroni) Charles Anthon tore up his confirmation of authenticity. In 1838, Joseph Smith related an account based on Harris' version of the meeting. Smith wrote that Anthon "stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. [Harris] then showed him those not yet translated, and said they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and that they were "true characters." According to the same account, Anthon provided Harris with a certificate as to the veracity of the characters but tore it up after learning the characters were copied from a book said to have been delivered by an angel.



Example of Micmac writing system

With that aside it has always been of interest for LDS scholars to try to find some of these same reformed Egyptian characters in other writing systems because it would add authenticity to the Book of Mormon and be looked upon as a direct bulls eye as far as evidences for the book are concerned. I have heard from Rod Meldrum who favors a North American setting for the Book of Mormon (Heartland theory) that some of these characters are similar to ones that have been found in the Native American Micmac (Algonquin) writing glyphs, which I personally do find interesting although I openly do not support an North American setting for the Book of Mormon. (Rod and I can agree to disagree but there is no disputing his love for researching the Book of Mormon as I have attended a few of his seminars). 



Along with the Micmac characters there are other relics that have raised some eyebrows because of their similarities to the characters on the Anthon Transcript. One of these was pointed out by Welby W. Ricks and Diane E. Wirth. It is a roller stamp from Tlatilco, Mexico. Roller stamps were used in Mesopotamia (Near East) and in Mesoamerica. They were used to impress a signature kind of like a rolling pin thus becoming a sealed stamp. The design was impressed on clay tablets. According to Mr. Ricks “cylinder seals” were made in three different styles. 1.With handles like a rolling pin 2.With slight concave depressions at each end for holding between one’s fingers, and 3. With a hole through the center lengthwise for the use of a stick or a wire to support and roll the stamp.

Roller Stamp from Tlatilco, Mexico

 In the July 1966 issue of American Antiquity, an article by David H. Kelley tells of the finding in 1948 at Tlatilco of a “cylinder seal” or roller stamp, 8.5 cm. long and 3.5 cm. in diameter, which was identified as belonging to the “Olmec” horizon (i.e., c. 1000-500 BC). The stamp is separated into 3 registers and one is partially broken away. The other two are complete. As noted by Kelly “All three registers clearly carry sequences of arbitrary symbols which are surely part of a hitherto unknown writing system.” As pointed out by Diane E. Wirth the roller stamp found in Tlatilco is of particular interest because it has writing glyphs similar to that of the Anthon transcript. Because this writing system is currently undecipherable it is of interest as well. It must be remembered that the Nephite writing was a priestly script and those scribes were educated to be able to do this as was seen in the case of Mormon when he received the “calling” from Ammoron. 

Dr. Ainsworths friend Esteban and
reformed Egyptian stele

Dr. Jerry Ainsworth in his book, “The Life and Travels of Mormon and Moroni” actually showed a few examples of reformed Egyptian that he claims were found by a friend of his Dr. Jose Padilla. One was a stele roughly about 5-6 feet tall and 8 inches thick. Dr. Padilla advised Dr. Ainsworth and his friend Esteban that he obtained it from Xochicalco Mexico in a cave where it was being used to mark a grave. One side of the stele has a Mayan in ceremonial garb holding an ephod and a shepherds crook. The opposite side has what appears to be reformed Egyptian script. This is not the only artifact that Dr. Ainsworth revealed in his book. He also had an artifact he referred to as “the lock” that appears to also have some sort of a reformed Egyptian script that along with the stele have many comparable hieroglyphs to that of the Anthon Transcript. These are just a few examples of what could be a version of reformed Egyptian or texts that were influenced by Nephite reformed Egyptian.  I personally think there are many more evidences like these out there that are yet to see the light of day and only time will tell.

The Life of Chief Tuba

Chief Tuba

The relationship between Chief Tuba (Tuuvi or Toova) and the early Mormon pioneers especially Jacob Hamblin has always been one of interest to me.  Chief Tuba was born in Oraibi Arizona (3rd Mesa) as a member of the short corn clan (or pumpkin clan).  Hopi tradition does not give his real name but according to a story given to a Mormon missionary his Hopi name was "Woo Pah".  Tuba became involved in an unremembered dissension at Oraibi, and left the village to "be at peace".  From then on, "Woo Pah" was known among the Hopi as Tuuvi, meaning the "outcast or the rejected one".

Tuba settled at Moencopi, about fifty miles west of Oraibi.  The Hopi say that at first, Tuba settled at Moencopi alone with his wife, living there all year long whereas before it had been a seasonal settlement.  However, soon people of Tuba's Short Corn Clan followed him, and eventually members of other clans until a community was created.  Tuba told one Mormon that after he had settled at Moencopi, there came a time when the Hopi's who lived with him "became lazy and wicked", refusing to "plant and tend the herds."  Tuba was greatly distressed about this, and as he sat brooding, he saw an old man approach with a long white beard.  The man claimed to have a message from God that the people must plant and take care of their herds or they would die in a three year famine that was to come. Tuba then turned his head and the man disappeared.  Tuba did as instructed and stored his own corn in a bin which was enought to last through the predicted famine.  Purportedly, Tuba explained that a long time ago there were three men that had been left on the earth, and when the Hopi were in trouble, one would come to advise them.  He believed that this stranger was one of them. 


Jacob Hamblin

The first Mormon missionaries to visit the Hopi came in 1858 under the leadership of Jacob Hamblin.  In November 1870, Tuba left his home with his wife, Pulaskaninki and Hamblin to spend time in southern Utah in order to learn the agricultural ways of the Mormons.  This was against a Hopi taboo forbidding Hopis from crossing the Colorado River until three prophets who anciently had led the Hopi to their current homeland returned.  Tuba spent nearly a year in the company of the Mormons.  He was  able to meet the Mormon leader, Brigham Young at St. George.  It was while in St. George that Tuba and his wife took out their endowments in the temple and was also given a suit as a gift from President Young.  Tuba was particularly impressed by a factory where yarn was being mechanically spun.  In Hopi culture, it is the men who spin the yarn for blankets, and its spun by hand.  According to Jacob Hamblin, after seeing this factory Tuba "could never think of spinning yarn again with his fingers, to make blankets." His wife was most impressed by the Mormon grist mills, a major improvement over grinding corn by stone.

Although Tuba seems to have had various disagreements with village leaders in Oraibi, he apparently retained access to one of the Hopi's sacred stones.  On one occasion, several Mormons were visiting Tuba in Oraibi and he took his visitors inside the village kiva.  There, he produced what appeared to be a marble slab about 15"x18" covered in "hieroglyphic" markings including clouds and stars.  The later Ethnological Report No. 4 produced by the US government seems to uphold the existence of such a stone based on the testimony of John W. Young and Andrew S. Gibbons.  This describes the stone as made of "red-clouded marble, entirely different from anything found in the region."

Tuba City Corn 1941

In 1879, a wool factory was built in Tuba City in order to "benefit the Indians and the [LDS] Church.  No doubt this edifice reminded Tuba of the factory which had so engaged his imagination in southern Utah nine years before. The settlement of his Mormon friends at Tuba City and the completion of the factory may have been the high point in Tuba's life, for it seems his last decade was marked with sadness.  The woolen factory was in operation for only a short time and within a few years it had fallen into disrepair.  It is reported that Tuba "took particular pride in watching over the remains of the factory, but after his death the ruination of the building was made complete."  It also seems that at some point in his last years, Tuba's wife left him for a younger man, and afterwards Tuba spent  about three years living in the home of Mormon missionary C.L.Christensen.  Tuba died in 1887, and at least some of Tuba's children were still living in Moencopi into the mid-twentieth century.  In 1941, a sandstone marker with a bronze plaque was dedicated in Tuba City by the LDS Church in honor of Tuba.

Silk and The Book of Mormon

Lehi's Contemporaries



Father Lehi

So while reading a Hugh Nibley article entitled, "Lehi as a Representative Man" off of the Maxwell Institute I figured I would do a post on a couple of Lehi's possible contemporaries.  These are people that Lehi as a man of culture and travel would have more than likely rubbed shoulders with at some point in there travels and dealings.  Nibley and many other scholars have suggested that Lehi would have been a skilled trader and an educated man because he spoke the language of his fathers and Egyptian as well.  We know that he had riches due to the episode of his sons second attempt to obtain the plates of Laban in which they attempted to trade their family riches and inheritance that the left once the family fled into the wilderness.  As a prophet of God Lehi would likely have been preaching in places where many could hear his voice and this would include conversing ideals with the thinkers and bright minds of his day. So who were some of the bright minds of his day that would have been in or around the areas in Lehi's environment? 

Solon

The first name that Nibley threw out was Solon, he was born in 638 B.C. and died in 558 B.C. and was an Athenian statesman, lawmaker and poet.  He is credited mainly as the father of democracy.  Ancient authors such as Herodotus and Plutarch are the main sources of information on Solon although they wrote about him long after his death.  As a lawmaker Solon was a reformer or a voice of political reason or moderation in Athens.  After his reforms Solon travelled abroad for 10 years and visited places such as Egypt and Cyrus and could have easily rubbed shoulders with Lehi during this time. Solon was also among the "seven sages" a title given by ancient Greek tradition to seven early 6th century B.C. philosophers, statesmen and lawgivers that were renowned in the following centuries for their wisdom. 

The other name mentioned was that of Thales who was born in the city of Miletus a Greek Ionian city around the mid 620's B.C.  His mother was a Phoenician and he received most of his education in Egypt, which gives him a similar cultural background to that of Lehi.  He is considered by many the first philosopher in Greek tradition.  He was known for explaining natural phenomena without reference to mythology.  Because of the way that he did this he has been noted as the "Father of Science".  Thales also used mathmatics to solve many problems so he is credited for first applying geometry.  Thales was also considered one of the seven sages or wise men.  Although the list of sages sometimes varies, the ones usually included are the following:

Thales

-Cleobulus of Lindos
-Solon of Athens
-Chilon of Sparta
-Bias of Priene
-Thales of Miletus
-Pittacus of Mytilene
-Periander of Corinth

It is interesting to consider that Lehi was rubbing shoulders with some of the wisest men of all time who's influence is still felt today. But if the Book of Mormon is what it proclaims to be than Lehi himself could be considered to be the most influential of them all. Not just because he would be the father of the Nephite and Lamanite nations but because of the influence of the Book of Mormon today.  Lehi was of the Tribe of Manasseh, which of all the tribes retained the old desert ways and was most active in the caravan trade so it is very likely that he would have been associated with Solon and Thales at some point in his life or at least aware of their teachings and influence. 

The Bible gives justification to Nephi slaying Laban

Nephi about to slay wicked King Laban

 Those familiar with the Book of Mormon know very well that one of the most detailed events is that of Nephi slaying wicked King Laban who was a ruler of a military garrison of 50 if not more in Jerusalem.  Around 600 B.C. Nephi's father Lehi a prophet of God receives a vision prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem.  He warns the residents of Jerusalem that they need to repent of their ways but instead finds himself with a bounty on his head. He follows the Lords advice and takes his family and departs into the wilderness.  It was during their escape from Jerusalem that Lehi receives further instruction to send his son's Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi to return to Jerusalem and obtain the brass plates that contain the records of their forefathers or writings of the prophets.  This record would be something similar to portions of our modern day Old Testament but probably larger.


  The first attempt was unsuccessful as Laman attempted to ask King Laban for the plates. In the second attempt the brothers went back to their previous residence and obtained all their precious items of silver and gold and tried their hand at bartering for the plates but wicked King Laban had his guards chase them and attempted to have them killed and in the process he was able to obtain their silver and gold.  It was at this point that the two older brothers Laban and Lemuel started to hit Nephi and Sam with their staffs and threatened to take their lives.  It took the appearance of an angel who rebuked Laman and Lemuel to stop the assault on Nephi and Sam.  Nephi took courage after they had been visited by the angel and in the third attempt he was lead by the spirit.  It was this third attempt that has drawn much debate among the scholarly community.  Nephi in following the spirit was lead into Jerusalem city limits and went towards the house of King Laban where he found a drunken King Laban who had been out with councilors and had apparently passed out.  It was at this point that the spirit told Nephi that he was to slay King Laban.  This was the only time that I know of that Nephi actually questioned the motives and the direction of the Lord.  Now Nephi admits that "Never at any time have I shed the blood of man and would that I might not slay him" but the spirit told him again to slay him "for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands."  It is this phrase that helps us gain the added insight.

Nephi was later told that "the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes". He was also told that "It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief." Nephi did have ample reason to slay King Laban when you realize that King Laban had attempted to kill Nephi and his brethren and he had taken their property.  You can't help but to feel that Nephi would be completely justified in taking this one life. Nephi also realized that he could not fulfill the commandments of the Lord without obtaining the brass plates, thus he must also kill King Laban.  Many scholars have pointed out that in 600 B.C. this would be commonly looked upon as justified but additional justification can be found when you look in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament.  As pointed out by Steven L. Olsen in his Neal A. Maxwell Institute article entitled, "The Death of Laban" Nephi not only shrunk away from killing King Laban because he had never killed before but also because intentional murder was punishable by death of the guilty under the Law of Moses.  However as Steven Olsen points out "a subsequent provision of the law qualifies this absolute prohibition""He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely be put to death.  And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee" (Exodus 21:12-13).  The specific wording of Nephi's decision to follow the spirit and slay King Laban places him securely under the justification given in the Law of Moses.  This not only shows Nephi's innocents but also his amazing ability at using literary devices such as this to portray his life story and help those of us who were not extremely familiar with the Law of Moses come to a complete understanding of his reasoning.  Well done Nephi, well done!

Was Nephi's sermon in Helaman 7-8 an allegorical funeral sermon?

Nephi son of Helaman II

I have a routine of different websites that I search and read on a regular basis when I'm not buried in a book. If you've read anything off of my blog you will have noticed that quite possibly the main website that I research for scriptural insights is the website of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute. One of the recent articles that I came across was written by John Welch in regards to the sermon given by Nephi the son of Helaman II in Helaman chapters 7 and 8. If you’re familiar at all with the story Nephi had just returned from proselytizing and doing missionary work in the land northward and had little success. To make matters worse when he returned home to Zerahemla he found the city had become quite apostate. At this point Nephi goes to the top of a tower in his garden near the main highway and prays in such a way that it attracts the attention of passersby. In doing this he seems to have gathered quite a crowd and then proceeds to call the people of Zerahemla to repentance and then tops it all off by prophesying the death of the Chief Judge of Zerahemla and even prophecies who the murder of the Chief Judge is.

Welch points out that it has been a normal practice of many prophets of old to use some sort of an allegorical example to help the people to whom he is preaching better understand the message. Below are a few examples pointed out by John Welch,

"It was not uncommon for early Israelite prophets to use example. When Jeremiah wanted to impress the people of Jerusalem with his prophecy that they would be yoked into bondage by the Babylonians, he

draped himself with thongs and a yoke and thus went forth proclaiming his message of doom (see Jeremiah 27:2-11). Other similar symbolic or parabolic acts performed as prophetic oracles are found in Jeremiah 13:1-11 (hiding a waistcloth), Jeremiah 19:1-13 (smashing a bottle), 1 Kings 11:29-39 (tearing a garment into twelve pieces), 2 Kings 13:15-19 (shooting an arrow), and Isaiah 20:2-6 (walking naked)."

With these examples in mind Welch then proceeds to point out a number of clues that give the impression that Nephi may have been presenting an allegorical funeral for his sermon. The clues include the following.

1. Nephi was "mourning" and "lamenting" and as pointed out by Welch Nephi was from an aristocratic household so this alone would have caused the passersby to wonder who of the household had passed.

2. Nephi's mourning or mock funeral seemed to last quite a long time. It lasted long enough for passersby to leave to get others to come witness this lamentation and return. This would make sense in the setting of a mock funeral mourning.

3. The lamenting of Nephi seemed to have been quite the spectacle because Welch points out that Nephi advised that the people indeed had "great need to marvel".

4. If Nephi was performing an allegorical funeral he also included the word "murder" a few times and this alone would have drawn a crowd. He then proceeded to include the iniquities of people of Zerahemla which would have worked up the crowd even more. Thus completing his purpose of performing the allegory.

5. The tower Nephi was praying and preaching from more than likely would have been some sort of Mesoamerican pyramid. These pyramids were used for numerous things in Mesoamerica during the times of the great Mayan civilization. One of the main purposes for the pyramid towers was to bury their dead, thus his allegory would have been performed at an actual funeral site.

6. The words and phrases used by Nephi in his sermon were used to predict the eventual death of those at Zerahemla. These phrases include such wording as, "why will ye die" and "everlasting misery" and God will turn them into “meat for dogs and wild beasts".

There are more examples but Welch points out that Nephi finishes by prophesying the death of Chief Judge of Zerahemla thus providing a specific corpse for all his woes. This Chief Judge's death represents the people of Zerahemla for whom the prophecies were given. It was also used to validate Nephi's prophetic words. As John Welch points out there is no way for us to be certain that Nephi was indeed performing an allegorical funeral sermon but this does add a rich, plausible and interesting symbolic meaning to the sermon given by Nephi.

I will also inlcude the link to the actual article by John Welch.  See below.

http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=71&chapid=835

Voices from the dust continued...

In January of 2011 I put together a blog post that I entitled "Voices from the Dust". The purpose of this post is to keep adding other voices from the dust that in some way or another add some sort of relevant insight to the Book of Mormon. This post will focus on two more "voices" that shed light on our understanding of the Book of Mormon. The "voices" I will be covering are the Amarna Letters and the Darius Plates.

The Amarna Letters

The Amarna Letters are a group of letters that were written on clay tablets between Egyptian political officials and those of Canaan and Amurru. They are written in Akkadian cuneiform a writing style from Mesopotamia an area that included Babylon an opposing force to that of Egypt. The tablets were found in El Amarna in Egypt and date back to the 14th century BC during the reign of pharaoh Akhenaten (1350s – 1330s BC). The Book of Mormon states that Jesus was "born of Mary, at Jerusalem" which has been a point of much ridicule towards the Book of Mormon since even the most elementary student of the Bible knows that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and not Jerusalem. LDS scholars have advised that the term "land" refers not only to Jerusalem but the surrounding cities or what we would call suburbs in our own day. Nowhere in the Bible does it refer to the "land of Jerusalem" and this was used quite often to criticize the Book of Mormon as well. The Amarna Letters were found around 1887 and date to much earlier than the birth of Jesus as noted above and prove that the term "land of Jerusalem" was a commonly used phrase used to describe the city of Jerusalem as well as the surrounding areas which would include Bethlehem which is only six miles south of Jerusalem. In the Amarna Letters they refer to the "land" of other Canaanite sites as well proving the use of the term "land of" was common in many settings.

The Darius Plates and stone box (Tehran, Iran)

The Darius Plates were discovered in 1933 at the Persian capital of Persepolis (which is Iran) and date between the years 518 to 515 B.C. The plates are made up of one gold and one silver plate also written in cuneiform and were contained in a stone box crafted to fit the plates. The plates are written in three languages (Babylonian, Elamite, and an older form of Persian) and contain Darius l rule over the Persian Empire. Since the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in 1830 critics have declared that the book is a fraud because Joseph Smith stated that he translated from plates of gold. The critics have declared the book a fallacy because it was well known that no ancients kept records on metal plates. In this matter the Darius plates stand as a testimony that indeed the ancients did use metal plates to keep records and they also stored them in a stone box as did Moroni when he stored the gold plates that contain what we know of today as the Book of Mormon.

The Amarna Letters and the Darius Plates along with those from my previous post (the Lachish Letters, the Nag Hammadi Text, The Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Elephantine Papyrus) all in some way or another add their voices from the dust to testify of the validity of the Book of Mormon.

Authorities and Priesthoods among the Maya and Hopi and the Book of Mormon

Hopi Two Horned Priests at Oraibi in
early 1900's

So if you have in any manner familiarized yourself with my blog you will have noticed many different correlations between the Hopi and those Nephites and Lamanites in the Book of Mormon.  In this blog post I am going to show that there was not only a priesthood that existed among the Nephites and Lamanites but there were also a type of priesthood or a remnant that is had among the Hopi and even the Mayans as well.  In the Book of Mormon a prophet named Alma who at one point of his life he resigned his position as chief judge and devotes himself totally to his position as high priest and the spreading of the gospel among the Nephites (Alma 4).  Alma chapter 4 shows that there was a priesthood that was had among the Nephite and Lamanite populations. It was the authority to act in the name of God. 

The Hopi have similar priestly societies known as the One Horns and the Two Horns.  The One Horns are according to Tom Cryer in his book Visual Testament, "like the Freemasonic Entered Apprentice, has yet to receive the greater light.  Their minds have yet to open to the mysteries known by the more mature Two Horns.  Thus their headdresses are either large, unsplit unicorns or diminutive two horns."  Their function is aimed more towards outward ordinances much like the ancient order of the Aaronic priesthood. 

The Two Horn function is celestial or eternal in nature much like that of the Melchizedek priesthood.  They have knowledge of the higher order of heaven, and the previous worlds.  Their responsibility is mainly focused on looking after the dead.  They install chiefs of all the ceremonies and dance with high steps and
sing "a song that is so secret that although they render it in low, almost inaudible voices, they accompany it with a great uproar in order to make sure that not a syllable is overheard by any, save members of their own order ."(Titiev 1944:132)

The Mitre worn by Catholic superiors

The Hebrew word qaran or keren is a denominative verb from a noun meaning "horn" or "power" which is exactly what the horns represent.  The armies of Joshua used the horn to knock down the walls of Jericho.  Cryers points out that  in Psalm 29:7 " The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire"  and it is this division
representing the word of the Lord that is represented directly on the horned headdress of the split gourd  having pairs of parallel lines that represent "the word" (as pointed out on my other post regarding the Hopi Snake Ceremony) painted on the inside.  The horns symbol has been depicted in many places from the Hopi's to the Mayans and even the Egyptians all as symbols of power and authority.  There are also many depictions of Moses with horns for this very reason.  Cryers also points out that the divided headdress was traditional in the Old World until it was "turned aside" and became the mitre worn by Catholic superiors.

Lachoneus and Gidgiddoni

Mayan forms of authority were held in the eagle and jaguar warriors that were later held used as types of Aztec warriors as well. Many of these type of warriors can be seen on Mayan and Aztec murals. To some a priestly class also being a warrior or  highly trained military personnel may seem a bit odd but when we return to the Book of Mormon we can see that this was a very common practice in times righteousness. During the days of Lachoneus who was the governor and a just man with the spirit of prophecy  he appointed Gidgiddoni as a chief captain among his armies and when we read 3 Nephi 3:18-19 we see that this was indeed a common practice.

18.  Now the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of all the armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was Gidgiddoni.
19. Now it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their cheif captains, (save it wer in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also was the chief judge.

Thus we can see that a line of authority even priestly authority has its roots in ancient tradition.  Through Joseph Smith this can be traced back to the prophets of old. In the Pearl of Great Price and Book of Mormon we see that the want for this priesthood authority lead to "copy cat" authorities trying to mimmick the priesthood authority. That combined with the loss of authority due to wickedness and apostacy lead to the total loss of the priesthood.  As I have pointed out traces can be seen in ancient cultures almost everywhere.  It's when we take a closer look at these ancient traditons that we may get a better understanding of the Book of Mormon.  I once again close with Brant Gardners saying that it's not about looking for the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica it's about looking for Mesoamerica (and its surrounding cultures) in the Book of Mormon that will bring further cultural insights.

The 1897 Audio Record of Wilford Woodruff's Testimony

This video was recorded in 1897 on the 3 wax cylinders and in this recording President Wilford Woodruff is 90 years old and of all the things that he can bear his testimony about he chose to bear it about the Prophet Joseph Smith jr. There is an accompanying spirit that is found in this recording especially when you realize that he is bearing his testimony about the being the last person still alive who was at that famous "Last Charge" meeting in which Joseph Smith rolled the priesthood and church responsabilities off onto the quorum of the twelve and then celebrated joyfully that through the help of the Lord he was able to do something that Solomon and Hyrum of Tyre were not able to do, namely establishing the fulness of the gospel including the building of the temple here on earth never to be removed from earth again....enjoy!

Khirbet Beit Lei (The Lehi Cave) or not?





subterranean columbarium



 In 1961 Israeli Military Engineers while building a road exposed an ancient Judean tomb containing eight human skeletons in two burial cavaties. There were multiple drawings and etchings and inscriptions on the walls including the name Yahuweh (Jehovah) and the city name Yerushalem (Jerusalem).  The Israeli archeologists named it the Jerusalem Cave but a while later it became known as the Lehi Cave to the LDS community. A couple hundred meters from the Jerusalam Cave  was an abandoned village of ruins in an Arab village called Khirbet Beit Lei (pronounced "bait lay").  In Arabic the term lei means "twisting".  In the 1970's many of the LDS community attempted to connect Lehi to this village of ruins and it became known as Beit Lehi and the Lehi Cave.

It appears that the driving force behind the name change began with Joseph Ginat who is an Israeli anthropologist who studied for his doctorate at the University of Utah and also taught anthropology as a professor at the University of Haifa.  It seems as though it was Joseph Ginat who introduced Glenn Kimber and W. Cleon Skousen to the idea that this area may be the same area of Lehi in the Bible that was connected to Sampson. (Judges 15:8-19). 

According to beitlehi.org,

"Joseph Ginat's interest concerning the cave caused him to go back to Israel and investigate the site.  While doing so he was surprised to meet a Bedouin who told him that just above this cave, about 1\4 of a mile away, were the remains of an ancient oak tree. This was the place where , according to the traditions and the legends of the Bedouins, a Prophet named Lehi sat while he blessed and judged the people of Ishmael as well as the people of Judah.  The Bedouin said that Lehi lived many years before Muhammad.  The Arab people built a wall of large rocks around the remains of the tree to protect it as a sacred spot.  Upon return

ing to Salt Lake City, Joseph exitedly shared this information with W. Cleaon Skousen as well as others in the area."

Many of the scholars associated with the site speculated that the Arabic term "Lei" proundounced "lay" is the equivalent of the Hebrew term Lehi.  It was also assumed that the term had the same meaning as the Hebrew version meaning "cheek" or "jawbone" instead of "twisting" as noted above.  The term Khirbet Beit Lei means "ruin of Beit Lehi" according to their translation.  Jeffrey R. Chadwick in his Neal A. Maxwell Institute article entitled "Khirbet Beit Lei and the Book of Mormon: An Arcdhaeologist's Evaluation" has done a pretty thorough job of reviewing not only the archeological findings that have been found but also the names translation and the correlations of the ruin sites with possible locations in the story of Sampson in the Bible and later Lehi and his family in the Book of Mormon and states that the translations in Hebrew and Arabic are completely seperate and thus it would not be the "house of Lehi" but the "house of Lei".

Byzantine period ancient mosaic

At the ruin site there have been inscriptions exclaiming " Yahveh (is) the God of the whole earth; the mountains of Judah belong to him, to the God of Jerusalem" as well as what appears to be drawings of human like figures on the wall, ship etchings and a possible rough depiction of the layout of the city of Lachish.  Other findings were a Byzantine period church complex  featuring an amazing mosaic floor that included Greek inscriptions and an olive oil pressing and a subterranean columbarium (a man made dovecote or structure used to house pigeons) dating to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In reviewing the dates of many of the findings Chadwick has also come to the conclusion that the burial tombs could not be the "cavity of a rock" in which Nephi and his brothers hid in.  This along with the fact that the site lays about 22 miles to the southwest of Jerusalem leads many LDSscholars to assume that it wouldn't lay within the best route leading out of Jerusalem which would have been used by Lehi and his group. Lehi and his family including Zoram along with Ishmael and his family would have used a nearly southern route which eventually lead to a southeast direction in fleeing Jerusalem and to assume that Khirbet Beit Lei was either the land of Lehi's inheritance or the cave in which Nephi and his brothers fled too would have required them to go out
of their way which was something that more than likely wouldn't have happened in the inital fleeing assuming Lehi's life was in trouble.

Excavation Site Map

Although Chadwick has come to the conclusion that Kirbet Bet Lei could not have been tied into the story of Lehi or the story of Sampson he admits that the site will "remain a site of interest to students of archaeology, historical geography, and the scriptures, since its inscriptions and drawings seem connected to the drama described in Isaiah 36-37, namely the Assyrian attack on Judah in 701 BC, and the subsequent salvation of Jerusalem."  I will leave it to the reader to do their own research and come to their own conclusions of the "Lehi Cave".

I really wanted to share this information since I found the original stories and videos that I had seen about the area to be amazing but then I didn't hear much more and it seemed as though progress on linking the site to Lehi had completely dropped off.  I still feel there is much historical information to be obtained form the site that can help us come to a better understanding of the scriptures.  I will include the link to Jeffrey R. Chadwicks above referenced article as well as links to beit lehi foundation for further research.  I will also include a link to the site panorama that was done by the Utah Valley University archaeology department.  This panorama view is litterally a vitrual tour of the every tomb and ruin and allows you to see these findings first hand.  I wish that every archaeology digging could inlcude a panorama view of their findings as well.  So enjoy.

Jeffrey Chadwicks "Khirbet Beit Lei and the Book of Mormon: An Archaeologist's Evaluation
https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/RelEd/article/viewFile/2355/2192

Beit Lehi Foundation
http://beitlehifoundation.org/

Beit Lehi Panorama virtual tour
http://virtual.uvu.edu/beit-lehi2010/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k9NtYJxh9oM#!