It has seven chapters and covers a period of about 20-30 years, or from 600 B. C., the departure from Jerusalem to 580-570 B. C., near the death of Lehi. It records the important features in reference to their migration from Jerusalem across the Arabian desert, the building of the ship, the crossing the Pacific, their debarkation, the visions of Lehi and Nephi and the teaching by N. of his brethren. Author: Nephi.
It has fifteen chapters and covers a period of about 30 years, or from about 580-570 B. C. to 545 B. C.-2 Ne. iv:42-45; Ja. i:l-8. It extends from Lehi's parting words to his sons (shortly after which he died) at the place of their landing, down to the last words of N. in the land of N., shortly after which Nephi died-Jac. i:9-14. 2 Ne. viii:17 -x reproduces Isa. ii-xiv with little variation. Both 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi contain a large percentage of prophetical, doctrinal and exhortatory matter; 2 Ne. witnesses the origin of the Nephite monarchy -iv:26-41. Author: Nephi
Third book of the B. of M. It em-braces an account of the receipt by Jacob of instruction from the prophet Nephi in reference to the plates-of the death of Nephi-of the appearance among the Nephites of the vice of polygamy-of Jacob's speech to the Nephites after the death of Nephi-of the smiting of Shared-of the prophecy of Zenos. It was written by Jacob.
The fourth book of the B. of M., written from records prepared by the prophet E. (p. v.). It embraces but one chapter and seven paragraphs, giving an account of its author's conversion, etc. En. 42-46.
A Nephite prophet and custodian of the sacred plates; which he received from his father Enos about 421 B. C. and handed down to his son Omni, 362 B. C. He therefore held the records about 59 years. His life was spent in the land of Nephi. In his time the Nephites had waxed strong in the land, but they were less numerous than the Lamanites, and they had had many battles. Enos i:42; Jar. i:29-32.
Sixth book of the B. of M., between Jarom and Words of Mormon; has but one chapter and 54 verses, but was furnished by no less than five authors: Omni, Amaron, Chemish, Abinadom and Amaleki, who held the plates in succession from 362 B. C. till later than 200 B. C., covering a period, therefore, of approximately 200 years. It records the important event of the mi-gration of the Nephites under Mosiah I from the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla-about 200 B. C.
The seventh book of the B. of M., written by the prophet and compiler M. It is found between the books of Omni and Mosiah; has but one chapter. It was written after the battle of Cumorah, v. 1-3. Chronologically-in respect to the time of writing rather than the events in chief which it relates-it would come between the books, Mormon and Moroni; or more particularly, I should suggest, between chaps. 2 and 3 of Mormon. For, while in W. of Morm. v.1 M. says, 'I am about to deliver up the record into the hands of Moroni," in Morm. iii:7-15 he affirms that he had already done so; and one would gather the conclusion that chap. 4, therefore, of Mormon was added by him after the record had been resigned to Moroni's possession.
The eighth book of the B. of M., between Words of Mormon and Alma. It has thirteen chapters and covers a period of about 33 years, from the conclusion of the reign of King Benjamin and accession of his son Mosiah II to the deaths of Mosiah II and Alma I. As King M. held the records we are to understand that he was responsible for the most port, for the existence on the plates of Nephi of the accounts from which Mormon makes his abridgment, the Book of Mosiah. It gives an account of the founding of the Church of Christ in the land of Zarahemla and the declination of the monarchial government over the Nephites; two of the most important aspects of its history.
The ninth book of the B. of M. It covers a span of 39 years, or from 91 B. C. down to 52 B. C.-See Mos. xiii:63-68, and Al. i:l-9, xxx:20, 21. The first twenty chapters were prepared from records written by the prophet Alma; the following nine from records written by his son Helaman; and the following and last one from accounts by Shiblon the brother of Helaman, and Helaman the son of Helaman. The book extends from the death of King Mosiah to (and inclusive of) the 39th year of the reign of the Judges. The events it deals with were mostly in the land of Zarahemla.
The tenth book of the B. of M. between the books of Alma and 3 Nephi. It has but five chapters and dates from 50 B. C. to or near the birth of Christ. It extends from the 40th to the 90th year of the reign of the Judges, exclusively. It extends from the 40th to the 90th year of the reign of The Judges, inclusive. It therefore covers about 50 years. Some of its prominent characters are: Pahoran, Helaman II, Kishkumen and Gadianton, Nephi and Lehi, Moronihah, Cezoram, Samuel, the Lamanite. Its characters, events and scenes were for the most part in the land of Zarahemla. The book of H. was constructed by Mormon (as the last paragraph or verse indicates) from "the record of H. and his sons."
It informs us of the origin of the Gadianton band; of the exclusion of all the Nephites for a time from the land southward; of the wonderful success of Nephi and Lehi in converting the Nephites and Lamanites, and of their miraculous deliverance in the land of Nephi; of the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite.
It is the eleventh book of the B. of M., between the book of Helaman and "4 Ne." It has fourteen chapters and covers a period of 33 years, from A. D. 1 to A. D. 33; from the great sign of the birth of Christ down to the time of his appearance in the land Bountiful. It gives an account also of the greatest struggle with the Gadianton robbers (q. v.) and the destruction of the government of the Judges. Its prominent characteristics are, therefore, the phenomenon of Christ's birth, the Gadianton war, the catastrophe, and the appearance of Christ. It is an abridgment by Mormon from accounts written by Nephi, one of the Twelve Disciples.
It has but one chapter; is the twelfth book of the B. of M. and is contained between 3 Nephi and Mormon. It embraces a period of 286 years, or from A. D. 34 to A. D. 320. It gives an account of the conversion of all the people of the land following the appearance of Jesus; the reign of unmarred peace for nearly 200 years; the terrible apostasy of the third century A. D. and the revival of the Gadianton robbers; and the hiding up of the records by Ammoron in 320 A. D. See 4th Nephi.
The thirteenth book of the Book of Mormon. It has but four chapters, the first three of which were written by the prophet M., the fourth and last by Moroni, his son. It embraces a period of eighty years-A. D. 320-400. It is between the book of 4 Nephi and Ether. It gives an account of the renewal of war between the Nephites and Lamanites, after about 326 years of the Christian era had passed away, and gives a brief account of events down to the destruction of the Nephite nation A. D. 384 at the battle of Cumorah, and to A. D. 400.
The 14th and next to the last book of the B. of M. It is contained between the books Mormon and Moroni. It has only six chapters, mostly historical, and covers a span of about 1,600 years-2,200-600 or later B. C., or thereabouts. It gives an account of the first company, estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty souls, who came to America from the Tower of Babel at the beginning of the period indicated; crossing the Atlantic ocean and landing on the eastern coast of, probably Mexico, and finally being destroyed about 600-200 B. C.
In the last generation of these people there lived a prophet by the name of Ether (q. v.). He wrote their history and other matters on twenty-four gold plates and hid them (about 600-200 B. C.) in a manner that they were found (B. C. 121) by the people who succeeded the Jaredites; and were translated by King Mosiah (121-91 B. C.) from the Adamic language into the Nephite language. They were thenceforth had by the Nephite prophets down to Moroni who (A. D. 400-420) makes an abridgment in N. A. of the contents of the twenty-four plates. So that the book of E. in the B. of M. is not the original book of E., but merely a condensed account of its contents written by Moroni, who owns that he had "not written a hundredth part." Mos. v:57-71; ix:163-175: xii:l2-21; Eth. i:l-14;vi:98-109; Moro. i:l-4.
The fifteenth and last book of the B. of M. It is also last historically and chronologically. It has ten chapters and its author was Moroni, the preceding character. The most of this book is of a doctrinal nature. In it M. quotes two epistles which his father had written him before the battle of Cumorah (chaps. viii, xi). The entire book was probably written about A. D. 420, chap. i; x:l, 2.
What is the Book of Mormon?
Name applied to the record of the American ancients by virtue of its having been compiled for the most part by the prophet Mormon. It embraces fifteen books and covers a span of about 2600 years, from the tower of Babel 2200 B.C. to A. D. 420. The fifteen books, viz., I Ne., 2 Ne., Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, Nephi, Disciple Nephi, Mormon, Ether, Moroni, is the compilation from more than that many authors. See Plates The writing of the records from which the B. of M. is abridged covered about 1000 years; from Ether (600 B. C. or later) to Moroni, A. D. 420.) The Nephite records descended through the hands of the following men in the order of their names: Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Amaron, Chemnish, Abinadom, Amaleki, Benjamin Mosiah II, Alma II, Helaman II, Shiblon, Helaman III, Nephi II, Nephi III, Nephi IV, Amos I, Amos II, Ammoron, Mormon, Moroni-24 men. This is the direct stream, so to speak, without reference to its tributaries (as Ether the Jaredite, and Zeniff the Nephite.) The Book of Mormon was all, or nearly all, written by M. as an abridgement from existing records, save that which was added by Moroni after M's time, viz., the latter part of Mormon, Ether and Moroni; Ether being an abridgement by Moroni from the twenty-four plates of the prophet Ether. The B. of M., therefore, as it is has practically two authors. It is mostly historical in its nature with doctrinal matter interwoven.
