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Narrow Neck/Line Bountiful & Hopewell Burial Mounds in Indiana

Rian Nelson
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Narrow Neck/Line Bountiful & Hopewell Burial Mounds in Indiana
 

Book of Mormon Evidence.org believes The Book of Mormon events occurred mainly in North America. Of course many Lamanites eventually spread into the western United States and Mexico, but the main events happened in the Heartland of America. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral on this subject.

Mesoamerican’s says they are Neutral about Geography

The Mesoamerican theory says the Book of Mormon happened in Mexico and Guatemala. Most that believe the Mesoamerican theory, claim they are neutral like our Church, but in my opinion they are fully entrenched in their belief that the Book of Mormon began in Mesoamerica. That is fine for them to believe whatever they would like, I just think it would be more truthful for them to not say they are neutral but they believe in Mesoamerica. Those of us who believe the Heartland theory do not claim to be neutral. We believe and state it boldly, that we believe the Book of Mormon events began and ended on the Promised Land of the United States of America.

Heartlanders are not Neutral, but believe firmly in the North American Theory

Our information is based on archaeology, anthropology, text of the Book of Mormon, distances, geology, and we believe the many rivers were the highways of the ancients including the Nephites. We all know the book of Mormon is the word of God through the spiritual witness, but understanding the secondary evidences is a witness to that truth. You are encouraged to do your own research as that is the only way to validate any personal revelation you may receive. Moroni said, “we may know the truth of all things” and a huge part of my testimony is the amazing secondary evidences and artifacts and geology that support my spiritual witness of truth.

Information HereTickets Here

Indiana Mounds

Palmyra Register, 1818 says: “The author of this interesting and valuable work, in speaking of the antiquities of the state of Indiana that now exist near Vincennes, County of Knox, says that “On the hills, two miles east of the town, are three large mounds; and others are frequently met with on the prairies, and upland, from White River to the head of the Wabash. They are in every respect similar to those in Franklin County, already described. 

The French have a tradition, that an exterminating battle was fought in the beginning of the last century, on the ground where Fort Harrison now stands, between the Indians living on the Mississippi, and those of the Wabash. [Zarahemla]. The bone of contention was the lands lying between those rivers, which both parties claimed. There were about 1000 warriors on each side. The condition of the fight was, that the victors should possess the lands in dispute. The grandeur of the prize was peculiarly calculated to inflame the ardor of savage minds. The contest commenced about sunrise. Both parties fought desperately. The Wabash warriors came off conquerors, having seven men left alive at sunset, and their adversaries but five. The mounds are still to be seen where it is said the slain were buried.” Palmyra Register, 21 January 1818 Extract from the Western Gazeteer. 

In my opinion I believe the Algonquian Language Group are most likely the remaining Lamanites of the final battle of Cumorah. I believe the Iroquois Language Group are most likely the remaining Nephites from the Cumorah battle. After this last battle, there were only Lamanites so-called, yet many Nephites joined them and so did many Mulekites and other races. I propose after this battle in 385 AD at Cumorah, tribes most likely formed again. I believe the two most strident opponents were Algonquian and Iroquois. 

Understanding each Native Groups Location

Wabash Confederacy

“The Wabash Confederacy, also referred to as the Wabash Indians or the Wabash tribes, was a number of 18th century Native American villagers in the area of the Wabash River in what are now the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The Wabash Indians were primarily the Miami, Weas and Piankashaws, but also included Kickapoos, Mascoutens, and others.[Algonquian/I call Remaining Lamanites]. In that time and place, Native American tribes were smaller political units, and the villages along the Wabash were multi-tribal settlements with no centralized government. The confederacy, then, was a loose alliance of influential village leaders (sometimes called headmen or chiefs).

In the 1780s, headmen of the Wabash Confederacy allied themselves with a larger, loose confederacy of Native American leaders in the Ohio Country and Illinois Country known as the Northwestern Confederacy, in order to collectively resist U.S. expansion after the American Revolutionary War. In 1786, a Wyandot [Iroquois/ I call a remaining Nephite] messenger named Scotosh warned Congress that the Wabash, Twightwee, and Miami nations would disrupt U.S. surveyors, and Congress promised reprisals if that occurred. This resistance movement culminated with the Northwest Indian War. The alliance with the Western Confederacy ended in 1792 with the Wabash Confederacy signed a treaty with the United States.” Wikipedia

This quote above could have been in reference to the many battles fought between the Lamanites and Nephites in this general area. (See Map Below) The area described in the article above is the area we would call the middle of the Land Zarahemla and the Land Bountiful with the Land Desolation being north of Bountiful. As a matter of fact, my maps show that the Wabash River could possibly be the division point of the Land Bountiful, east of the Wabash, and the Land Zarahemla west of the Wabash to the Mississippi River and beyond, to the Missouri River.  The area of Lachoneus of the Book of Mormon and many other battles in Alma 2 and Alma 46 are probably likely just south of the Narrow New bordering on the land Zarahemla and the Land Bountiful on the Wabash River. That area of Missouri to Illinois, to Indiana to Ohio to Pennsylvania were all the direction of the last great battle of the Book of Mormon ending at Cumorah.

The Black arrow above represents the division of the Land Bountiful and Land Zarahemla.
Between the Mississippi River and the Wabash is where the quoted battle from the Palmyra Register occurred.
Yellow shaded area is Zarahemla and shaded orange area is Bountiful.

There are 3 unique mentions in the Book of Mormon about NECKS!

  1. NARROW NECK OF LAND Ether 10:20
  2. NARROW NECK Alma 63:5 (This blog is about this Neck)
  3. SMALL NECK OF LAND Alma 22:32

These three unique mentions of NECK are all in different locations in North America. THE NARROW NECK OF LAND is defined below:

Lake Ontario (a sea) divides the land at Hamilton, OT Canada, and Lake Erie (s sea)  divides the land at Buffalo, NY.

In Central America, the ”land divides the sea”. (Isthmus of Tehuantepec) which is opposite of what the scripture says about the “sea divides” the land.

Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seas, where the “sea divides the land” as quoted in Ether. Ether 10:20. The N/S distance from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is only about 24 miles wide and in Central America it is 140 miles, which doesn’t sound very narrow to me. In the Book of Mormon the Narrow Neck of Land is only described in the Book of Ether, so the Jaredites used it, not the Nephites. There is archaeological verification at the Niagara Peninsula that dates from 800 BC to 3000 BC which is the time of the Jaredites.

THE NARROW NECK

The NARROW NECK is very different than the “Narrow Neck of Land” I will share with you how the Narrow Neck in Alma is located in Indiana along the St Lawrence Divide which divides the land. The rivers flow north of the Narrow Neck towards the Gulf of St Lawrence or south towards the Gulf of Mexico- The Narrow Neck of Alma is where Hagoth built his ships. On Lake Michigan lower east side following Lake Michigan’s coast along the St Lawrence Continental Divide to the St. Joe River. Anciently the Grand Kankakee Marsh extended south of Lake Michigan and the Great Black Swamp extended west of Lake Erie. The neck running E/W was 30 miles between Warsaw, IN and Merriam IN. See Alma 63:5

Initial Topography of Indiana and Michigan. We are looking for the “Narrow Neck”

Ancient Lake and Marsh

GRAND KANKAKEE MARSH Everglades of the North. 1 Million acres called “New France” and “Chicago’s Food Pantry.” An endless supply of fur, fowl, and fin. Information

GREAT BLACK SWAMP 40 miles wide and 120 miles long. It was the Great Black Swamp, an oozing mass of water, mud, snakes, wolves, wildcats, biting flies, and clouds of gnats and mosquitoes. Information

The Narrow Neck Alma 63:5 and the
Line Bountiful 3 Nephi 3:23-24 are the same area.

“And it came to pass that Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck which led into the land northward.” Alma 63:5

“And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation. And there were a great many thousand people who were called Nephites, who did gather themselves together in this land. Now Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together in the land southward, because of the great curse which was upon the land northward.” 3 Nephi 3:23-24

These divides and basins determine which way the water flows and where the rivers begin. If I were a Nephite I would not cross the rivers, but I would travel on the rivers and follow the walking path of these divides and basins. A Nephite could walk all along the red or orange lines without ever crossing a river. Can you fine the Narrow Neck yet?

The Saint Lawrence River Divide is a continental divide in central and eastern North America that separates the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin from the southerly Atlantic Ocean watersheds. Information Long Red Line above

Lake Erie Basin consists of Lake Erie and surrounding watersheds, which are typically named after the river, creek, or stream that provides drainage into the lake. The watersheds are located in the states of Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in the United States, and in the province of Ontario in Canada. Information Orange Line North of the St Lawrence Divide

The Michigan Basin is a geologic basin centered on the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The feature is represented by a nearly circular pattern of geologic sedimentary strata in the area with a nearly uniform structural dip toward the center of the peninsula. Information Orange Line North of the St Lawrence Divide

The Mississippi River Basin has the world’s fourth-largest drainage basin (“watershed” or “catchment”). The basin covers more than 1,245,000 square miles (3,220,000 km2), including all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The drainage basin empties into the Gulf of Mexico, part of the Atlantic Ocean. Information Orange line south of the St Lawrence Divide

The Ohio’s drainage basin covers 189,422 square miles (490,600 km2), encompassing the easternmost regions of the Mississippi Basin. The Ohio drains parts of 14 states in four regions. Information Orange line south of the St Lawrence Divide

Pink Line is the NARROW NECK– Where Hagoth built his ships. On Lake Michigan lower east side following Lake Michigan’s coast along the St Lawrence Continental Divide to the St. Joe River. Anciently the Grand Kankakee Marsh extended south of Lake Michigan and the Great Black Swamp extended west of Lake Erie. The neck running E/W was 30 miles between Warsaw, IN and Merriam IN. Alma 63:5

Dark Pink line is also the LINE DESOLATION/BOUNTIFUL- The Great Black Swamp anciently went from the west end of Lake Erie to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It occupied what was formerly the southwestern part of proglacial Lake Maumee, a Holocene precursor to Lake Erie. Grand Kankakee Marsh anciently surrounded the south of Lake Michigan. These swamps almost connected W/E along the St Lawrence Divide. The northern Lake Michigan water basin and the southern Mississippi water basin create a line along the St Lawrence Divide of about 30 miles. From about Warsaw, IN to Auburn, IN, is the 30 mile long E/W line the Nephites would have to of defended. 3 Nephi 3:23

This is a close up of the Line Bountiful/Narrow Neck in the large yellow dots. This would be a route the Nephites could have walked. Remember the rivers and water flow north or south of this yellow like as it is the St Lawrence Divide and the highest point of this region.

Look at all of the arrows so you can see what direction each river is flowing. They can flow any direction including north like parts of the Tennessee River and the New River. Notice the Plains of the Nephites goes West and East through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Notice Ancient Lake Tight? Lake Tight, named for geologist William G. Tight, was a glacial lake in what is present-day Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, during the Ice Age the early Pleistocene before 700 ka. As you know I think most geologists have their dates wrong. Lake Tight could have been around during the Jaredite times. Also look at Lake Erigan an Ancient Lake system. Prior to the beginning of the Pleistocene Ice Age about two million years ago, Ohio’s drainage system consisted of at least two major river systems. Best known is the Teays system that entered southern Ohio and swung westward across Indiana and Illinois to the ancestral Mississippi River system. The Teays River (pronounced taze) was a major preglacial river that drained much of the present Ohio River watershed, but took a more northerly downstream course. Again the dates are probably wrong but it is nice to see the geology of the ancient United States. It may have been Jaredite or Nephite times as we just don’t know.

The Nephites really were nearly surrounded by water. See the map above and the map below.

The above map references the third neck we haven’t spoken of much yet. The “Small Neck of Land” is at Gold, PA which is a place called a Triple Gap, which is part of the Eastern Continental Divide.

The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly spans the United States from south of Lake Ontario through the Florida peninsula, and consists of raised terrain including the Appalachian Mountains to the north, the southern Piedmont Plateau and lowland ridges in the Atlantic Coastal Plain to the south. also see the map below which shows #3 as the Small Neck of Land which connects to the St. Lawrence Divide and goes south past Atlanta where #11 is probably where Nephi traveled north to get away from his brothers.

Walk through this map using the numbering system and colors to determine where each divide, land, or neck is located. If you learn to read the maps you will definitely know how and why the Nephites traveled the way they did. The highways of the Nephites were the rivers. For a complete guide of the Trail of the Nephites click here.

The answer is, the white dot is both the Narrow Neck and the Line Bountiful. In this large map you can see all the river systems in the United States. See the large Mississippi river system in pink right through the middle of the U.S. It is one of the most productive systems in the world. No wonder the Lord chose it for the Promised Land. Dr. Lefgren has done a lot of research in determining how valuable this Mississippi Valley was to feed the people and armies of the Nephites below.

Conflict and Displacement of Hopewellian People In the 4th Century in Western New York

Focus of Research in the Heartland of North America- Prepared by Dr. John Lefgren PhD Complete Blog Here

“All serious conflict results in the displacement of people.  Indeed, much of the movement of people in the ancient as well as the modern world is the result of conflict.  The proposed research would examine the movements and the encampments of the Hopewellian people who were in conflict in Western New York during the late 4th century.  The paper examines associated themes such as the dislocation and displacement of people who came from the river valleys of Ohio and Illinois.  There would be a review of the accounts by the first Europeans of fortifications and artifacts of war including bones of a people who were in Western New York a thousand years before Columbus.  The research would examine sites where the archaeological record shows artifacts from the rich agricultural lands of the Mississippi river valleys.  The research would examine various aspects of ancient life in these sites and their particular ‘wilderness’ settings, framing the discussion within the themes of movements and dislocations, and especially their multiple impacts on the Hopewellian people who came to a land removed from their origins.  A particular emphasis for the research would be movements and dislocations of people in conflict.  The Hopewellian people became in effect ‘stuck’ in the northeastern wilderness.  The inhabitants of these ancient sites were in conflict and they coped with the situation as well as they could.  The conflict is reflected in the different features of the sites and the archaeological material which the fieldwork produces.  The research would focus on how conflict pushed the Hopewellian people from one region to another.  The research will compare the multi-generational construction of large and numerous earthworks of these people in Ohio to the immediate construction of hundreds of fortifications in Western New York.   Considering the displacement of people in our time the research will note how conflicts have pushed hundreds of millions of people from one region to another in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Asia.  In this context the research examines how in the ancient world one conflict pushed one people from the Heartland of America into the northeastern lands of Western New York.” Lands, Peoples, and Armies In Ancient America During the Fourth Century John C. Lefgren, PhD 

Statement of Dr. Lefgren’s Thesis

This paper supports the Heartland Geography for the lands of the Book of Mormon. The primary arguments are based on the knowledge (1) that large armies need large populations, (2) that large populations need large amounts of food, and (3) that large amounts of food need large amounts of land and water. The historic setting for the Book of Mormon is a place which is epic in size and significant in location. Moroni confirmed the grandeur of his people. Moroni’s father, Mormon, was the leader of armies which were larger than those under the command of George Washington. The armies of Mormon operated in areas which were comparable to those of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. The history of this true story entails 1,500,000 square miles where the waters of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence flow.

Mormon wrote in AD 385 that he had under his command 230,000 men. He placed his armies in defensive positions because his armies were numerically less than his opposition. In the final battles, the two sides had more than 500,000 combatants. This war required huge amounts of material and food. The methods of production were pre-industrial. In the final stages of the war the combatants needed more than 1,000,000 tons of food and supplies per year. How did these nations organize themselves? Does pre-modern history in other parts of the world help us to understand what Mormon experienced? These are the important questions of this paper.

The conclusion of the study is that in the final battles of the late fourth century the Lamanite armies had
access to the resources of the world’s largest contiguous arable land while the Nephite armies had access to the resources of the world’s largest system of fresh water lakes. The Mississippi Basin has an area of about 1,000,000 square miles and the St. Lawrence Basin has an area of about 500,000 square miles. The study explains that the theory of war for a large theater of operation gave good reasons why Mormon would gather the Nephite armies into defensive positions near the southern shores of Lake Ontario.

The final battles of the Book of Mormon required the resources of the basins of the Mississippi River and the St. Lawrence River. In the battle of AD 385 there were combatants who came from the 31 states which are connected to the Mississippi as well as from the 9 states and 6 provinces which are connected to the St. Lawrence. The armies of the Lamanites destroyed the armies of the Nephites. The final battles required more than 1,000,000 tons of food and material which were produced by a population of about 30,000,000 who were working in an area of 1,500,000 square miles. The men and material necessary to execute this war were moved on the major waterways of North America.

Given available historical sources, it is possible to estimate how lands, waterways, people and armies were interrelated in the pre-modern societies of Europe and Asia. These interrelationships help to establish how similar parameters related to people who were preparing for battle in North America in AD 380.

Christ in America- 44-page PDF
Thirty-eight years after the publication of his first book, Dr. Lefgren again looks to the Mosaic Law for the ordering of days and how this calendar connects to the birth of Christ as synchronized by the world’s largest geometric clock. He examines the very minute for the numeric harmony of the sign for the birth of Christ — a sign which ancient people witnessed in the Heartland of America. The identification of this moment is found in a timeline from more than 2000 years ago and relies on 6 primary sources: (1) the exact movements of the earth around its axis; (2) the exact movements of the earth around the sun; (3) the exact movements of the moon around the earth; (4) the exact physical alignment of 3,000 acres of ancient earthworks in Newark, Ohio; (5) the exact 5-year prophecy of the coming of Christ by Samuel, the Lamanite; and (6) the exact eyewitness testimony of the fulfillment of the prophecy by Nephi, the Son of Nephi. All these sources point to the same moment in time and place.

He has a new book here which is entitled The Sign Before the Birth of Jesus Christ; As Witnessed in Newark, Ohio, 6:29 P.M., Tuesday April 6th, 1 B.C.; The 5-Year Prophecy of Samuel, the Lamanite; The Sun and the Moon Keeping Ancient Time at the Newark Earthworks.

Dr. Lefgren along with Dr. John Pratt have created a wonderful new DVD called, “Oh How Lovely was the Morning”  This is the true story about two people who were on the same search for important dates associated with the History of the Church. Little did they know that their paths would come together many years later in such an important way. The event of the First Vision and the appearance of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, stands alone as the pivotal event from the Lord in these last days! John Lefgren and John Pratt conclude the date of The First Vision was March 26, 1820.

UNDERSTANDING NECKS, LINES, PASSAGES, STRIPS, AND THE NARROW NECK OF LAND

NARROW PASS- This could be described in many areas in the Heartland of America, as the geography has changed over the years. We know the Great Lakes have receded since ancient times. Passes could include: The land pass between Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron (St. Clair River), or Land between Lake St Clair and Lake Erie. (Detroit River), or E-W pass between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario near Niagara Falls. The best choice is the land E-W between the south side of Lake Erie and the Allegheny River, from Irving, NY to Salamanca, NY. Lake Erie was larger anciently and is bordered on the south by the St Lawrence Divide.Mormon 3:5 (Near Buffalo, NY by the Narrow Neck of Land)

Alma 50:34. (Line Desolation between Lake Erie and the Allegheny River.)
Alma 52:9 (Line Bountiful is an E/W Continental Divide of 30 miles between Warsaw, IN, and Auburn, IN.

NARROW PASSAGE- Begins on the south side of Lake Erie at Irving NY, following the Cattaraugus Creek south through Zoar Valley on the Little Valley Creek, ending at the Allegheny River which is where the land southward begins. A day’s journey for a Nephite of 44 miles. “On the south side of Lake Erie, there is a series of old fortifications, running from the Cattaraugus creek to the Pennsylvania line, a distance of fifty miles; some are two, three, and four miles apart, and some within half a mile.” Clinton, De Witt. A Memoir On The Antiquities Of The Western Parts Of The State Of New-York. Mormon 2:29

NARROW NECK- Where Hagoth built his ships. On Lake Michigan lower east side following Lake Michigan’s coast along the St Lawrence Continental Divide to the St. Joe River. Anciently the Grand Kankakee Marsh extended south of Lake Michigan and the Great Black Swamp extended west of Lake Erie. The neck running E/W was 30 miles between Warsaw, IN and Merriam IN. Alma 63:5

NARROW NECK OF LAND- Lake Ontario divides the land at Hamilton, OT Canada, and Lake Erie divides the land at Buffalo, NY, and at Toledo, OH. In Central America the ”land divides the sea”. (Isthmus of Tehuantepec) Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seas, where the “sea divides the land” as quoted in Ether. Ether 10:20. The N/S distance from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is only about 24 miles wide.

SMALL NECK OF LAND- Allegheny, Susquehanna, and Genesee head-river gaps. (Triple Divide) Only 6 miles between each of these three river heads, where the two Continental Divides meet. (St Lawrence and Eastern Divide) Anciently this location was called the Forbidden Path, and was a strategic defensive location, hunting area, and buffer zone for the Native Americans to protect their south land. “Leading directly into the heart of the central New York Iroquois heartland, the Forbidden Path stood at a strategic transportation break linking river systems ultimately flowing into Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes, and the Ohio Valley.” (Journey on the Forbidden Path: Volume 89, Part 2 By Christian Frederick Post, John Hays) Alma 22:32. This is the gate of the Narrow Strip of Wilderness and the place which is the “Nearly” in “nearly surrounded by water.” Don’t confuse this location with the more well known, “Narrow Neck of Land.” (3 “NECKS” see # 3,4,5).

NARROW STRIP OF WILDERNESS- The Allegheny, Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers act as a west to east fence, across the United States. This is the main border between the Nephites and Lamanites from about Independence MO to Hill Cumorah . The gate of the fence is the Small Neck of Land which is why the Nephites and Lamanites were “nearly” surrounded by water. Alma 22:27. Rivers are well known as a type of wilderness where there are marshes, weeds, and unusable space along both banks of rivers, thus creating a wilderness area where people don’t live, especially if the river bed is low or dry.

LINE BETWEEN/LINE FORTIFIED- Journey for a Nephite from the “Great City” at Buffalo, NY in a straight line to the Allegheny River near Salamanca, NY. Remember everything south of the Allegheny River is the land southward. (66 miles or about a day and a half for a Nephite). North of this line is Desolation and south is the Land Bountiful.

Line Fortified Helaman 4:7
Line Between Alma 50:11

LINE DESOLATION/BOUNTIFUL- The Great Black Swamp anciently went from the west end of Lake Erie to Fort Wayne, Indiana. It occupied what was formerly the southwestern part of proglacial Lake Maumee, a Holocene precursor to Lake Erie. Grand Kankakee Marsh anciently surrounded the south of Lake Michigan. These swamps almost connected W/E along the St Lawrence Divide. The northern Lake Michigan water basin and the southern Mississippi water basin create a line along the St Lawrence Divide of about 30 miles. From about Warsaw, IN to Auburn, IN, is the 30 mile long E/W line the Nephites would have to of defended. 3 Nephi 3:23

Visit or look online at the many Mounds the Jaredites and Nephites were most likely living near, in Indiana and by the the Narrow Neck.

 

Did Mormon Abridge Plates in Mexico and Moroni Buried them in New York?

Rian Nelson
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Did Mormon Abridge Plates in Mexico and Moroni Buried them in New York?

Heartlanders say, “Mormon’s depository and Moroni’s stone box are in the same hill Cumorah in New York in different locations.” [One Hill Cumorah only in New York]

Mesoamericanists say, “Mormon’s depository is at some hill in Mexico, and Moroni’s stone box is in New York” [Neither one was necessarily called Cumorah. See “Saints” Vol. 1]

Purchase over 200 Geography Maps Now

Most of those who believe the Book of Mormon events happened in Mesoamerica, believe the final battles at Cumorah happened in Mexico on a different hill, not the hill Joseph received the plates in New York. They say the hill in New York is too small to have millions fighting, or couldn’t be used as a strategic defensive position, and there are no battle artifacts near by. There can’t be a hidden cave within the New York drumlin as the NY hill was not a normal hill with caves, but being a drumlin which is a ridge of glacial drift it was impossible to have a cave there. These theorists advocate the hill in NY called Cumorah is not the only hill that could be called Cumorah, which is technically correct. See quotes below from Book of Mormon Central.

Book of Mormon Central Quotes

“Knowing that he and his people faced impending doom, Mormon “made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni” (Mormon 6:6). That is to say, Mormon deposited what remained of Nephite textual sources in the hill Cumorah [Somewhere in Mexico] for preservation and entrusted the plates of what would later become the published Book of Mormon (the record obtained by Joseph Smith in the nineteenth century) to his son Moroni, who finished and later sealed the record…

There is “no historical evidence that Moroni called the hill ‘Cumorah’ in 1823” during his first encounter with the Prophet Joseph Smith… [See Blog here that identifies some early times the name “Cumorah” was known to be used beginning in 1827]

As far as can be determined, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself only associated the hill in New York with the Cumorah in the Book of Mormon towards the end of his life…

“The location of where Joseph Smith obtained the golden plates which he translated by the gift and power of God is well known. Whether that was the same location as the final destruction of the Nephites remains open to discussion.” Read the full article here: Book of Mormon Central Know/Why #489 [Parenthesis Added]

2 Different Locations at Cumorah Art By Val Chadwick Bagley Purchase Art Here

I wanted to address this issue the Mesoamerican theorists believe and explain it to you. Most Mesoamerican theorists say that the plates that Mormon gave to his son Moroni before his death, were not necessarily deposited in the same hill as where Joseph found them. That is repeated by my new blogging friend Matthew Grow. Here is a little about him, some of which information I just learned today.

Matthew J. Grow is an American historian specializing in Mormon history. As of 2012, Grow was the director of publications for the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and was among scholars preparing for publication of the Joseph Smith Papers. In 2018, the LDS Church published Volume 1 of a new history of the church, entitled Saints with the first volume named The Standard of Truth. Grow was listed first among four general editors for the volume. In 2020, with the release of Saints Vol 2, No Unhallowed Hand Grow was again list first among the four general editors. Grow has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. During his graduate training, Grow did a summer seminar course in Latter-day Saint history that was directed by Richard L. Bushman. Source

In response to a recent blog I did, Matthew said, “Cumorah as the name of a hill makes perfect sense–what else would it be called? But that doesn’t mean there can’t be another hill with the same name. Mormon buried all the plates in Cumorah [Mexico] except the golden plates he gave to Moroni. Moroni never indicates he buries the plates in the same hill where his father buried the other records. Instead, he says he wanders where he can. He wanders for decades and flees from the Lamanites. Very possible to arrive in the great lakes region over that period of time [36 years].” Matthew Grow Comments in blog called Why Do Many Church Historians Insist that the Final Battles of The Nephites and Lamanites Didn’t Happen at the One and Only Hill Cumorah? [Parenthesis Added] HERE

Matthew says above, “Moroni never indicates he buries the plates in the same hill where his father buried the other records.” Speaking to Matthew I said, “I believe it is more likely Moroni traveled and wandered a small distance from his home (Cumorah in NY), and more than likely he knew of many places locally to hide with the plates. Why would Moroni travel some 3,500 miles for 36 years all the time worrying about running into strangers, staying alive, hiding the plates etc? I would think Moroni would stay close to where the Cave in Cumorah was also located. I know you probably think the Cave in Cumorah was either a dream of Brigham’s and Oliver or that the Cave was somewhere in Mesoamerica. I believe what Orson Pratt said here. “These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah [NY], about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father [In NY]. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill,[Meaning not in the stone box where the plates and breastplate were buried], and its contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417) [Parenthesis and color added]

Cave at Cumorah [NY]

The Grand Repository, Art By Val Chadwick Bagley Purchase Art Here

Below is a quote from Brigham Young about the “grand repository” as Orson Pratt described above, and it was in a different part of the hill than the stone box where the gold plates were buried. The Mesoamericanists say this cave at Cumorah was simply a dream that happened somewhere in Mexico or it didn’t happen at all.

“When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: ‘This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost. Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.

Now, you may think I am unwise in publicly telling these things, thinking perhaps I should preserve them in my own breast; but such is not my mind. I would like the people called Latter-day Saints to understand some little things with regard to the workings and dealings of the Lord with his people here upon the earth. I could relate to you a great many more, all of which are familiar to many of our brethren and sisters.” Brigham Young Journal of Discourses 1XIX., p. 38).”1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary page 47-48

Visiting Temple Square – Moroni at “a hill in New York”

By JONATHAN NEVILLE

Neville at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake. 2 Cumorah’s

As I explained on the consensus blog, I visited the North Visitors Center on Temple Square again Tuesday to see the awesome display of two Cumorah’s.

I want to point out some details of “Moroni’s Cumorah,” which our LDS intellectuals describe as “a hill in New York” where Moroni deposited the plates after walking 2,400 miles north from the “real Cumorah” they are still searching for in southern Mexico.

Why they’re looking in Mexico is a fun story for another day.

But for now, imagine you’re a missionary serving on Temple Square.

Millions of people visit Temple Square every year, and you take them to see this display of Mormon abridging the record in a Mayan cave. Then you take them across the hall (the distance representing the 2,400 miles) to New York where Moroni is burying the plates.

As a missionary, you hope your visitors don’t know anything about Church history, because if they do, they will ask questions you can’t answer without contradicting these displays.

For example, what happens when a visitor points out that Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, and every other prophet and apostle who has spoken on the issue has declared that there is one Cumorah and it is in New York?

Are you supposed to explain that these exhibits, which directly contradict the prophets, are wrong? Or are you supposed to say we believe the intellectuals now instead of the prophets?

Do you just hope no one asks the question? And how do you deal with the cognitive dissonance you feel every day when you walk through these displays?
_____

The problem is, these displays reflect what our intellectuals say, not what the scriptures and the prophets say.

Our intellectuals can’t explain Church history so they resort to magical thinking and invented scenarios that contradict what Joseph and Oliver explained.

You’re a missionary, taking a visitor to look at the display of Moroni on “a hill in New York.”

Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

You explain that Moroni hauled the plates 2,400 miles from Mayan territory in Mexico, back where Mormon abridged the plates in a Mayan cave, and then buried them in a stone box on “a hill in New York,” just as Joseph explained in Joseph Smith-History 1:51-52. 

Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

But you know better than to look up the scripture, and you definitely don’t read it to your visitor, because the scripture says the box contained the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. That’s all. Oliver affirmed this in Letter VIII.

“What about the round thing?”

Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

 

“That’s the Liahona,” you explain as you press the button to watch the video. You bite your tongue as the video shows Moroni putting the Liahona in the stone box because you know there are no accounts of the Liahona being in the stone box.

Lehi with the Liahona. Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.
Moroni puts the Liahona in the stone box. Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

“And those letters?”

“Oh, those are letters Moroni’s father wrote to him. He included them in the plates, in the Book of Moroni.”

“So he wrote on the plates in New York?”

You know he did–Moroni told Joseph the record was “written and deposited” [See quote below in red] not far from Joseph’s home–but you can’t say that because it contradicts your script and the displays so you say, “We don’t know where he wrote on the plates.”

“He [Moroni] then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigenes of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. He represented them as once being an enlightned and intelligent people, possessing a correct knowledge of the gospel, and the plan of restoration and redemption. He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place, and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record.” Letter IV Oliver Cowdery in Joseph Smith Papers History 1834-1836 page 65 at the top.

Neville continues, “But he’s burying the plates so he already wrote on them. Why did he carry the letters all the way from Mexico if he already copied them onto the plates?”

“It’s just a concept, I guess.” By now, you want to change the subject, but your visitor is still interested in the display.

“What about that sword?”

Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

“Oh,” you say, “that’s the sword of Laban.”

Your visitor presses the button on the screen and watches as Moroni puts the sword of Laban into the stone box.

Depositing the Sword of Laban with the Gold Plates. Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

“Wow,” your visitor says, “that is a deep box. Or a small sword.”

You say nothing. Now you’re really glad you didn’t read the scriptures to your visitor, and you want to divert your visitor’s attention to one of the films or something. 

Later, you wonder if your companion is wondering the same things you do, like, who made these displays? You find yourself wondering if someone translated the sealed portion to come up with all this stuff, but you realize the displays are really just reflecting the theories of a bunch of Mormon intellectuals who don’t believe the scriptures or what the prophets have said.

_____

These displays are sophisticated persuasion. 

The intellectuals who teach at BYU and in CES know that Joseph and Oliver taught that the Hill Cumorah was in New York. They explicitly stated that the “hill in New York” was not only the place where Moroni buried the plates, but also the scene of the final battles of the Jaredites and the Nephites and the location of Mormon’s depository of Nephite records and artifacts. Their teaching was affirmed by Brigham Young and many others.

But the intellectuals teach that all the prophets and apostles are wrong.

Instead, they insist the “real Cumorah” is in Mexico, and they promote their theory at BYU, in CES, in BYU Studies, at FairMormon, Book of Mormon Central, Meridian Magazine, and elsewhere.

But they have a problem.

They’ve been able to successfully suppress Letter VII–try finding a reference to it in any of the “scholarly,” “peer-approved” LDS publications. They’ve been able to confuse students by claiming that the prophets themselves sent mixed messages, as I’ve explained here: Letter I to VIII Here

https://www.bookofmormoncentralamerica.com/

But they haven’t been able to change the scriptures (yet). 

Instead, they pre-suade people through art, media and displays so that when people read the scriptures, they already have a mental image that is more persuasive than the words on the page. [Added by editor: Pre-suade- A beautifully crafted persuasive argument can completely fail, even backfire, if you don’t control what is happening in the moment before you deliver that persuasive argument. In other words, you have to pre-suade before you can per-suade]

Neville continues, “Anyone reading Joseph Smith-History (or Letter VIII) sees that there were three things in Moroni’s stone box. But once you’ve been pre-suaded by the Visitors Center, you will actually believe the box also contained the Liahona and the sword of Laban.

Why do the intellectuals need you to think this?

Because of D&C 17:1

“Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors [Liahona] which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.”

The official Testimony of the Three Witnesses only mentions the plates. That’s all anyone talked about at the time. It was only later that they saw the other objects, along with many other things. That’s why the verse separates the other objects with the clause “and also.” It was later, at the depository [The Hill Cumorah in a different location than the stone box where the plates were hidden], not in the woods near Fayette, that the witnesses saw these other objects.

Oliver and Joseph explained that Mormon’s depository was in the New York hill, and Brigham Young confirmed that these additional objects were in Mormon’s depository in the New York hill. [See article above under the title Cave at Cumorah [NY]

Neville continues, “But our intellectuals insist they were wrong because Mormon’s depository was actually in Mexico, as depicted in the display on Temple Square. 

Therefore, the only possible source for the Liahona and the sword of Laban was Moroni’s stone box.

Therefore, according to the intellectuals, the scriptures are wrong, or at least incomplete. Joseph Smith forgot to list the Liahona and the sword of Laban when he wrote Joseph Smith-History 1:51-52. Oliver Cowdery forgot to mention them in Letter VIII.  

That’s why the display depicts this.

Part of a video display at the Church Museum in Salt Lake.

If the display depicted the words of the prophets instead of the words of the intellectuals, we’d have Mormon’s depository and Moroni’s stone box in the same hill, as Joseph, Oliver and all of their contemporaries and successors have taught. 

We would have Moroni placing only the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate in the stone box.

We would have the other objects in the depository.

And the missionaries wouldn’t have to dance around the obvious disconnect between the displays and the words of the prophets.”

Source: Book of Mormon Wars by Jonathan Neville. [Parenthesis, color, bold and quotes were added]

COMMENTS – Why Do Many Church Historians Insist that the Final Battles of The Nephites and Lamanites Didn’t Happen at the One and Only Hill Cumorah?

Rian Nelson
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COMMENTS – Why Do Many Church Historians Insist that the Final Battles of The Nephites and Lamanites Didn’t Happen at the One and Only Hill Cumorah?

I have received a lot of feedback in the comments section on my recent blog here titled, “WHY DO MANY CHURCH HISTORIANS INSIST THAT THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE NEPHITES AND LAMANITES DIDN’T HAPPEN AT THE ONE AND ONLY HILL CUMORAH?” There is a good discussion with friends of the Mesoamerican Theory and the Heartland Theory that I think is informative and you will enjoy reading.

I believe it is important to understand both sides of the issue as we search for truth. From the earliest age until I was well into my 40’s I always thought the Hill Cumorah was in Mexico somewhere. With much reading and studying and prayer on my own, after hearing a message from Rod Meldrum, and through much prayer, I now believe strongly there is only one Cumorah in upstate New York.

New Podcast

Here are the Comments after the Blog above

  • Bruce Lloyd says: July 9, 2021 For those who ask “where are all the bones and weapons that should be on the hill Cumorah”, I say where are the 60 Million buffalo bones? Surely, the victors would have retrieved all the useful weapons. However, we know that many stone arrowheads have been found in the last 200 years. Many mass grave burial pits have been found in the area. I’ve wondered why more copper weapons and artifacts have not been found in the Cumorah area. I wonder if access to copper around Lake Superior was cut off after about the year 321 AD when the 3 Nephites were pulled and the Nephites retreated to Cumorah for the next 60 years. As far as iron goes, we know the people of Limhi found the 24 plates and rusted swords left by the Jaredites. Here is an interesting account for a rusty pocketknife that has been around since about 1715 at a Michigan Fort. Look at https://www.archaeology.org/news/9832-210707-michigan-colonial-knife Would there be anything left after 1,600 or 2,000 years?
  • [email protected] says: July 9, 2021 I am just amazed at the people who just want to talk and not investigate. The evidence is everywhere. Thanks Bruce.
  • Wayne Sikes says: July 9, 2021 For me, a modern day effort to change the history, culture, language, laws and foundation upon which the United States of America is built, by such groups as BLM, Antifa, far left sided individuals and political parties including teachers, school boards, mayors, city councils, etc. is undeniable evidence that the United States of America is the promised/choice land of the Book of Mormon. If not so, why else would Satan and his minions put forth such a strong effort and work so hard, spending so much money to destroy the very land (United States of America) which we, the true believers and even the Mesoamerica crowd believe the Lord established. There is no other nation on this Earth which has such an effort to destroy and change everything good and true about it. The United States and our Constitution is incorporated into scripture making them part of Gods word ever much as any other part of the the scriptures. The United States of America as a nation, country and land along with the Constitution for the United States of America, is incorporated within the Doctrine and Covenants thereby making them scripture and the word of God. See Sections: 98, 101, 109 and Official Declaration 1. The only other nations, countries and lands that are found in scriptures is Israel, Jerusalem, and those lands within the middle East that are around Israel and Palestine including Rome, Greece and a few others all of which are in the middle East, Europe and the Mediterranean area. We know Israel and Jerusalem are a promised land but all of the others in that area we know are not choice and no others are unanimously accepted as being the promised/choice land of the Book of Mormon given to Lehi and the Jaredites. Satan would only work so hard to destroy that which God has blessed, established and that is choice and promised to his faithful. There are two lands which he has been trying to destroy from their inception and those are Israel and the United States of America. We will lose this choice land a third time if good people of the Lord choose to do nothing. The stakes are high and many souls are in danger. God’s people must keep every covenant and commandment they have made an oath to obey. God will not be mocked. Sins cannot be tolerated and we cannot put our hands in our pockets because we are ashamed to put our right hand over our heart. Our vote must express our true outward displays of religious belief and faith. How can a true member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints vote for a person or principle which promotes abortion, socialism, communism or anything which is contrary to the scriptures, the Prophets, the Temple and baptism covenants or any of the questions we are asked in a Temple Recommend interview? The answer is they cannot. If it is against the teachings of the Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ (please read over the Temple Recommend questions slowly) then we are to stand against those principles in our public and private lives including voting against those individuals and parties which uphold those un-Godly principles. How and for whom we cast our ballot will be counted unto us for our salvation or our damnation. It is time to choose. There is enough time to save this beautiful, choice land and there are yet enough good men, women and Priesthood to save The United States of America. However, time is short and the clock is ticking.
  • [email protected] says: July 9, 2021 Hi Wayne: You have given an excellent talk about our Country, Religion and Freedoms. We need good people like you spreading the word. It is so critical that the USA is indeed the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon. How can rational people think differently with the many quotes of the BofM?
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  • Matthew Grow says: July 10, 2021 In October 2019 General Conference, President Oaks reminded us…”As to all of these, the wise cautions of Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Neil L. Andersen in earlier general conference messages are important to remember. Elder Christofferson taught: ‘It should be remembered that not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. It is commonly understood in the Church that a statement made by one leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, not meant to be official or binding for the whole Church.’” Many of the statements you quote by church leaders are used as authoritative as to geography and are given the weight of revelation. But those statements are not in the canon of scripture, so the counsel President Oaks gives should be considered when reading those statements. I appreciate your work and what you are sharing, but please note that many faithful members of the church don’t interpret the statements quoted and often included in your commentary as statements that are about geography. “America” covers more than the current political boundaries of the US, which did not exist when the Book of Mormon was written. A promised land geography that reaches into Mesoamerica fits comfortably within the framework of the statements within the Book of Mormon itself and comments by church leaders. Lamanite descended people could easily have made their way into the heartland over the 1,400 years between the end of the BoM and the time of Joseph Smith. These sorts of things should be acknowledged so as to give greater credence to your efforts at approaching the matter objectively. Many of us who lean towards a Mesoamerican setting do so based on the text of The Book of Mormon itself. Statements like the land of Nephi being nearly surrounded by water that don’t make sense for an Appalachia location unless people consider rivers to be sufficient water to define themselves as living on an island of the sea. The great lakes don’t seem to fit well within the descriptions in The Book of Mormon, either.
  • While I’m very interested in what you’re doing and would like to believe a heartland geography for the BoM, I remain unconvinced based on the language in the scripture itself. Until we can account for mountains being raised along the Mississippi river and sinking into the sea, as described in the BoM, among many other things, it’s hard to conclude a heartland location is reasonable. I recommend you devote more efforts to addressing the language in the scripture and explaining how that fits in the heartland. What I have seen thus far on this front isn’t conclusive. Cumorah as the name of a hill makes perfect sense–what else would it be called? But that doesn’t mean there can’t be another hill with the same name. Mormon buried all the plates in Cumorah except the golden plates he gave to Moroni. Moroni never indicates he buries the plates in the same hill where his father buried the other records. Instead, he says he wanders where he can. He wanders for decades and flees from the Lamanites. Very possible to arrive in the great lakes region over that period of time.
  • [email protected] says: July 10, 2021 
  • Thank you, Matthew, for a cordial reply to my blog. My response may be long, but this subject is important to me. As you quoted, Elder Christofferson says, “It is commonly understood in the Church that a statement made by one leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, not meant to be official or binding for the whole Church.’ ”This quote saying “made by one leader” above is absolutely true, but it does not account for the hundreds of leaders who speak about North American geography.
  • Do you who trust and believe Joseph Smith, believe his words when he said to Emma that he was “wandering over the Plains of the Nephites?” Do you trust the fact that Joseph was camped on the Mississippi River near a small landing near the town of Atlas, Illinois? Do you indeed believe Joseph wrote said letter of June 4, 1834, as shown in the Joseph Smith papers? Was Joseph telling Emma the truth? Did he have any reason to be making something up here? Do you really think that Joseph was traveling on the very plains that the Nephites had once walked on, some 2,000 years ago? If he were not, why would Joseph say he was walking on those very plains of the Nephites? Was he really roving over the Nephite mounds and was it indeed a proof of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon?
  • Joseph was speaking to his wife, and he would have no reason to make something up or lie to her, would he? Did Zion’s Camp really see physical mounds? Did Joseph really say this, “proof of [the Book of Mormon’s] divine authenticity?” Yes, and yes. So, Joseph spoke a FACT, not a FEELING. Joseph spoke the truth and I believe Joseph, and I know that Joseph knows that the plains of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon are in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Today not one of the maps representing all the various geography of the Book of Mormon believe in the Hemispheric Model anymore. Not even the Mesoamericans or the Heartlanders believe the Hemispheric Model anymore because the vast distance in miles make it impossible to say all of North America is where the Nephites lived, and the Lamanites lived in South America.
  • Also, if the Nephites really lived somewhere as I know they did, why do we need a fantasy map pretending we don’t know where they lived? If the Mesoamerican theorists really believe their theory, they would continue to use a real map of Central America, wouldn’t they?
  • My friend Jonathan Neville said, “For decades, LDS scholars have labored to establish and defend a Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon because they believed they were vindicating what Joseph Smith wrote (or approved) in three articles published in the Times and Seasons on 15 September and 1 October 1842. The discovery that it was someone other than Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, or John Taylor who wrote the articles, led to the further discovery that Benjamin Winchester wrote the articles linking the Book of Mormon to Central America, and that William Smith edited and published them. These discoveries raise serious questions about the original premise for both hemispheric and Mesoamerican theories of Book of Mormon geography. Although now discredited, these Times and Seasons articles have influenced generations of Latter-day Saints—members, scholars, and leaders—and have been frequently cited by those who advocate a Mesoamerican setting.” Moroni’s America Page 317.
  • Joseph Fielding Smith said about the theory of Book of Mormon Geography in Mesoamerica; “Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon.” Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Edited by Bruce McConkie, Vol. 3 [1999] 232–243.
  • “The Prophet Joseph Smith here declares that “this land” shall be the place of the New Jerusalem and adds that it is to be “established on this continent.” Here the prophet links “this continent” with the “very spot of land” for the New Jerusalem indicating that it was not a hemispherical setting of which he was thinking. Joseph knew where the New Jerusalem was to be built, what “continent” and what “spot of land” that was prophesied of in the Book of Mormon, and they are all within the confines of North America and the United States.” Prophesies and Promises by Rod Meldrum and Bruce Porter
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  • The Prophet Joseph Smith makes it clear that we “learn from the Book of Mormon the very identical continent” and the very “spot of land” upon that continent that the New Jerusalem “is to stand” in the latter days. The Prophet continues: “Now many will feel disposed to say, that this New Jerusalem spoken of, is the Jerusalem that was built by the Jews on the eastern continent. But you will see, from Revelation 21:2, there was a New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, adorned as a bride for her husband; that after this, the Revelator was caught away in the Spirit, to a great and high mountain, and saw the great and holy city descending out of heaven from God. Now there are two cities spoken of here. As everything cannot be had in so narrow a compass as a letter, I shall say with brevity, that there is a New Jerusalem to be established on this continent, and also Jerusalem shall be rebuilt on the eastern continent (see Book of Mormon, Ether 13:1-12).
  • “Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come; after it should be destroyed, it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord, wherefore it could not be a New Jerusalem, for it had been in a time of old.” This may suffice, upon the subject of gathering, until my next.” Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 85.
  • You say in your reply, I recommend you devote more efforts to addressing the language in the scripture and explaining how that fits in the heartland. What I have seen thus far on this front isn’t conclusive. “One of the most common questions asked about the North American setting is, “what about the narrow neck of land?” People have been taught to think the Book of Mormon describes two large land masses connected by the “narrow neck of land.” The hourglass shape has been depicted in many LDS publications. When we look on a globe, we immediately think of Panama as a narrow neck of land connecting North and South America.
  • However, scholars have pointed out that a hemispheric interpretation of Book of Mormon geography contradicts the text; the distances are simply too great.” Moroni’s America page 20I.
  • It may be surprising to realize that the term “narrow neck of land” is used only once in the entire Book of Mormon. The passage is in Ether 10:20: “And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.”
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  • That’s it. A single passage. A passage describing the location of a Jaredite city. Nowhere in the Book of Ether does Moroni mention Nephite or Lamanite locations, except that the Jaredite hill Ramah is the same hill where Mormon hid the records (Ether 15:11).
  • In the first verse of the first chapter, Moroni explained the territory addressed in the Book of Ether: “And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country.” Despite its solitary appearance in Ether, many commentators have considered the “narrow neck of land” to be a defining feature of both Nephite and Jaredite lands. They think the verse in Ether refers to the same feature as a verse in Alma 22:32, which says “thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward.” That interpretation is a mistake. Besides the difference in terminology (narrow does not mean small), the context and frame of reference of the two passages are entirely different, and they were written by different authors hundreds of years apart.
  • There are 3 unique mentions in the Book of Mormon about NECKS! 1.NECK OF LAND Ether 10:20 2. NARROW NECK Alma 63:5 3. SMALL NECK OF LAND Alma 22:32 These three unique mentions of NECK are all in different locations in North America.
  • THE NARROW NECK OF LAND is defined below: Lake Ontario (a sea) divides the land at Hamilton, OT Canada, and Lake Erie (a sea) divides the land at Buffalo, NY. In Central America, the” land divides the sea.” (Isthmus of Tehuantepec), which is opposite of what the scripture says about the “sea divides” the land. Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are seas, where the “sea divides the land” as quoted in Ether 10:20. The N/S distance from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is only about 24 miles wide and in Central America it is 140 miles, which does not sound very narrow to me. In the Book of Mormon, the Narrow Neck of Land is only described in the Book of Ether, so the Jaredites used it, not the Nephites. There is archaeological verification at the Niagara Peninsula that dates from 800 BC to 3000 BC which is the time of the Jaredites.
  • Matthew, you also are quoted saying, “Lamanite descended people could easily have made their way into the heartland over the 1,400 years between the end of the BoM and the time of Joseph Smith. These sorts of things should be acknowledged so as to give greater credence to your efforts at approaching the matter objectively.”
  • I speak about Lamanites descending to South America all the time. I call South and Central America the “Hinterlands.” Hinterlands is defined here as meaning the unknown area of North and South America that are not within the scope of the writings of the Book of Mormon. In other words, since we believe main events of the Book of Mormon happened in a limited area of North America around the Great Lakes in the east, and Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri to the west, and south in Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, all other areas will be discussed as “The Hinterlands”.
  • We propose that Mesoamerica is the Hinterlands along with many other areas of the continent. As Mormon has said, “…I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people (Words of Mormon 1:5). There are many people in South and Central America that are Lamanites and part of the Hinterlands.
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  • In other words, if the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica, then every other area would be the “Hinterlands” where other Lamanites may have migrated and lived. If, however the events of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of the United States (As I believe they did), then every other area outside of this limited Heartland area would contain migrating Lamanites, including the western United States, Canada, Mexico, and South and Central America.
  • Here are my two definitions. Heartland Core – Where the main Nephite and Lamanite events occurred! Mesoamerican Periphery – Where Nephites and Lamanites migrated to outside of this core! You also say, “He wanders for decades and flees from the Lamanites.” I believe it is more likely Moroni traveled and wandered within maybe 100 miles of his home, and more than likely he knew of many places locally to hide with the plates. Why would Moroni travel some 3,500 miles for 36 years all the time worrying about running into strangers, staying alive, hiding the plates etc? I would think Moroni would stay close to where the Cave in Cumorah was also located.
  • I know you probably think the Cave in Cumorah was either a dream of Joseph’s as told to Brigham’s and Oliver, or that the Cave was somewhere in Mesoamerica. I believe what Orson Pratt said here. “These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. And all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, A.D. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and its contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion.” 1866 Orson Pratt Millennial Star (28 (27): 417)
  • Matthew, I appreciate your responses and your dialogue, but I will just have to disagree with you. There is only one Hill Cumorah in NY where Joseph received the plates and the same hill where the Jaredites and the Nephites were both destroyed. I love the article called, Pilgrimage to Palmyra: President B. H. Roberts and the Eastern States Mission’s 1923 Commemoration of Cumorah by Author Reid L. Neilson and Carson V. Teuscher
  • “Because the Church was still several years away from purchasing the entire Hill Cumorah, conference organizers secured special permission from non–Latter-day Saint Pliny T. Sexton, owner and proprietor of the hill and surrounding farmland, to hold ceremonies on his property.87 The missionaries and members made their way, flags in hand, to the top of the hill while the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. When everyone summited, the appointed “Flag Sergeants” erected America’s national banner.
  • They also raised a unique “Cumorah—Ramah” flag specially designed for the occasion—bisected into two colors, the blue “Cumorah” side bore the hill’s name “as it was known by the Nephites” in bright gold letters. The purple “Ramah” side similarly bore the ancient name of the hill in gold, as it “was known to the Jaredites—the people who first possessed the land.”8887. See David F. Boone, “‘A Man Raised Up’: The Role of Willard W. Bean in the Acquisition of the Hill Cumorah,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13, nos. 1–2 (2004): 24–37, 168–69. (88. Smith, “Minutes—the First General Conference of the Eastern States Mission,” 3; and “Palmyra Scene Re-Enacted,” 1. 89)
  • “After President McKay’s remarks the canvas shroud that was covering the monument was removed and the congregations joined in the song “What Was Witnessed in the Heavens.” In attendance at this session was a young Gordon B. Hinckley, on his way home from his mission to England. He later wrote an article for the Deseret News giving these details of that event:
  • “On the summit of the hill was a canvas-draped monument. At an appointed signal four trumpeters raised their gleaming instruments. In sharp clear tones “An Angel from On High” echoed across the placid countryside. The flag—the Stars and Stripes—fluttered in the wind, and it never looked more beautiful than it did over that hill sacred and important to the history of America. Then the canvas shroud fell from the monument, and the figure of Moroni looked out across the quiet fields which in his day of life had been scenes of carnage and sorrow. It is interesting to note that Gordon B. Hinckley, present at the first dedication of the Hill Cumorah as a returning missionary, would also be present at the 50th anniversary of the dedication in 1985 as a member of the First Presidency. Following the unveiling of the monument, President Heber J. Grant shared a few remarks followed by the dedicatory prayer.” A Study of the Hill Cumorah: A Significant Latter-Day Saint Landmark in Western New York Cameron J. Packer Brigham Young University – Provo
  • I have fasted and prayed about the Hill Cumorah location, and it has become an important part of my testimony. Until the Prophet says otherwise, I will always believe there is only one Hill Cumorah in NY. I know the church is neutral on their position about geography. I am fine with that. I am not neutral. I also think it is disingenuous for other apologetic groups to claim they are neutral when I know they are decidedly proponents of the Mesoamerican Theory. Many of these groups claim to be neutral as to show themselves in agreement with the Church. Many of these groups dismiss the Heartland Theory and will not even allow our information on their website as a balance to their liberal views. I would think Matthew, you would help us give the members of the Church both sides of the argument. I am the organizer for Rod Meldrum’s events. I would like to personally give you an invitation to speak at our next FIRM Foundation Conference on Sept 23-25, 2021 at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy Utah. I would love for you to spend about 45 minutes on stage and share with our group how you feel we can support each other as fellow Saints in strengthening each of our testimonies about the Book of Mormon. Thanks for your consideration. Blog Here about Ramah and Cumorah with the Flag
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  • Kevin Price, PhD in Geography says: July 10, 2021 
  • Rian, you have responded to Brother Grow’s comments well. For years I looked to Mesoamerica to find the scientific evidence for Book of Mormon Geography and it was a big nothing burger for over 30 years. The ruins they look to in Mesoamerica area were constructed hundred of years after the Nephites were destroyed, the ruins are not Israelite in structure but solid Hindu, the DNA of the Maya is Asian.
  • The remains of human bone powder covering large areas have been found around the Hill Cumorah in New York as confirmed by Cornell University, the metals from the battles were carried off long ago and Parley Pratt said his father, who was a blacksmith found all the scrap metal he needed around Hill Cumorah.
  • More importantly, however, we do not find Adam-ondi-Ahman, New Jerusalem, the restored gospel, the Land of Liberty, the Promised Land in Mesoamerica. The church headquarters is not found in Mesoamerica. Why did Thomas Stuart Ferguson leave the church after exploring for Book of Mormon evidence in Mesoamerica for decades and after spending hundreds of thousands of members money in Mesoamerica.
  • To me, Meso is like eating cotton candy, it looks beautiful (Pagans have been very good at building temples, but they used them for Human blood sacrifices, and used stairs and ornately carved stone altars forbidden by God), but take a bite of the cotton candy and there is NOTHING there. The good news is many members are abandoning Meso and coming back to North America. Every member I talk to tells me they never believed in Meso and was waiting for the evidence to be found in North America. As we find more evidence, increasing numbers of members are coming to the truth. The avalanche of true is near and it is exciting.
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  • [email protected] says: July 10, 2021 
  • Hi Dr. Price: I appreciate your feedback. Do they still have a Dept. of Geography at BYU do you know? I grew up believing my seminary teachers and seeing the Meso buildings in our light blue copies of the Book of Mormon when I served a mission. I always thought things happened in Central America. Just after my mission in 1977, I began wondering really how Moroni walked all the way some 3,000 miles to New York. I finally justified it and said, “well the Lord could have just moved the plates to New York Himself”, so I forgot about things.
  • Then about 12 years ago this man named Rod Meldrum told me about the mounds of North America and I had never heard of mounds or any ancient civilization in North America. I began exploring and the rest is history. I believe now as Pres Monson said, “The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson 2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008) I love the Book of Mormon!
  • Dr. Kevin Price says: July 10, 2021 
  • Yes, BYU does have a geography department, but I turned down a job offer from this department about 10 years ago because they decided to eliminate their graduate program. This means the department is more like a community college teaching program. At the time I had millions in NASA research funding and needed good graduate students to assist with the NASA work. I decided the program was not well suited for the research work I was doing. Their focus was more on tourism and mine was on the use of satellite and airborne color infrared imagery and other remote sensing data types for studying the earth (crops, range and forest lands). I was working in China, Zambia, El Salvador, Brazil, and Kazakhstan and needed good research assistance, which I knew could not be provided by undergraduate students. So, yes, BYU has an undergraduate program focuses mainly on tourism.
  • [email protected] says: July 11, 2021
  • Did BYU’s geography Dept. ever speak about geography in any other place other that Mesoamerica? How would those departments allocate gifts from donors and who would determine where to put the donation and why? Who allocates those dollars today to Mesoamerica and why? Maybe you could help me understand the process.
  • Could a donor give money and the donor tell a University where they want the money spent in a particular place? I hear about a project headed by John Lefgren PhD in Iowa where he is looking for evidence of the city Zarahemla in the Heartland of the USA. Why wouldn’t the Church take an interest in that and allow even a small amount of money to that project? It would be nice to hear from someone in the appropriate Department at BYU on answering these questions as I truly believe the evidence for One Hill Cumorah in NY and Zarahemla being in Iowa D&C 125 should be looked into.
  • It is obvious over all these years there has been no evidence of the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica. Here is an article, https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/how-mormon-lawyer-transformed-archaeology-mexico-and-ended-losing-his-faith about a brother Ferguson who ended up losing his testimony after looking and looking in Mesoamerica for evidence using donated money from the Church and he lost his testimony. What follow-up has there been from that, by our Church do you know?
  • Dr. Kevin Price says: July 11, 2021 at 7:50 pm
  • Responses to Brother Nelson’s questions above.
  • Nelson – Did BYU’s geography Dept. ever speak about geography in any other place other that Mesoamerica?
  • Price – First, I should clarify that my BS and MS degrees are from BYU in plant biology, my PhD is in geography from the University of Utah. I never took a class in geography at BYU. I therefore cannot confidently respond to your question above.
  • Nelson – How would those departments allocate gifts from donors and who would determine where to put the donation and why?
  • Price – For reasons stated above, I cannot speak specifically to your question regarding BYU Department of Geography. I know many of the faculty in geography at BYU and they are exceptionally fine people. I can speak as to how donations were handled in my former Department of Geography at the University of Kansas and Kansas State University. The donor often specifies how they want their funding allocated. This is one reason universities have distinguished professors or endowed chairs. A person or organization that donates funding often tells the university how they want their donation used. They may specify that they want the funds used to hire the best person they can in a particular area of research. Such people are offered impressive salaries to lure them away from other institutions and given funding to run their research program. Sometimes the funding is used to build a new building that is usually named after the donor. I should make clear that I am speaking of donations, not research funding from organizations such as the National Science Foundation or other research funding organizations.
  • Nelson – Who allocates those dollars today to Mesoamerica and why? Maybe you could help me understand the process.
  • Price – I think most of their funding is coming from private donors. I hope BYU or the Church is not providing them funding or they would not be adhering to their statement of neutrality concerning Book of Mormon geography. If BYU or the Church are providing them funding, then members should be concerned and challenge these funding allocations. People working in or with these organization should not be funded by BYU or the LDS Church if there is to be a neutral stand regarding Book of Mormon geography. This is true for the Departments of Religion/History and the Church Education System. If they are teaching the Mesoamerica Model, they are using Church funding in violation of the neutrality position stated by the Church presidency. Any Church publications should be neutral with respect to artwork, publications and talks given by Church funded individuals or organizations. If they are using Church funding facilities, they must be neutral in what they say and show. If not, the membership should challenge them on the matter and asked that neutrality be observed.
  • I should point out too that universities usually charge over 50% overhead rates, meaning for every research dollar a professor is successful in securing, the university gets about half of the funds. This is one of the reasons BYU tried to recruit me away from the University of Kansas (KU). BYU offered me twice my KU salary and KU came back and beat BYU’s offer. I generated about a million dollars in overhead for KU over a 5-year period and they were not going to let me leave without a fight. I turned down BYU’s offer not because of money, but because the department that was recruiting me had decided to eliminate their graduate student program, so I would have no graduate research assistance to help with my research. To me, it was very foolish to do this – they turned the department into the equivalent of a teaching school (I love to teach, but I could not be nearly as successful in winning research funding without a graduate student program to support the efforts. Ironically, BYU was recruiting me for my research funding success.
  • Nelson – Could a donor give money and the donor tell a university where they want the money spent in a particular place?
  • Price – Yes as I stated above, but if the organization doing the donation or receiving donation is funded by the Church, they cannot violate the Church’s Book of Mormon neutrality position. They would need to tell the donor that they cannot violate the Church’s neutrality position unless they stop receiving funding from the Church and are independently funded such at the those working on the Heartland Model.
  • Nelson – I hear about a project headed by John Lefgren PhD in Iowa where he is looking for evidence of the city Zarahemla in the Heartland of the USA. Why wouldn’t the Church take an interest in that and allow even a small amount of money to that project?
  • Price – My response is based somewhat on person opinion and not sure knowledge, but I believe the Church has taken many attacks for past support of the Mesoamerica Model (no evidence, DNA, etc.). The Church spent a lot of money in Mesoamerica, and the outcome has never proven the Geography of the Book of Mormon. If the thousands of dollars spent looking for proof of Book of Mormon geography in Mesoamerica has been productive we would not have Mesoamerica supporters using a Fantasy Map in some of our Church educational materials to teach Book of Mormon geography (something that needs to be stopped immediately – it is destroying testimonies of the Book of Mormon).
  • If the Book of Mormon geography were known in Mesoamerica, we would have a map showing the location of Zarahemla, the Hill Cumorah, and other locations spoken of in the Book of Mormon – the Mesoamerica model supporters do not have a reality map so they use a fabricated map that looks too much like Mesoamerica and should be stopped NOW. This fantasy map (photo below) is leading many members to believe the events described in the Book of Mormon are only metaphorical. Tell me, why would Moroni in chapter 10 of the Book of Mormon ask us to pray about a metaphor? That would be like asking someone to pray about Alice in Wonderland or Disneyland (at least Disneyland does not need to be plotted on a fantasy map.)
  • Nelson – It would be nice to hear from someone in the appropriate Department at BYU on answering these questions as I truly believe the evidence for One Hill Cumorah in NY and Zarahemla being in Iowa D&C 125 should be looked into.
  • Price – Do not hold your breath Brother Nelson. The Mesoamerica Model is so entrenched at BYU that I am not sure if there is anyone at BYU who dares challenge it. They would not want to be expelled from the Great and Spacious Building of Academia. I agree that there is only ONE HILL CUMORAH just as has been taught by many Prophets and Apostles of the Church in the past.
  • I believe the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the location of Zarahemla when He gave him the revelation recorded in D&C 125 and when I ask those who challenge our interpretation of the revelation, asking them why did the Lord give this revelation, I never get a response.
  • I had a friend in my ward doing his PhD in archaeology at the University of Kansas (I still live in Lawrence, Kansas) and he was specializing in archaeology in Mesoamerica. I remember my surprise when I asked him “Are you finding evidence in Mesoamerica supporting the Book of Mormon geography in this area, and he said, without apology, “no – nothing is there.”
  • I see below that you cite the paper in Science Magazine about Thomas Stuart Ferguson losing his testimony after not finding evidence supporting Book of Mormon geography in Mesoamerica. He spent years and fortunes trying to find it and left the Church after he found nothing. Later he was rebaptized, but he never stepped foot in Mesoamerica again. It is time members start looking at the Heartland for answers – the evidence is abundant, and the Spirit confirms what it cannot confirm in Mesoamerica.
  • Nelson – It is obvious over all these years there has been no evidence of the Book of Mormon in Mesoamerica. Here is an article, https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/how-mormon-lawyer-transformed-archaeology-mexico-and-ended-losing-his-faith about a brother Ferguson who ended up losing his testimony after looking and looking in Mesoamerica for evidence using donated money from the Church and he lost his testimony. What follow-up has there been from that by our Church, do you know?
  • Price – Some things are easier to sweep under the rug, but I am glad the Church finally came out with a neutrality statement on this matter and we as members should expect those working for the Church to honor this position. I am not worried about getting great amounts of funding. I have faith the Lord will provide, and He has done so so far.
  • The Lord never seems to make those who are his servants rich. He continues to bring faithful members forward with support right at the times it is most needed. I believe He will continue to support our efforts. I have had so many amazing spiritual experiences since I started working with those doing the work to reveal the Book of Mormon geography in the Promised Land. I wish I could share some of these spiritual events, but right now it would not be appropriate, but please know that I know the Lord is mindful of our efforts and He is opening the doors as fast as we can investigate and document our findings.
  • I am using my skills as a plant scientist, geographer, and geospatial scientists (remote sensing, GIS, GPS, statistics) to support this effort. I am working one some amazing projects right now. I am scanning artifacts that have been found in the Book of Mormon lands of the Heartland and building 3D models that we plan to post online in a virtual museum so people can view these artifacts and rotate them in 3D. The work is voluntary just like work done by most of those working on Book of Mormon geography in the Heartland. We are not enriching ourselves but are volunteering our time and talents.

If any have questions, please feel free to write me at my personal email account ([email protected]). Or call me at my mobile number of 785-393-5428. I would love to talk and share with you many exciting things that are now happening.

Dr. Kevin Price Senior Geospatial Analytics Scientist, Heartland Research Group [email protected] 785-393-5428

The Elegance of Theory or the Truth of Things?

Rian Nelson
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The Elegance of Theory or the Truth of Things?

“I am more concerned with the elegance of the theory than the truth of it.”
(Anonymous Scientist)

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What does the great and spacious building represent? (The pride of the world.) In what ways have you been made fun of because you were trying to do right? Who influences people who make fun of us? Why are those in the building pointing a mocking finger at those not in the building? Would you rather have common sense or Intellect? Since the spacious building refers to pride, let’s discuss pride. Remember Pres Benson’s landmark talk on Pride? I review some of it below. Here is the complete talk.

“Unfortunately, some are among us who claim to be Church members but are somewhat like the scoffers in Lehi’s vision – standing aloof and seemingly inclined to hold in derision the faithful who choose to accept Church authorities as God’s special witnesses of the gospel and his agents in directing the affairs of the Church.” (Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p. 91 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.34)

What is the difference between a Scientist and Academia?

“One need not look far into science to discover it consists too generally of a maze of facts and theory so closely interwoven that even the most learned and honorable scientist (to say nothing of the intellectually dishonest one or the novice) may have difficulty in distinguishing readily between truth and theory.” — Joseph Fielding Smith Man, His Origin and Destiny

“Unfortunately, owing to the strong desire of scientists to display their brilliance and ingenuity, there is a tendency for theory to become the objective instead of a means to the end. Theory then not only loses its real value, but actually becomes a stumbling block to progress. Its inventor and disciples become so engrossed in the theory that they lose sight of its fundamental purpose, the quest for truth. This condition was shockingly illustrated in my presence at a meeting of scientists when one of great renown met a factual objection with the statement, “I am more concerned with the elegance of the theory than the truth of it.” Melvin Cook in the Intro of: Man, His Origin and Destiny

I Believe more in COMMON SENSE than INTELLIGENCE

Fake or True? Good or Evil? You Decide!

Evolution
Climate Change
Einstein’s Theory
BofM Translation
One Hill Cumorah
Cave in Cumorah
BofM Geography
Age of Earth
Age of Dinosaurs
Critical Race Theory
1619 Project
Covid Vaccine
Jan 6th Insurrection
Noah’s Flood
Pre-Adamites
Socialism
Abortion

In our search for truth and with so many possibilities, we need help. I don’t believe the Lord nor His Prophets will tell us many of the answers. above. The Lord wants us to test Moroni’s promise. Our bias divides us and that is what Satan wants. We will never agree on all things, but we can all love one another and agree to disagree. A nice tussle and discussion of ideas is always healthy and fun. For example, I adamantly believe the Book of Mormon main events happened in the Heartland of the United States. You can believe what you want which is fine. Let’s discuss it and then allow each other their own opinion.

Another example is our Sunday worship. All active members believe in keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. However, in some families they feel going to the store and shopping is fine, and others do not. Some feel it is a family day with no friends and only immediate family, and others feel it is fine to visit anyone on Sunday. Who is right? Both. Do you think the Prophet will ever tell us which is correct? No! We need to make non-doctrinal decisions on our own through prayer and fasting. We can also believe the Historians we chose to, based on personal prayer as well.

LDS Teachers Employed in Paganism

“I attended sessions of meetings for the institute teachers, held in the assembly room on the fourth floor of the Church Office Building. I cannot say that I was very greatly edified. Too much philosophy of a worldly nature does not seem to mix well with the fundamentals of the gospel. In my opinion many of our teachers employed in the church school system have absorbed too much of the paganism of the world, and have accepted too readily the views of uninspired educators without regard for the revealed word of the Lord.

What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years [since his father’s death]. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the Primitive Church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road? The more I see of educated men—I mean those who are trained in the doctrines and philosophies now taught in the world, the less regard I have for them. Modern theories which are so popular today just do not harmonize with the gospel as revealed to the prophets, and it would beThis image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is aaw-joseph-fielding-smith-writer-912193-820x1024.jpg amusing if it were not a tragedy to see how some of our educated brethren attempt to harmonize the theories of men with the revealed word of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there is still some faith left and some members who still cherish the word of the Lord and accept the prophets. Surely the world is ripening rapidly for the destruction, and Satan has power and dominion over his own. If any are saved surely the Lord must soon come and have power over his Saints and reign in their midst, and execute ‘judgment upon Idumea, or the world.'” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., and John J. Stewart, The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 210 – 211.)

Pride

Three times in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord uses the phrase “beware of pride,” including a warning to the second elder of the Church, Oliver Cowdery, and to Emma Smith, the wife of the Prophet. (D&C 23:1; see also D&C 25:14; D&C 38:39.)

Pride is a very misunderstood sin, and many are sinning in ignorance. (See Mosiah 3:11; 3 Ne. 6:18.) In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride—it is always considered a sin. Therefore, no matter how the world uses the term, we must understand how God uses the term so we can understand the language of holy writ and profit thereby. (See 2 Ne. 4:15; Mosiah 1:3–7; Alma 5:61.)

Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.

The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.

Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” (Philip. 2:21.)

Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled. (See Alma 38:12; 3 Ne. 12:30.)

The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. (See Hel. 12:6.) They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.

Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.

Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them. (See Hel. 6:17; D&C 58:41.)

The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” (Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan, 1952, pp. 109–10.)

In reference to the title of this blog, my summary would say. Science is good and learning is great, searching for truth is very valiant but, when we close our mind to learning new things, or close our mind to new discoveries, we are no longer a Scientist searching for facts, but an Academic who only cares about their new pet theory and pushing it on others until they believe this new pet theory of theirs.

“Historians seem to take great pride in publishing something new, particularly if it illustrates a weakness or mistake of a prominent historical figure. For some reason, historians and novelists seem to savor such things. If it related to a living person, it would come under the heading of gossip. History can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult—often impossible—to verify. The writer or the teacher who has an exaggerated loyalty to the theory that everything must be told is laying a foundation for his own judgment. He should not complain if one day he himself receives as he has given. Perhaps that is what is contemplated in having one’s sins preached from the housetops.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

Historians Editing “Saints” Book

First I want to say the Saints Book is very good to read and I like it. The Church has worked hard to put together a great volume to help others understand the history of the church. There are in the church, historians and intellectuals who like to retell history or revise things at times. The Prophet and the 12 have trusted these people to say the correct things and most of the time they do what is right. However, some of these intellects who think they they are doing something noble, they make mistakes. Some are mistakes and some of it may be their pride to look good. In Utah especially are two camps of believers so to speak. One group of good LDS members believes there is a hill Cumorah in New York and one in Mexico. They are called Mesoamericanists. They also believe the final battles of the Nephites were on an unnamed hill in Mexico somewhere. They also believe Joseph translated the plates using a stone in a hat to read from and that Joseph never looked at the plates to translate. There is another group of good active LDS people called Heartlanders, who believe the Heartland of the USA is where the Book of Mormon events happened and there is only one hill Cumorah in NY. They believe the final battles happened at this hill in NY and not in Mexico. They also believe that Joseph only used the Urim and Thummim to translate the Gold Plates. (breastplate with two stones in a silver bow like spectacles)

The Church is neutral on these ideas as they don’t want to do anything except preach the doctrine of the Book of Mormon, which of course is most important. However, understand that the Gospel Topic Essays are written by Historians and later approved by the Church, but that doesn’t mean the book is doctrine, it is men’s opinions of the history and narrative and I believe some historians make errors on purpose at times. We all know the Book of Mormon is true, but we also know the “very elect” will believe a lie and try to deceive us. We urge you to pray about all things for your own personal witness as we know the Prophet and Apostles will not lead us astray, but they also want us to think on our own and study about things. Here are three other blogs I did about the Saints book. Understand it is a great book, but some intellectuals have tried to make subtle points that are not correct. #1 Here #2 Here and #3 Here

The Great and Spacious Building

While in the wilderness, Lehi had a dream about a “great and spacious building”, and a “rod of iron.” The great and spacious building represented the pride of the world, while the rod of iron represented the word of God. Lehi, Sariah, Nephi, and Sam all held to the iron rod, and partook of the fruit which was “exceedingly delicious about all other fruit” representing the love of God.

However, Laman and Lemuel, did not follow the rod, and entered the great and spacious building. Lehi related this dream to his family, and asked Laman and Lemuel to reconsider their ways and follow God. However, even with all the promptings, the two older brothers resisted, and ended up fulfilling the dream, becoming enemies to their brothers.

Also in the wilderness, Lehi found the Liahona, a round ball that functioned similar to a compass. However, it only worked as the family was righteous, directing them where they should travel. When they did not follow God, the Liahona failed to work.

The great and spacious building in Lehi’s dream was identified by the angel as representing “the pride and vain imaginations of the children of men” (1 Nephi 12:18). Lehi’s contemporary Jeremiah speaks of the pride of Jerusalem and her people. The Hebrew word used by Jeremiah means “to be/become high.” The word imaginations may be based upon a Hebrew word also found in Jeremiah which denotes a kind of defiant stubbornness in opposition to God which leads to calamity. Vanity (as in vain) is likely based on a Hebrew word meaning “vapor” and often signifies something that is fleeting, worthless, and does not last. Each of these words shed light on the nature of the great and specious building. https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/what-is-the-significance-of-the-great-and-spacious-building

An interesting article below if you want to know more about Academia and Research.

4 Ways Academia and Industry Differ For Research Scientists

Written by Abha Chalpe, PhD
Scientists… the researchers, discoverers, and curious people who dig deeper until they find what they were looking for and then research why and how it got there. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
As the old saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. Scientists are therefore the facilitators who realize these necessities and invent what we all need. At least that’s the idea.

And why I got into research. All scientists are groomed in the academic environment, and most of us thrive there while we work towards our masters and doctorates. However, the thriving transforms into suffering when the academic goal of achieving the degree is postponed for an indefinite amount of time. PhDs are overworked, underpaid, and certainly undervalued. That’s when a PhD will start to question their decisions. Why did I get into research? Click on title above for complete article.

Book of Mormon “Hard Evidence” – Proper Translation

Rian Nelson
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Book of Mormon “Hard Evidence” – Proper Translation

First Hand Witnesses/Scripture
Urim and Thummim Testimony by Joseph & Oliver

“By the Gift and Power of God!

It is nearly impossible to know, understand or contemplate what the Gift and Power of God actually means. As humans and not fully able to comprehend all things, we can at least understand that a term such as this can only be understood under the influence of the Spirit of God. In this blog I want to try and give the reader some tools in the form of words and quotes to be able themselves to contemplate how Joseph Smith explained that he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and Power of God. President Kimball does an amazing job of explaining below.

“We are awed by the perspicacity and discernment of the scientists, whose accumulated knowledge is great, but there is still greater knowledge; there are more perfect instruments; there is much more to learn. Most of us can but imagine how the great truths have been transmitted through the ages.  Exactly how this precious instrument, the Urim and Thummim, operates we can only surmise, but it seems to be infinitely superior to any mechanism ever dreamed of yet by researchers. It would seem to be a receiving set, or instrument. For a set to receive pictures and programs, there must be a broadcasting set. The scripture above quoted indicates that the abode of God is a master Urim and Thummim, and the synchronization of transmitting and receiving apparatus of this kind can have no limitation.”   (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, Pg.52 – Pg.53)   

“In a short period man has so improved his communication techniques as to hear voices around the world. A few years ago, even with earphones, we could decode only part of the static over the newborn radio. Our first television pictures were very local and very amateurish. Today, we see in our homes a fight in Madison Square Garden, a football game in the Cotton Bowl, the Tabernacle Choir in Chicago, an astronaut on his way to the moon.   Is it hard to believe that with such accomplishments by puny man Omnipotent God has precision instruments with which to enlarge the knowledge of those who have the skill to use them? Is it difficult to believe that the Urim and Thummim could be such a precision instrument to transmit messages from God to his supreme creation — man?   Can God have limitations? Can atmosphere or distance or space hold back his pictures? Would it be so difficult for Moses or Enoch or Abraham or Joseph to see a colorful, accurate, moving picture of all things past and present, and even future? The Creator said to Moses, “ . . . look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end.”  (Moses 1:4.)   (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, Pg.53)

Our Own Urim and Thummim

We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that “the place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.” In addition, “this earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon.” And each person who receives the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will be able to use their Urim and Thummim.

“Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known; And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.” (D&C 130:8–10)

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it”. Revelations 2:17

Special Witnesses of Translation

“The Prophet Joseph Smith used the same Urim and Thummim that was “given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face” (D&C 17:1). President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote a brief history regarding the Urim and Thummim: “King Mosiah possessed ‘two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,’ called by the Nephites Interpreters, with which he translated the Jaredite record [Mosiah 28:11–14], and these were handed down from generation to generation for the purposes of interpreting languages. How Mosiah came into possession of these two stones or Urim and Thummim the record does not tell us, more than to say that it was a ‘gift from God’ [Mosiah 21:28]. Mosiah had this gift or Urim and Thummim before the people of Limhi discovered the record of Ether. They may have been received when the ‘large stone’ was brought to Mosiah with engravings upon it, which he interpreted by the ‘gift and power of God’ [Omni 1:20–21]. They may have been given to him, or to some other prophet before his day, just as the Brother of Jared received them—from the Lord. “That the Urim and Thummim, or two stones, given to the Brother of Jared were those in the possession of Mosiah appears evident from Book of Mormon teachings. The Brother of Jared was commanded to seal up his writings of the vision he had when Christ appeared to him, so that they could not be read by his people. … The Urim and Thummim were also sealed up so that they could not be used for the purpose of interpreting those sacred writings of this vision, until such time as the Lord should grant to man to interpret them. When they were to be revealed, they were to be interpreted by the aid of the same Urim and Thummim [Ether 3:21–28]. …“Joseph Smith received with the breastplate and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the Brother of Jared [D&C 17:1]” (Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation, 3:223–25). The Prophet inquired of the Lord, and D&C Section 17 was given in answer through the Urim and Thummim.

And, as has been stated during this Conference, he brought forth the Book of Mormon-the stick of Joseph in the hands of Ephraim-in fulfillment of the testimony of Isaiah, translating that record through the Urim and Thummim, thereby revealing to us the history of the early inhabitants of this Continent. (1889, October, 6th Session, President Wilford Woodruff)

“This book, that has been so despised by the world, was testified to by the Prophet Joseph when asked: “How and when did you obtain the Book of Mormon? Answer. Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from which the Book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me, and told me where they were; and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them, and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates, and thus came the Book of Mormon.” (1896, October, 4th Session, Elder Franklin D. Richards)

The Key- Nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim

“I trembled so much with fear lest all might be lost again by some small failure in keeping the commandments, that I was under the necessity of leaving the room to conceal my feelings. Joseph saw this and followed me. “Mother,” said he. “Do not be uneasy. All is right. See here,” said he, “I have got the key.“
I knew not what he meant, but took the article in my hands and, examining it with no covering but a silk handkerchief, found that it consisted of two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass, and the glasses were set in silver bows connected with each other in much the same way that old-fashioned spectacles are made. He took them again and left me, but did not tell me anything of the record….

That of which I spoke, which Joseph termed a key, was indeed nothing more nor less than a Urim and Thummim by which the angel manifested those things to him that were shown him in vision; by which also he could at any time ascertain the approach of danger, either to himself or the record, and for this cause he kept these things constantly about his person.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, p. 139, 145)

“After breakfast [on the day he received the plates and the urim and thummim] Joseph [Smith] called me into the other room and he set his foot on the bed and leaned his head on his hand and says,… “It is ten times better then I expected.” Then he went on to tell the length and width and thickness of the plates, and said he, “they appear to be gold.” But he seemed to think more of the glasses or the urim and thummim than he did of the plates, for, says he, “I can see anything; they are marvelous.” (“Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” BYU Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1; spelling modernized

The Breastplate Seen by Lucy

“After bringing home the plates, Joseph now commenced work with his father on the farm in order to be as near as possible the treasure that was committed to his care.

Soon after this, he came in from work one afternoon, and after remaining a short time, he put on his greatcoat and left the house. I was engaged at the time in an upper room in preparing some oilcloths for painting. When he returned, he requested me to come downstairs. I told him that I could not leave my work just then, yet upon his urgent request, I finally concluded to go down and see what he wanted, upon which he handed me the breastplate spoken of in his history.

It was wrapped in a thin muslin handkerchief, so thin that I could see the glistening metal and ascertain its proportions without any difficulty. It was concave on one side and convex on the other and extended from the neck downwards as far as the center of the stomach of a man of extraordinary size. It had four straps of the same material for the purpose of fastening it to the breast, two of which ran back to go over the shoulders, and the other two were designed to fasten to the hips. They were just the width of two of my fingers (for I measured them), and they had holes in the end of them to be convenient in fastening.

The whole plate was worth at least five hundred dollars. After I had examined it, Joseph placed it in the chest with the Urim and Thummim.” (History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced)

“I have myself seen and handled the golden plates; they are about eight inches long, and six wide; some of them are sealed together and are not to be opened, and some of them are loose. They are all connected by a ring which passes through a hole at the end of each plate, and are covered with letters beautifully engraved. I have seen and felt also the Urim and Thummim. They resemble two large bright diamonds set in a bow like a pair of spectacles. My son puts these over his eyes when he reads unknown languages, and they enable him to interpret them in English. I have likewise carried in my hands the sacred breastplate. It is composed of pure gold and is made to fit the breast very exactly.” (in Henry Caswall, The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842, 2nd ed. revised and enlarged, (London: J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1843), 26)

Common Sense

NO SINGLE SEER STONE that Joseph found was used to translate the sacred Book of Mormon. Common sense says a lot to me. If a single seer stone was so important why was it not touched by the Lord like it was for the Brother of Jared, and why was this very important seer stone not buried with the gold plates? Why were the Interpreters protected and handed down from generation to generation as it says below?

Moroni said, “And now he [Mosiah] translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow. Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages; And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people;” Mosiah 28:13-15

Why Historians are Revisionists

“Historians seem to take great pride in publishing something new, particularly if it illustrates a weakness or mistake of a prominent historical figure. For some reason, historians and novelists seem to savor such things. If it related to a living person, it would come under the heading of gossip. History can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult—often impossible—to verify. The writer or the teacher who has an exaggerated loyalty to the theory that everything must be told is laying a foundation for his own judgment. He should not complain if one day he himself receives as he has given. Perhaps that is what is contemplated in having one’s sins preached from the housetops.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect. Elder Boyd K. Packer


“Some historians write and speak as though the only ones to read or listen are mature, experienced historians. They write and speak to a very narrow audience. Unfortunately, many of the things they tell one another are not uplifting, go far beyond the audience they may have intended, and destroy faith. What that historian did with the reputation of the President of the Church was not worth doing. He seemed determined to convince everyone that the prophet was a man. We knew that already. All of the prophets and all of the Apostles have been men. It would have been much more worthwhile for him to have convinced us that the man was a prophet, a fact quite as true as the fact that he was a man” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

“This problem has affected some of those who have taught and have written about the history of the Church. These professors say of themselves that religious faith has little influence on Mormon scholars. They say this because, obviously, they are not simply Latter-day Saints but are also intellectuals trained, for the most part, in secular institutions. They would that some historians who are Latter-day Saints write history as they were taught in graduate school, rather than as Mormons.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

We wonder, why do the revisionist Church historians prefer the stone-in-a-hat theory over the definitive, consistent explanations from Joseph and Oliver? By Jonathan Neville

“We can’t read minds, and so far as I know the intellectuals have not articulated the rationale for their preference, but it is deliberate, as we’ve just seen from the selection of quotations in the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation. (See Link below)

One possibility is that the revisionist historians think they have discovered something in Church history that was “covered up” for decades. In the interest of openness, they have brought forth the stone-in-a-hat theory.

That makes sense from an academic perspective. To get a PhD and have a career, historians have to contribute something new to their field, and because the prophets have consistently taught that Joseph translated with the Urim and Thummim, the idea that Joseph “really” used a seer stone instead would have appeal to an academic.

The problem, of course, is that the stone-in-a-hat theory is 185 years old. Those familiar with Church history have always known about Mormonism Unvailed.

Rather than contributing something new, these revisionist historians have resurrected an old, discredited claim made by critics to undermine faith in the accounts of Joseph and Oliver.” Jonathan Neville http://www.moronisamerica.com/peep-stones-vs-urim-and-thummim-part-2/

What is the Truth?

If you are having a hard time understanding the Stone in the Hat theory (SITH), don’t worry, just read the scriptures and quotes below and then pray about it.  Just like the list below, I have compiled a large list of quotes about why the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon, and why there is only “One” Hill Cumorah. See it here.

There is not one scripture anywhere that says Joseph Smith used a single seer stone, or a stone (singular), to translate any of the Book of Mormon. It doesn’t exist. There are many quotes from others like David Whitmer, Martin Harris and Emma Smith that say Joseph used SITH to translate, but none of these witnesses ever saw the actual stone in the hat and never saw what Joseph saw if indeed he did look in the hat during translation. They all would have had to guess at what joseph saw because Joseph and Oliver never told anyone about it. Remember Joseph was told by the Lord, “Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken—for the time that they should be obtained was not yet fulfilled—I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be destroyed.” JSH 1:42

There are many of our current Prophets and Apostles who have said Joseph could have used the Urim and Thummim and/or a seer stone to translate. I know that both methods are a possibility because none of us know for sure, but you must each form your own witness based on prayer and personal revelation just as I must. I love and support the Prophet and Apostles as they will not lead us astray. They may not however, tell us many of the answers that have very little to do with our Salvation.

I have said many times, if the Prophets and Apostles tell me it is doctrine that the main Book of Mormon Events happened in Mesoamerica, or if they tell me that at one time Adam was an ape, or that only a seer stone was used to translate the Book of Mormon, or that Joseph Smith never looked at the plates but he just read the words off of a rock, or that Noah’s flood was not real, I would have a very hard time believing it, but with much prayer I would follow the living Prophet and Apostles who speak the truth. 

Said Brigham Young: “I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. … Let every man and woman know, by the whisperings of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.” (JD, vol. 9, p. 150.)”

I  believe the words of Joseph Smith and the words of Oliver Cowdery who were the only first hand witnesses to the method of translation, and I have followed the council of Brigham Young above and the words of Moroni have helped me who said, “You may know the truth of all things.” May you pray for your personal answer as well.

Book of Mormon “Hard Evidence” – Proper Translation
PDF Below

“That there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim… God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” Joseph Smith

Scripture – Numbers in Red

1- ” He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35)

2- I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them.: JSH 1:52

3- “With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called “Urim and Thummim,” which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.” (History of the Church, 4:537 Wentworth Letter).

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4- “I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father, in the month of December, and the February following.” JSH 1:62

5- Joseph Smith said “I inquired of the Lord through the Urim and Thummim and received from him the following.” (Note: See the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants 3,6,7,11,14,15,16,17) (History of the Church V.1p.45)

6- “I continued to translate, and he [Oliver Cowdery] to write, with little cessation, during which time we received several revelations. A difference of opinion arising between us about the account of John the Apostle, mentioned in the New Testament, as to whether he died or continued to live, we mutually agreed to settle it by the Urim and Thummim.” (History of the Church, 1:35–36.)

7- “I have, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim…, seen those martyrs. They were honest, devoted followers of Christ, according to the light they possessed. They will be saved.” (Hyrum L. Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus, comps., They Knew the Prophet, p. 85)

8- “After I got through translating the Book of Mormon, I took up the Bible to read with the Urim and Thummim. I read the first chapter of Genesis and I saw the things as they were done. I turned over the next and the next, and the whole passed before me like a grand panorama; and so on chapter after chapter until I read the whole of it. I saw it all!” (as cited in Matthews, Plainer Translation, 25).” The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU)

9- “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’ JSH 1:75*

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10- “I wrote with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, “holy interpreters.” I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the “holy interpreters.” The book is true. Sidney Rigdon did not write it; Mr. Spaulding did not write it; I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet.”  Restoration of All Things by Joseph Fielding Smith CHAPTER TWELVE, A TESTIMONY AGAINST THE WORLD Address delivered Sunday, August 20, 1944

11- During an 1830 trial Oliver Cowdery testified under oath, that “said [Joseph] Smith found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates.” , 
(A. W. Benton, “Mormonites,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate n.s. 2:15 April 9, 101)

12- “And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow… Mosiah 28:13

“And whosoever has these things is called seer, after the manner of old times.” Mosiah 28:16

And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.” Mosiah 28:20

13- “And now, I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-four plates, that ye keep them, that the mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret works of those people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest unto this people; yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings, and all their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest unto this people; yea, and that ye preserve these interpreters.

And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying:

I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land.” Alma 37:21, 24-25 (The word Directors was changed to Interpreters in the 1920 version of the Book of Mormon)

14- “He [Moroni] then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigenes of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. He represented them as once being an enlightned and intelligent people, possessing a correct knowledge of the gospel, and the plan of restoration and redemption. He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place, and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record.” Letter IV Oliver Cowdery

15- “And behold, these two stones [different than the previous 16 stones] will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones [2stones] shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.” Ether 3:23:24 (Parenthesis Added)

16- Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.” Ether 4:5 

Click for a PDF of Book of Mormon “Hard Evidence”-Proper Translation
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Why do many Church Historians insist that the Final Battle of the Nephites and Lamanites didn’t happen at the One and Only Hill Cumorah?

Rian Nelson
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Why do many Church Historians insist that the Final Battle of the Nephites and Lamanites didn’t happen at the One and Only Hill Cumorah?

Greatly Disturbed?

Joseph Fielding Smith said about the theory of Book of Mormon Geography in Mesoamerica; “Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon.” Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Edited by Bruce McConkie, Vol. 3 [1999] 232–243.

A Promised Land

What a statement that has come very true today. People have the right to believe what they want, but a huge part of my personal testimony is the Book of Mormon geography happened in North America as President Monson also said here: “The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12). Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson 2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008)

President Monson believes the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon. Why do Mesoamericanists believe the entire continent of the Americas is the Promised land? You mean Greenland, Guatemala, and the Northwest Territories are the Promised Lands? I love all of God’s children in the entire world and God loves us all the same, but seriously? If a person from Greenland comes to the United States legally as a citizen that person can also live in the Promised Land, correct? I’m sure Greenland has much beauty on its own, but it is not the Promised Land, is it? Please respondents be respectful. I am not belittling other lands. I’m just making a factual statement. Why is the United States and Israel the two Promised Lands? Because Christ said so. See 3 Nephi 20:22,29 Rian Nelson

We love all people in the world and Pres Hickley stated our position as Americans very well when he said, “I should like to say a few words about America…No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America…surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty.” Gordon B. Hinckley Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”, BYU Speeches of the Year, October 29, 1974, pp. 267-68 )

Amazing Evidence of Artifacts Near Cumorah!

Why do many insist that the final battle of the Nephites and Lamanites didn’t happen at the one and only Hill Cumorah? Many yell the words, “It’s a clean hill”, meaning there are no arrowheads found there, or they say, “where are all the bones?” I say it is not and was not a clean hill, meaning there are all types of remains now and in the past that will verify the final battles at Hill Cumorah in NY. Bones from 1,400 years ago that weren’t even buried? No breastplates or headplates? Ever hear of spoils of the war. Too small of a hill? The final battles didn’t happen just on a little hill, but in the Land of Cumorah. See Mormon 6:2. Oliver Cowdery said in Letter VII it was the hill of the final battles. Good enough for me.

I am tired of many Archaeologists and Historians in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints constantly saying, “There is no evidence on Hill Cumorah of swords, or bones or arrowheads found on the hill. We have to have proof”, they say.  Well, I will share with you here an abundance of evidence on and near the Hill Cumorah that will show there was a huge battle near Hill Cumorah. It is as well known in the Church as it is with non member archaeologists.

As you view the map below, you will see archaeological evidence of many forts, artifacts, bones, skeleton’s and weapons from the ancient NY area according to the NY Archaeological Society.

I have been asked by many to share more information about how many artifacts, fortifications, copper, mounds, burials, bones, and enclosures were found near the Hill Cumorah and the surrounding countryside in the past and present. There are hundreds of artifacts if you want to look for them.

Entrenchments and Fortifications

“Moroni told Joseph that he had hidden up the records four centuries after the birth of Jesus, while he was living on the earth. He said that the Nephites, the people to which he belonged, called the hill where they stood Cumorah, and that a still earlier people, the Jaredites, called it Ramah. This was a very important hill in the history of both these peoples.” The Latter-day Prophet. History of Joseph Smith Written for Young People by George Q. Cannon 1900

“From the time Father Bosley located near Avon, he found and plowed up axes and irons, and had sufficient to make his mill irons, and had always abundance of iron on hand without purchasing. In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself.

I have visited the fortifications on the tops of those hills frequently, and the one near Bloomfield I have crossed hundreds of times, which is on the bluff of Honeyoye River, at the outlet of Honeyoye Lake. In that region there are many small deep lakes, and in some of them the bottom has never been found. Fish abound in them. The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country, and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States. Readers of the Book of Mormon will remember that in this very region, according to that sacred record, the final battles were fought between the Nephites and Lamanites. At the hill Cumorah, the Nephites made their last stand prior to their utter extermination, A. D., 385. Thus was Heber preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, above the graves of the ancients of Israel, whose records with the fullness of that Gospel, and the relics of their prowess and civilization, were now whispering from the dust.” Life of Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney Mounds at Cumorah

Hundreds of Thousands had been Slain within Sight of that Hill.

“We visited the Hill Cumorah and were accorded the courtesy of going thereon by the wife of Mr. George Sampson, a brother of Admiral Wm. Sampson, who before his death owned the property. When we went up there and looked around, we felt that we were standing on holy ground. The brethren located, as near as they thought was possible, the place from which the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken by the Prophet. We were delighted to be there. Looking over the surrounding country we remembered that two great races of people had wound up their existence in the vicinity, had fought their last fight, and that hundreds of thousands had been slain within sight of that hill. Evidence of the great battles that have been fought there in days gone by are manifest in the numerous spear and arrow-heads that have been found by farmers while plowing in that neighborhood. We were fortunate enough to obtain a few of the arrowheads.” (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, April 1906, Third Day—Morning Session p. 56)

Finding of Indian Arrow and Spearheads in Great Quantities

“One of the old Indian Trails which became the route of the first road of the white man in this area, from Canandaigua Lake, two miles south of the Hill to Lake Ontario twenty-two miles north passing the “nose” of the Hill Cumorah. The finding of Indian arrow and spearheads in great quantities on the slopes of the Hill and in the fields surrounding it indicates that long after the great battle in which the Nephites were annihilated, Hill Cumorah has been an important battle ground. Willard Bean’s  experience coincides with Giles’ conclusion as he found many arrowheads and artifacts as he visited and worked on the Hill Cumorah in the early 1900’s.” A STUDY OF THE HILL CUMORAH: A SIGNIFICANT LATTER-DAY SAINT LANDMARK IN WESTERN NEW YORK Cameron J. Packer Religious Education Master of Arts

Joseph Smith’s Testimony 

The Book of Mormon records that due to the wickedness of the Nephite civilization they were destroyed by their brothers the Lamanites. The final battles of this unholy war took place near a hill that was called Cumorah. At Cumorah, hundreds of thousands of Nephites were slain, and the prophet/historian Moroni buried the history of his people in that hill (Mormon 6:2-15; 8:1-5). Hundreds of years later, that same history was unearthed in upstate New York, by the boy prophet Joseph Smith and translated to become the Book of Mormon (Joseph Smith–History 1:51-52).

Many Historians say the hill Cumorah was not named Cumorah until very late in Joseph’s life and was only referred to as a hill or the hill. See a blog about “Saints” here where they left out entirely the name Cumorah. We know Moroni told Joseph the name Cumorah on several occasions. There is only “One Hill Cumorah”

The first time Cumorah was called Cumorah was by Moroni in Jan. of 1827. Cumorah was not in Central America. Here is the quote by Lucy Mack Smith as she heard from her son. “Stop, father, Stop.” said Joseph, “it was the angel of the Lord— as I passed by the hill of Cumorah, where the plates are, the angel of the Lord met me and said, that I had not been engaged enough in the work of the Lord.” Joseph Smith (quoted by his mother Lucy Mack Smith) Complete list of evidence here

A Terrible Battle

When Joseph Smith made his “fantastic” claims and published the Book of Mormon as an ancient history of the American Indians, some scoffed at the idea that a major battle had anciently taken place in the local vicinity. However, evidence was soon produced that documented that this region of the country did indeed once possess a heavy Indian population, and that a terrible battle had taken place in that locality.

Writing in 1851, E. G. Squire says that in the region: “Human bones of men, women, and children of both sexes were thrown together promiscuously by the thousands.” He notes large quantities of pottery, pipes, flint arrow-heads, stone hatchets and other implements were also found there. He further states that the ancient relics unearthed in the vicinity (which he estimates to be several hundred years old) showed considerable evidence of Hebrew origin. (See E. G. Squier, Antiquities of New York, 1851, pp. 137-138.)

Unfinished Weapons were found in Great Abundance

In New York State Bulletin #2 it is documented that several miles south of “Mormon Hill,” as it was then called, a site was found where flint arrowheads and spear points and many unfinished weapons were found in great abundance. All of the above sources are cited in Brenton G. Yorgason, Little Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon, 1989, p. 10.

Do You think that those Arrow Heads would still be on the Surface?

“Let’s see, two great battles of extermination took place near the Hill Cumorah. The first occurred sometime before 600 BC in which some two million warriors were, along with their wives and children. The second occurred in 385 AD, in which 150,000 warriors were killed. And you did your search I would imagine somewhere near the year 2000 AD. The area that you searched has been gone over by others for the last 200 years or more, and do think 1) that those arrow heads would still be on the surface after that period of time, and 2) that by searching around the area you could pick up a bunch of arrow heads that all the others who have poured over the area for the last 200 years have missed?

You should have been there when the place was first settled when the American frontier was expanding. At that time there were arrow heads all over the place.

Page 289 Annotated Book of Mormon

Numerous Spear and Arrow-Heads that have been Found by Farmers while Plowing in that Neighborhood.

Here’s a statement by President George Albert Smith who reported in 1906 of visiting the Hill Cumorah and of hearing the reports of farmers finding arrow heads while plowing in the region. He reports that he obtained a few himself. “We visited the Hill Cumorah and were accorded the courtesy of going thereon by the wife of Mr. George Sampson, a brother of Admiral Wm. Sampson, who before his death owned the property. When we went up there and looked around, we felt that we were standing on holy ground. The brethren located, as near as they thought was possible, the place from which the plates of the Book of Mormon were taken by the Prophet. We were delighted to be there. Looking over the surrounding country we remembered that two great races of people had wound up their existence in the vicinity, had fought their last fight, and that hundreds of thousands had been slain within sight of that hill. Evidence of the great battles that have been fought there in days gone by are manifest in the numerous spear and arrow-heads that have been found by farmers while plowing in that neighborhood. We were fortunate enough to obtain a few of the arrowheads” (Conference Report, April 1906, p.56).

Bushel Baskets Filled with Arrow Heads

Further, Elder Claude Taylor and others visited the area in 1901, and Susan Young Gates recorded the following:

“Outside the farmhouse Elder Taylor and myself noted several bushel baskets filled with arrow heads and I asked Mrs. Samson (local resident) what they were. She said they had just begun to plow up the hill Cumorah and around the hill, to plant some crops, and they turned up these arrow heads by the basket full” (J. M. Sjodahl, An Introduction to the Study of the Book of Mormon , p.7)

“So it looks like you were a little late in doing your search. However, I have no doubt that if someone were to dig deep enough and in enough places in that region he would be amply rewarded with artifacts yet remaining from those great battles.”  Ask Gramps https://askgramps.org/why-cant-we-find-any-evidences-at-hill-cumorah/

THE HILL CUMORAH; OR THE SACRED DEPOSITORY OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING.

2 Repositories in the Hill Cumorah
The Great Battle-Field

“The Hill Cumorah is situated in western New York, between the villages of Palmyra and Canandaigua, about four miles from the former. It is celebrated as the ancient depository of the sacred gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. Cumorah was the name by which the hill was designated in the days of the Prophet Moroni, who deposited the plates about four hundred and twenty years after the birth of Christ. The Prophet Mormon, the father of Moroni, had been entrusted with all the sacred records of his forefathers, engraved on metal plates. New plates were made by Mormon on which he wrote, from the more ancient book an abridged history of the nation, incorporating therewith many revelations, prophecies, the Gospel, &c. These new plates were given to Moroni to finish the history. An d all the ancient plates, Mormon deposited in Cumorah, about three hundred and eighty-four years after Christ. When Moroni, about thirty-six years after, made the deposit of the book entrusted to him, he was, without doubt, inspired to select a department of the hill separate from the great sacred depository of the numerous volumes hid up by his father. The particular place in the hill, where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the Prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, AD. 1827. But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and its contents under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion. The hill Cumorah, with the surrounding vicinity, is distinguished as the great battle-field on which, and near which, two powerful nations were concentrated with all their forces, men, women, and children, and fought till hundreds of thousands on both sides were hewn down, and left to moulder upon the ground. Both armies were Israelites; both had become awfully corrupt having apostatized from God: the Nephites, as a nation, became extinct: the Lamanites alone were left. This happened, according to their faithful records, near the close of the fourth century of the Christian era. The American Indians are the remnants of the once powerful nation of Lamanites.

The hill Cumorah is remarkable also as being the hill on which, and around which, a still more ancient nation perished, called Jaredites: this unparalleled destruction is recorded in the Book of Ether; and happened about six centuries before Christ. The Jaredites colonised America from the Tower of Babel. After about sixteen centuries, during which they became exceedingly numerous, they, through their terrible wars, destroyed themselves. The hill Cumorah, by them, was called Ramah. Millions fought against millions, until the hill Ramah, and the land round about, was soaked with blood, and their carcases left in countless numbers unburied, to moulder back to mother earth.

There is no spot on this wide world of ours, which is calculated to excite more vivid reflections, than the wonderful hill of Cumorah. There the history of one-half of our globe, reposed, for fourteen centuries, in profound unbroken silence: there, “the everlasting Gospel,” engraved, not on tablets of stone, but on plates of gold, awaited the voice of the heavenly angel to reveal the priceless treasure: there, buried in the holy archives of Cumorah’s sacred hill, are plates of brass, plates of gold, undimmed by time ; sacredly guarded as the temple of heaven : there shines the Urim and Thummim, the stones of light, the gems of immortality: there, reposes in words of light, the hidden knowledge of ages past, the prophetic history of ages to come: there wisdom has selected her palace, and understanding here dwelling place, until ” the spirit is poured out from on high,” and “the skies pour down righteousness;” then, “the earth opens and brings forth salvation.”

Well did the inspired Patriarch, Job, inquire, “Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?” (28: 12.) “The place” cannot be sought out by man; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.” If neither the depths of the sea, nor the generations of the living, know the holy hidden place, where shall it be sought? Is it in some sequestered wild? In some uninhabited desert or wilderness, where roams the beasts of prey? Is it on the surface of the earth, exposed to the vultures gaze, or to the keen eye of the lofty eagle? It is in “a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen: the lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.” “It is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.” If neither man, nor beast, nor fowl hath seen it; if it has been withheld from mortal gaze; where shall we turn to renew our researches? The Patriarch exclaims, “Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears.” How truthful is this saying! The countless millions, whose dust and ashes enrich the soil of Cumorah’s hill, “have heard the fame thereof.” Let the nations of the dead speak from their lonely sepulchres, and “whisper from the dust,” the doings of bye gone ages! Let the faithful records of the ancient dead, declare the holy dwelling place of wisdom, the sacred depository of understanding! Though hidden from the gaze of covetous man, and protected from the pointed touch of unholy beings, yet, “God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of thunder; then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.” From days of old, he ordained it; on the land that is afar off, He selected for it a habitation; “on the sides of the north,” in a land of fountains, rivers, and lakes, he constructed for wisdom a house, and said unto knowledge, here shalt thou dwell, until the heavens shall reveal thy hiding place, and thy presence is sought again among the sons; of men; then shalt thou teach mortals in “the fear of the Lord,” and light the candle of understanding in their hearts; then shalt thou dwell in Zion, and light tip the habitations thereof with thy glory.

These holy treasures, these sacred archives are too precious to be bought with the riches of this world. Hence, Job says, “It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.” All the wealth of ages is valueless, compared with the records of eternal wisdom, the inexhaustible fountain of understanding, hidden in the secret recesses of the wonderful— the beautiful—the lovely hill Cumorah! O, Cumorah! the hill of ancient Seers and Prophets! the hill of God! Sanctified by holy angels’ feet! From thy bowels is heard a voice, low, sweet, mild, of heavenly tones! yet it thrills through every fibre of the heart! It speaks of man—of God—of earth—of heaven—of hell! It speaks of the past—of the future—of the destiny of nations—the reign of Messiah — the resurrection—the final judgment! O holy, lovely mount! the sacred resting place of Zion’s law! In thy chambers dwell eternal riches! In thy lovely bosom are fountains that never dry I Speak! 0 speak again! Let Zion. hear thy voice! for thy voice is not the voice of feeble helpless man! but the voice of the Eternal One, speaking from the ground. Let Zion sing for joy! let the heavens be full of praise; for thou, O Lord, makest the earth to disclose its wonders; thou bringest forth truth from the bowels thereof! thou openest the gates of wisdom, and showest thy word unto the sons of men! Hidden things are brought to light—things most precious to the soul! let the hills and mountains break forth into singing! let the earth itself utter songs of everlasting joy! let glory, honor, and everlasting power, be unto Him who sitteth upon the throne, who holdeth the keys of Creation and Redemption forever more.” The Latter-day Saints Millennial Star Vol. 28; publisher Liverpool: July 7, 1866 Orson Pratt (Italics added)

Coupled with Christian interests, scholars like Samuel L. Mitchill of Columbia College examined Indian ruins in New York, claiming that Native American races had once met there in battle, resulting in the extermination of one race by another. Mitchill was well known enough to have reached public conscientiousness in Palmyra, having been mentioned in the Palmyra Freeman, and Martin Harris eventually visited him in February of 1828 to see if he could translate some of the characters on the gold plates. See, generally, Bennett, “ ‘A Nation Now Extinct’ ”; Michael Hubbard MacKay, “ ‘Git Them Translated’: Translating the Characters on the Gold Plates,” in Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith and the Ancient World, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell, Matthew J. Grey, Andrew H. Hedges (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City; Deseret Book, 2015), 79–112; “Gold Bible,” Palmyra Freeman, 12 August 1829.

Cave at Cumorah

Purchase Now

These treasures that are in the earth are carefully watched, they can be removed from place to place according to the good pleasure of Him who made them and owns them…. Orin P. Rockwell is an eye-witness to some powers of removing the treasures of the earth. He was with certain parties that lived nearby where the plates were found that contain the records of the Book of Mormon. There were a great many treasures hid up by the Nephites. Porter was with them one night where there were treasures, and they could find them easy enough, but they could not obtain them…. He said that on this night, … they dug around the end of a chest…. One man who was determined to have the contents of that chest, took his pick and struck into the lid of it, and split through into the chest. The blow took off a piece of the lid, which a certain lady kept in her possession until she died. That chest of money went into the bank. Porter describes it so [making a rumbling sound]; he says this is just as true as the heavens are … to those who understand these things, it is not marvelous…. I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance … Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates…. the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says … the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. … They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; … there is a seal upon the treasures of earth; men are allowed to go so far and no farther. I have known places where there were treasures in abundance; but could men get them? No (Brigham Young Journal of Discourses, vol. 19, pp. 36-39).

Faith Greatly Disturbed with the Mesoamerican Theory

Joseph Fielding Smith

“Within recent years there has arisen among certain students of the Book of Mormon a theory to the effect that within the period covered by the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites were confined almost entirely within the borders of the territory comprising Central America and the southern portion of Mexico—the isthmus of Tehauntepec probably being the “narrow neck” of land spoken of in the Book of Mormon rather than the Isthmus of Panama (See Alma 50:34; 52:9; 63:5; Mormon 2:29; 3:5). This theory is founded upon the assumption that it was impossible for the colony of Lehi’s to multiply and fill the hemisphere within the limits of 1,000 years, or from the coming of Lehi from Jerusalem to the time of the destruction of the Nephites at the Hill Cumorah. Moreover, they claim that the story in the Book of Mormon of the migrations, building of cities, and the wars and contentions, preclude the possibility of the people spreading over great distances such as we find within the borders of North and South America. “If we are willing to accept the Bible record, which is confirmed by the Doctrine and Covenants, the entire civilization of the earth was destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family (See Gen 6; 7; 8; Moses 7:36–43). Moreover, this destruction took place less than 5,000 years ago, and today the population of the earth, notwithstanding wars and destructions, is estimated [in 1954] at over 2,000,000,000 souls [2018 population estimated at 7,600,000,000, has nearly quadrupled in just 64 years]. The population of Europe, based upon the best records available, is vastly increased over that at the time of the discovery of America; yet upon this hemisphere are to be found hundreds of millions of people, descendants of European and Asiatic ancestors who knew nothing of this land before the discovery by Columbus. The rapid increase of posterity is known to every genealogist who has traced the record of the early settlers in this western country. “This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case. “It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, ‘by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all’ – Ether 15:8. Mormon adds: ‘And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites,’ (Mormon 6:4).” – Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Edited by Bruce McConkie, Vol. 3 [1999] 232–243.

A Personal Witness of Artifacts at Cumorah

“My name is Kathy Burris. Last year I contacted Wayne May regarding use of some of his PPT slides for a presentation that I often give at various Stake firesides. I grew up in Palmyra, NY, and over the years have had some very powerful experiences regarding the truthfulness of Joseph Smith, his family and the Book of Mormon.” Kathy Burris Heartlander Friend. Read her story here.

Antiquities of the State of New York

The book below written in 1851 is a wonderful work about ancient earth works, enclosures, and mounds. E.G. Squire has done a thorough analysis of evidence in New York about ancient civilizations in the counties of Ontario where the Hill Cumorah is located, and many surrounding counties. This leaves little doubt about substantial artifacts of copper, pottery, bones, burials, mounds, enclosures and battlegrounds of people like the Nephites and Lamanites. View Here

    

Hopewell Culture: Mormonism & Double Burial Mica

Rian Nelson
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Hopewell Culture: Mormonism & Double Burial Mica

Hopewell/Nephites Important Similarities

The Hopewell Culture describes the common aspects of the Native American culture that began in the Florida panhandle in 600 – 500 BC that flourished along rivers in the northeastern and Midwestern United States from 300 BC to 400 AD, in the Middle Woodland period.

As you can see in the map below, and as you read history, the proven historical location and timelines of the Hopewell Culture are facts. Just think about it. If we found a people that had a history following this same beginning and ending pattern in North America and we called it the Book of Mormon, we would have validation that indeed the Hopewell people are the same as the Nephites. So as we surmise, Lehi landed in Florida, Nephi was chased by his brothers into Tennessee, then Mosiah left and went north on the Tennessee River (which by the way, flows north) to Missouri and Illinois where he met up with the Mulekites near the Mississippi River. Remember the Mulekites began their civilization at the same place they were found by Mosiah. (read here) “And they [Mulekites] journeyed in the wilderness, and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth.” Omni 1:16

Because of being found where they landed, we show a great probability that the Mulekites followed the same path as Lehi to the Gulf of Mexico, with the Mulekites following the Mississippi River all the way up to Montrose Iowa, where the Des Moines river rapids halted their journey, as it restricted boat traffic until the Army Corps of Engineers opened that waterway in the 19th century.

The area of Ohio is known as the Cultural Center of both the Adena and the Hopewell People with the Great Hopewell road running from Chillicothe, OH to Newark OH, the place of the amazing Newark Earthworks.

In the Land Zarahemla (WI, IA, MO, IL), there were many battles as well as in the Land Bountiful, (IN, OH, PA, NY) from Illinois to Indiana to Ohio and finally at Cumorah. What happened near Cumorah historically? Historians have found a sudden end to Hopewell civilization and pottery in that area from about 400-500 AD. We Latter-day Saints know what happened in that time range as the Lamanites destroyed the Nephites.
For a Full Nephite Time-Line visit: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/nephite-timeline/

Origins, Mound Builders and Mormonism 1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann

“The major metatheoretical issue in the pre-professional anthropology of Squier’s day was whether humankind had a single origin (monogenism, with Native Americans often assumed to be the ‘Lost Tribes of Israel’ or other people mentioned in the Bible) or whether the races had multiple origins (polygenism, with various kinds of non-whites viewed as being created separately and comprising inferior species).” The question being raised was: Who were the people who built such amazing earthwork structures and mounds? “The result was that mound construction was widely and popularly attributed to a race of [Mound Builders], who no longer existed or at least no longer existed where and as they had earlier.”

In the 1998 republication of the Squier and Davis report, David J. Meltzer states, “All this was riding on a book devoted to the questions of the origin, antiquity, and identity of the [Mound Builders].” Questions had surfaced after the Revolutionary War, as emigrant trains began streaming over the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains into the lowlands of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, where the settlers were finding a vast number of abandoned mound sites, fortifications and earthworks structures.

Buy the book here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/bookstore/product/ancient-monuments-of-the-mississippi-valley-1848-book/

With the publication of Squier and Davis’s “Ancient Monuments”, many questions were being raised, as many considered the Indians too savage and primitive to have built such monumental structures. Others believed that some of the tribes of the Indians that existed in North America could be the descendants of the Mound Builders, a remnant of the Lost Tribes of Israel; and that the Mound Builders could be their progenitors, who through war and disease had experienced monumental reduction of their populations, changing the way they had once lived, causing the remaining populations, to revert to a more primitive way of existence, as “Hunter Gathers” relying on hunting and the gathering of fruits and nuts for their very existences. Meltzer states; “There was considerable speculation, among antiquarians no less than others, about who the Mound Builders were, where they had come from and when and where they had disappeared to…Nor was it clear how the [Mound Builders] related to living Native Americans: Were they linked as ancestors and descendants?”

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The speculation about the people who had built these earthworks and mound structures had escalated as a number of early colonists and religious leaders were praising the virtues of the Indians and sending out missionaries to them. The early Jesuits viewed the Indians in a different light than most, for they were seekers of the Lost Ten Tribes. Other religious leaders of the day held the view that Native Americans might be of Jewish descent and needed to be familiarized with their heritage. “Reverend John Eliot, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, in a spirited effort to convert the Algonquian tribe of Indians, made a translation of many parts of the bible into the Algonquian language. He and Roger Williams were of the branch of Puritans still cleaving to the view that Indians were people worthy of salvation.” William Penn disposed toward conversion rather than extinction of the Indians reported; “that the Indians of Pennsylvania resembled the Jews of London…”

By the 1820’s there was among reformist Protestants a settled body of opinion holding that Indians should be handled more gingerly than mere imperial convenience might dictate. This thinking was grounded in the opinion that they were not, so to speak, Indians at all. While others were calling for extermination of bloodthirsty savages, the reformers asked some consideration at least for impoverished descendants of Lost Tribes, who might be as capable of redemption as New Testament Jews. This strain of Puritanism bore fruit again in 1823, when Ethan Smith published his View of the Hebrews; or the Lost Tribes of Israel in America; this Smith [was] no kin to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of [Jesus] Christ of the Latter Day Saints.

Joseph Smith had published the Book of Mormon in 1830 in Palmyra, New York. It tells of migrations of people to America before Columbus. “Smith became the founder of the only world religion to be based in American archeology. Because the American Indians have never sought to evangelize Europeans or Africans, Mormonism is also the only world religion to place American Indian experience at the center of its creed.” “It is true to this day that the Mormon church, the largest denomination to accept the Lost Tribes view of Indian origins, has been consistently interested in evangelistic—that is respectful—relations with Native Americans.”

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Ancient Monuments of The Mississippi Valley

Set of 48 original plates in 1848 (Book)This spiral bound oversized book contains a complete set of 48 of the plates from the book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley by the Smithsonian’s E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis from their original surveys. These reproductions have been enlarged 120% from the original size for greater detail.  They include such works as those of Newark, Chillicothe and Marietta, Ohio, the Great Circle & Octagon, Fort Ancient, Fort Hill, Serpent Mound, and “the Cross.”

Upon the publication of the Book of Mormon in Palmyra New York, Joseph Smith began to reach out in a missionary effort to the Indians of America’s heartland. He directed missionaries to the Cattaraugus Indians near Buffalo, New York, the Wyandot’s of Ohio, and the Delawares of Missouri, along with the Fox, Sac and other Algonquian tribes; declaring to them that they were of a remnant of the House of Israel. This idea, that the Indians were of Mid-Eastern origin, was a concept that was contrary to the political doctrine of Manifest Destiny and to the social engineering efforts that were being advanced in the 1800s. The primary political and social agenda of the late 1700s and 1800s was centered on questions as to who would control the lands of America. The desired outcome would require the removal of the Indians from their ancestral lands and the placing of them on reservations as settlers moved westward. If the Indians were to be viewed as of Hebrew or European descent, then a case could be made that the Indians were more than mere savages with rights that should be granted under a constitutional law.” 1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann and information provided by Ancient American Magazine

The 300-acre Hopewell Mound Group

The 300-acre Hopewell Mound Group is the type site for the Hopewell culture. Early archeologists named the site for its owner, Mordecai C. Hopewell. The artifacts in the picture below were found in Mound 25 called a double burial site in the Hopewell Mound Group in Ross County, OH. The significance of the better known mica hand placed between the skulls of the double burial and two mica eagle talons which were placed on each chest is not understood.

Hopewell Mica Cutouts

The native peoples of Ohio may have begun to use mica during the Early Woodland period, but its use in the crafting of ceremonial objects became especially important during the Middle Woodland period. 

Mica is a shiny mineral that occurs in layers, which can be split apart into thin, translucent sheets. Sometimes called isenglass, plates of mica have been used historically as windows for stoves. 

Human face effigy, Hopewell culture, Turner Group, Mound 3, altar, Little Miami Valley, Ohio, 200 BC to 500 AD, mica – Native American collection – Peabody Museum, Harvard University – DSC06093.jpg (Made of Mica)

Hopewell culture spiritual leaders used small slabs of mica for a kind of mirror, possibly used in divination ceremonies, and artisans cut sheets into a variety of delicate shapes that may have been sewn onto garments to serve as personal ornaments.

Mica does not occur naturally in Ohio. Its source is in the Appalachian Mountains of North and South Carolina. Ohio’s Hopewell people may have obtained the mica in trade with the Middle Woodland cultures in this region, or perhaps pilgrims brought offerings of mica and other rare and precious materials to the great earthwork centers of southern Ohio.

Mica continued to be used by some Late Woodland cultures in Ohio, but only in much smaller quantities and these later peoples did not cut it into the elegant effigies so characteristic of the Hopewell culture.

Human Hand Effigy, Hopewell Culture, Hopewell Mound Group

Human Hand Effigy, Hopewell Culture, Hopewell Mound Group,
Ross Co., A 283/000294
Hopewell Culture: Double Burial Mica Set artifacts
Time period: 100 BC-AD 400
Provenience: Hopewell site (Mound 25), Ross County, Ohio USA
Original artifact size: 8-31 cm (3-12 inches)
Original artifact material: Mica

Hopewell Double Burial Context and Interpretation:

“Mica cutouts were produced by the Hopewell culture (100 BC-AD 400) which thrived in the American Midwest and southern Ohio more than two thousand years ago. The artifacts that the replicas pictured above were based upon were excavated from a double burial in Mound 25 that was part of a complex of earthworks known as the Hopewell site. The site name honored Mordecai C. Hopewell who in the 1800s owned the farm which the 44.5 hectare (110 acre) mound complex was located. Since excavations on the Hopewell site produced artifacts that were previously unknown, the culture was also named after Hopewell.  Complex geometric earthworks, some the largest in the world, were a trademark of the Hopewell culture. Usually Hopewell mound complexes comprise of very regular geometric shapes: a combination of circular, square and octagonal earthen walls that lined the site perimeter. The Hopewell site is unusual in that it has a mound geometry that is irregular in shape. The site has two orthogonal walls on the south and east sides with a j-shaped curve forming the remaining north and western walls. There is however a smaller square walled complex sharing the eastern wall of this larger complex that conforms to the classic Hopewell plan. A survey of the Hopewell site in 1847 described more than 20 smaller mounds within the enclosure of the perimeter walls. Many contained multiple burials with abnormally large amounts of burial objects.

In 1891, Warren K. Moorehead was employed by Harvard University to excavate the site. His methods have been described euphemistically as “cavalier” by modern standards.  Mosaics of colored sand, one represented a panther, were uncovered and then destroyed as his investigation cut through stratigraphy of the mounds. Mound 2 had 8,000 palm-sized discs of flint, about 5.4 metric tons (6 tons) uncovered. He must have been overwhelmed by the shear number of artifacts for a famous picture taken at the time (left) showed these discs recklessly piled outside one of his field camp tents. Mound 17 had 3,000 sheets of mica excavated, “enough to fill two barrels”. The same mound had 5,000 copper objects, of which Moorehead thought 4,000 were copper ear spools, 100 were breast plates, and another 120 were “cut into numerous designs”. He also found in Mound 17 by his estimates over 100,000 fresh water pearls from the various species mussels and clams that inhabit Ohio streams (they were at the time worth one million dollars).

Mound 25, the largest in the Hopewell site enclosure, was composed of the Central Mound and two side mounds that over time, due to additional burials, merged to become one conjoined mound  9 m (30 ft) high and 152 m (500 ft) long. There were a total of 69 copper and (meteoritic) iron celts and 92 copper breastplates found in all the features of this mound. The significance of the better known mica hand placed between the skulls of the double burial and two mica eagle talons which were placed on each chest is not understood. Evidence of incising has been found on one of the mica talons. No pigment is observed on the surface of these artifacts as has been found on painted mica artifacts. The burial also had smaller two mica circular discs, a pierced claw and two other mica geometric forms placed at their waist. The photograph (above right) has the mica replicas positioned as they were found in the Hopewell grave (relative distances between replicas not accurate). The geographical origins of grave goods from this and other excavations indicated the Hopewell culture had trade sophisticated trade networks extending to the Gulf of Mexico (marine shells), Rocky Mountains (obsidian), and Michigan (native copper). North Carolina is one source of mica where one pre-Columbian mine was reported to have blunt excavation makings on its wall characteristic of stone tools. Cause for the Hopewell culture decline about AD 400 is not known.” Jack Corbo Cleveland Ohio

The subject of the disappearance of the Hopewell in 400 AD is well understood by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe the Hopewell are the same Nephites of the Book of Mormon who where destroyed about 400 AD. Some coincidences are just to wonderful, as we understand the lands of the Book of Mormon. According to some historians, “little is known about why Hopewell mound-building ended, either about AD 200 in the lower Illinois Valley and about AD 350-400 in the Scioto river valley. There is no evidence of failure, no evidence of widespread diseases or heightened death rates: basically, the smaller Hopewell sites simply aggregated into larger communities, located away from the Hopewell heartland, and the valleys were largely abandoned.” Why Did the Hopewell People Build Enormous Mounds? John Weinstein © The Field Museum by K. Kris Hirst Updated March 08, 2017

Actual artifact at Ohio History Connection Museum, Columbus, OH (14 cm x 28 cm) Mica hand cutout excavated at the Hopewell Site from Mound 25. T

Squier & Davis, c.1848

This mica eagle claw was found together with the mica hand effigy to the left, in the same extended burial.

Two thousand years ago, people of an advanced culture gathered here to conduct religious rituals and ceremonies related to their society. At this site, they built an enormous earthwork complex spanning about 130 acres. An earthen wall extended for over two miles, surrounding an immense sacred space that included 29 burial mounds. Astounding quantities of finely crafted art made of exotic materials were buried here as part of elaborate mortuary ceremonies.

The 300-acre Hopewell Mound Group is the type site for the Hopewell culture. Early archeologists named the site for its owner, Mordecai C. Hopewell. The general shape of the Hopewell Mound Group is a parallelogram 1,800 feet long on the east and the west sides and 2,800 feet long on the north and south. Archeologists estimated that the walls were originally 35 feet wide at the base and enclosed an area of 111 acres. A smaller square enclosure with sides 850 feet long is connected to the east side of the parallelogram. Remnants of the east, west, and north walls are visible. Two earthworks features are located within the parallelogram, one circular and one D-shaped. Three of the seven mounds in the D-shaped enclosure are joined. Their original size is estimated to be 500 feet long, 180 feet wide, and 30 feet tall. This is the largest known mound constructed by the Hopewell culture, and a remnant of it is visible today.

Additional Hopewell Mound Group Information

A black and white aerial view of an earthworks complex on a map
Squier & Davis, c.1848 Two thousand years ago, people of an advanced culture gathered here to conduct religious rituals and ceremonies related to their society. At this site, they built an enormous earthwork complex spanning about 130 acres. An earthen wall extended for over two miles, surrounding an immense sacred space that included 29 burial mounds. Astounding quantities of finely crafted art made of exotic materials were buried here as part of elaborate mortuary ceremonies.

This site is accessible for visitors during daylight hours. Hopewell Mound Group has a 2.5 mile interpretive trail and a portion of the Rails-To-Trails bike path. Bikes are only permitted on the bike path, not on the interpretive trail. This site contains restrooms and a covered picnic shelter.

Information on visiting the site today. A black and white artistic portrait of an ancient earthworksSquier & Davis 1848  New to Science The culture discovered at this site was new to the science of archeology in the late 1800’s. Newly described cultures field, which happened to be owned by a gentleman named Mordecai Hopewell at the time. Consequently, a remarkable American Indian culture, which is believed to have stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, is named after an otherwise obscure Chillicothe land owner. The true tribal names of these people were lost over the millennia, but the ancient American Indians who built this sprawling structure were part of a cultural golden age that flourished in this region from A.D. 1 to 400. The monumental architecture and artifacts of the Hopewell culture reflect a pinnacle of achievement in the fields of art, astronomy, mathematics and engineering, the likes of which was seldom seen again in eastern North America. A List of Superlatives Even when compared to all of the other astonishing prehistoric earthworks in the Chillicothe area, Hopewell Mound Group stands out in many regards. This complex included the largest single earthen-walled enclosure constructed by the Hopewell – encompassing over 110 acres. Within its walls was the largest burial mound the Hopewell people ever built: Mound 25 was 500 feet long and 33 feet high. Ephraim Squire’s dramatic 1848 engraving (seen above) pictures this enormous triple peaked mound surrounded by the low earthen wall that formed a smaller D-shaped enclosure within the great enclosure. This site provided the greatest set, both in quality and quantity, of artistic Hopewell objects ever discovered. Many of the most famous images of the Hopewell culture are from the objects found at this site: the mica bird claw the copper bear paw, and the mica hand with its elongated fingers stretching upward. The artifacts were often made of exotic materials not found in Ohio. A vast trade network appears to have thrived during this period. Huge ceremonial blades made of obsidian from Yellowstone National Park were discovered here. In fact, the total amount of obsidian here was the largest ever found east of the Mississippi River. While most Hopewell complexes seem to have been used for less than two centuries, evidence suggests that Hopewell Mound Group remained an important ceremonial center throughout the entire era of the Hopewell Culture in Ohio, a period of about four hundred years! All of these extraordinary features support the idea that Hopewell Mound Group was possibly the most important ceremonial center of all the earthworks in southern Ohio. Searching for Remnants Unfortunately, this fabulous earthwork complex fell victim to the same fate that claimed nearly all of the many renowned earthwork complexes of southern Ohio. Two centuries of plowing gradually leveled the sloping earthen embankment walls until they are barely visible today. The mounds that were too large to plow were excavated to below ground level by archeologists in the early 1900’s and never reconstructed. Sadly, the great earthen monuments of this sacred site are now all but invisible to the casual visitor’s eye. However, with some effort, the keen-eyed observer can still find signs of prehistoric grandeur here. The interpretive trail meanders past some of the site’s significant features. Paralleling the trail on the northwest side of the great enclosure, lies an intact, six-foot-high section of the original 2,000-year-old embankment wall. Use the key on the below map to locate the other visible remnants of the Hopewell Mound Group earthworks. Several people working under a white tent next to a white trailer
Archeological crew from Hopewell Culture NHP work under a tent at Hopewell Mound Group during the 2014 field season. NPS / Tom Engberg Archeological Expeditions When Europeans first came to this area in the late 1700’s they were amazed to find so many giant earthworks in the Chillicothe area. Eventually, word spread about the intriguing phenomenon and archeologists arrived to study the earthwork and its burials. The current theories about Hopewell Mound Group and its builders are founded on the scientific conclusions of archeologists who have studied this site over nearly two centuries.1820: Caleb Atwater draws the first map of these earthworks. Atwater assumes the site had been built for defense. He names the earthworks “Clark Fort” after the owners of the farm field.

1848: Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis draw the most famous map of the site and include it in their groundbreaking work Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, the first book ever published by the Smithsonian Institution. They name the complex “North Fork Works,” due to its proximity to the North Fork Paint Creek.

1891-92: Warren Moorehead excavates to find artifacts for the 1893 “World’s Columbian Exposition” in Chicago. By this time, Mordecai Hopewell owns the land. Moorehead partially excavates several of the mounds, including about a quarter of the largest mound, Mound 25. The abundance and exquisite craftsmanship of the artifacts enthralls visitors at the exposition and the concept of the “Hopewell Culture” is born. After the exposition, all the artifacts are stored and displayed in Chicago’s newly created “Field Museum.”

1922-25: Henry Shetrone and William Mills of the Ohio Historical Society excavate all the mounds of what is now called “Hopewell Mound Group.” By this time, many of the mounds and the walls of the square have disappeared under the plow. None of the excavated mounds are reconstructed. Today, the discovered artifacts are stored or displayed at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus.

1980: Archeologist Mark Seeman of Kent State University accurately relocates most of the mounds through aerial photography and surface survey. By this time, the only part of the earthworks left intact is the wall and adjacent ditch on the north side of the great enclosure.

2001: Using magnetometry, archeologists from the National Park Service and OSU find no evidence of long term settlement within the earthen walls. They also discover a new 90-foot diameter circular earthwork within the great enclosure (the smaller circle on the map between Mounds 2 and 23). Visiting the Site Park grounds are open every day during daylight hours. Facilities at Hopewell Mound Group include restrooms, a picnic shelter and a two-mile self-guided interpretive trail. The Tri-County Triangle Trail, a paved bike trail which traverses the site, runs for over thirty miles between Chillicothe and Washington Courthouse. See map below for layout of trail and parking lot access. The parking area at the trailhead is located on Sulphur Lick road, just west of Maple Grove road and the North Fork Creek.

A map showing the details of the grounds at Hopewell Mound Group
Copper falcon from the Mound City Group site of the Hopewell culture.

HOPETON GREAT CIRCLE & SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN

“There was a wall at the Great Circle at the Hopeton site. For those of you interested in dry archeological research, here is more about an interesting and recent discovery at the Hopeton Great Circle (adjacent to the Cedar Bank site near Chillicothe OH and also adjacent to the Chillicothe Ward building). Typically, I try to remain abreast with the research happening each year in Ohio and nearby. I spoke with an archaeologist last summer [2017] at the site, and learned of his confirmation of anomalies indicated by a an extensive magnetometry survey. The other day in conversation, we discussed more details regarding the findings. It appears the Great Circle has evidences of a wooden fence, where the at least 6 ft height 1050 ft diameter earthen wall (enclosing 20 acres) was located. Indications are a pattern of very large posts spaced every 6 meters. This excavation last season revealed a post mold to be 96cm (about 38 inches) in diameter and 1.13 meters deep. One can estimate the height from that data. Indications are that smaller posts existed between the larger ones. The Hopeton site is significant in its location in relation to Cedar Bank, Sugarloaf, Mound City, and Dunlap Works and likely others. The current Chillicothe Ward building aligns with the Cedar Bank site (specifically the platform mound) and is within sight of Sugarloaf and in association with other major earthworks, including Hopeton. I am pretty sure Church engineering had not considered the earthworks when the building was designed.

Sugarloaf Mountain – “The Hopewell road from Newark points straight as an arrow to Sugarloaf Mountain, the hill directly behind the Cedar Bank site. It is also the hill which many Chillicothe earthworks align to. Additionally, the Marietta Road, another ancient thruway, points straight to Sugarloaf from Marietta. Then consider the Kanawha Trail from Charleston WV and the Scioto Trail from Portsmouth OH…yep, the same. It seems everything in southern Ohio points to Sugarloaf. And there is more. The largest concentration of Hopewell earthworks are within minutes of Sugarloaf (over 500).  You can see Columbus OH from the top of the hill. It commands the valley more in presence as opposed to height.

I cannot overstate the significance of the hillscape in Chillicothe! The Creation and Creator can be read like a book. Consider how many times we read of the symbolic ‘get thee to the mountain’ in many accounts in the scriptures.

And then there is the irony of Ohio’s founding fathers choosing the same hills for inclusion of the state’s official seal (picture right) with the sun rising and dawning from the EAST, rising over a land that we know the Savior himself appeared in our time…in fact just a few years later.

You can not make this stuff up any better. I absolutely skip through life fearless of death because of my testimony of the things I have witnessed living a lifetime in this land. These were the people. Ohio was the place. But Sugarloaf is special. As I have climbed to the summit of Sugarloaf I have realized a spirit equal to that in the temple. My wife agrees of its uniqueness. It was clear to her the area of compaction at the summit. I hiked with my oldest son and he experienced strongly the feelings associated with the place. He described at as a place where one should remove his shoes.

Come to Ohio and I will guide you to the top of Sugarloaf. We will sit down on a fallen tree near an area of ancient compaction. We will look down on the Cedar Bank site and dozens of others immediately below us. And then I will ask you, “What do you feel?

Like Wayne May says, “There’s more.“ Assemble yourselves at the Ohio and see “I have kept in store a blessing such as is not known among the children of men, and it shall be poured forth upon their heads. And from thence men shall go forth into all nations.”

It is a dawning of yet another season.” Anthony George Lifelong Resident of Chillicothe, Ohio and Archaeological Researcher. Email Tony at: [email protected]

 

Hebrew Holy Stones-More Proof!

Rian Nelson
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Hebrew Holy Stones-More Proof!

Since my last post on the Newark Holy Stones in 2019 we have found additional evidence from Scott E. Meyer of Northwestern University, and Dr. Arnold Fischel called “Newark” Ritual Artifacts By Rochelle I. Altman January 2004. She quotes saying, “If you found a US penny in a trench at a dig that was assumed to contain only ancient items, you wouldn’t claim the penny to be a forgery when you saw it. First, however, you would have to recognize that it’s a penny. Anon. Also see page 545 in the Annotated Book of Mormon. https://www.bofm.blog/additional-evidence-newark-holy-stones/ You can also read my blog at https://bookofmormonevidence.org/america-unearthed-holy-stone-analysis/

“In 1867, David M. Johnson, a banker who co-founded the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, in conjunction with Dr. N. Roe Bradner, M.D., of Pennsylvania, found a fifth stone, in the same mound group south of Newark in which Wyrick had located the Decalogue. The original of this small stone is now lost, but a lithograph, published in France, survives.

Newark Holy Stones

The “Holy” Stones Found Near Newark, Ohio Dr. Yitzchok Levine Department of Mathematical Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 [email protected]

“The letters on the lid and base of the Johnson-Bradner stone are in the same peculiar alphabet as the Decalogue inscription, and appear to wrap around in the same manner as on the Decalogue’s back platform.

“The independent discovery, in a related context, by reputable citizens, of a third stone bearing the same unique characters as the Decalogue stone, strongly confirms the authenticity and context of the Decalogue Stone, as well as Wyrick’s reliability.”7 Dr. Yitzchok Levine Department of Mathematical Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 07030 [email protected] More Here:

As our friend Wayne May says, We Report, You Decide! Additional Resources:The following articles has links to many additional sources and information.https://bookofmormonevidence.org/hebrew-languageculture-in-n-america-at-8-sites/ and https://bookofmormonevidence.org/hebrew-languageculture-in-n-america-at-8-sites/ Forensic geologist Scott Wolters, star of the History2 Channel’s hit series America Unearthed, meets professor Hugh McCullough at the Johnson Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, Ohio to conduct an analysis on the Ohio Decalogue stone. 

Previously (March 2020) I shared the following information called, ANCIENT HEBREW ARTIFACTS IN THE UNITED STATES here: https://www.bofm.blog/ancient-hebrew-artifacts-in-the-united-states

New Jeff Downs Information

Our great Heartland friend Jeff Downs was attending a Wayne May seminar in 2021 and sent me some of the slides. They go along with evidence of the Holy Stone’s authenticity and we appreciate Jeff sending me the information.

Jeff said, “Wayne May recently gave a presentation in Utah (2 days ago).  A site I am subscribed to posted it online.  I watched the 2 hours 11 min presentation and wanted to share some new nuggets of information I found interesting.  Cool stuff!

I thought I would share a small exchange I had with my son Steve and some friends. Steve after watching Wayne May’s most recent presentation said, “I just did some digging on the importance of these types of statues. It seems like they were placed at the burial sites of individuals or in temples to reverence the individual. I’d be curious if the site where they found the Decalogue was either of these? 

(Above) “[Wayne] May was visiting his daughter whose husband is a military doctor stationed in Rome. Wayne was visiting the museum when he stumbled across the display above. (note the figure on the left and the second to the last figure on the right). The second picture (insert) shows how the decalogue stone matches very well with the statues on display. There WAS a precedent for the decalogue stone! For those that dismiss this stone, there are those who were creating something similar before!

My son, Steve, found this info on the 2 pictures Wayne highlighted (see picture above).  
New Kingdom (c. 1570- c. 1069 BCE)
Graeco–Roman Period (332 BC -395 AD)
Eighteenth Dynasty spanned the period from 1550/1549 to 1292 BC.
There is some debate whether the figure in the decalogue stone is Moses or Mosiah.
Moses: Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE; Jerome suggested 1592 BCE, and James Ussher suggested 1571 BCE as his birth year.
Mosiah: By about 225 B.C. the Nephites had become wicked, so Mosiah led a group of righteous Nephites to Zarahemla and merged with the Mulekites.” Jeff and Steve Downs

Hebrew Holy Stones-More Proof!

Orson Pratt speaks about the Holy Stones. Sacred Stones in the Vicinity of Newark, Licking County, Ohio; Millennial Star Vol. 28
The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star Vol. 28, page 753-759;

Today in July 2021 we continue to come across believable evidence to consider the Nephites of Hebrew descent living here in North America and within the United States as the Book of Mormon indicates.. There has been a lot of talk from some intellectuals about various hoaxes purported to be associated with ancient Hebrew stones and script found in North America. It makes sense that when Lehi landed in North America he and his culture would have left behind evidence of his Jewish and Israelite heritage. Since nothing has been found in South and Central America, these intellectuals want to condemn anything that may have been found in North America. Of the 10-12 evidences found in North America related to Hebrew, the scholars refute ALL OF THEM as hoaxes!. That seems way to easy to just out of hand condemn any evidence. That’s what people do when they can’t explain things. Much of today’s science is not engaged in finding new truths, but in finding new pet theories. Since no new “Scientific Law” has been discovered and proven in over 100 years, the scientists are now propping up their new “theories” as if they are true. Take for example the theory of evolution. Last time I heard it is still a theory and has never been proven to be a law. What about the theory of magma in the center of the earth? It has been shown in Dean Sessions book that it is more likely that water is at the center of the earth? I’m not a scientist but just an ordinary man who likes to have science and history just “make sense”. What about the intellectuals (some at BYU) that say Noah’s flood was not universal and was probably a myth? What about those who say Adam was not the first man created on this earth? I would rather ask the simple question of, “does it make common sense” rather than listen to many intellectuals who claim to know the unknown or have a good theory for it. I don’t know the unknown either, but I study and pray about all things and it has to make sense as well. For example, something cannot be created out of nothing. We know this by the scriptures (D&C 93:29) and yet the vast majority of these intellectuals don’t believe in scripture either.

I offer this additional information below that I just read thanks to my friend David Hocking who sent it to me, (July 2021), that adds to all my previous information about the Newark Holy Stones. Take it to heart. Learn and listen, search and pray and things will make sense to you. By all means I don’t want you to believe me or this article, as like you, I am only one who loves the Lord and tries daily to learn His truths that He is sharing with us. Stay close to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and follow the Prophet and Apostles in all you do. I have a witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I also know as Moroni promised that I, “may know the truth of all things.” Rian Nelson 

Great Information https://www.asc.ohio-state.edu/mcculloch.2/arch/decalog.html

“Newark” Ritual Artifacts

INTRODUCTION

The photograph of an unfamiliar inscribed artifact appeared in the mail one day. The sender had only one question: what was the date of the artifact? The object itself was shaped like an ancient arch-topped tablet of “The” Law. In the center nested a bas-relief sculpture, with clear late-medieval attributes, enclosed in yet another Hammurabi-Jerusalemite arch-topped shape of “The” Law. Running down the sides of the object, between the inset sculpture and the outer edge, was an inscription expertly executed in a consolidated, sans-serif script design based on a Late-Medieval Hebrew font. Incorporated into the consolidated font were Sinaitic, Hebraeo-Phoenician, and Nabatean graphs. The object bore unmistakable evidence that it had been produced during the Late-Medieval period and was a product of probably France or Spain. A short summary report as to date and probable place of manufacture was duly supplied along with the very obvious markers as to both time and place. Upon reading this summary, the correspondent supplied more data.

Combined amazement and dismay are not the usual response to reading about an artifact. It was amazing that the clear evidence of medieval manufacture was not recognized and that this artifact and its companion pieces had been branded a 19th-century forgery — simply because it was assumed that the items had to be 1300 years old and, quite obviously, they were not that old. It was dismaying to learn that, because the objects had been found in the United States, this artifact, along with the rest of the set, had been annexed to support the dubious claims of an ancient Israelite presence in pre-Columbian America. This connection was murky enough; worse was to come.

It was disturbing to learn later that the artifact with the shape of “The” Law had been correctly identified as medieval and European in 1861 by Dr. Arnold Fischel.[1] It was disgraceful to learn that the Report, issued in 1863 by the committee appointed by the Ethnological Society which stated that they accepted Dr. Fischel’s assessment and could not label the items as “fakes,”[2] was ignored. Investigation into why the correct identification had been literally swept under the rug only made matters worse.

Why was the identification ignored? Because neither the committee’s report nor Fischel’s identification fit the two models erected with regard to these artifacts. On one side, we had a group who maintained that the artifacts were evidence of the presence of the ten lost tribes of Israel in “Ancient America.” On the other side, we had a school who declared the artifacts were “modern forgeries.” David Wyrick, who found two of the artifacts in 1860, including the one in the shape of the “Law” (now called “the decalog”), was “convicted” by rumor-consensus of forgery. Both Wyrick’s reputation and finances were ruined; he committed suicide in 1864. In 1872, Charles Whittlesey published his Archaeological Frauds: Inscriptions Attributed to the Mound Builders. Three Remarkable Forgeries.[3] These authentic artifacts were featured as one of the three forgeries. And there matters rested until 1980.

In 1980, Robert Alrutz carefully investigated the available data and re-opened the subject with his article, “The Newark Holy Stones: The History of an Archaeological Tragedy.”[4] In 1982, in his Mysteries of the Holy Stones, (Pheasant Run Publications, St. Louis), Joseph Schenck cleared Wyrick of the forgery charges. Between Alrutz and Schenck, the slightly revised position — now stated as “the artifacts are evidence of an Israelite presence in pre-Columbian America” — came back to life. The artifacts have been the subject of dispute between the two extremes ever since.

In 1991, Stephen Williams included these artifacts in his Fantastic Archaeology and still treats the artifacts as forgeries.[5] In 2000, Bradley T. Lepper and Jeff Gill, in an article entitled “The Newark Holy Stones,” decided that the artifact in the shape of “The” Law is a forgery made for political purposes by someone else they name.[6]

In the meantime, the other side was gathering forces. Cyrus Gordon entered the fray in 1995; in spite of the fact that the artifact has a handle and there are no holes with which to mount it, he decided that the “decalog” was a Samaritan mezzuzah.[7] In 1996, David A. Deal, published his article, “The Ohio Decalog: A Case of Fraudulent Archaeology,” in Ancient American, a magazine title that clearly states Deal’s position.[8] J. Huston McCulloch opened a web site devoted to proving that the artifacts are pre-Colombian.[9] Although Alrutz specifically mentions both Fischel’s and the Committee’s reports, both sides treat Fischel and Committee as if neither existed. The penny had been identified; but the identification was, and still is, ignored.

Fischel assumed that the artifacts had been stolen from a European settler and that they had been “planted.”[10] The artifacts were not “planted,” but, writing in 1861, Fischel lacked key information supplied in 1867. He was, however, right about the theft from a European settler in the United States and the medieval and European origins of the artifacts. The amount of information revealed by the artifacts, particularly with regard to the antiquity of certain Jewish traditions and their continued use many centuries after their presumed proscription in 200 CE, is stunning.

The evidence of continuity with the ancient wide-spread use of “magic letters” is substantial. These aspects demand that this particular penny be made known and recognized for what it is.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ARTIFACTS:

There are five pieces, four of which compose a set of ritual artifacts of two types. The fifth item is a case, made-to-order, to house one of the ritual artifacts. The two types are intended for different purposes.

Abram with book in hand, reading scroll (Magella) with phylacteries on forehead

Type one consists of head (“rosh”) and hand (“yad”) phylacteries (tefillin), made of black limestone (black is required for phylacteries).[11] The hand phylactery is 6-7/8″ in length by 2-7/8″ in width by 1-3/4″ in thickness.[12]

Open Head phylacteries worn on forehead, showing readings and scriptures inside.

A typical Semitic-style profile pose of Moses in bas-relief is on the front (Figure 1).

Fig. 1: The front of the hand phylactery (photo, J. Huston McCulloch)
Fig. 1: The front of
the hand
phylactery (photo,
J. Huston
McCulloch)
 

The artifact is inscribed in the incantation format and displays a variant of a known condensed version of the “decalogue,” with abbreviations and composite graphs, that dates to before the second century BCE.[13] The head phylactery, inscribed with two of the four excerpts of Exodus required by halacha (Laws), is also written in the spirals of an incantation format and is also made of black limestone. Now only a lithograph of the head piece remains.[14] The phylactery was approximately 3″ long by 1-3/4″ in thickness and tapered from approximately 1″ at the top to a rounded “point” at the bottom (Figure 2).

Fig. 2: The lithograph of the head phylactery (photo, J. Huston McCulloch)
Fig. 2: The lithograph of the head
phylactery (photo, J. Huston McCulloch)
 

Type two, made of novaculite, a very hard fine-grained rock, consists of a flow detector, for determining whether water is stagnant or flowing (thus pure), and a bowl for containing the water for ritual purification prior to donning the phylacteries. The flow detector is four-sided and approximately 6″ in length by 1-5/8 in thickness and bears a resemblance to a rounded “plumb bob” (Figure 3).[15]

Fig. 3: One side of the flow detector (photo, J. Huston McCulloch)
Fig. 3: One side of the flow
detector (photo, J. Huston
McCulloch)
 

Each side of the flow detector is inscribed in a Hebrew Square Script. The four inscriptions read as follows: D’var YHVH, (Saying/Word/Speech of [the] Lord);[16] Torat YHVH (Instructions of [the] Lord);[17] Qodesh Qadashim (Most pure/Most Sanctified/Most Sacred/Most Clean)[18] and Melekh Aretz (King of Earth).[19] Both the “mem” in “Melekh” and the “Aleph” in “Aretz” are expanded to indicate extra duration on “Mel” and “Ar.”

The durational notation on this last inscription shows us how the flow detector was used. The detector was inserted into whatever outdoor water source was available, and the inscriptions were recited in the above order (D, , Q, M) ending with a resounding “ME-lekh AR-etz.”

The use of durational notation to expand the “mem” in “melekh” and the “aleph” in “aretz” places the inscriptions, at the latest, to the 13th century when durational and stress notation were still in use on parts of the Continent.[20] The bowl was professionally shaped on a stone lathe, undoubtedly pedal- or hand-powered. The washing bowl is the “size of a teacup.”[21]

Four of the artifacts are in the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, Ohio: the hand phylactery, its made-to-order case, the bowl, and the flow detector. The case is made of the same material as the flow detector and bowl.

A copy of the lithograph of the head phylactery is on hand. The set was meant for use when traveling; this is clear from the flow detector, bowl, and the protective case.[22] One does not need to check whether the water is free-flowing in one’s own home, nor does one need to carry around a matching bowl for washing. One does, however, have to assure that the water for washing is pure and a stone container is an ideal material for such a purpose.[23] Purity would also affect the choice of stone for the two phylacteries. Whatever else the traveler would be exposed to, stone would ensure that the ritual set would remain undefiled. The head phylactery probably had a case as well, but we shall never know.

That the artifacts were found more than 4,000 miles in distance and 400 to 600 years after their manufacture at a site in Ohio is completely irrelevant to an analysis of the artifacts themselves. Nevertheless, their disposition when found is relevant and is linked to how they got there. The evidence of “how” is stark and clear and, incidentally, answers “when.” We will now dispose of this side issue and then be free to concentrate on the artifacts themselves.[24]

DISPOSITION WHEN FOUND

The town of Newark, Ohio was founded in 1802 on a branch of the Licking River in one of the areas that had been filled with “great stone works” and Indian burial mounds covered with loose stone “stacks.” The burial mounds were located 10 miles to the south and east of Newark in an area that had never been inhabited but had long been dug into and pillaged.

The flow detector was found in June of 1860 about a mile from Newark in a pit at the edge of the nearby “great stone works.” The artifact was encased in a spherical “clay” ball typical of finds in the Indian mounds.[25] The hand phylactery, nestling in its case, and the water bowl were found in close proximity to each other in one of many Indian burial mounds on November 1, 1860. Also found were two small objects.[26] A branch of the river passed near by the mound. The burial mounds were under what had been reputed to be a “stone stack” 40 feet in height. “Reputed” is the key word; the site of the finds was hardly undisturbed.

The entire area of the “stone stack” and burial mounds had been thoroughly dug over during the early 1800’s in a search for the treasure of the notorious pirate, Captain Kidd. Then, in 1831-32, after the “pirate treasure hunt” had already erased evidence of the original state of the site and “stone stack,” the stones had been removed in their entirety to build the retaining wall around what is now called “Buckeye Lake.” The “stack” was neither described before the treasure hunt nor before it was destroyed; neither was the specific mound where the artifacts were found. Evidence that the site was continuously disturbed comes in 1850 when some farmers spent part of one day in excavating and turned up a small wooden “coffin” embedded in the clay about 2-3 feet beneath the surface of one mound. The wooden coffin was not excavated until July, 1860.[27]

Mound Group where Holy Stones were found near Newark, Ohio

The hand phylactery and bowl were found in this same mound in November 1860. Further, in November, when digging around where the “coffin” had been excavated in July, water seeped in at the head end where it had been. In digging, the texture of the wet clay has been described as comparable to “cutting through cheese.”[28]

Thus the site had continuously been disturbed, the soil was easily dug into, and we know nothing at all about the actual state of the site. In spite of the mass of evidence to the contrary, the site was (and still is) treated as if it were in a “virginal” state as left by the Indians 1300 years before. The head phylactery, with its matching spiraled inscription and black limestone material, was found in 1867 in the same mound and in the same area of the mound in which were found the hand phylactery and the bowl.

With the finding of the head phylactery, we are told when and how this set of late-medieval ritual artifacts found their way to these sites. The head phylactery was found by David M. Johnson (Banker) and N. Roe Bradner (MD), or rather skulls and other human bones and remains of “a burning place,” containing charcoal and ashes, and “other relics” were found by Johnson in what was a shallow grave twelve to fourteen inches in depth.[29] The skulls were encased in clay. The pirate’s treasure hunt, 50 to 75 workmen digging around and carting off the stones, and other numerous disturbances to the site across at least 60 years were completely ignored. As a result, the raised “burning place” (composed of rocks and clay and quite necessary to making any kind of “fireplace” in that soil at any period), skulls, and skeletal remains of humans were automatically assigned to “Ancient America” without further ado.

A number of skulls found in the dig were lifted out by banker Johnson and some of these were later handed to MD Bradner to be packed and shipped to Philadelphia. One particular “fragile skull,” with its damaged condition “tolerably well preserved,” was held together by the wet clay in which it was found. When Bradner lifted out the clay encased skull to examine it, the now dried-out clay fell apart, the skull disintegrated, and the head phylactery was revealed.[30]

Unlike the other pieces, the head phylactery is damaged. The damage to the “tolerably well preserved” skull showed that the person had been hit with force on the back of the head with the traditional “blunt instrument.” We know that the owner was wearing the head phylactery from its disposition when found: glued in place by the clay to the front of the “fragile” skull. We also know he was wearing the head phylactery from the condition of the artifact itself.

Chips of stone are knocked off both the lid and the matching place on the side of the “box” precisely where they should be if the owner were wearing it and had been struck from behind with force enough to pitch the person forward and hit stony ground directly in front of him. We also know that the hand phylactery was still in its case; therefore, the owner was killed after he had donned the head phylactery but was probably in the process of purifying himself before opening the case to don the hand phylactery.

That the skull and other skeletal remains were found in a shallow grave tells us that the area was no longer an empty wilderness in a climax forest. The only reason for a body to be hidden is because the area was now populated and the site regularly visited by local farmers and by people from the already founded Newark, Ohio — not to mention treasure hunters.

The flow detector was taken away while the other artifacts were buried with the deceased owner. We know that the owner had used the flow detector and the bowl because the head phylactery was on his head and he had, necessarily, washed before donning the phylactery. Therefore, he had recited the formula inscribed on the flow detector out loud and drawn attention to himself and what he was doing in a place he had chosen for privacy while performing the ritual.

One plausible reason for the removal of the flow detector comes to mind: after all, people have been killed for a pair of roller skates and the flow detector is a neat device for checking a water supply. Whatever the reason for carrying off the flow detector, the killer headed north and east to Newark and finally threw the item, with its Hebrew writing and evidence of mayhem, into the “bone-pit” where it acquired its “clay ball” and was found around 25-40 years later in 1860.

D. Francis Bacon, in 1860, acidly commented on the flow detector: “no stone, whether novaculite or any thing else (even granite), can be buried in that soil for so much as half a century without becoming covered by a calcareous incrustation, . . . or acquiring a ferruginous or other stain from the earth which encloses it. And yet this Newark Holy Stone comes up from its entombment of some thousand some hundreds and some odd years as clean and bright and slick as a new whistle!”[31]

It is hardly surprising that the stone came up “clean as a new whistle”: it had not been buried there long enough to acquire “a calcareous incrustation.” The evidence is quite clear: the artifacts were indeed stolen from a European settler, as Fischel surmised, and deposited at these sites earlier in the nineteenth century

That the head phylactery was bound in place on the owner’s head and the hand phylactery still in its case is relevant to an analysis of the artifacts.

BACKGROUND MATERIAL

WRITING SYSTEMS

We cannot emphasize often enough that a writing system is an integral part of cultural identity.[32] Prior to the first half of the 17th century, everything on a document had meaning: size, shape, color, format, script, material — literally everything. All these elements are sub-systems in a culture’s writing system. All of the sub-systems had to be correct for a given class of document and within a given culture for a document to be accepted as authentic. We cannot ignore any part of a culture’s writing system. To rephrase this, we must examine the whole elephant, or we are in danger of coming to conclusions based on a trunk or a tail.

PHYLACTERIES (TEFILLIN):

The word “phylactery” is Greek and means “to guard against evil”: in other words, a protective “amulet.” The term is never used in the Masoretic Text [MT] or Rabbinic discussions and is mentioned only once in the Old Greek [OG] in Matthew 25:3. Nevertheless, “phylactery” was picked up and became the standard term of reference.

Phylacteries (tefillin) are square boxes made of black leather and contain the four Biblical passages (Exodus 13:9, 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8, 6:18) that relate to the wearing of a sign [OTT] on the hand, to remind the wearer of the instructions of the Lord [Torat IHVH], and on the forehead, to keep the words of the Lord in mind. Since the second century CE, the four verses are written on one piece of parchment placed in the hand piece. The same four verses are written on four separate pieces of parchment and placed in four compartments in the head piece. Referred to as “halacha mosheh misinai” [laws given to Moses at Sinai], the wearing of phylacteries are derived from these four verses; however, there were disputes about the order in which the verses should be placed in the compartments. With the finding of one head piece at Qumran that still contained its parchments, these disputes, once thought to be medieval, were shown to date from at least the first century CE.

Ohio is well known as the area of the Hopewell (Nephites) and the Adena (Jaredites) Newark Ohio where the Holy Stones were found is about 30 miles east of Columbus, Ohio in the middle of the state.

As far back as 1927, J. Mann maintained that the contents were not always limited to these four verses.[33] He pointed out that a ruling in Mishna Sanhedrin 11.3 specifically forbids the use of five instead of four verses. Mann claimed that the forbidden fifth verse was the decalogue itself. In the late 4th century CE, Jerome mentions that the phylacteries also contained the decalogue;[34] Jerome was considered in error; everyone “knew” that the decalogue had been forbidden.

Although long assumed to be only used in Samaritan ritual, evidence that the decalogue was recited daily in the temple along with Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 comes from Mishna Tamid 5:1 and is also indicated in the Nash papyri from Fayyum (second century BCE). Finds at Qumran show that Mann was correct and so was Jerome: the decalogue was indeed used in phylacteries during the second-temple period. As of the second century CE, the practice of reciting the fifth part (the decalogue) was forbidden, so was its inclusion in the phylacteries.

Mann notes that the argument forbidding the inclusion of the decalogue is an interpretation that assigns the reciting of the decalogue only to Moses.[35] In current use, the hand piece is donned first; the head piece second. Yet, the Talmud generally places the head piece first because, unlike the hand piece, the head one was always visible and permitted a Jew to be recognized as one under the protection of the name of God. The placing of the hand piece first seems to date to the Talmudic period and has been assumed to have supplanted the older order.

The Rabbis held that the general law was figurative and expressed in the Bible; the application and amplification of these verses were matters of tradition and inference.[36] In addition to the evidence that among diverse Jewish groups a hand phylactery certainly could have the decalogue written on it, research has shown that the four Biblical passages may very well have been meant literally.[37]

While the specialized terminology of “magic” (divination, protection, placation, influencing of the supernatural, and so forth) appears throughout the MT, the terms are clustered in legal materials. The appearance of “magic” terminology in Exodus 22:18 (22:17 in the English texts) and Deuteronomy 18:10-11 would appear relevant to the discussion of the wearing of the phylacteries.

The custom appears related to the known ancient practice of wearing “magic” charms and protective amulets inscribed with the name of, or symbol for, a deity, or inscribed on hand and head denoting clan membership. Arguments on this subject abound and have since the late 19th century.[38] Even the supporters of the figurative interpretation admit that the language used in the text is borrowed from known, ancient customs connected with magic charms and with regard to amulets and incised or tattooed signs in use in the Ancient Near East. Among the suggestive passages are Gen 4:15; I Kings 20:41; and Ezekiel 9:4-6.

The four passages contained in the phylacteries themselves are ambiguous. There is also Isaiah 56:5, with the inexplicable combination of “yad v’shem” [hand and name] — unless the association is meant as a literal reference to the practice of placing a sign upon the hand. There is also the point that, although worn on the left arm (nearest the heart), the Hebrew name for the piece is “yad” (hand). Whether protective amulets or not, the wearing of the phylacteries and their contents are prescribed.

FORMAT:

Everyone is familiar with the “block” format; today we call this format “justified text.” The primary purpose of the block, or justified, format is to prevent the insertion of words not put there by the author.[39]

There are, however, other formats; each format had a special purpose. The “incantation format” was reserved for incantations or charms. The purpose of this format is to “freeze” the text to ensure that the words are said exactly as written. Incantation documents are instantly recognizable by the way they are written: the text is written in a spiral or circling manner.

Fig. 4: Texts in the Incantation format: (a) Cretan Linear A; (b) Etruscan; (c) Roman (to Juno); (d) Greek: from Thera; (e) (f) from Athens; (g) Babylonian in ca, 8th-century CE Aramaic; (h) Portugal, 8th BCE
Fig. 4: Texts in the Incantation format: (a) Cretan
Linear A; (b) Etruscan; (c) Roman (to Juno); (d)
Greek: from Thera; (e) (f) from Athens; (g)
Babylonian in ca, 8th-century CE Aramaic; (h)
Portugal, 8th BCE
 

Many examples of such incantation texts have been found. Incantations texts appear from Portugal of the 8th century BCE to Babylon in the 8th century CE; from Etruscan lead tablets to Roman dedications to Juno; from early Greek inscriptions from Thera to Ionic votive inscriptions to Apollo. They even appear written in Cretan Linear A. (Figure 4). From the number of texts written in boustrophedon (writing back and forth like an ox plowing) that appear at ancient Greek sacred sites, e.g., a wall block from Temple of Apollo Pythas (7th BCE), sacred laws from Magnesia, grave pillars, and other ritual inscriptions, we may have to re-assess the purpose of the technique. It appears to be another way of writing incantations in a “spiral.”

An inscription that is written in a spiral or circularly is an incantation text.

Limits are the framework of a writing system and enclose the writing zone Our modern writing limits are Quattro linear, that is, four lines, with the outer limits marking the upper limit for ascenders (e.g., “h”) and lower limit for descenders (e.g., “y”). Graphs are written between the limits. Quattro linear limit systems are tri linear limit systems moved down one limit-line to accommodate ascenders. Writing systems on the eastern side of the Ancient Near East used tri linear limit systems. Tri linear limits are dynamic; graphs are written within the limits and permit the graphs to move up and down and from side to side in imitation of words as-spoken. Bilinear scripts and fonts fill the entire space between the upper and lower limits. Because the graphs fill the writing zone, bilinear limit systems are static. The main purpose of bilinear limit systems is to “freeze” the written words into an unchanging form to preserve the “magic” power of speech. Bilinear limit systems are favored by religio-mystico societies.

Any document written using bilinear limits indicates that the text is meant to be “frozen” and said exactly as written.

CONSOLIDATED SCRIPTS AND FONTS:

A script design is a closed system that functions as an independent and coherent whole within the complete writing system. Consolidated fonts are the exact opposite of conglomerate fonts. While both scripts use graphs from other script designs, they share no other features. Conglomerate fonts make no attempt to merge two or more different designs into a coherent whole. Instead, a conglomerate font displays a haphazard assortment of graphs from different designs within one word or phrase.[41]

As xenographic exchange[41] depends upon the strict adherence to a coherent font within the body of a text, conglomerate fonts are a meaningless mixture of graphs and are a definitive sign of a forgery.

Consolidated fonts are designed to merge graphs from different designs to create a coherent whole. These fonts are difficult to design because the final sub-system must frequently incorporate graphs from far different script systems. All consolidated designs start from a base script, that is, an existing script design is used as the base and the graphs from the other script systems are modified to match and merge with the existing base.

While not as common as single script designs, consolidated fonts are not rare and already appear under Sargon I of Sumer and Akkad. Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, 11QPs, the large Psalm scroll from Cave 11 in the general vicinity of Khirbet Qumran, is written in a consolidated Paleo-Square Script design. Paleo-Hebraic does not have serifs. This font incorporates features of Monumental Paleo-Hebraic and formal Square Script designs to make a formal sans-serif font. The base script is the Monumental Paleo-Hebraic. The font is carefully designed to use Monumental Paleo-Hebraic in xenographic exchange.

The graphs from the square script have been modified to match the base-script. The left leg of the “shin/sin,” for example, imitates the exact angle of the uprights of monumental Paleo, as do the uprights on the “ayin.” The right-hand angles imitate exactly the down-strokes, as on the Paleo-Hebraic “heh” (Figure 5).[42]

Fig. 5: The consolidated font of 11QPs
Fig. 5: The consolidated font of 11QPs
 

Constantine’s Uncial script is a consolidated font intended to unite the Greco-Roman Empire by creating a new official script design that incorporates graphs from both Latin and Greek script systems into one matching whole.

Consolidated fonts are used as “standard” fonts; thus, the fact that a document is written in a consolidated font does not tell us anything about the status of the document as genuine or fake. On the other hand, close examination of the elements used in a consolidated font frequently yields otherwise inaccessible data.

GRID FONTS:

A “grid” font is geometrically based. A grid of squares, all of the same size, is laid out, then the graphs, always starting with the “A” (or “aleph”) of the base-script, are squared off to outline a given “box” on the grid.

Each graph is then modified to approximate the desired appropriate symbol but filling the limits of a square. Grid fonts frequently result in the distortion of standard graphs to meet the coherence required in a font design. Nevertheless, grid fonts are useful when the consolidated font must combine graphs from many areas or ages and must be written without descenders or ascenders.

Grid fonts frequently are used with the incantation format.

SHAPE:

The shape of the Mosaic, or arch-topped, tablet derives directly, and practically unchanged down the millennia, from the shape associated with the architecture of Mesopotamian “House of God” buildings.[43] While the interpretation of the arch is dependent upon a culture (high and rounded, flattened and broad, “cloud,” or pointed), the arch always is a symbol that whatever is presented under the arch is backed by the word of a god. Today the shape is frequently referred to as the shape of a “tombstone.” This is backwards: the tombstone is shaped to imitate the narrow high arch associated with the Mosaic code; the shape symbolizes that the deceased has been entrusted to God. This use dates back to the earliest Christian grave markers and is used with the same symbolism on Moslem graves.[45]

Any article in the shape of a Mosaic tablet should contain a law or imply the law code handed down “at Sinai” by God.

COLOR:

While most people are aware that the color (or lack of color really) white indicates purity, not many are aware that, in antiquity, the color of the law was black. In fact, the color of the law is black to this day.

Because the contents of the phylacteries represent laws on wearing signs on hand and head, phylacteries are required by religious law to be black.

MATERIAL:

A symposium on the artifacts was held on Nov. 6, 1999. At the request of Patti Malenke, curator of the museum, Kenneth Bork and David Hawkins of Denison University examined the stone on which the “decalogue” is inscribed (and from the lithograph and description also the lost companion piece) and found it to be a black limestone in which “a fossil crinoid stem is visible on the surface.[45] “The “stems” (or “tests”) of the marine creatures (both extinct and living) are “limy” and white.[46] The flow detector, cup, and case for the “yad” piece are made of novaculite.

An article made of stone is necessarily pure according to Rabbinic halachic rules.

THE SCULPTURE:

The figure on the bas-relief sculpture, enclosed within the shape of “The” Law, is the classic Semitic profile pose that, when a ruler or member of the elite is portrayed, is usually enclosed within an arch. The Semitic pose is quite distinct from the classic Egyptian pose, which combines a frontal body with a profile head.[47] In the Semitic pose, the entire body is portrayed in profile. This pose dates back to the oldest surviving stele from Akkad (ca. 2371-ca. 2255 BCE); the profile pose enclosed in an arch reappears down the millennia. In the classic Semitic pose, the figure is in profile, one hand is raised or the arm is bent forward pointing at something or holding something.

A sculpture in this classic pose indicates a Semitic model.

RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS:

PHYLACTERIES:

The two phylacteries are made of black material, which is in accord with the rabbinical law that phylacteries must be black in color. Although contrary to Palestinian and Babylonian rabbinic rulings in the second century CE, the use of a condensed “decalogue” is in accord with a known prior tradition. That other traditions continued to exist alongside the Palestinian and Babylonian tradition is known from the Dead Sea Scrolls, papyri from Egypt, and was also was mentioned by Jerome.

PASS

FORMAT:

The two phylacteries are written in the incantation format (Figure 6). As they are, in fact, incantation texts meant to be recited exactly as written, the format matches the text — and the purpose of the artifact.

Fig. 6: The incantation format on the back of the hand phylactery: (photo, J. Huston McCulloch)

PASS

WRITING LIMITS:

The texts on the two phylacteries are written between bilinear limits, that is, the text is “frozen.” Incantation texts are intended to be frozen and are written between bilinear limits The limit system is in accord with the incantation format used on the two artifacts.

PASS

SCRIPTS:

The font used on these two phylacteries is a consolidated grid font. The base script is a Late-Medieval Hebrew “squared” font where the “aleph” is a three-sided “box” open at the bottom. Of the 21 symbols (“tet” is not used), 12 graphs are directly from the base-script: aleph, bet, dalet, heh, chet, khaf, nun, samech, peh, resh, shin, and taf. The shin and bet are squared off standard graphs from the base script. The “yod” is a single line that runs full height of the square; full height yods have been used in various Hebrew script systems since the late BCE period. Qof has a descender and caused a problem in this design. The designer used the top part of the qof and incorporated the descender into a tail that wraps around the bottom of the grid square.

Incorporated into the font are one cuneiform-type composite graph (ca. 16th BCE) that appears to have been the model for numerous descendants both in North and South Semitic script systems; one South-Sinaitic graph (ca. 16th-15th BCE), two South-Semitic graphs, one Nabatean graph; one Neo-Sinaitic graph, and one Hebraeo-Phoenician graph that dates to ca. 10th BCE (Figure 7).

Fig. 7:(a) Modern Hebrew — Formal typeface and cursive;(b) The Late-Medieval Hebrew Base-script;(c) The Consolidated Grid font on the phylacteries;(d) South Sinaitic;(e) Nabatean;(f) South-Semitic;(g) Neo-Sinaitic;(h) Hebraeo-Phoenician

  (click on image for larger view)

As there can be neither ascenders or descenders in this design (or the graphs will not fit between the limits and will intrude on the incantation spiral), the designer created a variant form to indicate a final (sofit) graph on the “khaf” by leaving a space. Variant forms are also used to distinguish “shin” from “sin” and “taf” from “dhaf.”

We should also note that the ancients were “thrifty.” Graphs were used not only as themselves, but to indicate special purpose. Xenographic exchange is one example of multiple use; variant forms are another. Just as Phoenician territorial scripts used variant forms of “aleph” to indicate which vowel phone was attached to the consonant, this design includes four variant forms of “aleph.” Each variant form has a different “vowel” attached to the specific location and shape of the left-hand leg of the “aleph.” The technique of denoting instructions on the left-hand leg of an “aleph” or an “A is well attested.[48]

Multiple use is also seen in the tzadik. The tzadik is a cuneiform-type composite and appears to be the class model for both North and South Sinaitic graphs. As the mutations of this graph are found in both branches of Semitic script systems, the composite graph antedates the earliest descendants and is from ca. 16th or 15th centuries BCE.[49] The “V”of the tzadik appears in Aramaic and Hebrew Square Script systems from at least the fifth century BCE onwards and can be seen in the Medieval Hebrew base-script [b]); the “V” on the “tzadik” is still used in the modern formal typeface [a]. In South-Semitic scripts systems [e, f, g], the tzadik appears with a rounded upper graph along with a second form that indicates a “tzadik sofit.” The “mem” is a squared off South Sinaitic graph, as old as the tzadik. These two graphs may be “magic” letters, for the designer did not include final forms of either the “tzadik” or “mem.” Whether “magic” or not, it is clear that these graphs were to be copied without change — which they were.

We should note that somewhere down the fifteen centuries or more of copying this decalogue text, the “vav” and “zayin” became interchanged. What is placed in the “vav” position is a South Semitic “zayin”; in the “zayin” position is the third form of Hebraeo-Phoenician “vav.” While the two graphs were interchanged, again, it is clear that the “vav” was to be copied without change.

The lamed is a Nabatean graph that was the model for the Neo-Sinaitic, and later, the Kufic scripts.50 Two forms of “taf” (“t” and “dh”) are also used in Nabatean and appear as variant forms in the Nabatean script systems. The “crossed” gimel is Neo-Sinaitic. The “ayin” is a South Semitic graph that dates to ca. 10th-century BCE. (The North Semitic “ayin” at this date is a circle, i.e., “o [h].) The symbol at the center and front of the inscription may be some type of religious emblem or it may be an identification of sect affiliation. We cannot, at this juncture, know its purpose.

The text is written in a consolidated grid font, which is what we would expect for use in an incantation format.

PASS

SHAPE:

The hand phylactery is the shape of a Mosaic tablet and it does indeed contain a “law” code. In fact, it contains a condensed version of “The” Law code.

PASS

COLOR:

Phylacteries are black under the “halacha mosheh misinai” [laws given to Moses at Sinai].

PASS

MATERIAL:

Stone as the materials used for the set follows rabbinic halachic rules on purity. Both the black stone for the phylacteries and a different stone for the purification ritual of washing are in accord with these rulings.

PASS

THE SCULPTURE:

The pose on the sculpture is the classic Semitic pose.

In 1861, the appearance of the bas-relief on the hand phylactery led Rabbi Lederer, editor of the “Israelite,” to class the artifact as “not Jewish” because the making of images of anything in the sky, on the earth, or in the sea contravenes Exodus 20: 4.51 Exodus 20: 5, however, is the second half of the injunction in Exodus 20:4 and explicitly states that such images should not be worshipped as gods. This further statement can be interpreted as not applicable to anything that is not worshipped as a god. It is rather apparent that the second half in Exodus 20:5 was so interpreted in some communities. There is nothing “god-like” in this “portrait” of Moses.

The appearance of the Savior in Ohio to the Nephites is very possible.

The word “Moses” (Moshe) is inscribed above the head of the figure, which is just as well or we would not know who was depicted. In medieval Christian art, Moses is rendered with a stern expression; a long, flowing beard and hair; and voluminous sweeping robes that descend from the shoulders and also from which depend wide flowing sleeves. Moses is always depicted as holding tablets with the high rounded-arch shape of “The” Law. This Moses, however, wears a benign expression; his hair is completely covered, his beard is the neatly trimmed beard of late medieval portraits, his robe is loose, but not flowing, and he is wearing a short tunic with close fitting sleeves. Tucked under his arm is a tablet in the triangle “arch” shape of “The” Law used by the North Central and Northwest Semitic peoples in the Dan-Edom area.52

More specifically, Moses’ clothing consists of a robe, a short tunic, a hat with a tight band, and a girdle. From the bulk at the shoulders, he may also be wearing an ephod.53 This ensemble, of course, is the description in Exodus 28 of the priestly garments to be made for Aaron. All in all, his clothing most closely resembles Josephus’ word picture in Ant. III, vi, 3. We should note that the entire ensemble has been depicted with a decided South Semitic bent.

The “hat” may originally have been an interpretation of the “priestly” headwear;54 but here it more closely resembles the identifying hat of an Arabic Ollamh, a professor of the law.55 Similarly, the robe worn by the figure of Moses may have been an interpretation of the priestly garments described in Exodus.56 Again, in this sculpture, we find the type of robe worn by “teachers of the law” in the Moslem world. The neatly trimmed beard, in direct contrast to the usual flowing beard on Moses in other medieval portraits is a mark of late-medieval provenance. The sculpture bears all the signs of a late-medieval interpretation of a Semitic profile portrait. The workmanship is more likely to be Spanish than French because of the decided Arabic influences, although we cannot rule out the possibility that a Spanish artisan worked in France. There is little doubt as to the ca. 11th-13th centuries date of this sculpture. The workmanship and style date the sculpture to the same period as the late-medieval base-script used for the consolidated font.

PASS

CONCLUSIONS:

The artifacts could not possibly have been created in the nineteenth century; nobody had the knowledge necessary to do so. Indeed, nobody who previously examined these artifacts has recognized that two of the artifacts are inscribed in the ancient incantation format. Nor has anyone previously realized that the “peculiar” font is a consolidated design or that it is a grid font typical of scripts and fonts used with incantation formats. It is rather clear that no one until today has recognized the Late-Medieval Hebrew script that is the base-script of this consolidated grid font.

The inclusion of ancient Sinaitic graphs in the consolidated grid font is an indication that these particular “letters” were considered “magic” and had to be copied exactly. Nor could they be modified much to suit the script design. There are other indications that the tzadik is a “magic” graph. As has been noted, the tzadik is a cuneiform-type composite — a graph of which mutations were incorporated into both North and South Semitic script systems adapted for dry surface writing. There are many abbreviations in the text. In accord with the typical practice of multiple use, this composite stands as both a “tzadik” and as the symbol for “Sinai.”

The first words running down the left hand side of the artifact are not the “decalogue”: they are a condensation of Exodus 20:2, which reads: “asher hotzetecha m’eretz mitzrai’im” (confirm [that I] brought you from the land of Egypt). The first three letters of “Hotzetecha” are “heh-vav-tzadik;” but that is not what is written on the artifact. What is written on the artifact is “heh-resh[half grid space] tzadik/Sinai.” “Heh-resh” is “har and means “mount.” The line reads: “asher har Sinai/tzetecha m’eretz[sinai] mitz[sinai]rai’im.” (Confirm [that I] [at] mount Sinai brought you [at Sinai] out of the land of Egypt [at Sinai].)

Perhaps it should be explained that, when asked what script would have been used for the tablets described in Exodus 32:15, more than one expert on ancient Semitic scripts will reply that an educated guess would be Sinaitic. The preservation of one Sinaitic graph in the symbol-set used on the hand phylactery, as well as the preservation of the “V” of the composite “tzadik” in Hebrew script systems down the millennia, is the first tiny bit of concrete evidence that the description of the Mosaic code as inscribed on tablets, no matter how many embellishments accrued, is based in fact.

The preservation of one Hebraeo-Phoenician graph suggests that this graph was considered another “magic” letter that had to be copied exactly for the incantation to work. It also represents a small piece of evidence that the texts of the first four books of the Pentateuch were written down early in the Monarchial period in the 10th century BCE.

The large number of South-Semitic graphs (six out of twenty-one) are strong evidence that the older tradition of including the decalogue in the phylacteries was continued among a group of religious Jews living in South Semitic countries long after the tradition was forbidden by the Palestinian and Babylonian Rabbis in the second century CE. Equally strong as evidence is the sculpture with its distinctly Semitic pose and Islamic-influenced clothing. These aspects that show clear South Semitic influence indicate that the set was commissioned by a Sephardic Jew and, as the set is clearly intended for use when traveling, probably by a merchant-trader. From details on the sculpture, the most likely site for the place of production is Spain. If at the earliest range for the date (11th CE), the set may have been produced in Catalonia. If the later date range (13th CE), the set was possibly produced in Cordoba or Toledo during the time of Alfonso X of Castille. Nor can we ignore the possibility that the set was produced in France; Sephardic Jews handled the trade between the Holy Roman Empire and the Moslem world.

While the words in the phylacteries are linked to both identification and protection, there is no direct evidence that the words were linked to magic. On the other hand, evidence that certain graphs were linked to “magic” signs can be seen in the format and symbol-set used on the late-medieval hand phylactery inscribed with the “forbidden” condensed decalogue. The inclusion of “antique” graphs in the consolidated script design tends to support the school that maintains that the texts of Exodus and Deuteronomy which refer to the wearing of signs on hand and on forehead may have been meant literally. These graphs also link phylacteries with the ancient “magic” letter/signs inscribed on protective charms and amulets — and, possibly, literally inscribed on the skin of the left hand and the forehead.

The fact that the hand piece was still in its case, while the bowl, flow detector, and head piece were not, gives us further information. The head piece clearly was bound to the skull; thus, we know that the flow detector and bowl had been used. We now also have evidence that the older tradition of donning the head piece first was carried on among some Jewish communities for many centuries after the Rabbinical ruling that the hand piece be placed first.

The use of the condensed decalogue on the hand phylactery gives us concrete evidence that, although as of the second century CE, the decalogue was forbidden to use in the Palestinian and Babylonian traditions, the older tradition of a “fifth” text, the decalogue itself, was alive and well among other Jewish communities. We do have some indications as to the age of this older tradition. The finds at Qumran, the Nash Papyri, and this hand phylactery, make it clear that the condensed “decalogue” was not a Samaritan concept as had been previously assumed. Samaritans do not use phylacteries, although a similar condensed version appears on Samaritan stone mezzuzahs. The use by Samaritans of a similar condensed “decalogue” indicates that the tradition of this condensed “decalogue” dates to before the rift between the Samaritan and Jerusalem communities, which may be as early as the 7th-6th BCE.57 The rift certainly was indicated by the fifth century BCE in a letter from Elephantine.

We have, however, further indications as to the antiquity of the tradition of reciting this condensed decalogue, which pushes the probable date back to the 9th century BCE. Although the hand phylactery is shaped as the familiar high-rounded arch of the Jerusalemite tradition and although the sculpture is encased in another Jerusalemite arch, the tablet that Moses is holding is not the high rounded-arch of the Southern Kingdom. The tablet is the shape used in the Phoenicianized northwest and north central corner of the area in that period. The tablet, in fact, is the same shape as the “Beit David”stele found at the Tel Dan archaeological site (Figure 8).58

Fig. 8:(a) Shape of the tablet tucked under the arm of Moses 

 Fig. 8:(b) Shape of the "Beit David" stele found at Tel Dan
 Fig. 8:(b) Shape of
the “Beit David”
stele found at Tel
Dan
 

We will never be able to date this “portrait” of Moses: the shape of the tablet he is holding indicates a very ancient tradition in the Northern Kingdom with regard to interpretations of the instructions in Exodus. On the other hand, with the evidence of the “Newark” hand phylactery, we can now state with confidence that an older tradition of reciting the decalogue daily continued for at least another 1100 years among some Sephardic Jewish communities.59 It also seems that a compromise on the contested point was arrived at, albeit many centuries before the question was even raised: a condensed version of the decalogue avoids the exact repetition of the words said by Moses. Indeed, the bas-relief of a benign Moses would appear to lend his countenance to the saying of the condensed decalogue.

The Newark Ritual artifacts date to the Late Medieval period, as is made clear from stylistic features on the bas-relief sculpture on one of the artifacts and the Late Medieval Hebrew base-script used for the consolidated grid font that appears in the inscriptions on two of the artifacts. The artifacts are authentic, if not what they were thought to be in the 19th century, and, unfortunately, even today.60

Claims of modern forgery based on the “peculiar” script, or “spelling” errors (of which there is precisely one after 1500 years or more of copying the text),61 or the pose of the figure on the bas-relief are equally erroneous and have no basis in actuality. The fact that black limestone with crinoid stems can be found in Ohio also has been claimed as evidence that the artifacts are forgeries. Black limestone containing crinoid stems, however, is available throughout the world. The material may be found, for example, in Belgium, England, France, Hungary and Spain. It may also be found in Idaho and the Dakotas as well as in Mercer and Muskingum Counties Ohio.62 The artifacts pass all visual forensic analysis tests. They also pass the materials examination as far as the availability of the material at the probable site(s) of manufacture. That black limestone can also be found in Ohio is irrelevant.

Archaeology as a soundly based field only came into being in the 1880’s. That in the 1860’s claims that the artifacts were forgeries, although the evidence at the site and expert opinion was against this, can be excused. Claims today that these artifacts are forgeries and not “old” enough for where they were found are unacceptable; such claims ignore both basic archaeological standards and the evidence. We can never know whether the artifacts were deposited during the “pirate treasure hunt” phase or sometime shortly after 1832 when the workmen removed 144,000 cartloads of stones from all the stacks at the site. There is, though, little doubt: this set of ritual artifacts was deposited at the two sites during the early part of the nineteenth century. As Dr. Fischel pointed out in 1861, these artifacts are medieval and European and had been stolen from a European settler.

The “Newark” Ritual artifacts are neither forgeries nor relics of “Ancient America.” They are, however, very important concrete evidence of Ancient and Medieval Israelite practices. The ancient graphs included in the consolidated script on these phylacteries are also our first small pieces of concrete evidence that a factual basis underlies Exodus 32:15. The shape of the tablet held by Moses as well as the condensed “decalogue” inscribed on the hand phylactery is concrete evidence of the types of authoritative and theological disputes that divided the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In addition, these artifacts also give us some hints as to the continuation of Jewish traditions among the peoples displaced after the Northern Kingdom was destroyed. This particular penny is far too important to leave in the obscurity of a wrangle between two extremist sides, both of whom ignore the evidence.

If an American penny finds its way onto the Acropolis in Athens or the Colosseum in Rome, we dismiss the question of how it got there as too obvious to be worth asking. This set of late-medieval ritual artifacts found their way to these sites in the United States because they were brought there, as so many family heirlooms were, by a settler from Europe searching for a new home in the new world.

Many thanks to Scott E. Meyer of Northwestern University for supplying me with the Alrutz article (which I could not acquire for myself) and then for digging out further information on Dr. Arnold Fischel after the provocative (and incomplete) reference in the Alrutz article. My gratitude must also be expressed to Herb Basser of Queens University for his erudite comments on Hebrew and Mishnaic sources. Obviously, any errors that may remain are mine.

Notes

[1] Dr. Arnold Fischel, lecturer at the Sephardic synagogue in New York (founded in 1654, thus with a Sephardic-Dutch connection), a noted scholar and authority, had written a paper, “The Hebrew Inscribed Stones Found in Ohio,” delivered in June of 1861 to The American Ethnological Society. In this paper, he stated he was convinced of the authenticity of the artifact and ascribed it to “medieval and European origins.” (See Alrutz, “The Newark Holy Stones: The History of an Archaeological Tragedy,” Journal of the Scientific Laboratories, Denison University, 1980, 57: 1-57.) In Fischel’s paper, he commented that he had nothing with which to compare these artifacts (Alrutz 44), yet accustomed to Medieval Sephardic styles, if not this precise object, he would certainly have noted the obvious medieval and Sephardic attributes of the artifact.

[2] The Report from the committee appointed by the society was issued in 1863. (See, Alrutz, 44).

[3] Whittlesey, Western Reserve Historical Society Historical & Archaeological Tract #9.

[4] Alrutz, “Tragedy” 1-57.

[5] Williams, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991, 167-75.

[6] Lepper and Gill, TIMELINE: A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society, 2000, 17-25.

[7] Cyrus H. Gordon, “Diffusion of Near East Culture in Antiquity and in Byzantine Times,” Orient, vol. 30-31 (1995): 69-81. Gordon was not familiar with late-medieval scripts and artifacts.

[8] Deal, Ancient American, Issue # 11 [Jan/Feb 1996], pp. 10- 19.

[9] McCulloch’s site is at http://www.econ.ohio-state.edu/jhm/arch/. McCulloch includes other items, such as the Los Lunas inscription (an obvious fake) and the Bat Creek inscription, which appears to be an authentic souvenir” of Judea, as it states. (Another European family heirloom displayed whenever the words, “Next Year in Jerusalem,” were uttered?) McCulloch as also written numerous articles on the artifacts.

[10] See, Jonathan Waxman, “Arnold Fischel: ‘Unsung Hero’ in American Israel,” American Jewish Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, No. 4, June 1971.

[11] The tefillin were the subject of much debate for centuries. The color, however, has never been debated as, from the time of Sumer and Akkad on down through the centuries, black is the color of the Law. This is why the robe of a judge is black to this day.

[12] The item is referred to as a “yad” (hand) tefilla by Rabbinical sources and, even though worn on the arm in more modern use, it is still referred to as the “yad” tefilla.

[13] Similar condensed “decalogues” (with abbreviations and composite graphs) appear in Samaritan documents and among the Dead Sea Scrolls. References in the 2nd century CE to not using the “decalogue” indicate that the text dates earlier. Curiously enough, these condensed versions have points in common with the condensed decalogue in Josephus, Ant. III, vi, 3.

[14] In 1996, David A. Deal and James S. Trimm came to the conclusion that the “decalogue” was a phylactery. (“Ohio Decalog is Ancient Arm Phylactery,” Ancient American, Vol. 3, Issue 13: May/June 1996, 25-27) Deal and Trim are correct, if off by 800 odd years on the dating. In 2002, Myron Paine of Martinez, California suggested that the other piece was a head phylactery. It is. (see: The Newark, Ohio Decalogue Stone and Keystone)

[15] The flow detector has been named the “Keystone” because of its shape. It was also stated to be a “Masonic” device in 1860.

[16] The data has been biased by more than ignoring Fischel and the Committee Report. The bias extends to the mistransliterations and mistranslations of the Hebrew texts. The tetragrammaton (YHVH) translates into English as “Lord.” El or Elohim (plural) translates as “God.”

[17] “Torah” means “instruction” or “direction,” not “law.”

[18] The translation of QDS as “Holy” is a King James-ism and there is also a semantic shift in meaning to complicate matters. QDS may be translated as to sanctify, to purify, to cleanse, to hallow, to make sacred –depending upon context. The inscription has been mistranscribed and mistranslated as “Holy of Holies.” (A closer translation would be Sanctity of Sanctities/Sacred of Sacreds.) Even using the translation terms of the KJV, “Holy of Holies” would be transliterated as “Qodesh Haqadashim.” The definite article “ha” (the) is not written on the flow detector; it does not translate as “Holy of Holies.” What is written is idiomatic; in context the translation would be “Most Pure”; but other possibilities have been given as well.

[19] This was mistransliterated as “Melek Eretz,” “King of the Earth.” Eretz translates into English as “land,” as in “Eretz Israel,” land of Israel; “Eretz Mitzrai’im,” Land of Egypt.” Aretz is translated as the equivalent of “Earth.” The definite article, “ha” is missing; the text does not read “the Earth” but is more encompassing.

[20] Durational and stress notation dates back to Sumer. They were in continuous use for nearly 4,000 years. The notations appear on items as diverse as the Yadi and Roman Imperial stelae; the Dead Sea Scrolls and Anglo-Saxon Chronicle A. Their use on the Continent tapered off slowly, depending upon location. By the 12th century, they were no longer in use to the north. Their use in the south lasted for another century. In England, durational notation was still in use in the Age of Elizabeth I. (See, Altman, “Some Aspects of Older Writing Systems: With Focus on the DSS.” Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jerusalem., 1999; Altman, “Writing Systems and Manuscripts.” Guest Lecture: St. Mary’s School of Divinity, University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 1999. For Elizabethan use, see Altman, Absent Voices: The Story of Writing Systems in the West. Newcastle, DE: forthcoming.

[21] The “size of a teacup” accords with the size of the water vessel per rabbinic halakha.

[22] Tefillin are kept in a special “phylactery” bag. Whether this ritual set had a special bag cannot be ascertained.

[23] As Hanan Eshel noted in his paper, given at the 3rd symposium on the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1998, with respect to the stone vessels found at Qumran: “In the late Second Temple period, from the first century BCE to the second century CE, we find a stone vessel industry in the Jerusalem region whose products were used for storage and measurement. These stone vessels were made for observant Jews who observed the laws of purity strictly, since according to rabbinic halakha, stone vessels always stay pure.” Eshel cites the following sources on the ruling: M[ishna] Kelim 10:1; M. Oholot 5:5, 6:1; M. Para 5:5; M. Miqwa’ot 4:1; M. Yadayim 1:2. (see: Stone Vessels Found at Qumran).

[24] One need not be a police forensic detective to reconstruct events. Historians are detectives and are accustomed to evaluating and reconstructing evidence from textual sources. With these artifacts, we have unambiguous physical evidence in addition to textual evidence. The artifacts were deposited after 1802. For a thorough discussion of the events surrounding the finding of the artifacts, see, Alrutz, “Newark Holy Stones.”

[25] Any hard object thrown into river-bed clay of this type, if the clay is moist, will quickly accumulate a spherical mass around it. When the soil dries out, it will leave behind such hard clay balls.

[26] The two small objects, square in shape, are now missing. Two other artifacts were found in another mound some distance away. One was a carved head with Hebrew writing in Square script on it. The other is said to be some sort of “talisman” with intertwined human and animal heads, also with a few letters of Hebrew writing in Square script on it. The Corresponding Secretary of the Ethnological Society, Theodore Dwight, Jr. (1796-1866), sent a copy of the drawing of the incised head to Dr. Fischel in Amsterdam in 1865. Fischel was reluctant to trust a drawing but did state: “These stones as described in your letter could never have been the work of a Jew.” The drawing may not be accurate, but that this item is a fake is patent. A photograph of the “talisman” exists: it is an intriguing object, but the reproduction of photograph is quite poor. From what can be seen, however, the object would appear to be an authentic artifact that was defaced by scribbling a few Hebrew graphs on it. Like the “inscribed head,” this object “could never have been the work of a Jew.” (Fischel-Dwight correspondence; National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.).

[27] The site was described for the first time in 1852, two years after the “coffin” was found. For specifics, see Alrutz.

[28] For specifics and cites, see Alrutz.

[29] For a partial description of the find, see Alrutz, 36; Bradner, 1873. For further information on the depth at which the hand phylactery and the bowl were found. (See: The Newark, Ohio Decalogue Stone and Keystone)

[30] Bradner assumed that the skulls “powdered” because of “great age.” The rate of disintegration of bone depends entirely on the ph of the soil. In some soils, such as this river-bed clay, disintegration is very rapid. The powdering was due to the soil, not “great age.” (See Alrutz)

[31] See Alrutz, 42, for more details and cites.

[32] See Altman, “Report on the Temple Tablet,” Altman, Absent Voices.

[33] J. Mann. “Changes in the Divine Service of the Synagogue due to Religious Persecution,” Cincinnati, Ohio: Hebrew Union College Annual 4, 1927. 288-99.

[34] See Jerome’s “Commentary on Matthew, 25:3.”

[35] Mann, “Changes,” 292.

[36] Cited as given in Sanhedrin 88b.

[37] We should also bear in mind that the Ancients were literalists. When the ancients spoke of the “voice of authority,” they meant it literally. When referring to the “colors of music,” they meant it literally. The colors of music number 12, as in a twelve-tone scale. The first indications of color-to-tone appear in Pythagorean documents (6th century BCE). Recorded evidence from the 3rd and 5th centuries CE places the central color as yellow/gold and the equivalent of “C;” red equaled “F.” When staff lines first appeared in musical notation systems, two lines were drawn: yellow (C) and red (F). These ancient colors of music can still be seen today on the academic gowns of doctors of musicology. We have reason to suspect that the ancients also meant inscribed in heart (left hand) and in mind (on the forehead) literally as well.

[38] This connection between the phylacteries, amulets, tattoos, and other signs were already hotly debated in the late 19th century in works such as History of Amulets, Charms and Talismans, New York, 1893. The bibliography on the subject is enormous. For concise discussions and bibliography on the subject of magic in the ANE and the MT, see the Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), Vol.IV, 464-471.

[39] For a discussion of the block format, see Altman, Temple Tablet; for a discussion of the “centering” technique on bi-ethnic (bilingual) inscriptions, see “Report on the Zoilos Votive Inscription from Tel-Dan.” Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Jerusalem.

[40] For a discussion of conglomerate fonts, see Altman, Temple Tablet.

[41] Xenographic (foreign graph) exchange is the use of Font B in a text written in Font A. Dating back to Akkad, the use of italics to denote “book title” or “foreign word” is a modern use of xenographic exchange..

[42] For further information on the design of the consolidated font used in 11QPs, see, Altman, “The Writing World of the Dead Sea Scrolls.” Lecture: St. Mary’s School of Divinity, University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2001.

[43] For discussions on the “shape of the law,” see Altman, Temple Tablet; Altman, Absent Voices, 33-35.

[44] Interesting aspects of the grave markers used in Islam are 1) a marker is placed at both head and feet — which may refer to the two tablets as is written in Exodus; and 2) pairs of Islamic “cloud” arch and “Mosaic” arch tablets appear, but on different graves.

[45] For both the Symposium, Nov. 6, 1999, and Bork and Hawkins. See: The Newark Ohio Decalog Stone and Keystone, by J. Huston McCulloch.” (http://www.econ.ohio-state.edu/jhm/arch/decalog.html)

[46] Existing class Crinoidea, phylum Echinodermata include sand dollars, star fish, and sea urchins.

[47] Both poses appear to have something to do with the concept of the “eyes as the mirror of the soul.” The oldest known sculpture, the “venus” head from the Magdalene period (ca. 22,000 BCE) is lifelike, but where the eyes should be are two concave “blanks.” These same concave “blank eyes” appear in archaic Greek sculptures-in-the-round. Cave paintings from ca. 5,000 BCE show rounded, lifelike figures, usually in perspective, but their backs are to the viewer. A similar taboo on depicting the eyes, though not concave, appears to operate in the late archaic Greek frontal pose. The subject warrants further research.

[48] The replacement of the left-leg on an “A” with a cephalicus neume to indicate, for example, which of three singers was to lead the congregation can be seen in BN MS. Lat. 8824 and in St. Gall MSS. 329 and 359. See, Altman, Absent Voices, Chapter 10.

[49] Many of the South Sinaitic graphs are adaptations of cuneiform graphs, minus “wedges,” for use in dry surface writing.

[50] The Nabatean language was the formal Aramaic of Achamaenid Persia. Their script systems were a territorial variant. The modern Arabic script systems descend from the Nabatean.

[51] See Alrutz, “Tragedy,” 44.

[52] The “triangle arch” led people to believe that the item was a “breastplate,” although a breastplate would be in the center, not tucked under an arm.

[53] While the ephod is described in detail, nobody knows exactly what the item is, and it is not translated.

[54] The “priestly” hat in this sculpture seems to follow the description in Josephus, Ant. III. vi, 3 rather closely..

[55] The identifying hat worn by European lawyers during the period also has a tight band, but it has a crown and the hair is free in the back above the band..

[56] Again, the robe seems closer to the description in Josephus, Ant. III, vii, 1 than to the one in the MT.

[57] The Samaritan Chronicles relate feuding between Zerrubabel (the builder of the Second Temple in Jerusalem) and Sanballat, the Samaritan priesteven while in Babylon during the exile (6th BCE). (See, Paul Stenhouse, The Kitab al Tarikh of Abu’l-Fath Sydney: Mandelbaum Trust, 1985.)

[58] The appearance of the “Phoenician” triangle arch used on this hand phylactery gives external corroboration that the “beit david” stele found at Tel-Dan is the correct “shape” for the area and is authentic. Its use also has very important implications in respect to the differences in interpretative traditions between the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom..

[59] The hand piece also makes it patent that the tradition of reciting the decalogue, albeit in a condensed form, continued for at least 1100 years after it was forbidden in the Babylonian and Tiberian communities in the 2nd century CE..

[60] See above, footnotes 5 and 6.

[61] The interchange of the “vav” and the “zayin” cannot be classed as “spelling errors.” Once the two graphs were interchanged, they were used consistently to represent the opposite graph..

[62] “Stems” on fossil crinodea come in a variety of shapes: circular, v-shaped, and irregular. The “stems” embedded in the artifact would have to match the “stems” in the black limestone from these Ohio counties; the structural granulation from the way the limestone was formed would also have to match. These tests are performed by “thin-sections,” that is, thin “wafers” or cross sections of stone are cut and then glued to a glass slide. The wafer is ground and polished until the structure and fossil contents can be seen through a microscope. These tests have not been done, although such tests are crucial to asserting that the artifact is a forgery and that the material comes from Ohio.” “Newark” Ritual Artifacts by By Rochelle I. Altman

DNA & Remnant Sources-

Rian Nelson
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DNA & Remnant Sources-

Research into DNA studies continues to show new evidence that many Native Americans east of the Mississippi have the same Haplogroup X as many in western Eurasia. As the experts continue to try and explain away this evidence, the more I become excited about it. Those in the scientific arena continually want to push the narrative of their great theories about Evolution, Climate Change, Old Earth, Noah’s Flood Myth, etc.  With the information from our recent Book, The Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon, I am excited to continue the path of learning. I am finding some amazing things about DNA and a connection between the Lamanites and the Jews. It just makes sense that they are related as we know the Mulekites were Jewish and they surely left evidence of the Native Americans in North America didn’t they? We have also found many evidences of the Hebrew language and Hebrew artifacts in North America. See my blog with additional articles here, here, and here.

Who, then are the Jews?

“Who, then, are the Jews, and what part shall they yet play in the gathering of Israel and the return of their King? There is a maze of fuzzy thinking and shoddy scholarship, both in the world and in the Church, that seeks to identify the Jews, both ancient and modern, and to expound upon what they have believed and do believe. It is not strange that the divines of the day-not knowing that the kingdom is to be restored to Israel at that glorious day; not having the Book of Mormon and latter-day revelation to guide them-it is not strange that they come up with false and twisted views about the mission and destiny of the Jews. It is a little sad that church members sometimes partake of these false views and of this secular spirit so as to misread the signs of the times. More Info Here

“Moses warned the Israelites that if they departed from the covenant faith that “YAHUWAH shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of earth even unto the other.” Deuteronomy 28:64. Most scholars interpret this to mean everywhere but America.

It is not the burden of this book to belabor the point too long, but it is in order to at least mention some points, because they are so interesting. The American Indians did practice certain aspects of the Hebrew religion. “Cotton Mather in Boston, in the course of a long series of extraordinary letters to the Royal Society in London, drew attention to the existence, in Connecticut, of a tribe of Indians which practiced circumcision.” America B.C. p. 17 Barry Fell

Even today the Cherokee nation honors the 7th day of the week. The numbers 4 and 7 are sacred to them, largely because it is the fourth commandment that sanctifies the seventh day.

A few evidences that James Adair listed:

1) They constructed their place of worship so “that their backs are to the east, and faces to the west”, this is after “the Jerusalem copy”! Adair’s History of the American Indians p. 1182) “They do not pay the least perceivable adoration to any images, or to dead persons; neither to the celestial luminaries, nor evil spirits, nor any created being whatsoever. They are utter strangers to all the gestures practiced by the pagans in their religious rites.” Ibid p.20
3) “The Germans among them, frequently say “Yah-yah”, as an affirmative, they call them Yah-yah Algeh, Those of the blasphemous speech’; which strongly hints to us, that they still retained a glimpse of the third moral command delivered at Sinai.” Ibid p.70
4) They “observed a weekly sabbath”. Ibid p. 79 [This Sabbath is the seventh-day, as the Cherokee observe and many Seminole, the same day which Jews observed]
5) When they go to war they always carried their “sacred ark” with them! Ibid p. 162
6) They rejoiced “at the appearance of the new moon.” Ibid p. 20
7) They “observed a year of jubilee”! Ibib p. 226
8) They used the word “HalleluYah” in their religious gatherings etc.
James Adair, throughout his book, notes the set-apart name used by these American Indians as Yo He Wah. Josiah Priest, in his book American Antiquities p. 76 bears out that this was from the Choctaw and Florida Indians.

Excerpted from Yahushua @ http://www.yahushua.net/YAHUWAH/chapter_13.htm

“The words of the prophets cannot be held to the tentative and defective tests that men have devised for them. Science, philosophy, and common sense all have a right to their day in court. But the last word does not lie with them. Every time men in their wisdom have come forth with the last word, other words have promptly followed. The last word is a testimony of the gospel that comes only by direct revelation. Our Father in heaven speaks it, and if it were in perfect agreement with the science of today, it would surely be out of line with the science of tomorrow. Let us not, therefore, seek to hold God to the learned opinions of the moment when he speaks the language of eternity.” Hugh Nibley

Why is finding “Lamanite” DNA in the America’s Important? By Rod Meldrum

Since the Book of Mormon record is a true literal historical record, then one would think we should be able to find some evidence in the genetic record to that effect, as the Book itself testifies that…

The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.” (Book of Mormon | Mormon 1:7)

This clearly indicates that this is not some small obscure village tucked neatly away in a remote location unknown to scientists, but rather that they literally covered the face of the land.

This being the case, even with admixture from their contemporary Asian civilizations of the time, who also inhabited the America’s, it seems logical that there would be some evidence for this great and mighty people.

You will see below there is abundant evidence that North America was home to millions of people of the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures.

What is the Problem with those who say there is no DNA Evidence? By Rod Meldrum

The problem is twofold. The anti-Mormon documentary producers were premature in their conclusions regarding DNA studies in the America’s as the research was not yet complete at the time of the release of their video. The second problem is that in order for DNA to be found relating to Book of Mormon people, we must be sure that we are looking for it in the correct location.  What chance is there of finding supportive DNA or any other physical evidence for the truth of The Book of Mormon if we are looking for it in the wrong place?

Here is something also very prophetic:

When the Winter Olympic games were held in Salt Lake City in 2002, President Gordon B. Hinckley was asked by a reporter if he had a comment about the lack of DNA evidence for the Book of Mormon. He simply responded that all the information wasn’t in yet. Eleven years later, in 2013, National Geographic Magazine published an article titled: “Great Surprise”—Native Americans Have West Eurasian Origins.”

The article presents data on a genome found that is related to present-day western Eurasian populations and modern Native Americans, not from East Asia—historically a puzzling finding. (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131120-science-native-american-people-migration-siberia-genetics/)

In the article, ancient DNA researcher Eske Willerslev, of the University of Copenhagen,Denmark. stated: “This [DNA] study changes this idea because it shows that a significant minority of Native American ancestry actually derives not from East Asia but from a people related to present-day western Eurasians.” Willerslev also said: “It’s approximately one-third of the genome, and that is a lot,” he added. “So in that regard I think it’s changing quite a bit of the history” – Published November 22, 2013.” Rodney Meldrum

More DNA Sources from Bruce H. Porter

“. . . haplogroup A is extremely common among Eskimo/Aleut…tribes…Haplogroup B is extremely common in the American Southwest… Haplogroup D while present throughout the New World, is the least common of the four haplogroups. American Journal of Physical Anthropology: 110:271-284, 1999. The four founding Haplogroups, A, B, C, and D, are of Asian origin.

“The new data from a genetic marker called Lineage X, suggest a “definite link between Eurasians and Native Americans,” Says Theodore Schurr, a molecular anthropologist from Emory University in Atlanta…” “Now a new genetic study may link Native Americans and people of Europe and the Middle East…” Science, Vol. 280, Issue 5363, 24 April 1998

“Iraqi Jews are Jews who were born or whose parents or grandparents were born in Iraq; Jewish tradition places the origin of this community in the exile following the destruction of the first temple in 586 B.C.” America Journal of Human Genetics, Vol 70:14111420, 2002.

“Haplogroup X is remarkable in that it has not been found in Asians, including Siberians, suggesting that it may have come to the Americas via a Eurasian migration. The virtual absence of haplogroup X in eastern and northern Asia raises the possibility that some American Indian founders were of European Ancestry. In that case, as it has been proposed, haplogroup X was brought to America by the eastward migration of an ancestral white population, of which no trace has so far been found in the mtDNA gene pool of modern Siberian/eastern Asian populations. Am. J. Human Genet. 69:237 241, 2001

Wallace’s (geneticist) newest 241, 2001 and most surprising discovery is a set of genetic markers found only in the Ojibwa and other tribes living near the Great Lakes; found in any other native Americans or is Asia the markers are not “We just don’t know how it got there . . .but it’s clearly related to the European Population. The simple answer would be that the DNA arrived with European colonists, but the strain is different enough from the existing European lineage that it must have left the Old World long before Columbus. U.S. News and World Report, Vol. 130 Issue 4, P. 34, January 29, 2001

“Haplogroup X has now been reported contemporary members of seven specific unrelated language families which are distributed throughout …the geographic regions of the Canadian Subarctic/Great region confirming its legitimacy as a haplogroup…” American Journal of Physical Anthropology, founding 110:271284, 1999.

“It is notable that X2 includes the two complete Native American X sequences…” “Origin and Diffusion of mtDNA Haplogroup X” “Finally, phylogeography of the subclades of haplogroup X. American Journal of Human Genetics 73:1178 1190, 2003

“Finally, phylogeography of the subclades of haplogroup X suggests that the 1190, 2003 Near East is the likely geographical source for the spread of subhaplogroup X2, . . . The presence of a daughter clade in northern Native Americans testifies to the range of this population expansion.” “Origin and Diffusion of mtDNA Haplogroup X” American Journal of Human Genetics 73:1178 source

X2a mtDNA – Ojibwe Origins in North America, Canada, Galilee

Researching the ancient origins of Haplogroup X2a, maternal DNA

Maps showing the Distribution and concentrated areas of X2a mtDNA (Maternal DNA Haplogroup) in the Ojibwe of North American and the Galilean Druze in present day Israel : Centred in and around Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in Canada, and the area between Mt Carmel and the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

Ojibwe (X2a mtDNA) : are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the second-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree. In the United States, they had the fourth-largest population among Native American tribes, surpassed only by Navajo, Cherokee and the Lakota. Because many Ojibwe were historically formerly located mainly around the outlet of Lake Superior, which the French colonists called Sault Ste. Marie, they referred to the Ojibwe as Saulteurs. Ojibwe who subsequently moved to the prairie provinces of Canada have retained the name Saulteaux. Ojibwe who were originally located about the Mississagi River and made their way to southern Ontario are known as the Mississaugas.

The Ojibwe peoples are a major component group of the Anishinaabe-speaking peoples, a branch of the Algonquian language family which includes the Algonquin, Nipissing, Oji-Cree, Odawa and the Potawatomi. The Ojibwe peoples number over 56,440 in the U.S., living in an area stretching across the northern tier from Michigan west to Montana. Another 77,940 of main-line Ojibwe; 76,760 Saulteaux and 8,770 Mississaugas, in 125 bands, live in Canada, stretching from western Quebec to eastern British Columbia.[citation needed] They are historically known for their crafting of birch bark canoes, sacred birch bark scrolls, use of cowrie shells for trading, cultivation of wild rice, and use of copper arrow points. In 1745 they adopted guns from the British to use to defeat and push the Dakota nation of the Sioux to the south.

Galilean Druze (X2a mtDNA): are centered in the following areas of Northern Israel.
(Population figures and percentage of overall population):

The Galilee
Daliyat al-Karmel (15,000 – 96.9%)
Yirka (14,750 – 98.9%)
Maghar (11,600 – 57.8%)
Beit Jann (10,600 – 99.8%)
Isfiya (8,500 – 80%)
Kisra-Sumei (7,000 – 94.5%)
Julis (5,700 – 100%)
Yanuh-Jat (5,300 – 100%)
Hurfeish (5,250 – 95.8%)
Shefa-‘Amr (5,150 – 14.1%)
Peki’in (4,150 – 76.5%)
Sajur (3,700 – 100%)
Abu Sinan (3,450 – 27.6%)
Rameh (2,200 – 30.4%)

In the Golan Heights:
Majdal Shams (9,700 – 99.9%)
Buq’ata (5,900 – 99.8%)
Mas’ade (3,100 – 99.9%)
Ein Qiniyye (1,735 – 98.9%)

Source

“It is very difficult for us to communicate to the churches all that God has revealed to us, in consequence of tradition; for we are differently situated from any other people that ever existed upon this earth; consequently those former revelations cannot be suited to our conditions; they were given to other people, who were before us; but in the last days, God was to call a remnant, in which was to be deliverance, as well as in Jerusalem and Zion. Now if God should give no more revelations, where will we find Zion and this remnant? The time is near when desolation is to cover the earth, and then God will have a place of deliverance in His remnant, and in Zion.” —Joseph Smith, Jr.

“The True Seers of God”

Rian Nelson
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“The True Seers of God”

All of us who chose to come to earth also have an opportunity to become a “True Seer of God.” As Brigham Young has asked, are we “able to withstand all of the false deceptions of the devil?” Have we rejected God and His Holy Priesthood? What would it be like for every worthy person to have a seer stone or an opportunity to see all in the past, present, and future? I look at it as a blessing to live for.

“Joseph Smith, Jr. said, every man who lived on the earth was entitled to a seer stone, and should have one, but they are kept from them in consequence of their wickedness.” – Prophet Brigham Young, “History of Brigham Young,” Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, v. 26, February 20, 1864

Joseph F. Smith also said, “These peep-stone men and women are inspired by the devil, and are the real witches” Make sure we understand the difference!

“The power of seership is one of the greatest gifts ever given to man; and the time is not far distant when every man who bears the Priesthood will be a seer. But it can only be when men have proved themselves able to withstand all of the false deceptions of the devil. Today the powers of crystal ball gazers, astrologers, ouija boards, etc., are abounding because men have forsaken or rejected the true seers of God. Thousands of people seek unto ‘wizards who peep and mutter’ etc., but they will not seek unto the living God. I can say to all the inhabitants of the earth that before what is called spiritualism was ever known in America, I told the people that if they would not believe the revelations that God had given, He would suffer the devil to give revelations that they–priests and people would follow after. .  . I told the people that as true as God lived, if they would not have the truth they would have error sent to them, and they would believe it.”  (Brigham Young, Des. News, June 18, 1871, p. 308) (See Revelation 2:17 and D&C 130:11)

“The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim. This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s. Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known; And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.” D&C 130:9-11

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“Brigham Young tells us a great thing. “I told the people that if they would not believe the revelations that God had given, He would suffer the devil to give revelations that they–priests and people would follow after. .  . I told the people that as true as God lived, if they would not have the truth they would have error sent to them, and they would believe it.” It seems at many times we seek revelations from any source. We just want answers and we don’t take the time to determine which revelations come from God and which ones come from Satan. Our impatience and lack of faith in the Lord’s timing may be our downfall.

Once we receive revelation it is imperative to determine if that was meant just for you, just for your family or for someone to help them. We will not receive a revelation outside of our stewardship. This becomes the cause of great harm when we listen to others who have a great experience and misunderstand it, or the one giving the experience embellishes the story and makes money from publishing it to the world. Bruce R. McConkie as I recall said, “Them that know don’t tell, and them that tell, don’t know.” The Lord wants us to learn how to keep spiritual secrets sacred, as in the Temple.

SUPERSTITIOUS PRACTICES

by Joseph F. Smith. Improvement Era

Joseph F. Smith

“It was no uncommon thing for people of eastern nations, almost from time immemorial, to profess to hold communication with the spirit world through the medium of superstitious practices. There were magical formulae, lucky and unlucky days, incantations, horoscopes, and various other devices, and superstitious rites and practices through which magicians, astrologers, soothsayers, divines, wizards, witches, sorcerers, necromancers, conjurers, and enchanters, played upon the ignorance of their victims. It is, of course, impossible to tell what the secrets of their practices were, but it is safe to say that the power of a strong and cunning will over a weak one, was uppermost in their deceptions. The Children of Israel were forbidden to believe in these various classes of superstition, heathenism and idolatry, for they tended to draw men’s minds from God, the true source of knowledge and power. Says Isaiah: “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” They were forbidden to seek wizards that “peep and mutter,” but were commanded to obey the law and the testimony of the prophets.

One would think that in the day in which we live the belief in witches and witchcraft no more exists, and that the counsel given to ancient Israel in this respect would be unnecessary to the Latter-day Saints, but apparently this is not the case. Word comes from a northern stake of Zion which indicates that in a certain settlement the belief in these things is fairly rampant, and a great deal of trouble and unnecessary annoyance have been given to the authorities of the stake and ward because of this absurd belief entertained by certain foolish old men and women of the ward.

It is needless to assert that to those who are intelligent, and not bound by old notions and superstitions, there is no truth in what people call witchcraft. Men and women who come under the influence of a belief therein are bewitched by their own foolish- ness, and are led astray by pretenders and mischief-makers who “peep and mutter.” It is really astonishing that there should be any to believe in these absurdities. No man or woman who enjoys the Spirit of God and the influence and power of the holy priesthood can believe in these superstitious notions; and those who do, will lose, indeed have lost, the influence of the Spirit of God and of the priesthood, and are become subject to the witchery of Satan, who is constantly striving to draw away the Saints from the true way, if not by the dissemination of such nonsense, then by other insidious methods.

One individual can not place an affliction upon another in the way that these soothsayers would have the people believe. It is a trick of Satan to deceive men and women, and to draw them away from the Church and from the influence of the Spirit of God, and the power of his holy priesthood, that they may be destroyed. These peep-stone men and women are inspired by the devil, and are the real witches, if any such there be. Witchcraft, and all kindred evils, are solely the creations of the superstitious imaginations of men and women who are steeped in ignorance, and derive their power over people from the devil, and those who submit to this influence are deceived by him. Unless they repent, they will be destroyed. There is absolutely no possibility for a person who enjoys the Holy Spirit of God to even believe that such influences can have any effect upon him. The enjoyment of the Holy Spirit is absolute proof against all influences of evil; you never can obtain that Spirit by seeking diviners, and men and women who “peep and mutter.” That is obtained by imposition of hands by the servants of God, and retained by right living. If you have lost it, repent and return to God, and for your salvation’s sake and for the sake of your children, avoid the emissaries of Satan who “peep and mutter,” and who would lead you down to darkness and death.

It is impossible for anyone possessing the spirit of the gospel and having the power of the holy priesthood to believe in or be influenced by any power of necromancy.

Joseph F. Smith in the Sacred Grove

My advice to the Saints is to so live that they may have the Spirit and influence of the Lord with them; for, having that influence, it is a wall of protection against all powers of evil that may seek an inroad into their hearts and thoughts. The possession of the Holy Spirit is a sure defense against evil thoughts, superstitions, ignorance, and the follies and machinations of evil disposed men and women. Every Latter-day Saint should so conduct himself that he may enjoy this Spirit, and there will be no danger of his being led away by the foolish nonsense that ignorance and superstition seek to implant in the minds of people concerning the existence of witches and witchcraft.

There is no danger to anyone in so-called witchcraft itself; the evil effect lies in the belief therein. The person who believes injures himself through fear and belief; no other person has power to injure him; it is himself who injures himself through the superstition of his own mind. In the Sandwich Islands this superstitious belief was very prevalent, years ago. They call it pule anaana, or the prayer of sorcery. It was no uncommon thing for a person who became beset with the thought that he was being “prayed to death” actually to wither away, and die. I knew a good woman, wife of a leading native Latter-day Saint whom I often visited, who one day became very ill. I asked what was the matter. She said she was being “prayed to death,” and she was actually seriously ill, and getting ready to die; so great was her fear and faith in what some evil-designing, but in himself impotent, person, had whispered about her. I told her it was all wrong, that she must not believe it; it was impossible; she must believe, on the contrary, that she would live, and be well. I labored with her in this way for some time, and she finally believed and was restored, and such nonsense never had power over her again. It was not so with a young native cook whom the missionaries employed. Some of the jealous natives, one day when we were off on a visit, brought him word that be was being “prayed to death,” and it so frightened him, and so great was his belief in this superstition, that he died within a week, and we were without a cook when we returned.

As Israel of old were enjoined to obey the law and the testimony given to them by Moses, so the Latter-day Saints are commanded to turn to the gospel law restored anew to them, and to live so that they may enjoy the Holy Spirit of promise. A sentiment against belief in the power of witchcraft, and all other evil things should be cherished among the Latter-day Saints, for persons who believe or express faith therein are in danger of losing the Spirit of God, and of f lacing themselves under the influence of the adversary whose footsteps lead to death.”

Joseph F. Smith. Improvement Era 5 (September 1902): 897,

“President Joseph F. Smith also weighed in on this divisive and pivotal discussion: no man or woman who enjoys the Spirit of God and the influence and power of the holy Priesthood can believe in these superstitious notions, and those who do, will lose, indeed have lost, the influence of the Spirit of God and of the Priesthood, and are become subject to the witchery of Satan . . . These peepstone-men and women are inspired by the devil . . . “ Improvement Era 5 (September 1902): 897, https://archive.org/details/improvementera0511unse/ page/896; emphasis added

The Sacred Ark of the Priesthood

Rian Nelson
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The Sacred Ark of the Priesthood

Personal Cults

“Have you noticed there are more and more people in the world who have been left to their own senses and take it upon themselves to be their own god or their own leader, or a member of their own cult?

Man has a tendency to want to find someone that they can idolize in the short term and then conquer or put down that person they idolized and take over his so called congregation.

See today the Rock Stars, Politicians, Sports Heroes, Dancers, Mathematicians, Scientists, Professors, Hollywood Celebrities’ and on and on. They all want to be the best in their field and if there is no God in the way, they can one day become the best in their little haven of happiness. Who wants God around to spoil our party? Why should we listen to Him and so they pretend God is not real. Satan encourages them to do anything, right or wrong so they have no one to answer to, so the evil in the world is climbing rapidly.

One other thing I have noticed is there are many great people in this world who are doing everything they can to follow God and love Him. They may call this a spiritual manifestation, or consciousness, or Father, or Christ, or my conscious, or someone whom I have an interconnectedness with, but they see God as something good that will lead them. I think we members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a special calling to be sure and have all people whether good, evil, righteous, wrong or on the wrong track, teach them who the real Lord and Savior is and that His Book of Mormon is true. That opportunity is coming soon to spread that message to parts of the world never before reached in, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran and Israel. Won’t that be a wonderful opportunity?

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Ark of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

D&C 85:7. Why Are Individuals Still Claiming to Be the “One Mighty and Strong”?

Some modern people have created cults of their own, and among them are those who attempt to take refuge in section 85 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

“They endeavor to say that the Church has gone astray, that the leaders are no longer inspired, and that ‘one mighty and strong’ is needed to take over the affairs of the Lord. And without any evidence of modesty whatsoever on their parts, they themselves volunteer for the position.” (Mark E. Petersen, in Conference Report, Apr. 1973, p. 159; or Ensign, July 1973, p. 110.)

Such people become guilty of the very thing this scripture warns against: they take it upon themselves to “steady the ark” (see Notes and Commentary for D&C 85:8). https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-85-those-who-put-their-hands-to-steady-the-ark?lang=eng

D&C 85:8. What Does It Mean to “Steady the Ark of God”?

This phrase refers to an incident during the reign of King David in ancient Israel. The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant in battle but returned it when they were struck by plagues (see 1 Samuel 4–6). David and the people later brought the ark to Jerusalem in an ox cart, driven by Uzzah and Ahio. “And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6–7; see vv. 1–11). The ark was the symbol of God’s presence, His glory and majesty. When first given to Israel, the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and not even the priest was allowed to approach it. Only the high priest, a type of Christ, could approach it, and then only after going through an elaborate ritual of personal cleansing and propitiation for his sins. The scriptures teach that no unclean thing can dwell in God’s presence (see Moses 6:57). His presence is like a consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29). Those who bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean (see D&C 133:5).

However well-meaning Uzziah’s intentions, he approached casually what could only be approached under the strictest conditions. He had no faith in God’s power. He assumed that the ark was in danger, forgetting that it was the physical symbol of the God who has all power. We cannot presume to save God and His kingdom through our own efforts.

“Uzzah’s offence consisted in the fact that he had touched the ark with profane feelings, although with good intentions, namely to prevent its rolling over and falling from the cart. Touching the ark, the throne of the divine glory and visible pledge of the invisible presence of the Lord, was a violation of the majesty of the holy God. ‘Uzzah was therefore a type of all who with good intentions, humanly speaking, yet with unsanctified minds, interfere in the affairs of the kingdom of God, from the notion that they are in danger, and with the hope of saving them’ (O.V. Gerlach).” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, bk. 2: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, “Second Book of Samuel,” p. 333.)

This concept can be a difficult one to understand and obey. By the flesh we mostly feel Uzzah is justified because he wants to save and prevent physical damages to the ark. However the higher law is to not worry about the earthly things and realize that God already has a Spiritual plan to save the Ark or the Church or even our soul.

In modern revelation the Lord referred to this incident to teach the principle that the Lord does not need the help of men to defend his kingdom (see D&C 85:8). Yet even today there are those who fear the ark is tottering and presume to steady its course. There are those who are sure that women are not being treated fairly in the Church, those who would extend some unauthorized blessing, or those who would change the established doctrines of the Church. These are ark-steadiers. The best intentions do not justify such interference with the Lord’s plan. President David O. McKay said:

“It is a little dangerous for us to go out of our own sphere and try unauthoritatively to direct the efforts of a brother. You remember the case of Uzzah who stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. (See I Chron. 13:7–10.) He seemed justified, when the oxen stumbled, in putting forth his hand to steady that symbol of the covenant. We today think his punishment was very severe. Be that as it may, the incident conveys a lesson of life. Let us look around us and see how quickly men who attempt unauthoritatively to steady the ark die spiritually. Their souls become embittered, their minds distorted, their judgments faulty, and their spirits depressed. Such is the pitiable condition of men who, neglecting their own responsibilities, spend their time in finding fault with others.” (McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 258.)

President John Taylor observed:

“We have more or less of the principles of insubordination among us. But there is a principle associated with the kingdom of God that recognizes God in all things, and that recognizes the priesthood in all things, and those who do not do it had better repent or they will come to a stand very quickly; I tell you that in the name of the Lord. Do not think you are wise and that you can manage and manipulate the priesthood, for you cannot do it. God must manage, regulate, dictate, and stand at the head, and every man in his place. The ark of God does not need steadying, especially by incompetent men without revelation and without knowledge of the kingdom of God and its laws. It is a great work that we are engaged in, and it is for us to prepare ourselves for the labor before us, and to acknowledge God, his authority, his law and his priesthood in all things.” (Taylor, Gospel Kingdom, p. 166.)

David O. McKay warned that unauthorized individuals who attempt to “steady the ark” die spiritually.

THE SACRED CHEROKEE ARK

by Danny (Deni Uguku” Troxell, Bird Clan, a Thunderbolt Cherokee descendant orf Cornblossom. Click here to visit his Aniyuntikwalaski (People of the Lightning and Thunder aka Chickamauga Cheerokee) website

Ta-Ka-E-Tuh said his people had very greatly degenerated from what they were in his early youth: and that many of the observances now kept up had been desecrated from solemn religious rites into mere scenes of revelry. The cause of this, as he said, was the capture, of the Delawares, of their religious deposit, (the interpreter called it the ark,) which contained the symbols of their worship. I inquired what were these symbols? He either could not, or would not, tell me. I feared they might be something like idols, … but he assured me the Cherokees had never worshipped idols, or any visible representation of God. When I told him of the nations that worshipped idols, he said they must be fools.

Reminiscences of the Indians, Cephas Washburn, 1869

But their (Hebrews) modes and objects of worship, differed very widely from those of the Americans (Cherokees) … p170

They are such strict observers of the law of purification, and think it so essential in obtaining health and success in war as not to allow the best beloved trader that ever lived among them, even to enter the beloved ground, appropriated to the religious duty of being sanctified for war; much less to associate with the camp in the woods, though he went (as I have known it to happen) on the same war design; – they oblige him to walk and encamp separate and by himself, as an impure and dangerous animal, till the leader has purified him, according to their usual time and method, with the consecrated things of the ark…

The Indian ark is of a very simple construction, and it is only the intention and application of it, that makes it worthy of notice; for it is made with pieces of wood securely fashioned together in the form of a square. The middle of three of the sides extend a little out, but one side is flat, for the conveniency of the person’s back who carries it. Their ark has a cover and the whole is made impenetrably close with Hickory splinters; the leader, and a beloved waiter, carry it by turns. It contains several consecrated vessels, made by super annuated (ghi ga hu) women, and of such various antiquated forms, as would have puzzled Adam to give significant names to each. The leader and his attendant, are purified longer than the rest of the company, that the first may be fit to act in the religious office of a priest of war, and the other to carry the awful sacred ark. All the while they are at war, the Hessitu, or “beloved waiter” feeds each of the warriors by an exact stated rule, giving them even the water they drink, out of his own hands, lest by intemperance they should spoil the supposed communicative power of their holy things, and occasion fatal disasters to the war camp. In speaking of the Indian places of refuge for the unfortunate, I observed, that if a captive taken by the reputed power of the beloved things of the ark, should be able to make his escape into one of these towns, or even into the winter house of the Archi-magus, he is delivered from the fiery torture, otherwise inevitable. It is also highly worthy of notice, that they never place the ark on the ground, nor sit on the bare earth while they are carrying it against the enemy. On hilly ground where stones are plenty, they place it on them: but in level land upon short logs, always resting themselves on like materials. Formerly, when this tract was the Indian Flanders of America, as the French and all their red Canadian confederates were bitter enemies to the inhabitants, we often saw the woods full of such religious war- reliques. p 168-169

…their strict purity in their war camps; that Opae, “the leader”, obliges all during the first campaign they make with the beloved ark, to stand, every day they lie by, from sun-rise to sun-set and after a fatiguing day’s march, and with scanty allowance, to drink warm water imbitttered with rattle-snake-root very plentifully, in order to be purified – that they have also as strong a faith of the power and holiness of their ark as the Israelites ascribing the superior success of the party to their stricter adherence to the law then the other and after they returned home hang it on the leaders war pole. p170

The ark is said to be so sacred and dangerous to be touched, either by their own, sanctified warriors, or the spoiling enemy, that they durst not touch it for any reason. It is not to be meddled with by anyone except the war chief and his waiter under the penalty of incurring great evil. Nor would the most inveterate enemy touch it in the woods for the same reason. If their war expedition failed then they said it was because of the vicious conduct of some of the followers of the beloved ark… p170

*A gentleman who was at the Ohio, in the year 1756, assured me he saw a stranger there very importunate to view the inside of the Cherokee ark, which was covered with a drest deerskin and placed on a couple of short blocks. An Indian sentinel watched it armed with a hickory bow and the brass pointed arrows and he was faithful to his trust for finding the stranger obtruding to pollute the supposed sacred vehicle, he drew an arrow to the head and would have shot him through the body had he not suddenly withdrawn; the interpreter, when asked by the gentleman what it contained, told him there was nothing in it but a bundle of conjuring traps. p170

When they have finished their fast and purifications, they set off, at the fixed time, be it fair or foul, firing their guns, whooping, and hallooing, as they march. The war-leader (savanoko) goes first, carrying the holy ark: he (or she) soon strikes up the awful and solemn song … The rest follow in one line … now and then sounding the war whoo-whoop, to make the war-leader’s song the more striking …” Adair’s History of the American Indian, James Adair, London 1775

Buttrick: Antiquities p.12- refers to the ark being covered with a deerskin “to be set up when they rested and carried when they journeyed.”

Note added by a 7th great grandson of The war-leader Savanoko:

It was the ONLY duty of the Cherokee Oukah to travel to each Cherokee town annually and to read The Law contained in The Ark. He only wore white, lived in a stone house, traveled in a sedan chair wherever he went, and his feet were never allowed to touch the ground… all indicating that he observed ritual purity from corpse contamination which was required of a levitical priest. http://americancherokeeassociation.com/cherokee-hebrew-roots-connection/cherokee-ark.htm

Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of antiquity. The story of the sacred ark is familiar to many, yet the enigmatic subject is seldom discussed or dissected by the modern theologians of religious studies.

What Is The Ark of the Covenant?
(from Wikipedia.com)

The Ark of the Covenant (Hebrew: אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית‎ ʾĀrôn Habbərît, modern pron. Aron Habrit), also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in the Book of Exodus as containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. According to some traditional interpretations of the Book of Exodus, Book of Numbers, and the Letter to the Hebrews, the Ark also contained Aaron’s rod, a jar of manna and the first Torah scroll as written by Moses; however, the first of the Books of Kings says that at the time of King Solomon, the Ark contained only the two Tablets of the Law. According to the Book of Exodus, the Ark was built at the command of God, in accordance with the instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God was said to have communicated with Moses “from between the two cherubim” on the Ark’s cover.

Where Did The Ark Come From?

According to the Book of Exodus, Yahweh (God) came to Moses during his 40-day stay upon Mount Sinai and instructed him to build a sacred ‘box’ made of shittim wood to house the divine Tablets of Stone, which were the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:20; 24:18). The prophet of Yahweh was given the pattern and furnishings required of the Ark; Moses employed Bezalel and Oholiab to construct the divine chest and built it according to the Creator’s detailed and specific instructions (Exodus 31). The Ark was placed in a special tent known as the Tabernacle, when it was not being carried across the wilderness during the 40 year Hebrew exodus. A description of the Ark can be found in the following chapters of Exodus: 25, 26, 27.

What Was The Purpose of the Ark?

As mentioned above, God instructed Moses to build a sacred box to store the divine Tablets of Stone, that were written by the hand of Yahweh himself, for safe keeping. The Hebrew priests became the vanguard of the Ark, starting with Aaron (brother of Moses) and the first high priest of the Israelite nation. When the Israelites, led by Joshua who was leading the exodus toward the Promised Land, arrived at the banks of the River Jordan, the Ark was carried in the lead preceding the people. During the crossing, the river grew dry as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the Ark touched its waters, and remained so until the priests—with the Ark—left the river after the people had passed over. As a memorial for this great miracle, twelve stones (representing the twelve tribes of Israel) were taken from the River Jordan at the place where the priests had stood (Joshua 3 and 4).

Is this anything unlike the Lord instructing Joseph to have Alvin build him a box to store the Gold Plates, or the Lord having Moroni build a box out of cement to store the plates and the Urim and Thummim in, or a place that the Brother of Jared could hide the plates to be found by Limhi later? That which is sacred is to be protected, or kept out of sight.

According to the narrative of the Battle of Jericho, the Ark was carried around the city once a day for seven (7) days, preceded by the armed men and seven (7) priests sounding seven (7) trumpets of rams’ horns (Joshua 6:4-15). On the seventh day, the priests sounding the trumpets of rams’ horns before the Ark marched around the city seven (7) times and, with a great shout, Jericho’s wall fell down and the Israelites took the city (Joshua 6:16-20).

After the defeat at Ai, Joshua lamented before the Ark (Joshua 7:6-9). When Joshua read the Law to the people between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, they stood on each side of the Ark.

In retrospect, the main purpose of the Ark of the Covenant was to not only protect the Israelites, but for the Israelites to give the respect due to their Great Creator.

Where Was The Ark Located?

After a short stay in Gilgal, the Ark was moved to Shiloh by Joshua, not long after the settlement of the Israelites in Canaan, during Samuel’s apprenticeship (1 Sam. 3:3). The Ark remained in the Tabernacle at Shiloh until the time of Eli, between 300 and 400 years (Jeremiah 7:12), when it was carried into the field of battle. The Ark was taken by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:3-11) who subsequently sent it back after retaining it for seven (7) months (1 Sam. 5:7, 8) because of the unfortunate events said to have transpired. For further information about the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, please visit Philistine captivity of the Ark.

The Philistines, on the advice of their diviners, returned the Ark to the Israelites, accompanying its return with an offering consisting of golden images of the tumors and mice [wherewith they had been afflicted]. The Ark was set in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemesh (1 Samuel 6:1-15). Out of curiosity the men of Beth-shemesh gazed at the Ark; and as a punishment, seventy of them were smitten by the Lord (1 Samuel 6:19). The Bethshemites sent to Kirjath-jearim to have the Ark removed (1 Samuel 6:21); and it was taken to the house of Abinadab, whose son, Eleazar, was sanctified to keep watch over it. Kirjath-jearim remained the abode of the Ark of the Covenant for twenty years. Under Saul, the Ark was with the army before he first met the Philistines, but the king was too impatient to consult it before engaging in battle… hence the capture of the Ark by the Philistines. In 1 Chronicles 13:3 it is stated that the people did consult the Ark in the days of Saul.

During the early reign of King David, he removed the Ark from Kirjath-jearim, but abandoned it before entering Zion. Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart whereon the Ark was carried, put out his hand to steady the Ark, and was smitten by God for touching it. David, in fear, carried the Ark aside into the house of the Obed-edom the Gittite and there it stayed three (3) months (2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13:1-13). When King David learned that God had blessed Obed-edom, he had the Ark brought to Zion by the Levites. The Levites were appointed to minister before the Ark (1 Chronicles 16:4). David’s plan of building a temple for the Ark was halted at the advice of God (2 Sam. 7:1-17; 1 Chron. 17:1-15; 28:2, 3). The Ark was with the army during the siege of Rabbah (2 Sam. 11:11); and, when David fled from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom’s conspiracy, the Ark was carried along with him until he ordered Zadok the priest to return it to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 15:24-29). For further information about the return of the Ark to King David’s possession, please visit: Ark of the Covenant in Zion

King Solomon worshipped before the Ark after his dream in which God promised him wisdom (1 Kings 3:15). During the construction of Solomon’s Temple, a special inner room, named Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies), was prepared to receive and house the Ark (1 Kings 6:19). When the Temple was dedicated, the Ark was placed in the inner holy room (1 Kings 8:6-9) and there it remained for over the next three hundred years. It is written, when the priests emerged from the holy place after placing the Ark there, the Temple was filled with a cloud, “for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chron. 5:13, 14)

What Happened to the Ark?

In 586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple. However, there is no record of what became of the Ark in the Books of Kings and Chronicles. But, the 3rd Book of Ezra (1 Esdras) suggests that the Babylonians:
“…took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, and the ark of God, and the king’s treasures, and carried them away into Babylon.” (1 Esdras 1:54)
In Rabbinic Literature, the final disposition of the Ark is disputed. Some Rabbis hold that it must have been carried off to Babylon, while others claim that it must have been hidden lest it be carried off into Babylon and never brought back. According to the Jewish book of Second Maccabees and the Greek text in the Septuagint, at the beginning of chapter 2:
The records show that it was the prophet Jeremiah who, …. prompted by a divine message … gave orders that the Tent of Meeting and the ark should go with him. Then he went away to the mountain from the top of which Moses saw God’s promised land. When he reached the mountain, Jeremiah found a cave-dwelling; he carried the tent, the ark, and the incense-altar into it, then blocked up the entrance. Some of his companions came to mark out the way, but were unable to find it. When Jeremiah learned of this, he reprimanded them. ‘The place shall remain unknown’, he said, ‘until God finally gathers his people together and shows mercy to them. The Lord will bring these things to light again, and the glory of the Lord will appear with the cloud, as it was seen both in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the shrine might be worthily consecrated.’ (II Maccabees 2:4-8.)
Note: The “mountain from the top of which Moses saw God’s promised land” would be Mount Nebo, located in what is now Jordan.

In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Ark is mentioned in Hebrews 9:4 and Revelation 11:19 and states that the Ark contained “the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.” (Hebrews); and, says the prophet saw God’s temple in heaven opened, “and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.” (Revelation). But it does not enlighten the reader about what actually happened to the Ark.

In Sura 2:248, of the Islamic Qur’an, the Children of Israel, at the time of Samuel and Saul, were given back the Tabut E Sakina (the casket of Shekhinah) which contained remnants of the household of Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) carried by angels which confirmed peace and reassurance for them from their Lord. The Qur’an states:
“And (further) their Prophet said to them: “A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you the Ark of the Covenant, with (an assurance) therein of security (Sakina) from your Lord, and the relics left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. In this is a symbol for you if ye indeed have faith.”
The Islamic scholar Al Baidawi mentioned that the sakina could be Tawrat, the Books of Moses. According to Al-Jalalan, the relics in the Ark were the fragments of the two tablets, rods, robes, shoes, mitres of Moses and the vase of manna. According to most Muslim scholars, the Ark of the Covenant has a deep religious basis in Islam, and Islam gives it special significance. A Shia sect of Muslims believe that it will be found by Mahdi near the Qiyamah (end of times) from Lake Tiberias.

For further information about the Islamic history of the Ark, please visit Qisas Al-Anbiya (The Stories of the Prophets).

Current Theoretical Locations of the Ark…

There are a few nations that claim to possess the Ark of the Covenant today. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, in Axum, not far from the border with Eritrea, claims to hold the Ark of the Covenant, or Tabot. The sacred chest is currently kept under guard in a treasury near the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion and is used [occasionally] in ritual processions. Replicas of the Axum Tabot are kept in every Ethiopian church, each with its own dedication to a particular saint, the most popular of these include Mary, George and Michael.

The Lemba people of South Africa and Zimbabwe have claimed that their ancestors carried the Ark south, calling it the ngoma lungundu (“voice of God”), eventually hiding it in a deep cave in the Dumghe mountains, their spiritual home. On 14 April 2008, in a UK Channel 4 documentary, Tudor Parfitt, taking a literalistic approach to the Biblical story, described the research and theories of his claim. He says that the object described by the Lemba have several attributes similar to the Ark. It was of similar size, was carried on poles by priests, was not allowed to touch the ground, was revered as a voice of their God, and was a weapon of great power used to sweep enemies aside.

In his book, The Lost Ark of the Covenant (2008), Parfitt also suggests that the Ark was taken to Arabia following the events depicted in the Second Book of Maccabees, and cites Arabic sources which maintain it was brought in distant times to Yemen.

French author Louis Charpentier insisted that the Ark was taken to Chartres Cathedral by the Knights Templar. In 2003, author Graham Phillips hypothetically claimed that the Ark was taken to Mount Sinai in the Valley of Edom by the Maccabees. Phillips concluded it remained there until the 1180s, when Ralph de Sudeley, the leader of the Templars found the Maccabean treasure at Jebel al-Madhbah, returned home to his estate at Herdewyke in Warwickshire, England and taking the treasure with him

Several modern authors of recent times have theorised that the Ark was taken from Jerusalem to the village of Rennes-le-Château in Southern France. Karen Ralls has cited Freemason Patrick Byrne, who believes the Ark was moved from Rennes-le-Château at the outbreak of World War I to America

The Ark of the Covenant was said to have been kept in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, surviving the pillages of Rome by Genseric and Alaric I but lost when the basilica burned.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the Book of Jeremiah, it is referenced by the prophet Jeremiah, who [speaking in the days of King Josiah] prophesied a future time, possibly the end of days, when the Ark will no longer be talked about or be made again:
“And it shall be that when you multiply and become fruitful in the land, in those days – the word of the LORD – they will no longer say, ‘The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD’ and it will not come to mind; they will not mention it, and will not recall it, and it will not be used any more.” – Jeremiah 3:16 Rashi comments on this verse that “The entire people will be so imbued with the spirit of sanctity that God’s Presence will rest upon them collectively, as if the congregation itself was the Ark of the Covenant.”

Yet the question still remains… What really happened to the sacred Ark of the Covenant and where is it today?

Read my Blog here for some of the questions and answers below. or a blog here

“In those days when the Cherokee were a God-loving people, living in peace among themselves, they lived as one people, dwelling in half-moon shaped council houses. They had gone from living in caves to living in log-cabins. They still kept the sacred records of metal, some of which had come across the ocean waters with them, and others which they had con­tinued keeping and making, scribing upon them as had been done before by the leaders of the People. They, too, had possession of the Ark of the Covenant, which they also had brought with them from their place of origin, existing across the eastern waters.” A SPECIAL REPORT on the RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE of the CHEROKEE INDIANS By: J. Murray Rawson

“At the site of an ancient city on the West Bank, archaeologists are hunting for evidence of the tabernacle that once housed the Ark of the Covenant.”

“The tabernacle was destroyed by the Philistines in 1050 B.C., Stripling told Fox News, around the same time that they briefly captured the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites in a battle nearby. The Ark, however, was soon back in the hands of the Israelites.”

“While Shiloh’s link to the Ark of the Covenant is fascinating, Stripling notes that it was subsequently housed in a number of locations, where other tabernacles were built. “Later, the tabernacle was set up in other places, but we assume that it was rebuilt, reconstructed.”

D&C 3 with the Urim and Thummim- tells us who the Lamanites are!

Rian Nelson
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D&C 3 with the Urim and Thummim- tells us who the Lamanites are!

Who are the Nephites, Jacobites, & Zoramites and the Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites?

16 Nevertheless, my work shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the testimony of the Jews, even so shall the knowledge of a Savior come unto my people—
17 And to the Nephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers—
18 And this testimony shall come to the knowledge of the Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who dwindled in unbelief because of the iniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their brethren the Nephites, because of their iniquities and their abominations.
19 And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people;
20 And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, D&C 3:16-20

They “among the American Indians and the Polynesians who are mostly the descendants of the Lamanites, is also a sprinkling of the descendants of the Nephites who may have escaped” D&C 3:19 D&C Commentary Page 22

FIRST PRESIDENCY 1923- ABOUT BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHY

The First Presidency in 1923 of Heber J Grant, Charles W. Penrose and Anthony W. Ivins and again in 1950 The Publication Committee of  Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee and Marion G. Romney, assigned by Pres George Albert Smith, approved some historical information from Church History that has much to do with Book of Mormon Geography. The last edition of the commentary was also published in 1978 by Deseret Book and approved by Pres Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney. Other BofM geography items about the Cave at Cumorah and the visit of Nephi to Joseph in the wagon headed to Fayette, are found in my other blog here.

Between 1913 and 1916 Hyrum Smith of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles along with Elder Janne M. Sjodahl articulated a commentary of the Doctrine of Covenants which was approved by these two Presidencies as accurate and approved history as contained in the D&C Commentary of 1923 and 1950.

[The Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary] “A doctrinal and exegetical commentary on the book of scripture, known as the “Doctrine and Covenants” (the “D&C”), sacred to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” The Doctrine and the Covenants Commentary by Hyrum M. Smith (Picture left)

Exegetical Definition:

The message finds its sole source in Scripture. The message is extracted from Scripture through careful exegesis. The message preparation correctly interprets Scripture in its normal sense and its context. The message clearly explains the original God-intended meaning of Scripture. The message applies the Scriptural meaning for today.

The Doctrine and Covenants Containing Revelations Given To Joseph Smith, Jr., The Prophet, with an Introduction and Historical and Exegetical Notes By Hyrum M Smith, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. And Janne M. Sjodahl.

“Commentaries on the Doctrine and Covenants follow the pattern of many biblical commentaries, supplying the historical context, that is, the time, circumstances, and situation of the revelations. In the most recent (1981) edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, headnotes for each section have been added or enlarged, with a brief synopsis of the historical setting. Additional notes and explanations are provided by the various separately published commentaries discussed here. Commentaries written by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are given special consideration. Others are recommended as helps to the membership of the Church to provide historical insight to their study of the scriptures.

An early (1916) and still useful one-volume commentary was written by Hyrum M. Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Janne M. Sjodahl. Doctrine and Covenants Commentary contains the text of the Doctrine and Covenants and gives historical background and commentary for each section. It is extensively footnoted with exegetical notes. The volume was later supplemented and expanded under the direction of Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, and Marion G. Romney of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1950.” Doctrine and Covenants Commentaries Author: Garrett, H. Dean

Preface To the Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary

In the preface to the 1950 Revised Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, we find the following:

“While laboring in the European Missions, Elder Hyrum M. Smith, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and Elder Janne M. Sjodahl, were impressed very fervently with the desire to prepare a commentary dealing with the revelations given by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith. In their odd moments, when not otherwise engaged, during the years 1913-1916, these brethren carried on a careful research and study and prepared this volume which has met with popular favor.

For a number of years, the commentary has been out of circulation, and because of the increasing demand for it, the First Presidency instructed the Publication Committee to take the matter in hand and revise the volume ready for a re-printing. This the committee has done and after many months of labor has fulfilled the assignment given.

Since the time of the first publication many world-wide events of the greatest importance have occurred many of which have a bearing on the fulfillment of the prophecies found in the Doctrine and Covenants; these have been noted. The Doctrine and Covenants is a sacred volume of Scripture, and in the revision and preparation of the book, the members of the committee have felt their weakness in commenting on these sacred commandments and revelations coming from the Lord.”

The Urim and Thummim WAS Returned to Joseph

Most of the Mesoamerican theorists and revisionist historians say that when Joseph had the Urim and Thummim taken from him because of losing the 116 pages, it was never returned and Joseph then used the peep stone. Wrong!

I quote: “During this period Joseph made a short visit to his parents in Manchester, New York, and then returned again to Pennsylvania. “Immediately after my return home,” he recounted, “I was walking out a little distance, when, behold, the former heavenly messenger appeared and handed to me the Urim and Thummim again for it had been taken from me in consequence of my having wearied the Lord in asking for the privilege of letting Martin Harris take the writings, which he lost by transgression and I inquired of the Lord through it, and obtained the following [section 3]” (Smith, History of the Church, 1:21-22).

So in July 1828 Joseph received Section 3 of the D&C as a Revelation with the use of the very Urim and Thummim which had been lost. Why then would Joseph use a peep stone.? He wouldn’t. He received the Urim and Thummim again to continue to translate.

The Lord tells Joseph to continue the translation here. “Nevertheless, it is now restored unto you again; therefore see that you are faithful and continue on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work of translation as you have begun.” D&C 10:3

Annotated Book of Mormon Information about a page 117?

After Joseph finished translating the original Book of Mormon Plates that were found in the stone box, Joseph asked if he should re translate the 116 lost pages and he was told, “Now, behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those writings which you had power given unto you to translate by the means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them. And you also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened. Nevertheless, it is now restored unto you again; therefore see that you are faithful and continue on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work of translation as you have begun. D&C 10:1-3

“And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account— Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained.* And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words. D&C 10:40-42

*Retained: Joseph apparently retained some of what he translated with Martin Harris; i.e., page 117. This may be Words of Mormon 1:12-18, which flow into Mosiah 1. The current Mosiah 1 was originally Mosiah 3; i.e., the first chapter and a half of Mosiah was included on the 116 pages that were stolen.” Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page xxxi (Also, see Appendix, “Two Sets of Plates,” p. 557.) Blog here

Quotes from D&C Commentary 1950

D&C Sec 3:19 Page 22 Commentary

The First Presidency in 1923 of Heber J Grant, Charles W. Penrose and Anthony W. Ivins and again in 1950 The Publication Committee of Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee and Marion G. Romney, assigned by Pres George Albert Smith, approved some historical information from Church History that has much to do with Book of Mormon Geography. The last edition of the commentary was also published in 1978 by Deseret Book and approved by Pres Spencer W. Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney.

Notice what D&C 3:19 says: “And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people;”

Notice what the Commentary from these inspired Prophets says:

(See Left) 19. For this very purpose) The Book of Mormon plates were preserved and translated in order that all these should be brought to a knowledge of the Savior. It may be concluded, then, that among the American Indians and the Polynesians who are mostly the descendants of the Lamanites, is also a sprinkling of the descendants of the Nephites who may have escaped the general destruction. D&C Sec 3 page 22 Doctrine and Covenants Commentary by Sjodahl and Smith

So the plates were preserved and translated in order that the Lamanites should be brought to a knowledge of the Savior and we understand that among the American Indians, not the South American or the Central American Indians, but the “American Indians” which lived right in the area of the Heartland during the restoration, were Lamanites.

Who were some of the Lamanites?. Those in the Pacific among the Maori’s.

Mormon missionaries in Māori village

“Polynesians are descendants of Lehi and blood relatives of the American Indians.” Peterson, Mark E., General Conference, April 1962.

“I would like to say to you brethren and sisters from New Zealand, you are some of Hagoth’s people, and there is no perhaps about it!” Joseph F. Smith As written in Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,

“The best known and most important prophecy, as far as most New Zealand members of the Church are concerned, is that from Paora Potangaroa. In March 1881, Elder Matthew Cowley reported, a large convention was held among the Ngatikahungunu tribe. Many Maori chiefs assembled at Te Ore Ore, near Masterton, to discuss political, social, and religious problems. The established churches were well represented, but the chiefs shared a feeling of discontent about the lack of unity among them. Why, the natives asked, were there so many different churches within the bounds of Christianity?

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Kamariera Te Hau Takiri Wharepapa

Which one should the Maoris join so that unity could again be restored among them? After considerable debate and discussion, the chiefs decided to place the questions—specifically “Which of the churches is the church for the Maori race? Which of them should we join?”—before the most respected and wisest chief among them. This was Potangaroa, who, when asked the questions, answered with one word, “Taihoa,” which means “wait.” He retired to his own home and meditated, fasted, and prayed about the problem for three days. When he returned to the convention, he addressed his people, saying: “My friends, the church for the Maori people has not yet come among us. You will recognize it when it comes. Its missionaries will travel in pairs. They will come from the rising sun. They will visit with us in our homes. They will learn our language and teach us the gospel in our own tongue. When they pray they will raise their right hands.”Potangaroa then asked Ranginui Kingi to write his words as he continued to answer the questions which had been put to him. He called the transcription of his words “A covenant for remembering the hidden words which were revealed by the Spirit of Jehovah to Paora Potangaroa.” We again quote from Elder Cowley, who translated the document:

“First, this is the day of the fulness (1881).” Brother Cowley points out that later that year the fulness of the gospel was taken to the Maoris. Actually, President Bromley and his colleagues first visited a Maori village, Orakei, on March 6, 1881, ten days before the “covenant” was given to the Maoris at Te Ore Ore. “Second, the year 1882 would be the year of the ‘sealing’ (or the year they would learn the sealing ordinances). Third, the year 1883 will be the year of ‘the honoring’—of ‘great faith’—as it is written: ‘render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.’ (Rom. 13:7)” In that year the Maoris began to honor the true God by rendering their dues to him and entering The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the Ngatikahungunu tribe, especially, began to enter the Church in large numbers. The Te Ore Ore Branch was organized on December 16, 1883.The document concludes in these words: “This covenant is to be remembered by the generations which follow after us. And the fruits of that which is set forth above [in the covenants] are—we are the lost sheep of the House of Israel. [We will learn of] the scepter of Judah; of Shilo; of the king of peace; of the day of judgment; of the kingdom of heaven; of the sacred church with a large wall surrounding; of the increase of the race; of faith, love, peace, patience, judgment, unity. All this plan will be fulfilled by the people of Ngatikahungunu Tribe during the next forty years. “March 16, 1881Ranginui Kingi ”New Era 1981 by by R. Lanier BritschSee my blog here:https://www.bofm.blog/maoris-you-are-some-of-hagoths…/

Proof of the Existence of the Plates and the Urim and Thummim

D&C Sec 5 Page 30 

(See bottom of picture right) “31. Except Thou do this] Unless the Prophet followed the instructions here given, the plates and the sacred instrument would be taken from him.

This is a remarkable Revelation. It furnishes an irrefutable proof that the Prophet Joseph actually had the plates. He promised that Martin Harris, on certain conditions, which he could easily comply with, should obtain a view of them. Such a promise, if the records had not been in existence, would have been impossible to redeem. It would have been mere buffoonery. The fraud would have been detected at once. The promise was repeated a few months later (Sec 17) to two more witnesses. Joseph had the plates and the Urim and Thummim, and this Revelation proves the truth of that assertion.” D&C Sec 5 Page 30 

A Clear Message- NO SEER STONE

“Cowdery Wrote the Entire Book (Save a few pages)…by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by that Book, ’Holy Interpreters‘…”

D&C 6 Page 32-33

“According to his own statement at Council Bluffs on October 21st, 1848, Oliver Cowdery wrote the entire Book (save a few pages) as the words fell from the lips of the Prophet, “as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by that Book, ’holy interpreters.’” So that the testimony of Oliver Cowdery was as firm in 1848, two years before his death as it was in 1829, when he first accepted the gospel, although he had been outside the Church for eleven years. When Joseph and Oliver had been engaged on the Book of Mormon a few days, this Revelation was received.” So section 6 of the D&C was also received through the Urim and Thummim along with many other sections.

This is proof itself that Joseph could not only translate using the gift and power of God using the Urim and Thummim, but he did receive revelation as well. If you also look at section 7 in the preface it says, “Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself.” D&C 7: Preface. It says “they inquired“, did Oliver and Joseph both see this revelation using the Urim and Thummin? Who knows!

In the preface to the Original Edition, we find the following:

Before laying aside the pen, I may be permitted to express my grateful acknowledgment of the services rendered by Elder Orson F. Whitney and Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Council of the Twelve, who, together with Elder Hyrum M. Smith, carefully read the manuscript of this Commentary before it was given to the printer; also to Elder George F. Richards, of the Council of the Twelve and President of the European mission, and to Elders John E. Cottam, George F. Richards, Jr., and Junius F. Wells, fellow-laborers int he British mission, for most valuable assistance.

Liverpool, May 1, 1919. J. M. Sjodahl.

Janne M. Sjodahl Deseret News Press, 1923, 1932. Reprinted in 1950, 1951, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1971, 1978.

Remember several other BofM geography items about the Cave at Cumorah and the visit of Nephi to Joseph in the wagon headed to Fayette, are found in my other blog here. A North American Setting fot the Book of Mormon is everywhere.

“Certain lands were given to Israel for an inheritance in time and in eternity. America is the land of Joseph; it was the home of Nephite Israel, who were of Joseph, for a thousand years, and it is the headquarters of the Church in this final dispensation in which the church and kingdom of God are in the lands of Ephraim.” 1985 – Elder Bruce R. McConkie

President Monson believes the United States is the Promised Land of the Book of Mormon. Why do Mesoamericanists believe the entire continent of the Americas is the Promised Land. You mean Greenland, Guatemala, and the Northwest Territories are the Promised Lands? I love all of God’s children in the entire world and God loves us all the same, but seriously??? If a person from Greenland comes to the United States legally as a citizen that person can also live in the Promised Land? I’m sure Greenland has muc beauty on its own, but it is not the Promised Land, is it? Please respondents be respectful. I am not belittling other lands. I’m just making a factual statement. Why is the United States and Israel the two Promised Lands? Because Christ said so. See 3 Nephi 20:22,29 By Rian Nelson

“The Lord gave a divine promise to the ancient inhabitants of this favored country (the United States): ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).
“Our Heavenly Father inspired the leaders of…the United States of America, that they might together, under His direction, having been raised up by God for the purpose, establish the Constitution of this country and…Bill of Rights, that by the year of our Lord 1805 [there would be] a climate where our Heavenly Father could send into this period of mortality a choice spirit who would be known as Joseph Smith, Jr.” Teachings of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson 2011 (Ordained an Apostle, 1963; ordained President of the Church, 2008) See my blog here about “Carefully Selected” Land

“You don’t have to wonder about what is true” Seek Personal Revelation!

Rian Nelson
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“You don’t have to wonder about what is true” Seek Personal Revelation!

A good friend just asked me, “Am I creating situations in my own home that allow my family to feel the spirit?” “Do I feel and recognize the spirit even though I am unable to meet with others in church each Sunday?”

Just over a year ago President Nelson prophetically shifted the focus of the church to home based worship and study. We were all encouraged to study and teach in our own homes, allowing our testimony to grow because of spiritual experiences had at home. Little did any of us know that just 1 year after these changes were made, the church would be cancelled all together. Now, what have we learned as the Covid scare is relenting? I believe it was a government scare that was for money and control, but were we able to learn from it?

I invite all of us to seek spiritual moments in our homes even when the outside world seems to be all messed up. I hope we can all recognize and treasure some sacred moments of spiritual growth constantly. I promise that as we seek the spirit in our home, we will find peace of mind and a deep sense of appreciation for everything we have. I testify that President Nelson is a prophet, seer, and revelator who holds and properly exercises all the priesthood keys. And because he does this, we can all benefit from the blessings and guidance of the Holy Ghost in our personal lives at home. Personal revelation is very possible.

“No one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.”

By Ken Corbett

You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that “if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things —that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives by President Russell M. Nelson

Evil is Alive and Well

With so many wrong ideas and evil opportunities in the world, how can our personal revelation keep us on Pres Nelson’s “Covenant Path”? There are so many apostates wanting to see the Church fail and to catch the Prophets telling lies, I would say that the Gadianton’s are alive and deceiving many, even the elite.

A ridiculous billboard selling anti-Mormon ideas

“Korihor is alive and well at Mormon Stories Podcast. It seems that modern-day apostasy has found a new home at a well funded website dubbed “Mormon Stories Podcast.” As Hugh Nibley once said, if you want to write an anti-Mormon book, just get an old one, dust it off and take a bit of a different slant and republish it under a new name. Now hiding in plain site, the website pretends to be faith-affirming, but then all of the old charges that the Book of Abraham was a ruse or that Joseph Smith dabbled in the occult surface without even an effort to show both sides of an argument. Several my blogs and many articles by the Joseph Smith Foundation have answered many of these phony charges but the website ignores all that. Yes, Korihor is alive and well and now has a website. The ironic thing is that it is a fulfillment of prophecy that “calumny will defame…” But, we know how it ends. In the meantime, “Mormon Stories” continues its deception after the order of Korihor. And, it is well funded. Unfortunately, money talks.” 

Mormon Stories is WRONG. They are selling you you a bill of goods. This gospel is true and you need to follow President Russell M. Nelson who speaks for the Lord Jesus Christ!

Evil Teachings of Today

You will find many other people and organizations who mean well but hide behind certain little lies. They love the Church and believe they are teaching truth, but after you study and pray you get a different feeling. For example the Interpreter Foundation just released their movie called “Witnesses”, it was nicely done, the acting was wonderful and I felt the spirt when the witnesses kept their faith in the Book of Mormon. However, the silly story of Martin hiding a seer stone, and everyone showing Joseph looking in a hat for translation I believe is a serious challenge to faith and what the Prophet said. Joseph Smith said, “Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:34–35) This is clear that Joseph did not use a peep stone or a seer stone to translate the Book of Mormon.

What about Critical Race Theory today, that teaches the White race are all racist and others are constantly oppressed and permanently held back. All Whites need to feel guilt for their whiteness. How absurd.

What about the new word “equity“? What does it mean? “True equity implies that an individual may need to experience or receive something different (not equal) in order to maintain fairness and access. For example, a person with a wheelchair may need differential access to an elevator relative to someone else. … Few people would find [this] unfair.

However, within Critical Social Justice conceptions of the world … invisible systems of power and privilege are understood to hold some people back in often invisible ways because of their race, gender, sexuality, or other marginalized identity factors. Therefore, “equity” requires giving some identity groups privileges in order to redress the perceived imbalance. …” Wentworth Report

What about the 1619 project? “The project dedicated an issue of the Time Magazine to a re-examination of the legacy of slavery in the United States, at the anniversary of the 1619 arrival of the first slaves to Virginia, challenging the notion that the history of the United States began in 1776 or with the arrival of the Pilgrims.” Wikipedia These race hustlers are trying to wipe out our true American history and base it on the slavery question.

What about the problem at BYU and other universities teaching organic evolution as a law and not a science? Some of these professors begin teaching theory as if it were truth. I believe a cat can never become a dog, many professors try and teach us otherwise. Elder Packer said, “Historians seem to take great pride in publishing something new, particularly if it illustrates a weakness or mistake of a prominent historical figure. For some reason, historians and novelists seem to savor such things. If it related to a living person, it would come under the heading of gossip. History can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult—often impossible—to verify. The writer or the teacher who has an exaggerated loyalty to the theory that everything must be told is laying a foundation for his own judgment. He should not complain if one day he himself receives as he has given. Perhaps that is what is contemplated in having one’s sins preached from the housetops.” The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect Elder Boyd K. Packer

What is the Answer?

Personal Revelation! Like President Nelson said, “You don’t have to wonder about what is true.”

How do you answer the voice of critics? Are you a conservative or liberal? Are you a traditionalist or a progressive? Do you love the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or do you constantly seek to change it’s history? Is your testimony of the Lord growing or remaining neutral? Are you green and growing or ripe and rotten? Do you need to get a check up from the neck up to get rid of stinkin’ thinkin’? Remember, if you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got! I know if you read and pray to the Lord for help, He will answer you. don’t get caught up in all this negative revisionist histroy. Stick to the Lord’s word in scripture and prayer!

Zebedee Coltrin an amazing High Priest of the Lord, while praying with Joseph Smith and others said, “While engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from from East to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him.  I saw him and suppose the others did, and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother.  Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did.  Another person came through; He was surrounded as with a flame of fire.  He [Bro Coltrin] experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacles as it was of consuming fire of great brightness.  The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I saw Him.

I believe the answer to all questions can come from prayer, scripture study, listening to Prophets, reading good books, serving others, and you will receive personal revelation just as many of the saints of old did. You will be amazed at some of the following stories in our Church History that confirm the Lord speaks to us in today’s world. Seek Him and ye shall find Him!

Zebedee Coltrin

“Many important revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith happened in the Whitney store in Kirtland. The saints had many spiritual experiences in this store and I believe our understanding of these events may assist us in receiving revelation for our own stewardships in these last days. One of my favorite pioneers not well known in the church is Zebedee Coltrin. In 1835 Coltrin was appointed to be one of the first seven presidents of the Seventy. In 1873, John Taylor ordained Coltrin to be a church patriarch, a position he held until his death in Spanish Fork at the age of 82. Visit the Joseph Smith Papers here for details about his life.

“Referred to as the “House of God” in D&C 88, the Newel K. Whitney and Co. store in Kirtland, Ohio, was the site of seventeen revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants and of sacred visions.

House of Revelation

Church life in Kirtland, Ohio, from 1831 to 1834 revolved around the Newel K. Whitney and Co. store. For eighteen months, this store served as the headquarters of the Church, and it was here that the First Presidency was given the keys of the kingdom. (See D&C 90:6; History of the Church [HC], 1:334.) Joseph Smith and family also lived here for eighteen months, and during that time, the Prophet finished his work on the texts of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

The first meeting of Joseph Smith and Newel K. Whitney took place in this room, the main part of the store. A post office and the United Firm (a co-op) were also operated here. And it was here that a clerk, Orson Hyde (who later became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve), gained a testimony of the gospel.

In addition, some of the most sacred events of early Church history took place in an upstairs room at a conference held 23 January 1833. Further, the ordinance of the washing of feet was given here for the first time in this dispensation. (See HC, 1:323–24.) Several of those present experienced “divine manifestations of the Holy Spirit,” including a vision of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

Seventeen revelations were received in the Translation Room from March 1832 to December 1833: sections 78, 84–98, and 101 of the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 78; D&C 84–98; D&C 101]. It was also here that the Prophet finished his work on the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

In recent times, on 18 November 1988, the President’s Historic Preservation Award was given to Church authorities in a ceremony at the White House in recognition of the excellent restoration of this building.

New Podcast. We briefly speak about Zebedee Coltrin.

“Thou Art the Man!”

“‘About the first of February, 1831, a sleigh containing four persons drove through the streets of Kirtland and drew up in front of the store of Gilbert and Whitney. One of the men, a young and stalwart personage alighted, and springing up the steps walked into the store and to where the junior partner was standing. “Newel K. Whitney! Thou art the man!” he exclaimed, extending his hand cordially, as if to an old and familiar acquaintance. “You have the advantage of me,” replied the merchant, as he mechanically took the proffered hand, “I could not call you by name as you have me.” “I am Joseph the Prophet,” said the stranger smiling. “You’ve prayed me here, now what do you want of me?” ‘The Prophet, it is said, while in the East had seen the Whitneys, in vision, praying for his coming to Kirtland. ‘Mother Whitney’ [Elizabeth Ann, wife of Newel] also tells how on a certain night prior to the advent … , while she and her husband were praying to the Lord to know how they might obtain the gift of the Holy Ghost, which of all things they desired, they saw a vision as of a cloud of glory resting upon their house, and heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Prepare to receive the word of the Lord, for it is coming.’” (HC, 1:146.)

The trading room
The hired man’s room

Conversion of Orson Hyde

“I attended the Saints’ meeting in Kirtland, Sunday, October 30, 1831, and offered myself a candidate for baptism, which was administered to me by the hands of Elder Sidney Rigdon; was confirmed and ordained an elder in the Church on the same day under the hands of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and Sidney Rigdon. Not until about three days after did I receive any internal evidence of the special approbation of Heaven of the course I had taken. When one evening behind the counter, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me in so powerful a manner, that I felt like waiting upon no one, and withdrew in private to enjoy the feast alone. This, to me, was a precious season, long to be remembered.” (Millennial Star, 26 [1864]: 761.)

Joseph Smith III was born in this bedroom on 6 November 1832. He was the fourth of nine children born to Joseph and Emma, but the first to survive to adulthood. The Smiths were also caring for adopted twins at this time. One of them died in March 1832.

The Need for the Word of Wisdom

“Over [the] kitchen was situated the room in which the Prophet received revelations and in which he instructed his brethren [the School of the Prophets]. The brethren came to that place for hundreds of miles to attend school in a little room probably no larger than eleven by fourteen. When they assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first thing they did was to light their pipes, and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom, and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result of his inquiry.” (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 12:158.)

Brother Zebedee Coltrin adds the following information to this story: “When the Word of Wisdom [D&C 89] was first presented by the Prophet Joseph … there were twenty out of the twenty-one who used tobacco and they all immediately threw their tobacco and pipes into the fire.” (Minutes, Salt Lake City School of Prophets, 3 Oct. 1883, p. 56.)

The kitchen is about ten by fourteen feet in size, with several pantries. Emma, wife of the Prophet Joseph, fed many people here including members of the School of the Prophets, who came down to the kitchen after fasting and holding meetings.

Visions of the Father and the Son

Zebedee Coltrin shared the following sacred experience: “At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, (the school being organized on the 23rd of January, 1833), when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother. Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through; he was surrounded as with a flame of fire. … The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him.” (Minutes, Salt Lake City School of Prophets, 3 Oct. 1883, pp. 56–57.)

The Brethren met here, in the store’s School of the Prophets Room, during the winter of 1832–33. Also, from 3 December 1832 to 21 June 1833, at least eighteen meetings were held here, including the hallowed meeting of 23 January 1833. The nature of the events that took place here lend the room the sanctity of a temple. “Behold, verily, I say unto you, this is an ensample unto you for a salutation to one another in the house of God, in the school of the prophets.” (D&C 88:136.)

This event is corroborated by John Murdock, missionary companion of Zebedee Coltrin at the time and also present at the meeting: “In one of these meetings the prophet told us if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord. And about midday the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely, the visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun. His hair a bright silver grey, curled in most majestic form, His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white and he was covered from the neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white, whiter than any garment I have ever before seen. His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet it slipped from me, and the vision was closed up. But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I never felt before to that degree.” (John Murdock Journal, typescript, Brigham Young University archives, p. 13.)

Landing between stairway (lower left corner) and School of the Prophets Room (at right).

The Keys of the Kingdom

On 18 March 1833, “Elder Rigdon expressed a desire that himself and Brother Frederick G. Williams should be ordained to the offices to which they had been called, viz., those of Presidents of the High Priesthood, and to be equal in holding the keys of the kingdom with Brother Joseph Smith, Jun., according to the revelation given on the 8th of March, 1833. Accordingly I laid my hands on Brothers Sidney and Frederick, and ordained them to take part with me in holding the keys of this last kingdom, and to assist in the Presidency of the High Priesthood, as my Counselors; after which I exhorted the brethren to faithfulness and diligence in keeping the commandments of God, and gave much instruction for the benefit of the Saints, with a promise that the pure in heart should see a heavenly vision; and after remaining a short time in secret prayer, the promise was verified; for many present had the eyes of their understanding opened by the Spirit of God, so as to behold many things. I then blessed the bread and wine, and distributed a portion to each. Many of the brethren saw a heavenly vision of the Savior, and concourses of angels, and many other things, of which each one has a record of what he saw.” (HC, 1:334–35.)”

[photos above] by Welden Andersen Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
© 2014 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All Rights Reserved Jan. 1993
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/01/house-of-revelation?lang=eng

The Kirtland School of the Prophets

Zebedee Coltrin: “Coltrin became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on 28 February 1835. The mouthpiece for that ordination was Presiding Patriarch of the Church Joseph Smith, Sr., with his sons, the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. and Hyrum Smith; Assistant President of the Church Oliver Cowdery; First Presidency members Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams; and apostle David Whitmer, laying their hands upon his head in the Melchizedek Priesthood circle. The next day, Coltrin was appointed to be one of the first seven presidents of the Seventy. When the church hierarchy realized that Coltrin had previously been ordained a high priest, Coltrin was released as one of the presidents of the Seventy on 6 April 1837 and took his place among his brethren of the high priesthood.” Wikipedia Zebedee Coltrin

The Daily Routine:

Zebedee Coltrin Photograph, unknown photographer, circa 1865. (Church History Library, Salt Lake City.)

The first session of the School of the Prophets continued from 23 January into April.  Little is known of the details of the daily classes.  Two interviews with Zebedee Coltrin who participated in the first session of the School of the Prophets, give us our only real look into the daily activities of the School.  In an interview held 3 October 1883, the following was reported:

“The salutation, as written in the Doctrine and Covenants was carried out at that time, and at every meeting, and the washing of feet was attended to, the Sacrament was also administered at times when Joseph appointed, after the ancient order; that is, warm bread to break easy was provided, and broken into pieces as large as my fist and each person had a glass of wine and sat and ate the bread and drank the wine; and Joseph said that was the way that Jesus and his disciples partook of the break [bread] and wine; and this was the order of the church anciently, and until the church went into darkness.  Every time we were called together to attend any business, we came together in the morning about sunrise, fasting and partook of the Sacrament each time; and before going to school we washed ourselves and put on clean linen.”(Salt Lake School of the Prophets Minute Book 1883, p. 38)

In an interview held on 10 October 1883, Coltrin stated:

Elder Orson Hyde was the teacher and saluted the brethren with uplifted hands, and they also answered with uplifted hands. Spoke of the administration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  The brethren always went fasting; they went in the morning, remained until about four o’clock in the afternoon, when each had a glass of wine and piece of bread, after the ancient pattern.  Joseph was the president and appointed Elder Orson Hyde teacher, as the school was not only revelations and doctrine, but also for learning English grammar, etc.  The teacher saluted the brethren (one or more) as they came in.  This salutation was given every morning when they met. Brother Sidney Rigdon lectured on grammar sometimes. (Salt Lake School of the Prophets Minute Book 1883, p. 44)

Zebedee Coltrin stated in this interview:

Once Joseph gave notice to the school for all to get up before sunrise, then wash temselves and put on clean clothing and be at the school by sunrise, as it would be a day of revelation and vision.  They opened with prayer.  Joseph then gave instructions to prepare their minds.  He told them to kneel and pray with uplifted hands. (p. 44)

While engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from from East to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him.  I saw him and suppose the others did, and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God, our elder brother.  Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did.  Another person came through; He was surrounded as with a flame of fire.  He [Bro Coltrin] experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacles as it was of consuming fire of great brightness.  The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I saw Him.

When asked about the kind of clothing the Father has on, Bro Coltin said; I did not discover His clothing for He was surrounded as with a flame of fire, which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but His person.  I saw His hands, His legs, his feet, his eyes, nose, mouth, head and body in the shape and form of a perfect man.  He sat in a chair as a man would sit in a chair, but This appearance was so grand and overwhelming that it seems I should melt down in His presence, and the sensation was so powerful that it thrilled through my whole system and I felt it in the marrow of my bones.  The Prophet Joseph said:  Brethren[,] now you are prepared to be the apostles of Jesus Christ, for you have seen both the Father and the Son, and know that They exist and that They are two separate Personages.

This appearance occurred about two or three weeks after the opening of the school. (p. 38-39)” 
“House of Revelation” from the Ensign in 1993.

As Moroni said, “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” Moroni 10:5. Develop your own plan for receiving Personal Revelation and then share that revelation with your calling as head of the household.

 

Father of American Archaeology-Thomas Jefferson-“The Indian Mound”

Rian Nelson
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Father of American Archaeology-Thomas Jefferson-“The Indian Mound”

First of all I want to apologize to all the faithful readers of this blog. Some of my blogs are VERY long and I know this. I just can’t help it. Once I get on an idea, I always over research it. I love getting the whole story and I like sharing as much as I can at one time. I guess the reason is, if I give you all the information you can read portions at a time or skip over some of it. I could put just a paragraph or two and then have you read the entire article, but I like having all the information in one place for future reference.

I found so much great information about Thomas Jefferson and his love of the Country and love of Native Americans and ancient Indian Artifacts, that I just have to share it. Enjoy!

The Plantation Archaeological Survey

The Plantation Archaeological Survey represents the first attempt to provide a complete inventory of the unique archaeological resources located on the 2000-acre tract currently owned by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Source

Thomas Jefferson and Native Americans

“Thomas Jefferson believed Native American peoples to be a noble race who were “in body and mind equal to the white man” and were endowed with an innate moral sense and a Indians setting marked capacity for reason.

Jefferson never removed any Native Americans. However in private letters he did suggest various ideas for removing tribes from enclaves in the East to their own new lands in lands west of the Mississippi. Indian Removal was passed by Congress in 1831, long after he died. Before and during his presidency, Jefferson discussed the need for respect, brotherhood, and trade with the Native Americans, and he initially believed that causing them to adopt European-style agriculture and modes of living would allow them to quickly “progress” from “savagery” to “civilization”. Beginning in 1803, Jefferson’s private letters show increasing support for the idea of removal. Jefferson maintained that Indians had land “to spare” and, he thought, would willingly exchange it for guaranteed supplies of food and equipment.

Jefferson’s view of the aboriginal people

Jefferson was fascinated with Indian cultures and languages. His home at Monticello was filled with Indian artifacts obtained from the Lewis and Clark expedition. He collected information on the vocabulary and grammar of Indian languages.

In Jefferson’s day the theory of “environmentalism”, which maintained that the Native peoples of America were inferior to Europeans due to climate and geography, was generally accepted. Jefferson refuted these notions in his book, Notes on the State of Virginia, where he defended American Indians and their culture.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_Native_Americans

New Podcast

Research in the Heartland to Locate the “Menorah” Earthworks in Clermont County Ohio
John C. Lefgren, PhD -Draft #4 – August 2, 2018

Figure 1 National Archives Photograph RG77 144.20

In 1803 the United States Congress asserted that the Constitution did not contain provisions for acquiring new territory. President Thomas Jefferson declared that his presidential powers were sufficient to negotiate treaties for the purchase of land from foreign countries. So, in 1803 he negotiated and signed the largest land purchase in the history of the world. President Jefferson bought from France 827,000 square miles of land for 15 million dollars in gold. In that same year President Jefferson was impressed when he saw General William Lytle’s maps1 which had “those works of antiquity” on the East Fork in Clermont County Ohio. He requested more information about these works.2 This was the first historical reference about earthworks which President Jefferson recognized were designed in the likeness of a Jewish “Menorah”. The ancient features of these works were surveyed in the early nineteenth century but by the late nineteenth century these same works were lost and buried under row crops, streets and houses in Ohio. These works have since become known as the lost earthworks. There exists today a technology which makes it possible to rediscover the exact locations of these earthworks.3

Figure 2 Panel 2B of Plate 34 of Squire and Davis, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, 1847.

First let’s outline what we know from the National Archives. Figure 1 is a portion of one map drawn in 1823 which Warden in 1834 attributed to Major Isaac Roberdeau, the Head of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The complete original map is still preserved in the Cartographic and Architectural Branch of the Military Archives Division of the U.S. National Archives in Alexandria, Virginia, Record Group 77 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fortifications File), Drawer 144, Sheet No. 20. The map consists of two sheets of identical paper glued together, so it is not entirely clear whether the scale pertains only to the Milford Works on the left panel, or to the entire map, including the East Fork Works on the right panel. A less detailed survey of the same works depicted by the Roberdeau Map, was made in 1803 by General William Lytle of Cincinnati and was published in 1811 in the book, Observations on the Climate in Different Parts of America 4.

It seems clear that Roberdeau’s 1823 Survey is the ultimate source of Panel 2B of Plate 34 of Squire and Davis, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, 1847.5

Sometime during the last half of nineteenth century farmers plowed over the East Fork Works and planted row crops so that since the late nineteenth century the features of the “Menorah” Earthworks have not been noticeable. Perhaps in the mid-nineteenth century some wanted to destroy the large earthworks to disassociate any link to the idea that in ancient times Hebrews were in North America. By making the “Menorah” Earthworks unknown the European settlers diminished the cultural heritage of the native peoples of America.

Cyrus Thomas was an ethnologist and entomologist prominent in the late nineteenth century. He was noted for his studies of the natural history of the American West. However, Thomas is best known for his work in archaeology and ethnology — specifically, his contributions to the question of the origins of the mound builders and Mayan hieroglyphics. Thomas was not a field archaeologist. He visited the sites on which he reported, but did little if any field work. He had permanent and temporary field assistants and one clerical assistant. They provided him with their notes, which he organized, formed into a report, and published.

When Thomas began his investigations into the origins of the mound builders, he was under the impression that the mounds were made by a more advanced race that no longer existed. He argued that America had once been settled by a people who tended to stay in one place. In his mind the archaeological record had been produced by the same people of that area throughout history.6 The Bureau of American Ethnology commissioned Cyrus Thomas to find answers to some of the riddles which troubled many minds. In 1882, Thomas set out to collect as much information as he could about the mound builders; he investigated 2,000 mound sites in 21 states and collected over 40,000 artifacts from these mounds.

In 1894 Cyrus Thomas (left) was apparently unaware of the original survey made in 1823 and he dismissed the 1847 drawings which Squier and Davis had made with respect to the “Menorah” Earthworks in Clermont County as “largely imaginary.”7 From 1803 to 1897 the history of the existence of the “Menorah” Earthworks goes from found to lost. Here is the sequence of events.

(a) 1803. General William Lytle (right), Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory, identified and made drawings of the features of the “Menorah” Earthworks. These drawings came to the attention of President Thomas Jefferson as he was negotiating the Louisiana Purchase.

(b) 1811. The “Menorah” Earthworks were identified in a book published in New York by Hugh Williamson.

(c) 1823. Major Isaac Roberdeau, head of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made a survey of the “Menorah” Earthworks. This original survey is currently found in the National Archives.

d) 1847. Squire and Davis (right) confirmed in the first book ever published by the Smithsonian Institute that the “Menorah” Earthworks existed.

(e) 1894. Cyrus Thomas claimed that the “Menorah” Earthworks do not exist and that they are “imaginary”.

The nineteenth century began with the sure knowledge the earthworks existed and ended with the claim that they did not exist.

Heartland Research intends to use German technology to rediscover the exact place of these earthworks.

The 1823 survey showed that the ancient “Menorah” Earthworks existed along the waters of the East Fork of the Little Miami River in Ohio, about 20 miles above its mouth near Milford, and about 25-30 miles east of Cincinnati. The works have long since been under the plow zone. Their orientation and exact locations are today unknown.

Heartland Research wants to locate the existence of the “Menorah” Earthworks. That which was once known by the second President of the United States should now become known to every American citizen. It is time to bring back into the light that which has been hidden for 150 years.

The Heartland Research Group seeks to fund this research with large and small donations which will total at least $100,000. A main purpose of the research is to re-establish the idea that at least one of the ancient earthworks in Ohio was associated with Hebrews who were living in America.

NOTES

1 William Lytle, (1770-1831) amassed a fortune surveying the lands of Revolutionary War veterans granted land in Ohio, and was a good friend of Andrew Jackson, serving in his “kitchen cabinet”.

2 Anthony F.C. Wallace, Jefferson and the Indians: The Tragic Fate of the First Americans, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999, p. 139 and n. 18.

3 SENSYS of Germany designs and manufactures equipment which uses non-destructive methods to digitize thousands of acres of land in a short time. There are nearly a billion data points for each acre and each data point has GPS coordinates which are within a precision of one quarter of an inch. With the use of this technology it is possible to identify ancient features which are under the plow zone. The speed of the technology allows for the search and discovery of ancient features which are now lost.

4 Hugh Williamson, Observations on the Climate in Different Parts of America, New York: T & J Swords, 1811.

5 E.G. Squier and E.H. Davis, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, Washington, D.C.: The Smithsonian Institution, June 1847.

6 Bennie C. Keel, “Cyrus Thomas and the Mound Builders”, Southern Indian Studies, Chapel Hill, NC: The Archaeological Society of North Carolina, Vol. XXII, October 1970, pp. 3-16.

7 Cyrus Thomas, Report on the Mound Explorations of the Bureau of Ethnology, Twelfth Annual Report, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1894.

Thomas Jefferson’s Archaeological Dig
July 26, 2010 by Frances Hunter

Mammoth tooth from Jefferson’s fossil collection

Thomas Jefferson was fascinated by fossils. There are several accounts of his asking Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and George Rogers Clark to search for fossils for him at Big Bone Lick in Kentucky, and some of the items he collected are on display at Monticello to the present day. However, Jefferson was not just a collector. He was a practicing field archaeologist.

From a young age, Jefferson was intrigued by the Monacan Indians he saw around his childhood home in Albemarle County, Virginia. He wrote about a party of Indians who passed through his father’s property at Shadwell and to visit an earthen mound nearby. The Indians lingered at the mound for some time, and young Jefferson noted their mournful expressions, “which were construed to be those of sorrow.” Jefferson drew the conclusion that the mound was a burial ground, perhaps of ancient origin, and that the Monacan Indians were visiting the mound to grieve.

Reconstructed Monacan Indian Village, Natural Bridge, VA

Intrepidly curious, Jefferson noted a number of other mounds (or “barrows,” as he called them) around the area that he suspected contained human remains. In the 1770’s, when he was in his late 20s or early 30s, he decided to investigate one on a hill in the Blue Ridge Mountains, at a location near Monticello he described as “a few miles north of Wood’s gap.” There he conducted an extensive and scientifically ambitious archaeological dig. Jefferson wrote about what he found in Notes on the State of Virginia in 1787…

Jefferson and Science, by Silvio Bedini

Caught up in the spirit of scientific inquiry, Jefferson appears to have felt no squeamishness or sentiment about digging into a human grave. From a scientific standpoint, he found the presence of children’s bones in the barrow particularly significant. “Every one will readily seize the circumstances above related, which militate against the opinion that it covered the bones only of persons fallen in battle,”  he wrote. Also, the jumbled arrangement of the bones also seemed to rule it out as being common sepulcher of an Indian town, in which bodies were generally placed upright, touching one another other. He determined to investigate further.

Jefferson concluded that “appearances certainly indicate that it has derived both origin and growth from the accustomary collection of bones, and deposition of them together.” He conjectured that “the first collection had been deposited on the common surface of the earth, and few stones put over it, and then a covering of earth, that the second had been laid on this, had covered more or less of it in proportion to the number of bones, and was then also covered with earth; and so on.” In other words, the barrow consisted of a number of mass graves, slowly added to and built up over time.

In his methods and observations of the archaeological strata, Jefferson displays his characteristic brilliance. His conclusions about the mounds were worlds ahead of the general state of archaeological science at that time, and have been borne out by more modern scientific investigation of similar burial structures. As Silvio Bedini writes in his monograph Jefferson and Science, “By applying his innate sense of order and detail, he anticipated modern archaeology’s basis and methods by almost a full century.” The dig also demonstrated Jefferson’s intense interest in–and unsentimental view of–Native American cultures.

Jefferson’s Excavation of an Indian Burial Mound

Mather Brown (American, 1761—1831) Thomas Jefferson, 1786 Oil on canvas National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution;

In 1780, the secretary of the French legation in Philadelphia, François Marbois, submitted to various members of the Continental Congress a list of questions concerning the thirteen American states.1  Joseph Jones, a member of the Virginia delegation, believed Thomas Jefferson the most capable person to answer these queries for the state of Virginia and put Marbois’s questionnaire in his hands. The answers composed by Jefferson to twenty-three queries make up his Notes on the State of Virginia, which has been called the “most important scientific and political book written by an American before 1785.”2 Among the queries submitted by Marbois was one asking for a description of the Indians in the state (Query XI). Jefferson long had an interest in the Indian population of his native Virginia and his response to Query XI constitutes an impressive description of Indian tribes, their number, history, and geographical location, as well as their languages. As part of this response, Jefferson described in detail his exploration of an Indian burial mound in the “neighbourhood” of Monticello. He stated that it was “situated on the low grounds of the Rivanna, about two miles above its principal fork, and opposite to some hills, on which had been an Indian town.”3

Ely Mound in Lee County Source: Wikipedia, Ely Mound

Jefferson and others were aware of “many” barrows, as he called them, in the area.4 This particular mound or barrow was known locally as “the Indian Grave.”5 Jefferson excavated the barrow in order to ascertain which of several views of the Indian burial customs was correct: “That they were repositories of the dead, has been obvious to all: but on what particular occasion constructed, was matter of doubt. Some have thought they covered the bones of those who have fallen in battles fought on the spot of interment. Some ascribed them to the custom, said to prevail among the Indians, of collecting, at certain periods, the bones of all their dead, wheresoever deposited at the time of death. Others again supposed them the general sepulchres for towns, conjectured to have been on or near the grounds; and this opinion was supported by the quality of the lands in which they are found, (those constructed of earth being generally in the softest and most fertile meadow-grounds on river sides) and by a tradition, said to be handed down from the Aboriginal Indians, that, when they settled in a town, the first person who died was placed erect, and earth put around him, so as to cover and support him; that, when another dies, a narrow passage was dug to the first, the second reclined against him, and the cover of earth replaced, and so on.”6

Jefferson wrote that the mound was “of spheroidal form, of about 40 feet diameter at the base, and had been of about twelve feet altitude …. I first dug superficially in several parts of it, and came to collections of human bones, at different depths, from six inches to three feet below the surface. These were lying in the utmost confusion, some vertical, some oblique, some horizontal, and directed to every point of the compass, entangled, and held together in clusters by the earth. … to give the idea of bones emptied promiscuously from a bag or basket, and covered over with earth, without any attention to their order.”7

Monasukapanough, the main Monacan town, was located across the South Fork of the Rivanna River from the mound that Thomas Jefferson excavated

Jefferson proceeded to “make a perpendicular cut through the body of the barrow, that I might examine its internal structure. This passed about three feet from its center, was opened to the former surface of the earth, and was wide enough for a man to walk through and examine its sides.” He observed several strata of bones with those nearest the surface the least decayed and “conjectured that in this barrow might have been a thousand skeletons.”8 There was no evidence of violence to the bones such as holes made from bullets or arrows. The latter finding argued against the view that the remains in the mounds were of warriors killed in battle; nor did Jefferson find that the bodies had been placed upright as others had speculated based on local Indian lore.

Leesville Mound had five burial layers Source: Archeological Society of Virginia Quarterly Bulletin

Jefferson added that “about thirty years ago” he observed a party of Indians visiting the barrow. They “went through the woods directly to it, without any instructions or enquiry, and having staid about it some time, with expressions which were construed to be those of sorrow, they returned to the high road, which they had left about a dozen miles to pay this visit, and pursued their journey.”9 Jefferson submitted a draft of the Notes to Marbois in 1781, and it has been suggested that Jefferson’s sighting of the Indians at the barrow “about thirty years ago” would have been, therefore, when he was about eight years old.10 However, this estimate, given Jefferson was born in 1743, is valid only if the passage was included in the Marbois draft and not added to a later copy, and, of course, that Jefferson remembered accurately the number of years past. The original manuscript delivered to Marbois in 1781 has never been found and may no longer exist, and it is known that Jefferson continued work on the 1781 manuscript over the next few years.11

Jefferson did not record exactly when he made his excavation of the Indian mound, and numerous dates have been suggested: C.G. Holland says “about 1780.”12 Silvio Bedini suggests it was “around 1782,” but may have been undertaken in the 1770s.13 Marie Kimball argues that Jefferson’s “observations were, in all probability, made before 1773, the year Jefferson began to become so involved in the Revolutionary movement that he had little thought or time for anything else.”14 The Monticello and Jamestown archaeologist, William Kelso, writes: “It is certain that Jefferson, at some time in his twenties, organized an archaeological expedition to that mound, directed archaeological fieldwork, analyzed what he found, and published his conclusions.”15 Thus Kelso, too, believed the excavation likely to have taken place before 1773…

In addition to mounds that were removed for farming or construction, others were destroyed by people seeking artifacts rather than information Source: Judith H. Dobrzynski, A Wider View of Grandeur: Restoring an American Treasure

Evidence presented by Douglas Wilson, however, makes a strong case for an excavation date in the summer or early fall of 1783.16  As part of his investigation into the evolution of the Notes, Wilson points out that Jefferson’s account of the dig was a primary addition to the draft he completed in the summer or early fall of 1783. Since Jefferson left Virginia for Philadelphia on October 16 of that year, Wilson argues that the dig was made between the completion of the draft and his departure for Philadelphia. Moreover, based on an analysis of Charles Thomson’s comments made in the spring of 1784, Wilson suggests that Thomson had not seen a first-hand account of the dig as it appears in the later draft and that “Jefferson was prompted to describe his dig, many months after the dig itself by Thomson’s spring 1784 commentary.”17

Thomas Jefferson: Father of American Archaeology

Tthe Rapidan Mound was constructed next to the town of Stegara in territory of the Mannahoacks, and the Rivannna (Jefferson) Mound was at Monasukapanough in Monacan territory Source: Library of Congress, Virginia (by John Smith, 1624)

Archaeological studies have identified thirteen mounds in the Piedmont, Ridge, and Valley regions of central Virginia, including that described by Jefferson. These burial mounds date to the late prehistoric and early contact era (ca. A.D. 900-1700), vary in size and composition (e.g., earth-stone and conical), and may contain the bones of more than a thousand individuals; also, interestingly, these collective burial mounds typically are bereft of artifacts.18

The site of Jefferson’s mound is on the right (south) bank of the South Fork of the Rivanna River just north of Charlottesville and has been explored by archaeologists on several occasions, most recently by members of the Anthropology Department of the University of Virginia.19 However, as early as 1911, Bushnell explored the area and reported that the mound had “entirely disappeared,” most likely washed away due to flooding in the lowland where Jefferson found it.20 On the other hand, scholars agree that the “Indian Town” mentioned by Jefferson was the Monacan village of Monasukapanough, which probably occupied both banks of the South Fork at this point.21 Research at this site is ongoing.22

A supposed burial mound of Delawares is in Loudoun County Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online

The original territory of the Monacan Indians and their allies once “comprised more than half the state of Virginia, including almost all of the Piedmont region and parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains.” These indigenous people were mound builders, placing the remains of their dead over time in sacred earthen graves.23 Charles Thomson gave an eyewitness account of these burial rituals as part of his extensive comments on a draft of Jefferson’s Notes, which Jefferson included as an appendix to the Notes.24

Jefferson’s excavation of the Indian mound earned him the title of “Father of American Archaeology” and “first American archaeologist.”25 His systematic trenching and use of stratigraphy (i.e., stratigraphic observation) as part of his exploration of the Indian mound, “anticipates the fundamental approach and the methods of modern archaeology by about a full century.”26  

https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-excavation-indian-burial-mound

– Gene Zechmeister, 11/2010

Further Sources

https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/jeffersons-excavation-indian-burial-mound

North American Mounds Kayleigh Speirs University of Winnipeg

“Thomas Jefferson exhibited great interest in the mounds, excavating one on his property in Monticello, Virginia in 1784. His aim was to examine the contents of the mound in an attempt to determine their origin. Jefferson cut a trench through a small mound, observing layers of human bones at different depths which were separated by sterile layers of soil. He recorded the internal structure, and determined
that there were around 1,000 skeletons which had been deposited over the course of hundreds of years.
Jefferson’s excavation was unique in its time; he was not interested in looting the mound, he simply wanted to gather information to better understand who had the built the mounds (Garlinghouse 2001)…

Thomas Jefferson is now credited with conducting the first scientific excavation in the history of archaeology (Renfrew and Bahn 2004). Since that time, archaeological methods have undergone significant changes and improvements, from excavation methods to dating methods. In more recent
years, there has been a shift from excavating mounds to a focus on protecting and preserving them. There has also been a shift toward multidisciplinary approaches which will be explored further in discussing the Watson Brake site.” North American Mounds Kayleigh Speirs University of Winnipeg UMASA Journal Volume 32 (2014)

Mode of Burial among North American Indians

The mound—builders were accustomed to dispose of their dead in many different ways; their modes of sepulture were also quite varied. The same statements will apply with equal force to the Indians.
“The commonest mode of burial among North American Indians,” we are informed by Dr. H. C. Yarrow, [Footnote: First Annual Report Bureau of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, 1879—’80 (1881), p. 93.] “has been that of interment in the ground, and this has taken place in a number of ways.” The different ways he mentions are, in pits, graves, or holes in the ground; in stone graves or cists; in mounds; beneath or in cabins, wigwams, houses or lodges, and in caves.

Mode of Burial among North American Indians

The most common method of burial among the mound—builders was by inhumation also, and all the different ways mentioned by Dr. Yarrow as practiced by the Indians were in vogue among the former. It was supposed for a long time that their chief and almost only place of depositing their dead was in the burial mounds, but more thorough explorations have revealed the fact that near most mound villages are cemeteries, often of considerable extent.

The chief value of this fact in this connection is that it forms one item of evidence against the theory held by some antiquarians that the mound—builders were Mexicans, as the usual mode of disposing of the dead by the latter was cremation. [Footnote: Clavigero, Hist. Mex., Cullen’s transl., I, 325; Torquemada, Monarq. Ind., I, p.60, etc.] According to Brasseur de Bourbourg the Toltecs also practiced cremation. [Footnote: H.H. Bancroft, Native Races, vol. 2, 1882, p. 609.]

Removal of the flesh before burial.—This practice appears to have been followed quite generally by both Indians and mound—builders.

That it was followed to a considerable extent by the mound builders of various sections is shown by the following evidence:

The confused masses of human bones frequently found in mounds show by their relation to each other that they must have been gathered together after the flesh had been removed, as this condition could not possibly have been assumed after burial in their natural state. Instances of this kind are so numerous and well known that it is scarcely necessary to present any evidence in support of the statement. The well—known instance referred to by Jefferson in his “Notes on Virginia” [Footnote: Fourth Am. ed., 1801, p. 143; p. 146, in 8th ed.] [pg 20] is one in point. “The appearance,” he tells us, “certainly indicates that it [the barrow] has derived both origin and growth from the customary collections of bones and deposition of them together.”  THE PROBLEM OF THE OHIO MOUNDS. BY CYRUS THOMAS. Government Printing Office 1889

Seven Bends of the Shenandoah River

An aerial photograph shows the locations of Indian mounds dating back to the Late Woodland Period (AD 900–1650) in the seven bends area of the Shenandoah River between Woodstock and Strasburg, Virginia. After some 250 years of plowing by settlers, the mounds have largely disappeared from sight, though traces of them can be detected with aerial photography.

Courtesy of Access Geneaology

Featured In Jefferson’s Mound Archaeological Site

Ely Mound

The nineteen-foot rise in the landscape visible next to the barn in this photograph is Ely Mound, an ancient Indian burial mound in Lee County that dates to the latter part of the Mississippian Period (ca. AD 1200–1650). This view is taken from U.S. Route 58, which runs near the archaeological site. Ely Mound was placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places in 1983

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Featured In Jefferson’s Mound Archaeological Site Ely Mound Archaeological Site

Table on the Status of Virginia Indians

Thomas Jefferson gives an accounting of the Indian tribes in Virginia—the location of their settlements and the population of their warriors in 1607 and 1669—in a foldout page from his Notes from the State of Virginia (1785). The page shown here is from Jefferson’s personal copy of the 1787 London edition.

Original Author: Thomas Jefferson Courtesy of University of Virginia Special Collections Featured In Jefferson’s Mound Archaeological Site

The Human Face

This illustration depicts shell gorgets, carved decorative shells worn around the neck, a Native American art form that most often dates to the Middle Woodlands Period (ca. 200 BC–AD 500) and the Mississippian Period (ca. AD 1200–1650). Carved to look like human faces, these gorgets were excavated at Indian sites in Tennessee as well as at locations in Stafford County (Aquia Creek) and Lee County (Ely Mound). A key at bottom indicates where each carving was found. The archaeologist William Henry Holmes used this illustration in his “Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans,” an article that appeared in the Smithsonian Institution’s Second Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology (1883).

Original Author: William Henry Holmes, author Created: 1881 Courtesy of University of Virginia Library Featured In Ely Mound Archaeological Site

Additional Resource Burial Mounds in Virginia

Do the Indians have any order of the Priesthood? Letter to John Adams from Thomas Jefferson.

“You ask further, if the Indians have any order of priesthood among them, like the Druids, Bards or Minstrels of the Celtic nations? …”

“And, even here, Adair might have kept up his parallel, with ennobling his Conjurers. For the ancient Patriarchs, the Noahs, the Abrahams, Isaacs and Jacobs, and, even after the consecration of Aaron, the Samuels and Elijahs, and we may say further every one for himself, offered sacrifices on the altars. The true line of distinction seems to be, that solemn ceremonies, whether public or private, addressed to the Great Spirit, are conducted by the worthies of the nation, Men, or Matrons, while Conjurers are resorted to only for the invocation of evil spirits…”

“Before the revolution they were in the habit of coming often, and in great numbers to the seat of our government, where I was very much with them. I knew much the great Outassete [i.e., Outacity], the warrior and orator of the Cherokees. He was always the guest of my father, on his journeys to and from Williamsburg. I was in his camp when he made his great farewell oration to his people, the evening before his departure for England…”

“That nation, consisting now of about 2000. warriors, and the Creeks of about 3000. are far advanced in civilisation. They have good Cabins, inclosed fields, large herds of cattle and hogs, spin and weave their own clothes of cotton, have smiths and other of the most necessary tradesmen, write and read, are on the increase in numbers, and a branch of the Cherokees is now instituting a regular representative government…”  Full Article Here: Letter To John Adams Monticello, June 11, 1812 rom Thomas Jefferson about the Indians

This is the oldest drawing of mound builder sites that I’ve ever seen–1786!  This is NEWS to me.  It may be old news to you.  I’ve never heard of it until a few days ago.  I find it very interesting and refreshing so I’m sharing with the BIG 4! http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mtj.mtjbib001910 

Bruce Lloyd Comments 4/28/20

The 1786 drawing is about 62 years before Squire and Davis published Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley in 1848 (First Smithsonian publication).  It came from the Jefferson papers in the Library of Congress.  Jefferson had a great interest in the early inhabitants of America.

You can download in several resolutions and formats,  Unfortunately, this drawing is very low resolution.  I’ve seen other drawings/maps that were 25 MB or more.  This drawing needs to be scanned at a higher resolution.
Although the handwriting is hard to read, I have deciphered most of it.

Side 1 Explanation
Walls Turrets Caves or Graves (although there are 9 dots on the drawing that seem to be labeled Graves)a=circular ???????? with Ditch C.=A pyramid of Earth 50 feet diameter and 30 feet high with a circular Ditch.c.=Circular ???????D.E.F.=?????? ground with regular??

Scale 10 chains to the Inch. [a chain is 66 feet]To the right of the river name, I can see writing that looks like:”a ravine/ravine 10 or 20 feet deep” (not mentioned in Squire and Davis) “A deep ravine Walls at ?? 30 feet” (not mentioned in Squire and Davis)

Near the top left, there is a roadway connected to the larger square that is missing on the Squire and Davis drawing.  The 1786 drawing also has 8 dots representing graves or caves not on Squire and Davis.  Squire and Davis also has an Old Stockade not on the 1786 drawing.  It must have been built after 1786. 

Side 2 Narrative
Plan of Works or Mounds of Earth and Lines of Aimum sallation? covered with Touft Tree? –at the Entrance of the River Mufkingham into the River Ohio:  taken 1786 by Gen Parfons communicated to Ezra Stiles May 5 1786
Yale College Forwarded to his Excellency Gov Jefferson at
Paris,  Minister Plenipotentiary from the  [https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-06-02-0199-0004 ]
United States of America Ezra Stiles

The document was written on both sides of the paper making it hard to read which might explain why it was scanned at a low resolution to avoid the bleed through from the other side.

Based on the scale of 10 chains to the inch, the larger square appears to be about 1600 feet on each side and the smaller square appears to be about 1000 feet on each side.  This is just an estimate as I didn’t take an exact measurement.  This rough estimate would make the larger temple-like structure (with the ramps) inside the biggest square about 250×150 feet.

I just discovered that the intro drawing of Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley on page 11 of 456 at:

 https://www.wdl.org/en/item/4301/view/1/1/ is the same location as the 1786 drawing on the Muskingum River at it’s confluence with the Ohio River.  This site is called “Ancient Works Marietta, Ohio”.  You can see in the drawing where it intersects the Ohio River (now covered with urban sprawl).

The 3 truncated Pyramids (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?) seem special to me compared to all the Squire and Davis drawings (except the lost Menorah and 1 or 2 others).  I don’t recall seeing more than 1 truncated Pyramid with RAMPS on any one site. 

The better drawing is at https://www.wdl.org/en/item/4301/view/1/173/ ; However, the 1786 drawing has some differences.  This is the only mound that I know of where we have 3 different perspectives.

Bruce Lloyd

Ancient Egypt, Memphis, Tennessee, Nephi

Rian Nelson
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Ancient Egypt, Memphis, Tennessee, Nephi

“In Nephi’s words we feel the magnitude of the sacred relationship that Nephi shared with Jehovah, the Great I Am, whose name is vital in our understanding of Him. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “To the Lord’s covenant people, names—particularly proper names—have always been very important. Adam and Eve themselves bore names that suggested their roles here in mortality (see Moses 1:34; 4:26) and, when important covenants were made, men like Abram and Jacob took on new names that signaled a new life as well as a new identity. (See Gen. 17:5; 32:28). Because of this reverence for titles and the meanings they conveyed, the name Jehovah, sometimes transliterated as Yahweh, was virtually unspoken among that people. This was the unutterable name of Deity, that power by which oaths were sealed, battles won, miracles witnessed. Traditionally, he was identified only through a tetragrammaton, four Hebrew letters variously represented in our alphabet as IHVH, JHVH, JHWH, YHVH, YHWH.” Whom Say Ye That I Am? Jeffrey R. Holland Ensign Sept. 1974. Further Explanation in my blog here:

The word below written in Paleo-Hebrew and used from 1000 BC – 400 AD,

represents the name “Jehovah”, or the tetragrammaton. All throughout the Old Testament, the word ‘LORD’ (all small caps), replaced the sacred name “Yahweh” as described above. “I Am” in Hebrew is “Yahweh” and “Adonai” is the Hebrew word for LORD.

What Do Ancient Egypt & Memphis, Tennessee Have in Common?

From the time of its founding, Memphis, Tennessee has managed to maintain a special connection with the land from where it took its name. Below is a list of several commonalities between the Memphis of ancient Egypt and the modern American city of Memphis, Tennessee.

Importance

Memphis, Tennessee is the second largest port on the Mississippi.

Memphis was the capital of Egypt during the period of the Old Kingdom (from about 3100 BCE) until it was superseded in importance by Alexandria around 332 BCE. The Old Kingdom, also called the Pyramid Age, is considered the beginning of Egyptian civilization. Like Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Egypt came to prominence through growth as a trade center.

Location

Memphis, Tennessee was founded in 1819 by Judge John Overton, General James Winchester and General (and future president) Andrew Jackson. The city is based on a strategic position at the head of the Delta of the Mississippi River, the longest river in North America. Memphis, Egypt was located on the Nile River Delta at the head of the longest river in the world.

Cultural Symbols

In 1917, Robert Galloway, chairman of the Memphis Park Commission, presented two quartzite blocks decorated with figures and inscriptions of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis (about 550 BCE) to the city of Memphis. The blocks were originally part of a palace in ancient Memphis. Built in 1991, the Memphis Pyramid Arena is a tribute to the city’s Egyptian namesake. It is the third largest pyramid in the world.

Egyptian Art and Archaeology

The University of Memphis Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology (IEAA), founded in 1984, is one of the world’s leading centers for research on ancient Egypt. In addition to maintaining a collection of over 1,100 ancient Egyptian artifacts, since 1995, the IEAA has sponsored the Amenmesse Tomb Project, an archeological expedition done in conjunction with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. In 2006, the expedition uncovered a new tomb in the fabled Valley of the Kings just a few meters away from the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Read more http://www.ehow.com/info_8146264_do-egypt-memphis-tennessee-common.html

Nephi is the name of three great prophets in the Book of Mormon. I think Nephi may be derived from Nof(נֹף)with the terminal -i being a gentillic. Noph is a Hebrew name for the Egyptian city Memphis; so Nephi would literally mean “Memphisite”. This is interesting given 1 Nephi and Lehi’s familiarity and use of Egyptian(1 Nephi 1:2). 

But who are these Nephites of whom you speak? Why is the root the same as Nephilim?

It isn’t. The root of Nephilim (Strong’s 05303, which occurs in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33, translated “giants” in the KJV) is naphal (Strong’s 05307), which is the verb “to fall” and is itself a primitive root.

Looking through Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Hebrew words that begin with the consonants N and ph have widely different meanings.

The root of Nephites is the proper name Nephi, as in the first two verses in the Book of Mormon:

1 Nephi 1:1-2
“I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.“

Nephi was born and raised in the land of Jerusalem by his father Lehi, who was of the tribe of Manasseh. He married a daughter of Ishmael, who was of the tribe of Ephraim.

The Lord commanded Lehi to take his family and journey into the desert, because of the impending captivity of the Jews by King Nebuchadnezzar. Lehi and his party were eventually led to the Americas, which was a promised land to them. Lehi had both righteous and wicked sons, and after his death they divided into two camps which remained at odds with each other for centuries, the righteous Nephites, named after Nephi, and the Lamanites after Nephi’s older brother Laman.

The word Nephi may come from the Egyptian city of N-ph, transliterated into Hebrew as Noph, which appears in the Old Testament in several places, and translated into English as Memphis.

Mem’phis (haven, of the good), a city of ancient Egypt, situated on that western bank of the Nile, about nine miles south of Cairo and five from the great pyramids and the sphinx. It is mentioned by Isaiah 40:14, 19; and Ezekiel, Ezekiel 30:13, 16; under the name of Noph. Smith’s Bible Dictionary http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1061164/posts?q=1&;page=507

The word Nephi may come from the Egyptian city of N-ph, transliterated into Hebrew as Noph, which appears in the Old Testament in several places, and translated into English as Memphis.

Actually, Hebrew in Nephi’s day (600 BC) was written without vowels, so it would be nph in Egyptian letters transliterated into nph in Hebrew letters when the Egyptian city we now call Memphis was referred to in the Old Testament. Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8146264_do-egypt-memphis-tennessee-common.html

City of Nephi, Amulon and Helam were likely close to Memphis Tennessee.

Noph is Memphis

From the LDS Bible Dictionary we read, “Noph Memphis; ancient capital of Egypt (Isa. 19:13; Jer. 2:16; 44:1; 46:14, 19; Ezek. 30:13, 16; see also Hosea 9:6).” Source

NOPH – MEMPHIS – NEPHI;  IDENTICAL MEANINGS

Nephi is the name of three great prophets in the Book of Mormon. I think Nephi may be derived from Nof (נֹף)with the terminal -i being a gentillic. Noph is a Hebrew name for the Egyptian city Memphis; so Nephi would literally mean “Memphisite”. This is interesting given 1 Nephi and Lehi’s familiarity and use of Egyptian(1 Nephi 1:2). 

“NEPHI: This is also an Egyptian name, usually given as Knephi, and transliterated into Hebrew as Nebi. It means ‘prophet’ or one who speaks with God. The great Osiris, one of the Egyptian gods, was called Nephi or Knephi and the city in his honor was n-ph (vowels always had to be supplied). It is the city we know today as Memphis, located across the Nile from Cairo, but it is referred to by its original name of Noph (a variant of Nephi) in the writings of Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.” Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Volume One By W. Cleon Skousen

 

FOUND NEAR NEWARK OHIO 1865

“Five years after the discovery of this remarkable memento of the ancient Israelites on the American continent, and thirty-five years after the Book of Mormon was in print, several other mounds in the same vicinity of Newark were opened, in several of which Hebrew characters were found. Among them was this beautiful expression, buried with one of their ancient dead, ‘May the Lord have mercy on me a Nephite.’ It was translated a little different—’Nephel.’ Now we well know that Nephi, who came out of Jerusalem six hundred years before Christ, was the leader of the first Jewish colony across to this land, and the people, ever afterwards, were called ‘Nephites,’ after their inspired prophet and leader. The Nephites were a righteous people and had many prophets among them; and when they were burying one of their brethren in these ancient mounds, they introduced the Hebrew characters signifying ‘May the Lord have mercy on me a Nephite.’ This is another direct evidence of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, which was brought forth and translated by inspiration some thirty-five years before this inscription was found.”Orson Pratt JD 13:16 Page131

“Five Hebrew letters are cut in the forehead. When Dr. Lillenthal saw it, he instantly decided the last three letters were nun, pe, lamed…” Dr. Bernard Illowy gives it as his judgement that the words are Yerachamehu Adonai Nephel, May the Lord have mercy on him, an untimely birth, or an abortion.” This Land: America 2,000 B. C. to 500 A. D. by Wayne May

Biet Lehi

Beit comes from the Arabic word meaning house or dwelling.  Lehi means jawbone.  Beit Lehi means the ‘house’ or ‘dwelling’ of the jawbone. “In 1961 Israeli soldiers unearthed a cave that had inscriptions and drawings including the oldest known Hebrew writing of the word ‘Jerusalem’ dated to approximately 600 B.C. by Dr. Frank Cross Moore, Jr. of Harvard University. The drawings depicted men who appeared to be fleeing and two ships. While investigating the cave, Dr. Joseph Ginat of The University of Haifa met a Bedouin who told him about the remains of an ancient oak tree about 1/4 of a mile away where, according to Bedouin legends and tradition, a prophet named Lehi blessed and judged the people of both Ishmael and Judah. The Bedouin told Dr. Ginat that Lehi had lived many years before Muhammad and that Arab people had built a wall of large rocks around the remains of the tree to protect it as a sacred spot, long known by Arab inhabitants as ‘Beit Lehi’, meaning ‘Home of Lehi.’

Mem’phis (haven, of the good ), a city of ancient Egypt, situated on that western bank of the Nile, about nine miles south of Cairo and five from the great pyramids and the sphinx. It is mentioned by ( Isaiah 40:14,19 ) and Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 30:13,16 ) under the name of Noph. Though some regard Thebes as the more ancient city, the monuments of Memphis are of higher antiquity than those of Thebus. The city is said to have had a circumference of about 10 miles. The temple of Apis was one of the most noted structures of Memphis. It stood opposite the southern portico of the temple of Ptah; and Psammetichus, who built that gateway, also erected in front of the sanctuary of Apis a magnificent colonnade, supported by colossal statues or Osiride pillars, such as may still be seen at the temple of Medeenet Habou at Thebes. Herod. ii, 153.

Beit Lehi, or Beit Loya, is an active archaeological site southwest of Jerusalem, about an hour and a quarter’s drive by car. It is situated within a geographical region known as the Judean Shephelah, or Lowland, sandwiched between the Judean Hills in the east and the coastal plain in the west. Throughout antiquity, a major road that led to and from the coastal port city of Gaza passed by the site.

(Above) “Its use as a Christian site is evidenced mainly by the huge, slightly misspelled Greek inscription seen on one wall. Underneath the inscription is a chi rho christogram (31.5 inches in diameter). It comprises the superimposed first two Greek letters of “Christ,” chi (X) and rho (P), enclosed in a medallion. This monogram was first used in Christian context by the Roman emperor Constantine I (who reigned between 306–337 A.D.). A picture of a ship is etched into the wall above the inscription. The ship features a person standing at its far left, raising his hand in the manner known from Christian iconography, and a mast on the right.” Source

Memphis (haven, of the good )

Through this colonnade the Apis was led with great pomp upon state occasions. At Memphis was the reputed burial-place of Isis; it has also a temple to that “myriad-named” divinity. Memphis had also its Serapeium, which probably stood in the western quarter of the city. The sacred cubit until other symbols used in measuring the rise of the Nile were deposited in the temple of Serapis. The Necropolis, adjacent to Memphis, was on a scale of grandeur corresponding with the city itself. The “city of the pyramids” is a title of Memphis in the hieroglyphics upon the monuments. Memphis long held its place as a capital; and for centuries a Memphite dynasty ruled over all Egypt. Lepsius, Bunsen and Brugsch agree in regarding the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth dynasties of the old empire as Memphite, reaching through a period of about 1000 years.

The city’s overthrow was distinctly predicted by the Hebrew prophets. (Isaiah 19:13; Jeremiah 46:19 ) The latest of these predictions was uttered nearly 600 years before Christ, and a half a century before the invasion of Egypt by Cambyses (cir, B.C. 525). Herodotus informs us that Cambyses, engaged at the opposition he encountered at Memphis, committed many outrages upon the city. The city never recovered from the blow inflicted by Cambyses. The rise of Alexandria hastened its decline. The caliph conquerors founded Fostat (old Cairo) upon the opposite bank of the Nile, a few miles north of Memphis, and brought materials from the old city to build their new capital, A.D. 638. At length so complete was the ruin of Memphis that for a long time its very site was lost. Recent explorations have brought to light many of its antiquities. Smith’s Bible Dictionary http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/sbd/view.cgi?number=T2921

Hugh Nibley

“It should be noted here that archaeology has fully demonstrated that the Israelites, then as now, had not the slightest aversion to giving their children non-Jewish names, even when those names smacked of a pagan background. 59 One might, in a speculative mood, even detect something of Lehi’s personal history in the names he gave to his sons. The first two have Arabic names—do they recall his early days in the caravan trade? The second two have Egyptian names, and indeed they were born in the days of his prosperity. The last two, born amid tribulations in the desert, were called, with fitting humility, Jacob and Joseph. Whether the names of the first four were meant, as those of the last two sons certainly were (2 Nephi 2:1; 3:1), to call to mind the circumstances under which they were born, the names are certainly a striking indication of their triple heritage. Lehi in the Desert by Hugh Nibley Chapter 2

LEHI’S MANY HERITAGES

“The caravans of Egypt and Israel pass each other, guided through the sands by those men of the desert (Arabs) who were the immemorial go-between of the two civilizations.

  1. ARAB: Arab designates a way of life, and was applied by the Jews to their own relatives who remained behind in the wilderness. , Manasseh lived furthest out of Jerusalem and had contact with Arabs the most.
  2. ISRAELI: Of Manasseh through Joseph and the 12 tribes of Israel.
  3. EGYPTIAN: Language of Lehi consists of learning of Jews and language of Egyptians: Heritage, culture. Ammon was Manasseh’s nearest neighbor and is an Egyptian name.
  4. HEBREW: Lehi means Jaw Bone in Hebrew. From Eber, Jewish because they live near and around Jerusalem. Learning of the Jews.
  5. CHRISTIAN: Through Christ, and lived the law of Moses”

Arabic Names: LAMAN, LEMUEL
Egyptian Names: NEPHI, SAM
Israeli Names: JACOB, JOSEPH”
Lehi in the Desert by Hugh Nibley Chapter 2

“The great frequency of the element Mor- in Book of Mormon proper names is in striking agreement with the fact that in the lists of Egyptian names compiled by Lieblein and Ranke the element Mr is, next to Nfr alone, by far the commonest.
 
In an article in The Improvement Era for April 1948, the author drew attention to the peculiar tendency of Book of Mormon names to concentrate in Upper Egypt, in and south of Thebes. At the time he was at a loss to explain such a strange phenomenon, but the answer is now clear. 7 When Jerusalem fell, most of Lehi’s contemporaries who escaped went to Egypt, where their principal settlement seems to have been at Elephantine or Yeb, south of Thebes. It would seem, in fact, that the main colonization of Elephantine was at that time, and from Jerusalem. 8 What then could be more natural than that the refugees who fled to Egypt from Lehi’s Jerusalem should have Book of Mormon names, since Lehi’s people took their names from the same source?

One serious objection to using Book of Mormon names as philological evidence must not be passed by without an answer. Upon seeing these strange words before him, how could the illiterate Joseph Smith have known how to pronounce them? And upon hearing them, how could his half-educated scribe have known how to write them down phonetically? Remember, these names are not translations into English like the rest of the book but remain bits of the authentic Nephite language. Between them, the guesses of the prophet as to pronunciation and the guesses of Oliver Cowdery as to transcription would be bound to make complete havoc of the original titles. Only there was no guessing. According to David Whitmer and Emma Smith in interviews appearing in The Saints Herald and pointed out to the author by Preston Nibley, Joseph never pronounced the proper names he came upon in the plates during the translation but always spelled them out. 9 Hence there can be no doubt that they are meant as they stand to be as accurate and authentic as it is possible to render them in our alphabet.” Lehi in the Desert 1

Herodotus on the First Circumnavigation of Africa

The Greek researcher and storyteller Herodotus of Halicarnassus (fifth century BCE) was the world’s first historian. In The Histories, he describes the expansion of the Achaemenid empire under its kings Cyrus the Great, Cambyses and Darius I the Great, culminating in king Xerxes’ expedition in 480 BCE against the Greeks, which met with disaster in the naval engagement at Salamis and the battles at Plataea and Mycale. Herodotus’ remarkable book also contains excellent ethnographic descriptions of the peoples that the Persians have conquered, fairy tales, gossip, legends, and a very humanitarian morale. (A summary with some historical comments can be found here.)

Context

Portrait of a pharaoh of the Saite dynasty

The Egyptian king Necho II, or – more properly – Wehimbre Nekao, was the ruler of the kingdom along the Nile from 610 to 595 BCE. When he started his reign, there were serious military problems on Egypt’s northeastern border. The Babylonians had taken the Assyrian capital Nineveh and were ready to punish Egypt for its support to the Assyrian cause. From a Babylonian text, the Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle, we know that Necho was campaigning in Syria from 609 until 605, when the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar decisively defeated the Egyptians at Karchemiš (in Syria).

The Babylonian proceeded to subjugate the towns along the Mediterranean coast. It is not entirely clear where and when the border between Egypt and Babylonia was drawn: 2 Kings 24.7 implies that Egypt retired to the Sinai desert and left the Palestine coast in Babylonian hands; Herodotus 2.159 suggests that Gaza remained an Egyptian stronghold.

However this may be, it is obvious that the pharaoh was in big troubles for some time, and he seems to have considered the possibility to attack southern Babylonia by sea. He ordered a canal to be constructed between the Nile and the Red Sea, but discovered that he was giving free access to his enemies too. Consequently, the canal remained uncompleted until the Persians had taken over Egypt in the last quarter of the sixth century.

The circumnavigation of Africa must somehow have been related to Necho’s defense projects. He asked for Phoenician assistance because the Phoenicians (who lived in modern Lebanon) were excellent sailors and had several colonies in the West, such as Carthage and the islet of Mogador opposite modern Essaouira. The Phoenicians must have been happy to help the Egyptians, because they shared the Babylonian enemy. Here is Herodotus’ account of the vovage, in a translation by Aubrey de Sélincourt.

Herodotus’ story

Herodotus c. 484 – c. 425 BC) was an ancient Greek historian, writer and geographer

Libya is washed on all sides by the sea except where it joins Asia, as was first demonstrated, so far as our knowledge goes, by the Egyptian king Necho, who, after calling off the construction of the canal between the Nile and the Arabian Gulf, sent out a fleet manned by a Phoenician crew with orders to sail west about and return to Egypt and the Mediterranean by way of the Straits of Gibraltar. The Phoenicians sailed from the Arabian Gulf into the southern ocean, and every autumn put in at some convenient spot on the Libyan coast, sowed a patch of ground, and waited for next year’s harvest. Then, having got in their grain, they put to sea again, and after two full years rounded the Pillars of Heracles in the course of the third, and returned to Egypt. These men made a statement which I do not myself believe, though others may, to the effect that as they sailed on a westerly course round the southern end of Libya, they had the sun on their right – to northward of them. This is how Libya was first discovered by sea.

Reconstruction of the voyage

Map of the circumnavigation of Africa

The following is a possible reconstruction of their voyage. They must have started their expedition in July, and they must have reached the Horn of Africa after an uneventful trip, relying on the northern wind. The Red Sea (which Herodotus calls “Arabian Gulf”) was well known to their Egyptian pilots, because the Egyptians traded incense with the Arabs of modern Yemen.

The Egyptian sources inform us also about the legendary country named Pwanit or Punt, which is probably identical to Eretria and eastern Ethiopia (more…). The first part of the expedition of the Phoenicians covered known territories.

After they had passed Africa’s most eastern shores, the northeast monsoon – which started in October – sped up their journey, and in March they must have reached the equator. The Agulhas Current must have brought them through the Mozambique Channel and along the coast of modern South Africa. Sailing on their westerly course, they must have observed that they had the sun on their right. (Something that Herodotus, who was unaware of the earth’s spherical shape, was unable to believe.) Something else must have fascinated these men, too: they must have seen whales.

When they reached Cape Agulhas, they left the current that had helped them to the south. At the same time, they encountered the contrary South East trade winds. And they must have been surprised to discover that here, on the southern hemisphere, the winter was already approaching. However, they must happily have noticed that they had started to go north. The plain behind Saint Helena Bay, 150 kilometers north of modern Cape town, offered a fine opportunity to land. They must have sowed their wheat in June, started to repair their ships, and harvested in November.

The Benguela Current and the now favorable South East trade winds brought the Phoenician sailors back to the hot equatorial regions, and they will have experienced its effects in a most unpleasant way, when they sailed along the Namibian coast, which is a waterless desert. It took several weeks to reach a more fertile coast. In March, a new and equally unpleasant surprise awaited them: they had been traveling on a northerly course, but now, the coast curved to the west again. They may have benefited from the westward Guinea Current, but not for long, because it changes its direction during the spring. For weeks, they were struggling against the wind and the current, only to reach -in July- the African west coast, where they encountered the contrary Canary Current and the North Eastern trade winds. But they must have been relieved to find themselves rowing in a northerly direction again.

Somehow they managed to beat against the wind and the current, and in November they must have landed somewhere on the coast of modern Mauritania, maybe at Bay of Arguin, where their Carthaginian compatriots were to build the trading post of Kerne in the not too distant future. The voyagers sowed their wheat, repaired their ships, and waited for the next harvest. Maybe they made contact with the Berber population; in that case, they may have learned that they could obtain gold from the Bambouk region if they returned to the mouth of the Senegal – something that the Carthaginian sailor Hanno probably did.

In May, they brought their ships to the sea, and started to beat their way up to along the Moroccan coast, where they discovered that they had returned to the world they knew: the town on Mogador island was occupied by Phoenicians. Having told the incredible story of their trip to the southern hemisphere, and no doubt with new equipment, they continued their voyage; soon they reached Phoenician towns like Lixus, modern Cadiz and Malaga, and Carthage. They must have reached Egypt at the end of the summer. Their expedition had lasted three full years.

This story, told by Herodotus, was generally questioned after the famous geographer Ptolemy had said that it was impossible to circumnavigate Africa. Another voyage was necessary to vindicate the Phoenician claims. This trip was made in 1488, when Bartolomeus Diaz reached the Cape of Good Hope.

Lehi’s Voyage Demonstrated: Phoenicia Expedition, 2009

“The Phoenicia Ship Expedition has now demonstrated unequivocally that Lehi’s voyage could have left the Arabian Peninsula and sailed around Africa to the Americas rather than attempting to cross the earth’s largest ocean at its widest point, as proposed by Mesoamerican theorists.” Continued at the blog here:

The Phoenicia 600 B.C ship replica
The History Channel recently released a documentary called Who Really Discovered America? which explores a number of possible incursions into the Americas by the ancients.  In the film they discuss the Book of Mormon account of the voyage of Lehi and his family.  Unfortunately, they consulted with Mesoamerican theorists in concluding that Lehi’s voyage would have taken them from the Saudi Arabian peninsula to the western shores of Mesoamerica.  This resulted in oceanographic research which showed, using ‘drifters’ (floating buoys that transmit their positions to satellites orbiting earth) that the route would have taken at least 580 days!  That is only four months short of two years.  They then rightfully conclude that a ship could make such a long voyage, but the occupants could not store enough food and water for such a lengthy trip, and thus the Book of Mormon and Church upon which it is based, is summarily dismissed as being impossible.  Watch the clip from the History Channel by clicking here..  Thus, because of using Mesoamerican theories, the Church and the Book of Mormon are discredited. By Rod Meldrum

What is the 2020 Phoenician Expedition?

The Phoenicia is a traditionally-built replica of a Phoenician merchant vessel, based on a 600 BC design.

According to Greek geographer and historian, Strabo, the Phoenicians traded and settled along the East Atlantic coast, prompting Philip Beale’s belief in the likelihood that the Phoenicians would have attempted to sail West in the hope of discovering more lands. 

Beale commissioned the building of the Phoenicia ship 12 years ago. It was traditionally built in Syria and its design was based on the wreckage of the Jules Vernes 7, discovered in the Mediterranean in the early 1990’s. The Phoenicia is believed to be the only replica of its kind in the world.

Tunisia to Florida Sept 25 to Feb 4, 2020 on a replica Phoenician Ship

This voyage (From Tunisia began the 28th of Sept 2019 and Landed in Ft Lauderdale FL on Feb 4, 2020), has proved it possible for the ancient Mulekites to have traveled from Tunisia (Ancient Capital of the Phoenicians), all the way to Florida where we feel the Mulekites traveled up the Mississippi (Sidon) River, and were forced to stop at the DE Moines River rapids near Nauvoo, IL. For an explanation see my blog article here called, Mulekites Land Near Nauvoo

Read about Boyd Tuttle and the Phoenician Expedition in LDS Living and on my blog here called, Columbus wasn’t the First to Discover America!

Numerology or Gematria about Utah & Mormon

Rian Nelson
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Numerology or Gematria about Utah & Mormon

Gematria (/ɡəˈmeɪtriə/; Hebrew: גמטריא‎ or gimatria גימטריה, plural גמטראות or גימטריאות, gimatriot)[1] is an alphanumeric code of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to its letters. A single word can yield several values depending on the cipher used.

Gematria is a Hebrew alphanumeric code or cipher that was probably used in biblical times and was later adopted by other cultures. It is still widely used in Jewish culture. Similar systems have been used in other languages and cultures: the Greeks isopsephy, and later, derived from or inspired by Hebrew gematria, Arabic abjad numerals, and English gematria.

A type of gematria system (‘Aru’) was employed by the ancient Babylonian culture but, because their writing script was logographic, the numerical assignations they made were to whole words. The value of these words were assigned in an entirely arbitrary manner and correspondences were made through tables.[2] This practise was very different from the gematria systems used by Hebrew and Greek cultures, which used alphabetic writing scripts. Similar systems have been used in other languages and cultures derived from or inspired by Hebrew gematria, Arabic abjad numerals, and English gematria. There is currently no academic consensus over whether Hebrew gematria or Greek isopsephy was used first.

Gematria sums can involve single words, or a string of lengthy calculations. A well-known short example of Hebrew numerology that uses a gematria cipher is the word חי chai (lit. “alive”), which is composed of two letters that (using the assignments in the Mispar gadol table shown below) add up to 18. This has made 18 a “lucky number” among the Jewish people. Donations of money in multiples of 18 are very popular.[3] Unlike numerology, gematria sums are usually derived from a written text and tend to only involve the nouns for calculation. For instance the nouns from Genesis 1:1 בראשית אלהים השמים הארץ that mean ‘In the beginning, Elohim, the Heavens, the Earth’ add up to 700 (using the biblical gematria cipher) to represent the seven days of creation.

Gematria Calculator

Here is an interesting website that assists you with typical words or phrase concerning the Latter-day Saints. I share it for entertainment value and for an interest of other information in this world of knowledge. Don’t go too far with any interpretations as it is all meant as enjoyment. Latter Day Saints Value In Gematria Calculator

Scripture Notes-
Gematria – Good Clean Fun

Support our great friend Oak Norton with his amazing Scripture Notes App. Oak will be presenting at out Sept 23rd Conference in Sandy Utah. He can get you started in making scripture study fun and efficient.

https://scripturenotes.com/

Numerology Explains Why Utah is the Mormon Capital: The Power of Numbers

In the United States, the number 5 is sacred, especially 555.  This is not known to most, but it becomes evidently true when one looks at the architecture and hidden numerical code of the 50 States.  If you would like to look at the numerical code for all 50 states, that information is here.  With regards to 5 and 555, one need only look at the Nation’s Capitol for the first significant evidence.  The Pentagon, the nation’s war department, is a five sided, five story structure, with 77 foot tall walls, and a five acre court in the middle.  Construction began on the Pentagon, September 11, 1941, 60 years before the tragic events of 9/11.  The structure is located on the 77th Meridian, also known as the “American Meridian”.  I throw that detail in so you know numbers have had significance in history.  The Washington Monument, the world’s tallest structure when it was completed, stands 555 feet and 5 inches tall.  That is a lot of fives, don’t you think?

Out of the entire 50 states, only Utah sums to the digit 5.  Mathematically, if it were all random, approximately 5.555 states should sum to the number 5 out of 50 total states, with numbers running 1 through 9.  In this case however, only one state sums to the number 5.  That seems all the more odd when you realize that 555 has been coded into the names of States that do not sum to 5.  Let us examine.

  • New Jersey = new = 555
  • Pennsylvania = enn = 555
  • Connecticut = nne = 555
  • New Hampshire = new = 555
  • New York = new = 555
  • *Tennessee = enne = 5555
  • Minnesota = nne = 555
  • New Mexico (555+33) = new = 555

When we look at the United States as a whole, we find something very special about this 555 sequence.  Eight states have the number 555 coded within them.

  1. Pennsylvania, the second state and home of the first capital, Philadelphia
  2. New Jersey, the third state
  3. Connecticut, the fifth state
  4. New Hampshire, the ninth state
  5. New York, the eleventh state
  6. Tennessee, sweet 16, which has 6-fives coded within it, enne-ee
  7. Minnesota, the 32nd state, with a numerology of 5
  8. New Mexico, the 47th state, with a numerology of 11, and summing to 555 and 33. 

We also find that the only states to sum to 33 are the first State Delaware, the sixth State Massachusetts, and the fiftieth and final State, Hawaii.  The sum of 33, is 6, the state Massachusetts is in order of statehood.  Illinois has 33 coded into the lettering, the only to do so, and is also home of the 60606 area code.  Illinois is also the twenty-first state, with a numerology of 3, as 21 = 2+1 = 3.

To put this in greater perspective, to see that these numerical sequences aren’t just coincidence, let us look at some other numerology stats for the entire fifty states as a whole.

  • Five of the first 13 colonies have 555  coded into their names
  • There are four States with the name “New”, and new = 555
  • There are 8 states with 555 coded into their name total
    • Several more cities, such as New Haven, where Skull and Bones is
      • New = 555 Haven = 5
  • The United States was established in the “new world” as we were taught.
    • 555 is often used in the movies, 555 = new
    • Many of us are addicted to new and consuming new, are we not?
    • In numerology, 555 means the creation of a big change
      • One could say the U.S.A. has brought it.

Utah is home of Zion National Park.  Mount Zion is the mountain outside of Jerusalem where Temple Mount was once built according to religious historical records.  Zion National Park has some very interesting reported facts and statistical numbers.  Zion National Park is 590 square km or 229 square miles. in total area  It is 15 miles or 24 km deep, and 1/2 miles or 800 meters across.

  • 590 km = 5+9 = 14 = 5
  • 229 sq.m = 2+2+9+13 = 4
  • 15 m  = 6
  • 24 km = 6
  • 1/2 m = .5
  • 800 = 8

If you’ve ever wondered why we keep multiple measuring systems in the United States, perhaps the answer is in numerology.  When such parks are built, perhaps the powers that be want two options to calculate numbers, so that they can have greater capability of achieving their numerical goals.  Just a thought.  Beyond the numbers however, is the name Zion, which has much influence in our world today.  If you’re not familiar with the term Zion and Zionism, it carries many different meanings.  To Rastafarians it means the safe return to the homeland, Africa. To a certain sect of Jews, they refer to themselves as Zionists.  Zionists are essentially the people behind the creation and governance of modern day Israel, and according to Orthodox Jews, Zionists have stolen the Jewish faith and corrupted their religion for an immoral cause.

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Fort Douglas is another major attraction in the state of Utah.  Today it is just a museum, but it has been many things in history, from protection for the Mormons in the 1800s to an internment camp for German citizens during World War I starting in 1917.  In 1922, Fort Douglas became the home for the 38th infantry.  In the year ending ’22, it became the home of the infantry summing to 11 in numerology.  Let us quickly also examine the numerology of 1922.

  • 1922 = 1+9+2+2 = 14 = 5. 

After World War II, Fort Douglas would become the home of the 96th Army Reserve Command.  96 sums to 15, the same total as 555.  Maybe just another coincidence.  In 2002, the fort was used to house the “Olympic Winter Village.”  This was the Winter following the September 11 attacks, of 2001.
The fort was built in 1862 at coordinates:

Salt Lake City, Utah
40°45′55″N 111°49′59″
  • The numerology of Fort Douglas, names aren’t arbitrary
    • FORT = 6+6+9+2 = 23 = 5
    • DOUGLAS = 4+6+3+7+3+1+1 = 25 = Five 5s

Do you see as many fives as I see in those coordinates?

Utah, the United States and Mormonism
Let us move onto what Utah is most popularly known for, that being the site of many of the nation’s Mormon citizens, the home of the fastest growing sect of Christianity in the country.

MORMON = 13+15+18+13+15+14 = 88 = 16 = 7
MORMON = 4+6+9+4+6+5 = 34 = 7

GEORGE = 7+6+7+9+7+5 = 39
WASHINGTON = 5+1+1+8+9+5+7+2+6+5 = 49
GEORGE WASHINGTON = 39+49 = 88 = 16 = 7

  • See the 88 connection between Mormon wand Washington
  • 55+33 = 88
  • In the 9/11 Tribute to Light, 88 lamps were used to salute the fallen towers
    • Two beams, each made of 44 lamps

JOSEPH SMITH = 64+69 = 133 = 7
JOSEPH SMITH = 10+6 = 16 = 7

  • JOSEPH = 10+15+19+5+7+8 = 64 = 10
  • JOSEPH =1+6+1+5+7+8 = 28 = 10
  • SMITH = 19+13+9+20+8 = 69 = 15 = 6
  • SMITH = 1+4+9+2+8 = 24 = 6

It is believed by most people that Mormonism originates from Utah.  This however is not true.  It is actually originating from Upstate New York, the eleventh state, the number representing Satan in numerology, also commonly called ‘The Big Apple’, as in the big temptation, as in the fruit that causes sin in the Bible originally, in the first story from the Book of Genesis.  Mormonism dates back to the 1820s, with Joseph Smith, before even Utah was an established state or the religion had reached as far West.  New York is also one of eight states to have 555 coded into its name, and let us recall, Utah is the only state summing to 5 in numerology of State Names.  In a land where numerology is important, this is not a coincidence.

Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont (14 state = 1+4 =5) and by 1817 had moved with his family to western New York, then the site of intense religious revivalism as part of the Second Great Awakening. There, according to Smith, he saw and heard a series of visions that directed Smith to a buried book of golden plates inscribed with a Judeo-Christian history of an ancient American civilization. In 1830, Smith published what he said was an English translation of these plates, titled the Book of Mormon. Also in 1830, he organized the Church of Christ, calling it a restoration of the early Christian church. Church members were later called “Latter Day Saints” or “Mormons”.

LATTER = 3+1+2+2+5+9 = 22 = 4
LATTER = 12+1+20+20+5+18 = 76 = 13 = 4
DAY = 4+1+7 = 12 = 3
DAY = 4+1+25 = 30 = 3
SAINTS = 1+1+9+5+2+9 = 27 = 9
SAINTS = 19+1+9+14+20+19 = 72 = 9
LATTER(4)+Day(3)+Saints(9) = 16 = 7

  • Mormon = 7
  • Joseph Smith = 7
  • George Washington = 7

In the second post I ever did on this blog, I commented on how I noticed the number 44 seemed to coincide with assassination.  Joseph Smith would lead the Mormon Church through its early growth stages, from 1820 to 1844, when he would die on June 27, 1844, after being stampeded by a mob, in Illinois, before Mormonism even reached what is present day Utah.

  • June 27, 1844 = 6+2+7+1+8+4+4 = 32 = 5
    • June 27 = 6+2+7 = 15 (The sum of 555)

Before Joseph Smith’s death, in 1831, he and his followers moved west with plans to build a communalistic “American Zion”, as he put it. They gathered in Kirtland, Ohio first, and then established an outpost in Independence, Missouri, which was intended to be Zion’s “center place”. During the 1830s, Smith sent out missionaries, published revelations, and supervised construction of an expensive temple to gain attention. However, due to the collapse of a previously church sponsored bank and violent skirmishes with angry non-Mormon Missourians, Smith’s dreams of building Zion in Missouri and Ohio failed by the end of the decade. In the early 1840s, Smith established a new city called Nauvoo, Illinois, where he was a spiritual and political leader. In 1844, Smith and the Nauvoo city council angered non-Mormons by ordering a printing press destroyed after it was used to publish an editorial critical of Smith’s power and practice of having multiple wives. During the ensuing controversy, Smith was imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois and killed when a mob stormed the jailhouse. 

After the death of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young would become the leader of the Latter Day Saints.  He would move the religion to the West, and settle the city of Salt Lake City, Utah.

  • SALT = 1+1+3+2 = 7
  • LAKE = 3+1+2+5 = 11
  • CITY = 3+9+2+7 = 16 = 7
  • SALE + LAKE + CITY = 7 +11+7 = 25 = 7

On September 11, 1857, 13 years after the passing of Joseph Smith, the Mormons would have a September 11 of their own, when the Mountain Meadows Massacre would occur.  Like Jamestown, the incident is blamed on Natives, but the facts and history from locals weighs something different.

Courtesy of Wikipedia-
On Friday, September 11, 1857, two militiamen approached the Baker–Fancher party wagons with a white flag and were soon followed by Native American agent and militia officer John D. Lee. Lee told the battle-weary emigrants that he had negotiated a truce with the Paiutes, whereby they could be escorted safely the 36 miles (58 km) back to Cedar City under Mormon protection in exchange for turning all of their livestock and supplies over to the Native Americans. Accepting this, the emigrants were led out of their fortification. The adult men were separated from the women and children. The men were paired with a militia escort. When a signal was given, the militiamen turned and shot the male members of the Baker–Fancher party standing by their side. The women and children were then ambushed and killed by more militia that were hiding in nearby bushes and  ravines. Members of the militia were sworn to secrecy. A plan was set to blame the massacre on the Native Americans. The militia did not kill some small children who were deemed too young to relate the story. These children were taken in by local Mormon families. Seventeen of the children were later reclaimed by the U.S. Army and returned to relatives in Arkansas.

JOHN = 10+15+8+14 = 47 = 11
D = 4
LEE = 12+5+5 = 22 = 4

Doesn’t it seem interesting the man who lead the conflict, had a name with a numerology of 11-4-4?  Knowing what we know about 44, and the fact that Joseph Smith’s life came to an unexpected death in ’44.  We should not overlook these numerical names, numbers and dates of history.  Of course, the September 11 date is also very curious, and it coming thirteen years after the death of Smith.  Here in the United States, September 11, 2014 will mark the 13 year anniversary of 9/11 as we have come to know it in the present.

After Smith’s passing, Brigham Young would lead the Mormons from after Joseph Smith until his death, August 29, 1877, when he would pass at 4:00 PM, from what is believed to be a burst appendix.  The deaths of Smith and Joseph were thirty-three years and sixty-three days apart.

  • 33 years = 3+3 = 6
  • 63 days = 6+3 = 9
  • 6/9
  • Joseph and Brigham

Two years before his death, the Brigham Young University was established, October 16, 1875

  • October 16, 1875 = 1+1+6+1+8+7+5 = 29 = 11

Utah has been a nation of new, from westward expansion, to the founding of the nation’s first department store; Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institution, to the beginning of the environmental movement.  It is also the state where the world’s first transcontinental train was established and celebrated.  In additions to firsts, it has many significant numbers, as evidenced by where Interstate 70 ends at Highway 15.  The stretch of Highway 70 connecting Utah to Colorado, is considered the most deserted stretch of highway in the nation.  In this report, the numbers 5, 555 and 7 have come up often.  70 sums to 7 in numerology, and 15 is the product of three fives.  Five and seven also have two other major connections in Utah; the state has five national parks and seven national monuments:
National Parks:

  • Arches
  • Bryce
  • Canyonlands
  • Capitol Reef
  • Zion

National Monuments

  • Cedar Breaks
  • Dinosaur
  • Grand Staircase-Escelante
  • Hovensweep
  • Natural Bridges
  • Rainbow Bridge
  • Timpanogos

Utah is also the only state to have a capitol made of three words, each with four letters. 4:4:4. Also, Utah mountain peaks, on average, are the tallest in the country. The average elevation of the tallest peaks in each of Utah’s counties is 11,222 ft.-higher than the same average in any other state.  Altogether, it makes Utah a very unique place, having many major numerical significances.

Let us close with Chapter 9, Passage 11, from the Book of Mormon.
But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.

  • ABRAHAM = 1+2+9+1+8+1+4 = 26 = 8
  • ISAAC = 9+1+1+1+3 = 15 (911 and 113… also 15, the sum of three 5s…also, Isaac is 5 letters)
  • JACOB = 1+1+3+6+2 = 13 (113 and formed by 5 letters)
    • USA = 311

Source: free to find truth

America- Witnessed in the Book of Mormon

Rian Nelson
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America- Witnessed in the Book of Mormon

The United States of America was chosen and carefully selected for a righteous people to dwell and prosper. The Book of Mormon uses it in the last connotation: “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.” (Ether 2:7)

This does not mean that the land of North America is ‘superior’ to all other lands. However, it was ‘carefully selected’ for a special purpose. For the Jaredites it was a land chosen for a ‘righteous people.’ For the Nephites, it was ‘carefully selected’ as a land of promise and a covenant land for a remnant of the House of Israel.“

“I should like to say a few words about America… No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America…surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty.” Gordon B. Hinckley Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”, BYU Speeches of the Year, October 29, 1974, pp. 267-68

How is it possible to read the Book of Mormon and read the promises about a Promised Land, and not know these prophets are speaking about the United States of America? There are many choice lands in the Americas, but not like the USA with its constitution, liberty and missionary work. We truly are blessed to be in this chosen land of America. With this blessing, we are under covenant to share the gospel to the rest of the world and if we don’t we shall be swept off this chosen Land. President Dyer shares in plain language as an ambassador of the Lord, this same sentiment.

The Destiny of America by President Alvin R. Dyer

Of the First Presidency Conference Report, October 1968, pp. 106-110

“My brothers and sisters and friends of our vast television audience, I occupy this position this morning by assignment from our beloved leader, President David O. McKay. We are so grateful he is present with us this morning, and I bear record that he is a prophet of God.

The Destiny of America

My talk this morning concerns the destiny of America, which directly and indirectly affects all of mankind.

Since the founding of this country, political leaders have spoken of the greatness of America and of its place in the world as the cradle of freedom and democracy, with a destiny to disseminate these principles throughout the world.

We have witnessed America’s attempt at this by various methods, but she is learning by hard and costly experience that freedom cannot be taken or given to any people, nor can it be bought. America of today will need to learn the lesson, as did our Founding Fathers, that freedom must be sought after with courage and sacrifice, and that she cannot maintain it at home or convey it unto others unless this type of pursuit is involved.

As to the destiny of America, politically speaking, I am not prepared to say, but I do know that long before the ships of Columbus touched the shores of the New World, long before our independence and our Founding Fathers established a new nation, events had long since transpired to give unto this land, which we now call America, its committed purpose and destiny.

True destiny spiritual

Title of Liberty Flag 3×5 Ft. Show Your Love of Freedom! $30

I have a firm conviction that the true destiny of America is religious, not political; it is spiritual, not physical.

Much has been said by many of the purpose of its founding. The Prophet Joseph Smith himself declared its constitution to be heavenly inspired, and because of this we earnestly pray for its purposeful continuity. But noble and great as are the political phases of its establishment, its real significance lies in its spiritual purpose, for which it was truly founded. I have chosen two of these spiritual and therefore God-purposed reasons for reference:

First: America was founded to fulfill a covenant that God made with the patriarchal ancestors of the house of Israel. The Lord, speaking unto a remnant of this house who had inhabited this land, had thus to say:

“For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel” (3 Ne. 21:4).

Preservation of moral agency

Second: America and its constitution were founded to preserve unto mankind the God-given right of moral agency. I quote from a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith on this subject:

“According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;

“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.

“Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another,

“And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood” (D&C 101:77-80, italics added).

The people whom Columbus found were the ebbing remnants of those who came to this land by heavenly direction and in fulfillment of the covenants which God had enacted long before their migrations and occupancy of the land, which the Lord announced to them as a land of promise and inheritance.

Migration of Jaredites

According to the Book of Mormon, the Jaredites began their migration to this land at the time when the great tower of Babel was under construction. This occurred in about the year 2200 B.C. At this time the language of the people was confused. This tower has been identified in our modern time at a place called Hillah in modern Iraq, southwest of the city of Baghdad, on the east bank of the Euphrates River. Here is found a ruin known as Birs Nimrud, standing like a watchtower on a vast plain. Inscriptions on the pyramid-shaped ruins were found by Professor Rawlinson to bear the name of “The Temple of the Seven Planets.” This ruin is supposed to be what is left of the Tower of Babel.

In the course of the travels of the Jaredites, first northward into the valley of Nimrod and then, after crossing many lakes and rivers, eventually reaching the great sea which separated the continents, they established a community named Moriancumer after their great leader, the brother of Jared (see Ether 2:1-6,13).

We learn that the Lord gave instructions to the brother of Jared for the building of submersible barges that would enable his colony to cross the great waters to a land of promise, concerning which Mahonri-Moriancumer wrote:

“And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God” (Ether 2:9-10).

Lehi led to promised land

About 1,600 years later, or 600 B.C., a prophet by the name of Lehi with his family left doomed Jerusalem, as the Lord had directed him. Lehi and his colony, as with the Jaredites many centuries before, were to be led to the promised land. Speaking unto Nephi, the son of Lehi, while they were yet in the wilderness prior to their embarkation, the Lord said:

Book of Mormon Archaeology in North America by Wayne May (DVD)

“And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands” (1 Ne. 2:20).

Eventually, after much tribulation and a perilous journey over the great waters in a ship built as directed by the Lord, Lehi and his colony, somewhat enlarged since their departure from Jerusalem, reached the promised land, probably in the year of 589 B.C.

Later, Nephi made this declaration:

“But,” said he, “notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord” (2 Ne. 1:5).

Land of man’s beginning

While the Reformation and the surge for freedom were gaining momentum in Europe and England, events were transpiring that led to the rediscovery of the land of America, for God touched the heart of a mariner by the name of Christopher Columbus, who eventually pioneered a passageway to the promised land in 1492. But neither Columbus, the Nephites, nor the Jaredites were its original discoverers, nor did they establish the purpose of America’s destiny. This had already been established in the infancy of earth’s habitation. In these migrations they were but directed to the land of man’s beginning upon the earth.

Christ’s visit to America

We have learned that following his earth-life ministry among the Jews, visiting the sheep of another fold here in the land of America and establishing his Church among the people, the resurrected Christ tells of the founding of America and the coming forth again of his gospel unto the remnant of the seed of those then occupying this land, and unto all of the children of God. This was to follow a period of spiritual darkness upon the earth. In this declaration the Lord tells of the sacred destiny of the great land of America, and I quote the words of the Savior:

“And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion” (3 Ne. 21:1).

The land of inheritances

The lord in the following declaration designates the land of America as the land of inheritances unto those who are of the house of Israel, who shall be gathered from throughout the earth, for, said he:

“And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.

“And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.

“And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you” (3 Ne. 20:13-14,22).

To speak of America, both north and south, as “the choice land,” “a land consecrated” (D&C 57:1), we will need to go back to the beginning for an understanding.

The Garden of Eden

From the writings of the prophet Moses, dealing with the placement of man upon the earth, this statement is made:

“And I, the Lord God, planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there I put the man whom I had formed” (Moses 3:8).

Then, as it was not good for man to be alone, a helpmeet, or a woman, was placed beside him, that both man and woman together could occupy the garden thus planted.

As to what and where the Garden of Eden was, it is well to call to mind that in the process of the creation, during the third period, all waters were gathered in one place, and the dry land was in one place. The land was called earth and the waters sea (Gen. 1:10).

The dry land, or earth, is also given other name, that of Eden, and it was eastward in Eden or eastward on the dry land that the garden of our first earth-life parents was placed (Gen. 2:8).

In the course of time from the creation, in the days of Peleg (Gen. 10:16 (JST)), or about the year 2200 B.C., Just prior to the confusion of the languages, the single continent of land that had continued from creation was divided to produce the hemispheres as we now know them. But notwithstanding this, the geographic location of the Garden of Eden was made known to the Prophet Joseph Smith by revelation as here in the land of America, in Jackson County, Missouri, with Independence as the center place.

Beginning of mortal life

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, they traveled in a northerly direction less than 100 miles to settle in a place that we now have come to know by the revealed word of God as Adam-ondi-Ahman (see D&C 116:1). Here is where mortal family life began, as Adam and Eve begat sons and daughters, all of this here in the land of America.

Adam and Eve, shut out from the presence of God, settled in the place of their earthly abode and called upon God. They were instructed to offer the firstlings of their flocks upon altars as a sacrifice unto the Lord, to which commandment they were obedient even though they did not know the reason. An angel of the Lord then appeared and explained the similitude of the sacrifice of Christ the Lord, who would come to earth at an appointed time. Thereafter the gospel plan of salvation and exaltation, by reconciliation with God the Father, from whose presence they had been banished, was revealed for the first time to man upon the earth (Moses 5:4-8).

Keys of salvation given to Adam

The Holy Priesthood, after the order of the Son of God, which “administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God” (D&C 84:19), was conferred upon Adam. Hence, unto Adam, the great progenitor of the human family, were given the “keys of salvation” (D&C 78:16). The Lord, or Ahman, thus made known unto Adam and Eve that though they had fallen and were subject to both physical and spiritual deaths, they could be redeemed and reconciled with God the Father.

In conferring the “keys of salvation” upon Adam, the revealing and unlocking of the conditions of salvation were made known to them and through them to mankind. In this we can understand the true meaning of the term “Adam-ondi-Ahman,” or simply: from “Ahman,” who is the Lord—”ondi,” meaning through Adam unto mankind.

In the revelation referred to, but to which more attention is now given, the Lord speaks clearly of the “keys of salvation” having been given to Adam (or Michael (D&C 27:11), his premortal name), identifying the purpose for which they were conferred.

“That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman;

“Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life” (D&C 78:15-16).

“. . . for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time” (D&C 128:18).

A choice land

Thus, from these brief accounts we see the reasons why America, or the continent of America, is the promised and choice land, choice above all other lands, for it was here that the habitation of man began, and here that the covenants of God were first established. And it is from the center of this land that God has started his great latter-day work that will carry to the finish.

It is of compelling interest to learn that in the sequence of the Lord’s time, the earth and the waters will return to their original place. On this subject we have this revelation from the Lord:

“And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people;

“And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.

“He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

“And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.

“And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh” (D&C 133:21-25).

Zion will not fail

America as Zion will not fail. Since America is the land choice above all other lands (1 Ne. 2:20), and it is in the “Center Place” that Zion will be established (D&C 57:3), it will not fail.

America as Zion will not fail, not simply because it is, the land of our illustrious independence and constitutional fathers, but because it is the land of Joseph, the son of Jacob, and has been so established by God’s covenant. It is the land for the gathering of Israel in the culminating period of the last dispensation, which God has established through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

To accomplish his purposes in the destiny of America as Zion, we have these words from the Lord concerning his people:

“But first let my army become very great, and let it be sanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations” (D&C 105:31).

I bear testimony of the fulfillment and the destiny of the land of America as Zion, and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” (The Destiny of America by President Alvin R. Dyer Color and highlights added)

Grapes/Wine not in Mesoamerica

Rian Nelson
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Grapes/Wine not in Mesoamerica
(Photo courtesy of Laura Silverman; Fox Grape, vitis labrusca)

“He that eateth this bread, eateth of My body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine, drinketh of My blood to his soul, and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.” 3 Nephi 20:8

2 Nephi 15:1-2 (Compare Isaiah 5) “And then will I sing to my well-beloved, a song of my beloved, touching His vineyard: My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein, and He looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes”

Where do you think the wine spoken of in the Book of Mormon is most likely to come from? Mesoamerica, USA Heartland, or somewhere else?

16th-Century Skálholt map of Norse America

Vinland was the name given to part of North America by the Icelandic Norseman Leif Eríksson, about year 1000 A.D. The exact meaning of this Norse name has not been yet established but seems historically to mean the “land of vines” (or “land of wine”) where he discovered wild grapes, as shown in the above photo of Vitis labrusca, or “fox grape.” “The earliest record of the name Vinland is found in Adam of Bremen’s ‘Description of the Northern Islands,’ ch. 39), written c. 1075, where he reported one island [Newfoundland], discovered by many in that ocean, ‘which is called Vinland, for the reason that grapevines grow there by themselves, producing the best wine.’” – Birgitta Linderoth Wallace, “Westward Vikings: The Saga of L’Anse aux Meadows,” St. John’s, Newfoundland: Historic Sites Association of
Newfoundland and Labrador in association with Parks Canada [2006]. (Note: the Managing Editor’s Cape Cod High School Mascot is a Viking and the above photo of wild fox grapes was taken on the Cape.)

“Leif Eriksson was the son of Erik the Red, founder of the first European settlement on what is now called Greenland. Around A.D. 1000, Eriksson sailed to Norway, where King Olaf I converted him to Christianity. According to one school of thought, Eriksson sailed off course on his way back to Greenland and landed on the North American continent, where he explored a region he called Vinland. He may also have sought out Vinland based on stories of an earlier voyage by an Icelandic trader. After spending the winter in Vinland, Leif sailed back to Greenland, and never returned to North American shores. He is generally believed to be the first European to reach the North American continent, nearly four centuries years before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492.

Leif Eriksson’s Early Life and Conversion to Christianity
Leif Eriksson (spelling variations include Eiriksson, Erikson or Ericson), known as “Leif the Lucky,” was the second of three sons of the famed Norse explorer Erik the Red, who established a settlement in Greenland after being expelled from Iceland around A.D. 980. The date of Leif Eriksson’s birth is uncertain, but he is believed to have grown up in Greenland. According to the 13th-century Icelandic Eiriks saga (or “Saga of Erik the Red”), Eriksson sailed from Greenland to Norway around 1000. On the way, he was believed to have stopped in the Hebrides, where he had a son, Thorgils, with Thorgunna, daughter of a local chief. In Norway, King Olaf I Tryggvason converted Eriksson to Christianity, and a year later sent him back to Greenland with a commission to spread the faith among the settlers there.

Did you know? After Leif Eriksson returned to Greenland, his brother Thorvald led another Viking expedition to Vinland, but all future efforts to settle in the region failed due to bitter clashes between the Norsemen and the local Native American population. Thorvald himself died in a skirmish somewhere north of the Viking base.” https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/leif-eriksson

(Gino’s Premium Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

“And it came to pass that Jesus commanded His Disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto Him. And while they were gone for bread and wine, He commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth. …And it came to pass that when He said these words, He commanded His Disciples that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it.” (3 Nephi 18:1-2; 8; emphasis added). “A choice land above all others” (Ether 13:2) has to have the right climate and seasons for growing grapes that can be made into wine.

Photo by Paul Brennan

Earlier in the book of Mosiah we learned that King Noah was fond of wine: “And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine-presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people” – Mosiah 11:15, emphasis added. Vineyards are plantations of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for making wine. Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and rod Meldrum Page 327

I believe it’s important to think about the source of the wine that is spoken of in the scriptures. Does it make more sense to you that the wine of the Book of Mormon came from Mesoamerica or from the Heartland? You may not care and that is fine, but I wanted to give you two sides of the story and then let you decide which makes more sense to you.

Pulque in Mesoamerica

Pulque [‘pulke](Classical Nahuatl: metoctli), or octli, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is traditional to central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, somewhat viscous consistency and a sour yeast-like taste. Source Wikipedia

During the times of the Book of Mormon I think the symbolism of white pulque instead of red wine doesn’t make sense to me. “When the Vikings arrived in America they called the land Vinland. Vinland was the name given to part of North America by the Icelandic Norseman Leif Eríksson, about year 1000 A.D. The exact meaning of this Norse name has not been yet established but seems historically to mean the “land of vines” (or “land of wine”) where he discovered wild grapes.” See Page 327 Annotated Book of Mormon

Close up of a maguey plant

“Close analyses of glyphic, iconographic, and ethnographic evidence from the Maya area reveal that pulque, often associated exclusively with the cultures of central Mexico, was known, valued, and consumed in the Maya area as well. Such studies also reveal numerous parallels between the ritual significance of pulque in the Maya area and its meaning in the Aztec world. Both groups appear to have associated pulque with water, blood, and vomit, all of which were deeply connected with themes of purification, sacrifice, and renewal. Far from being the sinful substance so often maligned in colonial accounts, pulque appears instead to have played a significant and complex role in the religious practices of widespread Mesoamerican cultures”  

https://www.academia.edu/3811531/Blood_Water_Vomit_and_Wine_Pulque_in_Maya_and_Aztec_Belief

What Book of Mormon Central Believes about Wine in the Book of Mormon

I have read the following post written by Book of Mormon Central (BMC) Team April 28, 2016 KnoWhy #88 Here. As you may know BMC believes the Mesoamerican theory of the Book of Mormon Geography. In their article below I will make comments in RED among their article in Blue. I just want you to read both sides and make up your own mind. I am not trying to convert anyone to my reasoning. I believe the Nephites used pure red wine of the grape found in North America. BMC believes there may be a wine in Mesoamerica that the Nephites used. You decide!

KnowWhy question #88 Why Does the Book of Mormon Mention Wine, Vineyards, and Wine-presses?

Mosiah 11:15 The Know

The Book of Mormon only mentions one beverage among the Nephites and Lamanites: wine. During King Noah’s reign in the land of Nephi, for instance, it mentions that he had “planted vineyards round about in the land,” had “built wine-presses, and made wine in abundance,” thus he and his people became wine-bibbers (Mosiah 11:15). Wine is also mentioned in several other places throughout the Book of Mormon, including for the sacrament during the risen Lord’s ministry among the Nephites. 1
Planting vineyards and having wine-presses sounds very probable in North America. Heartlanders generally believe the Nephites lived in Northern Georgia and Eastern Tennessee after first arriving in the panhandle of Florida. See my blog here.

Wine is spoken of all over in the Old World and in North America. See 10 of the Most Beautiful North Georgia Vineyards “Temperate sunny days, cool mountain nights, and calming summer breezes make North Georgia’s climate an ideal one for growing high-quality wine grapes. Whether you’re a lover of red wine or prefer the taste of a crisp white, these thriving North Georgia vineyards produce some of the tastiest and most complex wine in the country!” Also see, Dahlonega Best Wine “Wine enthusiasts need venture no further than the foothills of the North Georgia mountains to enjoy award-winning wines and breathtaking views. With the highest concentration of wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms in the state, Dahlonega is known as the Heart of Georgia Wine Country and the Wine Tasting Room Capital of Georgia.” Dahlonega is also the place gold was first discovered in Hall County (now Lumpkin County) by resident Benjamin Parks with the discovery on October 27, 1828 long before California in 1849. This area is also close to where we feel Nephi had access to much gold, silver and copper. There are thousand of references to wine in North America.

Because there is a wide variety of different wines, “made from fermented grapes or other fruits,”2  it is impossible to be certain what kind of drink is meant, beyond assuming it’s a fermented fruit juice. Moreover, the Hebrew word for “vineyard” can mean an oil orchard. So these terms are broader in meaning than modern English readers might think.3 I believe what is meant is good old fashioned red wine from the grapes in the Old World and in the New World of North America. I don’t think the words vineyard and winepress could mean anything found in Mesoamerica.

The most popular fermented drink in modern times is pulque, made from fermented juice of the agave plant. In central Mexico its use was very ancient, although other wines were also made. John Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex, 45.

Alcoholic beverages were made from a variety of fruits in the Americas before Columbus. These include bananas, pineapple, and agave, among others. Natives also used palm sap and tree bark with honey to make alcoholic beverages in pre-Columbian times. All of these were called “wine” by the Spaniards who first mentioned them in their writings. Spanish sources also spoke of “vineyards” of agave plants.4

BMC says vinelands of agave plants were spoken of, but it is a John Sorensen quote from his book. Maybe the Spanish drank pulque I don’t know.

The Book of Mormon itself never actually mentions grapes, but it does mention “wine-presses” (only once, Mosiah 11:15), 5 perhaps indicating grape-based wine. (It does mention grapes and wine-press in the quoting of Isaiah 5 and I believe the Old World had the same grapes as the ones here in North America. Not “perhaps” it does speak of grape-based wine.) American species of grapes were known to grow in the Gulf Coast and Yucatan areas, and some natives in northern Mexico reportedly made red wine from native grapes.6 They say “reportedly” made, and then notice note 6 below just giving a reference to Mormon’s Codex which is written by John Sorensen who is the main believer in Mesoamerica. No references or even suggestions from heatlanders or others with a different opinion.

There is no question that grapes and vineyards can grow in a number of areas throughout North and South America, including near Guatemala City where the Chateau DeFay winery and vineyards were established in 2008. 7 (How do we know they grow in Guatemala as all references below are from BMC employees or those who believe in the Mesoamerican theory. If it does show references other than just Mesoamerican sources, I stand corrected.). So it is possible that either the Lehites or the Mulekites brought grape vines with them, which were then cultivated amongst Book of Mormon peoples. (Grape vines would probably grow in latitude 30-34 degrees in Florida or Northern Georgia but would they grow in 19 degree latitude in Guatemala? I don’t know either) There is also some evidence that the Old World grape was known and used for winemaking at one site in Chiapas, Mexico dating to between the first centuries BC and AD. John L. Sorenson explained: What resources do we have in addition to John Sorensen? I honestly don’t know and I would like BMC to give me historical or archaeological evidence of these claims by someone other that a mesoamerica believer.Vineyard at Chateau DeFay, near Guatemala City. Image via bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com.

Our understanding of wine in ancient Mesoamerica was enhanced 30 years ago when Martínez M. excavated a site of Late Pre-Classic date (first centuries BC and AD) beside the Grijalva River in Chiapas …. There he carefully recovered and studied all traces of plant remains. He found seeds of Vitis vinifera, the wine grape known in Europe, from which he concluded that the fruit had been used to manufacture wine equivalent to that of the Old World.8

Where are the sources? Where can I find that information besides in John’s books?

Sorenson then concluded, “Thus the Book of Mormon statements about wine could turn out to refer either to that drink in the usual European sense or to alternative Mesoamerican intoxicants that were based on other fruits.”9

By what proof do we have of this previous statement? I think this is very unlikely as the wine of the Bible would be the wine of North America. Wine was a very holy drink and it represents the blood of the Savior, why would anyone substitute anything artificial?

The Why

Jesus Christ in the Americas by Joseph Brickey

Based on the above evidence, the production and use of wine in the Book of Mormon is not problematic from a historical standpoint. BMC hasn’t told me about a historical standpoint only ones from their own sources. Without more information, however, it is impossible to be certain what kind of beverage “wine” meant in the Book of Mormon. I believe it is possible. Wine of the grape in North America makes sense and in Mesoamerica makes no sense. It is likely that many, if not all, of these fermented beverages were known and used by Book of Mormon peoples, and “wine” may very well have been a catch-all term for all the varieties of alcoholic drinks available to them. What does alcoholic have to do with it? Pure wine of a new make is not alcoholic. the wine of the Savior wouldn’t be alcoholic would it?

Still, being aware of the different possibilities invites questions perhaps never before considered.You have only given us one possibility and that is somewhere in Mesoamerica. BMC why won’t you consider other possibilities? For example, visualize that sacred moment when the risen Lord asked the disciples to retrieve both bread and wine for the sacremant [sic] (3 Nephi 18:1–3, 8), and then shortly thereafter Lord Himself miraculously provided wine and bread for a second performance of that sacred ritual (3 Nephi 20:5–8). Was the miraculous wine from the Savior the same variety of wine the disciples brought? If not, why not? Why wouldn’t it be? The disciples were deeply religious and they would know what the correct wine was. They definitely knew the type of wine available and the Lord would use the wine of the country. Why would the Lord change the wine? For what purpose? Why force a situation that requires two types of wines?

The deep red wine that comes from grapes strongly symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ in the administration of the sacrament. image via oneclimbs.com

Although speculative, one possible answer is that perhaps the available native wine did not strongly enough symbolize the blood of Christ.10 (Why was it the wrong color”) While accepting the disciples’ humble offer the first time, for the second occasion Christ may have chosen to miraculously produce traditional red wine from the Old World in order to more strongly convey to them His important teaching, “he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled” (3 Nephi 20:8). If the available native wine was white or yellow, it would not symbolize the blood of Christ would it?

This could have provided a powerful visual for Nephites accustomed to drinking yellowish colored wines. This is a shot in the dark. Why would you even mention a yellowish wine? Is that because that is the only kind of wine that is in Mesoamerica?  Even if this is not the case, being aware of the different possible types of wine allows readers to better visualize Book of Mormon life. How? This is especially insightful with wine, since it is so frequently mentioned within the text of the Book of Mormon. Wine is frequently mentioned and critically important and that is why it would be the same wine in both the Old and New World. Awareness of different possible types of wine or wine colors does not help me decide or visualize the Book of Mormon. Having the wine of the Bible which is also available in the USA that may of been brought from Israel, and it would grow in North America, to me is a huge evidence of the Book of Mormon in North America.

Notice all or most of the quotes below are from current advocates of a Mesoamerican setting:

Further Reading

John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2013), 307–308.

Kirk Magleby, “King Noah’s Wine,” Book of Mormon Resources, November 12, 2011, online at (accessed April 5, 2016).

  • 1.See 1 Nephi 4:7; Mosiah 22:7, 10; Alma 55:8–11, 13, 30, 32; 3 Nephi 18:1–3, 8; 20:5–8; Moroni 5:1–2; Moroni 6:6.
  • 2. Wikipedia, s.v., “Wine,” online at Wikipedia.org (accessed April 5, 2016).
  • 3. See John A. Tvedtnes, “Vineyard or Olive Orchard,” in The Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5, ed. Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1994), 477–483. Outside of old-world writings of Isaiah (in 2 Nephi 13 and 15), and Zenos (in Jacob 5), vineyards are only mentioned twice in the Book of Mormon, namely in Mosiah 11:14 (regarding Noah’s novel expansion) and Alma 28:14 (in the metaphor “to labor in the vineyards of the Lord”).
  • 4.S ee John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2013), 307. Sorenson uses “maguey” when talking about agave.
  • 5. 2 Nephi 15:2 is a quotation of Isaiah 5:2.
  • 6. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex, 307.
  • 7. Kirk Magleby, “King Noah’s Wine,” Book of Mormon Resources, November 12, 2011, (accessed April 5, 2016). Several different models place the land of Nephi in this area. See Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex, 131–133; V. Garth Norman, Book of Mormon–Mesoamerican Geography: History Study Map (American Fork, UT: ARCON and the Ancient America Foundation, 2008), 31 (no. 48); Joseph L. Allen and Blake J. Allen, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, revised edition (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2011), 404–405.
  • 8. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex, 307–308. Sorenson is citing Alejandro C. Martínez Muriel, “Don Martín, Chiapas: Inferencias económico-sociales de una comunidad arqueológica” (thesis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1978), 102ff., 125.
  • 9.Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex, 308.
  • 10.Agave, banana, and pineapple all, unsurprisingly, produce a yellowish or cider colored wine.

If you would like more information about Native American wine, there are articles below. 

Native Wine Grapes of America

“America has been covered with grapevines even before varieties like Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon were transplanted from Europe. Several of these native species play an important role in the world of wine, but most have been cast aside and their stories are threatened to disappear into history… Nearly all the wines that we drink today are produced with one species of grape: Vitis vinifera. V. vinifera traces its roots back to grapes in ancient Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, etc). Vinifera grapes include all the most popular wines in the world: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, etc. and have been studied extensively. The idiosyncrasies of making wine with V. vinifera have been fine tuned for several thousand years.”

Indigenous American Grape Varieties, A Primer
by David Mark Brown June 23, 2010 FCG, Wine Spotlight

“Of the eight species of grapes in the Vitis genus, six are native to North America, while only vinifera is native to Europe and amurensis to Asia. The powerhouse species native to Europe gives us varieties (also called cultivars) such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc. Basically every wine grape most of us can think of.

Of the six native species that had been growing in North America long before European settlers arrived, some may sound more familiar than others: rotundifolia (muscadine), aestivalis (summer grape), riparia (frost grape), labrusca (fox grape), mustangensis (Mustang grape), and rupestris (sand grape).

Mothervine

Rotundifolia (muscadine) was the first species in North America to be heavily cultivated, and has a history of over 400 years. The living proof resides on Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Known simply as the Mothervine (right), this ancient muscadine is the oldest known grape vine in North America. North Carolina is the largest producer of muscadine, but over three hundred improved muscadine cultivars are currently growing throughout the southeastern United States.

“Wine from the same vine that Sir Walter Raleigh’s colonists likely plucked grapes from will soon be available to the public. MotherVine Premium Scuppernong Wine will be introduced on Tuesday on Mother Vineyard Road, the site of the more than 400-year-old Mother Vine, reputed to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the world. “Nobody in Europe has come up with one as old as that – and we’ve challenged them,” said David Fussell Sr., the owner of Duplin Winery in Rose Hill.” The virginian Pilot Newpaper

A History of Wine in America 

The Beginnings, 1000-1700

The history of the vine in America begins, symbolically at least, in the fogs that shroud the medieval Norsemen’s explorations. Every American knows the story of Leif Ericsson, and how, in A.D. 1001, he sailed from Greenland to the unknown country to the west. The story, however, is not at all clear. Historians disagree as to what the records of this voyage actually tell us, since they are saga narratives; they come from a remote era, from a strange language, and are uncritical, indistinct, and contradictory. Most experts, however, will agree that Leif—or someone—reached the new land. There, at least according to one saga, while Leif and his men went exploring in one direction, another member of the company, a German named Tyrker, went off by himself and made the discovery of what he called wine-berries—vinber in the original Old Norse, translated into English as “grapes.”[1] The Norsemen made Tyrker’s “grapes” a part of their cargo when they sailed away, and Leif, in honor of this notable part of the country’s produce, called the land “Wineland.”

As a German, Tyrker claimed to know what he was talking about: “I was born where there is no lack of either grapes or vines,” he told Leif. But the latest opinion inclines to the belief that the vines of Leif Ericsson’s “Wineland”—most probably the northern coast of Newfoundland[2] —were in fact not grapes at all but the plants of the wild cranberry. [3] Another guess is that what the Vikings named the land for was meadow grass, called archaically vin or vinber , and misinterpreted by later tellers of the saga. [4] No wild grapes grow in so high a latitude. Though it is powerfully tempting to believe that the Vikings really did discover grapes in their Vinland, the evidence is all against them unless we suppose that the climate of the region was significantly warmer then than now. Their name of “Wineland,” however, was excellent prophecy. For the continent that they had discovered was in fact a great natural vineyard, where, farther to the south, and from coast to coast, the grape rioted in profusion and variety.

figure
A modern rendering of the joyous moment at which Tyrker the German found grapes growing in Vinland. The episode begins the history of wine in America; the questions surrounding it will probably never be satisfactorily answered. (Drawing by Frederick Trench Chapman in Einer Haugen. Voyages to Vinland [1942]) tempting to believe that the Vikings really did discover grapes in their Vinland, the evidence is all against them unless we suppose that the climate of the region was significantly warmer then than now. Their name of “Wineland,” however, was excellent prophecy. For the continent that they had discovered was in fact a great natural vineyard, where, farther to the south, and from coast to coast, the grape rioted in profusion and variety.

Grapes grow abundantly in many parts of the world: besides the grapes of the classic sites in the Near East and in Europe, there are Chinese grapes, Sudanese grapes, Caribbean grapes. But, though the grape vine is widely tolerant and readily adaptable, it will not grow everywhere, and in some places where it grows vigorously, it still does not grow well for the winemaker’s purposes. The main restrictions are the need for sufficient sun to bring the clusters of fruit to full ripeness, yet sufficient winter chill to allow the vine to go dormant. There is another consideration. The so-called “balance” of a wine requires that the sugar content of the grape—essentially the product of heat—not overwhelm the acid content. Too much heat leads to too much sugar and reduction of flavor. Too little, to too much acid. Either extreme destroys the balance of elements. Since the continental United States lies within the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, it is, most of it, potential vineyard area—though not necessarily good vineyard area. In fact, more species of native vines are found in North America than anywhere else in the world. The number of its native species varies according to the system of classification followed, but it is on the order of thirty, or about half of the number found throughout the entire world. [5]

One must emphasize the word native . The vine of European winemaking, the vine that Noah planted after the Flood, is the species vinifera—”the wine bearer,” in Linnaeus’s Latin—of the genus Vitis , the vine. Vitis vinifera is the vine whose history is identical with the history of wine itself: the leaves of vinifera bind the brows of Dionysus in his triumph; the seeds of vinifera are found with the mummies of the pharaohs in the pyramids. It was the juice of vinifera, mysteriously alive with the powers of fermentation, that led the ancients to connect wine with the spiritual realm and to make it an intimate part of religious ceremony. In the thousands of years during which vinifera has been under cultivation, it has produced thousands of varieties—4,000 by one count, 5,000 by another, 8,000 by yet another, though there is no realistic way to arrive at a figure. [6] The grape is constantly in process of variation through the seedlings it produces, and the recognized varieties are only the tiny fraction selected by man for his purposes from among the uncounted millions that have grown wherever the seeds of the grape have been dropped…

Sketchmap of Raleigh’s Virginia (that is, the North Carolina coast), September 1585. The note at the far  right of the sketch reads: “Here were great store of great red grapis veri pleasant.” Grapes were thus among  the first things to greet the English in the New World. (From D. B. Quinn, ed.,  The Roanoke Voyages, 1584 to 1590 original in the Public Record Office, London)

All of the explorers and early settlers made note of the abundant and vigorous wild grape vines—they could hardly help doing so, since they were obviously and everywhere to be seen along the coast of eastern North America. Within two years of Columbus’s discovery, for example, the Spaniards reported vines growing in the Caribbean islands. [9] The Pilgrims in New England found the species now called Vitis labrusca growing profusely in the woods around their settlements. [10]The labrusca, or northern fox grape, is the best looking of the natives, with large berries that may come in black, white, or red. It is the only native grape that exhibits this range of colors. Labrusca is still the best known of the native species because the ubiquitous Concord, the grape that most Americans take to be the standard of “grapeyness” in juice and jellies, is a pure example of it…

Hundreds of miles to the south of the Pilgrim settlements, and even before the Pilgrims landed, the gentlemen of the Virginia Company at Jamestown encountered a number of native grape species, among them the very distinctive one called Vitis rotundifolia —round leaf grape—that grows on bottom lands, on river banks, and in swamps, often covering hundreds of square feet with a single vine…

Both Pilgrims in the north and Virginians in the south would have known the small-berried and harsh-tasting Vitis riparia —the riverbank grape—which is the most widely distributed of all native American grapes…

Another grape widespread throughout the eastern United States is Vitis aestivalis , the summer grape, the best adapted to the making of wine of all the North American natives, though not the most widely used. Unlike the rotundifolia and others, it has adequate sugar in its large clusters of small berries; and it is free of the powerful “foxy” odor of the labrusca…

“The arriual of the Englishemen in Virginia”: drawing by John White, engraved by Theodor de Bry,  based on the sketchmap shown in Fig. 2. The drawing represents grapes under the word “Weapemeoc”  in a position corresponding to that indicated on the sketchmap. (Theodor de Bry,  America , part  I [Frankfurt am Main, 1590]Huntington Library)

Take, for example, the earliest reference on record to the grapes growing in what is now the United States. In 1524, only a generation after Columbus, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, coasting north along the Atlantic seaboard, encountered a region so lovely in his eyes that he called it Arcadia.[15] Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, the latest student of the subject, is of the opinion that Verrazzano meant Kitty Hawk, of Wright brothers fame, off the North Carolina mainland—a region that no one would identify as Arcadian now.[16]…

They might have suspected some difficulty from the fact that none of the Indians they saw had any knowledge of wine; in fact, no eastern Indians had any fermented drinks of any sort, though this fact tells us more about the accidents of culture than about natural possibilities.[19]…

The first reference to the actual making of wine in what is now the United States is in the report of his voyage to Florida in 1565 by the rich and respectable pirate Captain John Hawkins, afterwards Sir John…

Wine and silk, those two luxurious commodities, were constantly linked in the English imagination as the most desirable products (other than gold) that America could yield; as one writer has said, the duet of the vine and silk formed from the beginning “one of the major themes in the vast symphony of colonial hopes that enchanted, for half a century, the England of Elizabeth and James the First.”[26]…”

Complete Article Here: A History of Wine in America From the Beginnings To Prohibition Thomas Pinney

I think Mesoamerican Theorist’s who think there is any Wine described in the Book of Mormon coming from South or Central America is very unlikely.

Oldest Adena (Jaredite) Mound & Copper

Rian Nelson
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Oldest Adena (Jaredite) Mound & Copper

Many archaeologists have long determined that the Poverty Point site in Louisiana was probably the oldest Native American Mound Site (1650 BC). Also the Watson Brake site in LA. is dated at 3500 BC which would be even older. Below is information however about the Bilbo Mound site that is lesser known near Savannah Georgia that may be even older than Poverty Point and Watson Brake. Along with the additional article below about the ancient use of copper in Georgia, this makes me consider the possible voyage of the Jaredites from the Atlantic as a strong possibility. The head of the Savannah River begins just 5-8 miles from Helen, GA and near the head of the Chattahoochee and Hiawassee Rivers where I think Nephi may have pitched his tents after retreating from his brothers. He left them from Florida near Tallahassee where it is proposed that Lehi landed. Lehi could have also landed near Crystal River on the west coast of GA as well. See Map below. Also see maps at the end to share a possible Jaredite voyage from the Pacific or from the Atlantic.

Also near Savannah and down south to Tallahassee some of the pottery found in the Deptford culture is dated from 600 to 500 BC which matches up nicely with the time frame of Lehi and Nephi. See blog here and here for more about the Jaredites. For more about Nephi’s route visit here:

Savannah’s Bilbo Mound . . . the oldest architecture and civil engineering in North America

by Richard L. Thornton, Architect & City Planner

The Bilbo Mound in Savannah, GA is one of the oldest known examples of architecture and civil engineering in the Americas and certainly the oldest in North America. Currently, it predates any mound or public works project in Mexico.   The base of the structure was radiocarbon dated in 1957 by the famous Louisiana archaeologist William C. Haag.  Construction began around 3,545 BC.  It may have merely been a man-made island within a man-made harbor initially, but over many years grew incrementally due to multiple burials and applications of soil layers. At a yet to be determined point in time, it also became a timber platform village.

Middle layers of the mound dated from around 2165 BC and contained some of the earliest pottery in North America – the Bilbo style pottery. It was fiber tempered like its contemporary Stallings Island Pottery upstream, but had little or no decoration on it.  The last construction levels of the mound were dated to about 1750 BC. There is evidence that later peoples utilized the mound for burials, but did not significantly increase its size.

Archaeologists Joseph Caldwell and Antonio Waring first studied the Bilbo Mound in 1941. The mound was partially excavated by WPA-funded laborers under the supervision of these two famous archaeologists.  Artifacts removed from the site were found to be similar to those of the Dulany Shell Mound to the west and stored for future analysis.  At the time, radiocarbon dating didn’t exist and the archaeology profession had no clue that the oldest pottery in North America was in Georgia.

Haag had professional credentials in both civil engineering and anthropology.  He was originally hired in 1957 to study the Bilbo site in anticipation of an oil company terminal being built on the site. Fortunately, the ancient excavations and earthworks were never disturbed.  In the process, he became intrigued by the ancient mounds in that part of Savannah and thus excavated the Bilbo Mound because of his own initiative.

Adena Mounds in Florida and Georgia

Other archaeologists thought both dates for the charcoal and pottery were impossible and so did not publicize Haag’s full results. They speculated that the builders of the mound had burned “old wood” while starting its construction.  The profession’s decades long hostility to Haag’s research was so comprehensive that the mere existence of the Bilbo Mound would have been forgotten, had not his friend and Savannah-born archaeologist, Antonio Waring, added Haag’s report in one of his reports.

Haag went on to lead the excavation of Poverty Point, Louisiana, a semicircular earthen platform village with large mounds, dating from 1700 BC.  He also assisted in the initial studies of the Watson Brake earthworks in northern Louisiana, which have been radiocarbon dated to 3450 BC.  Other archaeologists determined that Georgia’s Stallings Island pottery dated from around 2400 BC or earlier, plus there were several mounds near the Bilbo, which were built as early as 2800 BC.  Until recently, Stallings Island pottery was the oldest ceramic in the Americas, but older pottery has now been found in the Amazon Basin.  Meanwhile, the archaeology profession completely forgot about the time when they dissed Haag’s discoveries at the Bilbo Mound.

Subsequent generations of archeology students were not told about the Bilbo Mound. This is the reason that there is so little information about the mound in such sources as Wikipedia.  It is only in the period beginning in 2012 that Savannah residents became aware again of the many ancient mounds clustered between the Savannah Golf Course and Savannah River, immediately southeast of its historic downtown.  The Savannah Golf Course and Country Club is the oldest golf course in the nation.  It began during the American Revolution when bored Scottish occupation soldiers played golf among the ancient mounds and ponds southeast of the Colonial city. 

In recent years, Savannah Area archaeologists have continued the study of the Bilbo Mound and its environs.  Construction on the site began as the excavation of a canal to the Savannah River with a circular pond at its end.  In its earliest form, the Bilbo Mound was an island in the center of the pond, created by piling the soil, excavated to create the pond.  Archaeologists have also found extensive evidence that at one time, there was a village, built on timber pilings around the peripheral areas of the pond and on the surrounding low-lying wetland.  Thus, Bilbo Mound appears to have been a man-made port of extraordinary age, older than most timber pile villages in Europe. It is from the same time period of the oldest known timber pile villages in France and Switzerland.

The identity of who initially excavated the canal, harbor and mound is anybody’s guess at this point.  It strongly resembles the man-made harbors, built along the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and northwestern Africa during the Early and Middle Bronze Age . . . BUT is a thousand years older. No ceramics or metals were discovered below the 1850 BC level. It is possible that the acidic brine water of the Savannah might have completely dissolved copper, but there is absolutely no evidence at this point.  The burials in the mound seem to be quite similar to those of contemporary indigenous American burials elsewhere in the lower Southeast. DNA testing will be impossible because the moist, acid soil decomposed most of the skeletal remains…” Source 

A Light on Fort Mountain

That prehistoric Georgia may have been inhabited for 17,000 years, throughout the  Paleoindian, Archaic, and Woodland periods is evidenced by sites along the Macon plateau at the fall-line. Archaic period pottery found in a mound at Stallings Island near Augusta is the oldest yet to be confirmed in North America, ALTHOUGH the base of another mound near Savannah’s Irene site, known as the Bilbo Mound may be even older – it’s been dated at 3,540 B.C. If this is correct, the culture represented by this Savannah site may well be the OLDEST in North America, preceding ALL others.

Achievements credited to the “Neolithic Revolution,” of the Early Farmers from this period include more substantial dwellings and permanent settlements, decorative symbolic pottery (Swift Creek & Weeden Island – Middle/Late Woodland), limited agricultural advancements, and the use of the bow and arrow. They also participated in the broader Adena, Hopewellian and Fort Ancient trading cultures.

Along the Etowah River southwest of Cartersville, Georgia in Bartow County, the Leake Mounds site contains the remains of a prehistoric occupation that lasted from approximately 300 B.C. until 650 A.D. A major center during the Middle Woodland period, it figured prominently in the interaction among peoples throughout the Southeastern and the Midwestern United States.Swift Creek pottery has been discovered throughout a major portion of Georgia as well as portions of surrounding states. The Leake site is at the northernmost edge of its distribution.

Complete Article Here: https://realspooks.com/tag/richard-thornton/

Tamachichi, Creek Delegation & British Trustees at Westminister Palace  – painting by the artist William Verelst (1734)

Architect/historian/author Richard Thornton said, “The Uchee, Apalache and Itsate all told early British settlers that the first place <their ancestors> lived when they arrived in their current homeland was the general vicinity of Savannah. High King Chikili told the settlers that ‘our first emperor is buried in a mound near Savannah’.” (The Bilbo Mound)

Early metal use and crematory practices in the American Southeast

Long-distance exchange of copper objects during the Archaic Period (ca. 8000-3000 cal B.P.) is a bellwether of emergent social complexity in the Eastern Woodlands. Originating from the Great Lakes, the Canadian Maritimes, and the Appalachian Mountains, Archaic-age copper is found in significant amounts as far south as Tennessee and in isolated pockets at major trade centers in Louisiana but is absent from most of the southeastern United States. Here we report the discovery of a copper band found with the cremated remains of at least seven individuals buried in the direct center of a Late Archaic shell ring located in coastal Georgia. Late Archaic shell rings are massive circular middens thought to be constructed, in part, during large-scale ritual gatherings and feasting events. The exotic copper and cremated remains are unique in coastal South Carolina and Georgia where Archaic-age cremations are conspicuously absent and no other Archaic copper objects have been reported. Elemental data produced through laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry shows the copper originated from the Great Lakes, effectively extending Archaic copper exchange almost 1,000 km beyond its traditional boundaries. Similarities in mortuary practices and the presence of copper originating from the Great Lakes reveal the presence of long-distance exchange relations spanning vast portions of the eastern United States and suggest an unexpected level of societal complexity at shell ring localities. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that elite actors solidified their positions through ritual gatherings and the long-distance exchange of exotic objects during the Archaic.

Significance
Chemical sourcing of a Late Archaic (ca. 4100–3980 cal B.P.) copper artifact reveals extensive trade networks linking the coastal southeastern United States with the Great Lakes. Found alongside the cremated remains of at least seven individuals and in the direct center of a plaza defined by a circular shell midden, the copper artifact demonstrates the existence of long-distance networks that transmitted both objects and mortuary practices. In contrast with models that assume coastal hunter-gatherer-fishers typically lived in small, simple societies, we propose that trading for and utilizing copper is evidence of emergent hierarchical social organization during the Archaic and the likelihood that power was gained and displayed during large-scale gatherings and ceremonial events.

Fig. 1. Locations of raw copper sources, selected archaeological sites, and selected Late Archaic shell rings. (1) Isle Royale; (2) Michipicoten; (3) Keweenaw; (4) Snake River; (5) Trout River; (6) Cap d’Or; (7) Cornwall; (8), Adams County; (9) Ducktown; (10) Fanning County; (11) Oglethorpe County; (12) Indian Knoll; (13) Poverty Point.
Fig. 1. Locations of raw copper sources, selected archaeological sites, and selected Late Archaic shell rings. (1) Isle Royale; (2) Michipicoten; (3) Keweenaw; (4) Snake River; (5) Trout River; (6) Cap d’Or; (7) Cornwall; (8), Adams County; (9) Ducktown; (10) Fanning County; (11) Oglethorpe County; (12) Indian Knoll; (13) Poverty Point.

In summary, the McQueen site contains the remains of at least seven people who died on or near St. Catherines Island during the Late Archaic Period. The first to be interred was probably a young female adult who suffered an injury that became infected. Her body was cremated, and the remains were buried at the center of the McQueen Shell Ring. At some point not long thereafter, six other individuals died and were cremated and interred. They may have been interred in one or more events. The interred people had suffered some minor ailments during their lives, including evidence that at least one individual suffered an injury. Their remains were interred at the center of a shell ring, along with faunal remains, especially from fish and deer, and lithic, ceramic, and copper artifacts. Analysis of zooarchaeological materials is ongoing, but along with the more common taxa mentioned above, preliminary results include the identification of animals rarely encountered in Late Archaic deposits, such as pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and eagle ray (Myliobatidae), as well as high proportions of bird and alligator remains (65).

Discussion/Conclusion
The discovery of a Late Archaic-age cremation with associated mortuary items, including copper objects made from materials originating from the Great Lakes, contradicts interpretations that characterize shell ring residents as simple, provincial groups, largely disconnected from their more interior neighbors. These interpretations often rely on outdated models that suggest maritime economies are inherently poor and not stable enough to provide for societal expansion, diversification, or complexity (40). Instead, our findings are consistent with hypotheses that characterize ring residents as both living in social groups that included emergent elites (51) and participating in long-distance trade. Prior research suggests that aspiring elites could have utilized marine and terrestrial resources, including tree nuts, to host large-scale gatherings during the winter months (37). These gatherings likely included the mass consumption of shellfish that were then piled, perhaps to display the relative status of individuals or groups. We suggest that long-distance exchange played a key role in helping aspiring elites attain, display, and share social capital. The copper object originating from the Great Lakes is likely part of larger pattern in which ring residents participated in long-distance exchange networks trading raw materials and objects. Considering that a copper object was emplaced alongside cremated human and nonhuman remains, we propose that long-distance exchange practices were intertwined with ritual events. It is likely that emergent elites used both exotic items and ceremonies to elevate their positions within the broader political landscape. To this point, it is important to note that the placement of the copper band among the cremated remains of at least seven individuals, some of whom may have died violently, suggests that this object was purposefully taken out of circulation, likely during a very visible event in which human bodies were burned, pulverized, and then emplaced in the ring center. We know little about who these individuals were, why they were buried together, and why they were interred in the ring center along with the copper object and other potent items, including a whale vertebra. Perhaps these individuals were exalted members of the community and were given a high-status burial to reflect their position(s) in life. It is equally possible that these individuals were murdered by ring residents for political, social, or religious reasons, and their burial in the ring center had motives other than honoring the lives of the interred. It is also possible this group died an abnormal death, perhaps caused by disease or accident, and their burial was an act designed to alleviate the suffering of the dead or to protect the living from similar calamity.

Fig. 2. (A) St. Catherines Island with the location of McQueen Shell Ring. (B)
Excavation units at McQueen; the center block is outlined. (C) Plan view of
burial pit. (D) Profile of burial pit.
Calibrations were done in OxCal version 4.2.3 (https://c14.arch.ox.ac.uk/) using the IntCal13 and Marine13 curves (67). ND, no data; VPDB, Vienna Pee Dee. Belemnite (international reference standard for carbon isotopes). *University of California, Irvine does not report δ13C, as all results have been corrected for isotopic fractionation according to the conventions offered in ref. 68, with δ13C values measured on prepared graphite using the AMS. These can differ from δ13C of the original material if fractionation occurred during sample graphitization or the AMS measurement and therefore are not presented.

Complete article here:

Below is a very interesting video about the McQueen Shell site in Georgia where ancient 2,500 BC Copper from the Great Lakes was found.

Jaredites from the East or the West?

Some researchers believe that the Jaredites may have come from the Near East and traveled the Atlantic and arrived up the St Lawrence River near the Great Lakes. Some believe the Jaredites traveled on foot east from the Tower of Babel across Asia and traveled the Pacific arriving at the Columbia River. With the information dating Louisiana and Georgia as places of the oldest North American known civilizations, I am beginning to consider that the Jaredites may have taken the same route to North America as Lehi near Tallahassee Florida, and/or Mulek up the Mississippi River locating near Montrose, Iowa. I believe information is so ancient as to not be very accurate in determining the correct route of the Jaredites, but it is very interesting to speculate on the plausibility of each location. (See two maps at the end of this blog that show one Jaredite voyage by way of the Atlantic and another one by way of the Pacific).

I share some things about the Georgia/Tennessee area based on many years of research that may be significant as a location of the Nephites. The area of northern Georgia is an amazing area for possible Nephite locations. Near Helen, Georgia and the source of the Hiawasee and Chattahoochee Rivers is what I call Nephi’s Valley. From the mouth of the Apalachicola River where is found 600 BC artifacts, is a possible landing place for Lehi. Nephi would have left the Florida area by way of the Chattahoochee River up to the area called Unicoi Gap, Georgia. By taking the source of the Hiwassee River, Nephi could have traveled up that River which connects to the Tennessee River with an easy stopping place near Chattanooga, Tennessee where I feel is a good possible location for the first Nephite Temple. The eastern hills of eastern Tennessee is rich with gold, silver, and copper where Nephi could have made swords. This area of northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee is the location of the great Cherokee Indians. The area of Chattanooga is close to hundreds of beautiful springs in northern Georgia where a location for the Waters of Mormon is possible. If you have questions, please ask. I acknowledge much of this geography is plausible based on archaeology, geology and other factors. (See map of Unicoi Gap, Georgia for possible Nephite locations at the end of this blog).

Liberal & Conservative Mormons

Rian Nelson
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Liberal & Conservative Mormons

What is a Liberal? From Oxford Dictionary, “open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.” Open to new opinions is good isn’t it? Of course it is. But what if the new opinion is to change a proven or traditional law that God has given us? What if we get a majority of opinion that agree with us and disagree with what a so called God says? Does everyone have a right to their own opinion? Of course. This is the tricky part. Not all people have faith in God and don’t even believe in God. Shouldn’t we respect their opinion? Of course, but we don’t have to agree with their opinion do we? No! There is a God! This is 100% for me, by FAITH and study and prayer.

What is a conservative? Oxford says, “holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion.” It seems to me that a Conservative is one who treats values coming from God as traditional. I think a conservative has a strong faith in God and chooses to follow Him, and I believe a liberal can have faith in God but tends to believe in man more than God. Both a liberal and a conservative, sin and make mistakes, but conservatives seem to be more forgiving than a liberal. Conservatives seen to judge others more harshly especially if the other one doesn’t seem to love God. I believe Liberals are more inclusive to anyone regardless of race or religion. These things are very simplified but I find them basically true in the world today.

New Podcast

Witness to All

The point? As you listen to President Lee below, you will see that he believes basically what I do. I’m sure he loves all people as I do, but there is a profound difference between a conservative and a liberal. They both have good qualities, but I believe that having faith in the Son of God is far more important that believing in the arm of flesh. I am not saying a Conservative is better than a Liberal as I will not judge, but I know I am a Conservative and I believe it is the best way for anyone to live. I also believe in a Conservative Government of Freedom in a Capitalist society with high morals. I believe our Creator gave us all Life, Liberty and Happiness and no man can take those things from us. I believe in the 10 Commandments and I believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and Joseph Smith is and was a prophet of God. We have a living Prophet today even President Russell M Nelson.

“The self-called liberal [in the Church] is usually one who has broken with the fundamental principles or guiding philosophy of the group to which he belongs.” John A. Widstoe

There are those in the Church who speak of themselves as liberals who, as one of our former presidents has said, “read by the lamp of their own conceit.” Joseph F. Smith

Tradition says, “hold the Rod”

Thank you Kevin Price again for sharing a profound article with me.

The Iron Rod

by Harold B. Lee Address delivered at general conference Sunday afternoon, April 4, 1971

I sincerely pray for the spirit of this great conference during the few moments that I shall stand here.

Sometime ago there appeared in the Wall Street Journal a thought-provoking article, written by an eminent theologian at the Columbia University, under the subject heading “An Antidote for Aimlessness,” which you recognize as a condition that is prevalent in the world today. I quote from this article by Rabbi Arthur Herlzterg:

“What people come to religion for, is an ultimate metaphysical hunger, and when that hunger is not satisfied, religion declines … the moment that clerics become more worldly, the world goes to hades the faster.

“… Religion represents the accumulation of man’s insight over thousands of years into such questions as the nature of man, the meaning of life, the individual’s place in the universe. That is, precisely, the question at the root of man’s restlessness.

“Man seeks something to end his state of confusion and emptiness … in the latest parlance, an antidote for aimlessness. We do not know if the truths of religious tradition can be interpreted to satisfy this need, but we are sure that here, not in political activism, is religion’s path to relevance.”

As an answer to those who may be wandering aimlessly, searching for something to satisfy their need and to end their state of confusion and emptiness, I would like to introduce a few thoughts by relating a remarkable vision which came to an ancient prophet by the name of Lehi—600 years before Christ. To the faithful members of the Church this will be an oft-related incident recorded in the Book of Mormon. To those not of our faith this may, if they will ponder seriously, be very significant in the light of many trends in our modern society.

Think of the Rod as God directing you to him.

In this dream, or better called a vision, the prophet Lehi was led by a heavenly messenger through a dark and dreary waste to a tree laden with delicious fruit which proved to be very satisfying to his soul. He beheld a river of water nearby along which was a straight and narrow path leading to the tree laden with delicious fruit. Between the river bank and the path was a rod of iron, presumably to safeguard the travelers from falling off the narrow path into the river.

As he looked, he saw large groups of people crowding forward to gain access to the spacious field where the tree with fruit was located. As they pressed forward along the path, a great mist of darkness arose, so dense that many who started lost their way and wandered off and were drowned in the murky water or were lost from view as they wandered into strange paths. There were others, however, likewise in danger of being lost because of the blinding mist, who caught hold of the iron rod and, by so doing, held their course so that they too could partake of the delicacies which had beckoned them to come, despite the hazardous journey. Across, on the opposite side of the river, were multitudes of people pointing fingers of scorn at those who made the journey safely.

As with many other ancient prophets in biblical history, dreams or visions of this nature were effective means by which the Lord communicated with his people through prophet-leaders. Just so, this dream had great significance, as the Lord revealed to the prophet Lehi. The tree laden with fruit was a representation of the love of God which he sheds forth among all the children of men. The Master himself, later in his earthly ministry, explained to Nicodemus how that great love was manifested. Said he: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”; and then the Master added: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17.)

The rod of iron as seen in the vision interpreted was the word of God, or the gospel of Jesus Christ, which led to the tree of life that the Master explained to the woman at the well in Samaria was as “a well of [living] water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14.)

Those, as seen in the vision, who were across the river pointing fingers of scorn represented the multitudes of the earth which are gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb of God. The scorners, so the Lord revealed, represented the so-called wisdom of the world, and the building itself in which they were gathered was the “pride of the world.” (See 1 Ne. 11–12.)

If there is any one thing most needed in this time of tumult and frustration, when men and women and youth and young adults are desperately seeking for answers to the problems which afflict mankind, it is an “iron rod” as a safe guide along the straight path on the way to eternal life, amidst the strange and devious roadways that would eventually lead to destruction and to the ruin of all that is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report.”

These conditions as they would be found in the earth when these scriptures, now called the Book of Mormon, were to be brought forth were foreseen by the prophets. As I read some of these predictions, I would have you think of conditions with which we are surrounded today:

“And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts; unto … envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities … because of the pride of your hearts.

“… behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.” (Morm. 8:36–37.)

The apostle Paul also spoke of a time of peril when “men [would] be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

“Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those things that are good,

“Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. …” (2 Tim. 3:2–5.)

There are many who profess to be religious and speak of themselves as Christians, and, according to one such, “as accepting the scriptures only as sources of inspiration and moral truth,” and then ask in their smugness: “Do the revelations of God give us a handrail to the kingdom of God, as the Lord’s messenger told Lehi, or merely a compass?”

Unfortunately, some are among us who claim to be Church members but are somewhat like the scoffers in Lehi’s vision—standing aloof and seemingly inclined to hold in derision the faithful who choose to accept Church authorities as God’s special witnesses of the gospel and his agents in directing the affairs of the Church.

There are those in the Church who speak of themselves as liberals who, as one of our former presidents has said, “read by the lamp of their own conceit.” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine [Deseret Book Co., 1939], p. 373.) One time I asked one of our Church educational leaders how he would define a liberal in the Church. He answered in one sentence: “A liberal in the Church is merely one who does not have a testimony.”

Dr. John A. Widtsoe, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve and an eminent educator, made a statement relative to this word liberal as it applied to those in the Church. This is what he said:

“The self-called liberal [in the Church] is usually one who has broken with the fundamental principles or guiding philosophy of the group to which he belongs. … He claims membership in an organization but does not believe in its basic concepts; and sets out to reform it by changing its foundations. … “It is folly to speak of a liberal religion, if that religion claims that it rests upon unchanging truth.”

And then Dr. Widtsoe concludes his statement with this: “It is well to beware of people who go about proclaiming that they are or their churches are liberal. The probabilities are that the structure of their faith is built on sand and will not withstand the storms of truth.” (“Evidences and Reconciliations,” Improvement Era, vol. 44 [1941], p. 609.)

Here again, to use the figure of speech in Lehi’s vision, they are those who are blinded by the mists of darkness and as yet have not a firm grasp on the “iron rod.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, when there are questions which are unanswered because the Lord hasn’t seen fit to reveal the answers as yet, all such could say, as Abraham Lincoln is alleged to have said, “I accept all I read in the Bible that I can understand, and accept the rest on faith.”

How comforting it would be to those who are the restless in the intellectual world, when such questions arise as to how the earth was formed and how man came to be, if they could answer as did an eminent scientist and devoted Church member. A sister had asked: “Why didn’t the Lord tell us plainly about these things?” The scientist answered: “It is likely we would not understand if he did. It might be like trying to explain the theory of atomic energy to an eight-year-old child.”

Wouldn’t it be a great thing if all who are well schooled in secular learning could hold fast to the “iron rod,” or the word of God, which could lead them, through faith, to an understanding, rather than to have them stray away into strange paths of man-made theories and be plunged into the murky waters of disbelief and apostasy?

I heard one of our own eminent scientists say something to the effect that he believed more professors have taken themselves out of the Church by their trying to philosophize or intellectualize the fall of Adam and the subsequent atonement of the Savior. This was because they would rather accept the philosophies of men than what the Lord has revealed until they, and we, are able to understand the “mysteries of godliness” as explained to the prophets of the Lord and more fully revealed in sacred places.

There were evidently similar questions and controversies in the Master’s time. In one terse answer, he gave the essential ingredients to safety amidst the maze of uncertainty:

To settle an apparent controversy among his disciples as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God, he said: “… except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of [God].” (Matt. 18:3.)

To become converted, according to the scriptures, meant having a change of heart and the moral character of a person turned from the controlled power of sin into a righteous life. It meant to “wait patiently on the Lord” until one’s prayers can be answered and until his heart, as Cyprian, a defender of the faith in the Apostolic Period, testified, and I quote, “Into my heart, purified of all sin, there entered a light which came from on high, and then suddenly and in a marvelous manner, I saw certainty succeed doubt.”

Conversion must mean more than just being a “card carrying” member of the Church with a tithing receipt, a membership card, a temple recommend, etc. It means to overcome the tendencies to criticize and to strive continually to improve inward weaknesses and not merely the outward appearances.

The Lord issued a warning to those who would seek to destroy the faith of an individual or lead him away from the word of God or cause him to lose his grasp on the “iron rod,” wherein was safety by faith in a Divine Redeemer and his purposes concerning this earth and its peoples.

The Master warned: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better … that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matt. 18:6.)

The Master was impressing the fact that rather than ruin the soul of a true believer, it were better for a person to suffer an earthly death than to incur the penalty of jeopardizing his own eternal destiny.

The apostle Paul impressed also the danger of false teachings by bad example. Said he: “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. …

“And through thy knowledge shall the weak … perish, for whom Christ died?

“But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.” (1 Cor. 8:9, 11–12.)

Speaking to the learned and highly sophisticated generation in his time, the prophet Jacob said something which seems to be so often needed to be repeated today: “… When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. …

“But to be learned is good if they hearken to the counsels of God.” (2 Ne. 9:28–29.)

We fervently thank the Lord for the faithfulness and devotion of many in and out of the Church who are in high places in business, in governmental circles, in the legal profession, doctors, trained social workers, nurses, and those in the fields of the sciences and the arts. Particularly are we grateful for those who accept positions of leadership in the Church, who serve as home teachers or class leaders in the priesthood or in the auxiliaries, who make themselves available for volunteer service in helping to care for the unfortunate in all lands and among minorities within and without the Church, and in giving particular attention to the needs of the widows and the orphans.

I say to all such, as did Jesus to Zacchaeus: “This day is salvation come to [their] house.” (Luke 19:9.) These are they who are holding fast to the “iron rod” which can lead us all, in safety, to the tree of life.

I read recently from a column in the Washington Post, by George Moore, who styled himself as the “hermit of Mount Vernon.” (Mount Vernon, of course, was the ancestral home of George Washington.) In this article he said, “I have spent the last twenty years of my life at Mount Vernon reducing my ignorance.” He claimed that a person never learns anything until he realizes how little he knows. In this article he makes this most illuminating observation about George Washington:

“Washington never went to school. That’s why he was an educated man, he never quit learning.”

What George Moore said of himself I suppose could be said of many of you and of myself: “I have spent more than three score years of my life reducing my ignorance.”

Therein, it is my conviction, is the challenge to all who achieve distinction in any field. Some quit learning when they graduate from a school; some quit learning about the gospel when they have completed a mission for the Church; some quit learning when they become an executive or have a prominent position in or out of the Church.

Remember, as George Moore said of Washington, “We can become educated persons, regardless of our stations in life, if we never quit learning.”

The late President Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote this: “Any man who does his work well, who is justifiably self-confident and not unduly disturbed by the jeers of the cynics and the shirkers, any man who stays true to decent motives and is considerate of others is, in essence, a leader. Whether or not he is ever singled out for prominence, he is bound to achieve great inner satisfaction in turning out superior work.

“And that, by the way, is what the good Lord put us on this earth for.” (“What Is Leadership?” Reader’s Digest, June 1965, p. 54.)

With the restoration of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Church in the dispensation of the fulness of times, we were given instructions by revelation, the magnitude of which, as the late President Brigham H. Roberts explained, was “not merely as to whether baptism should be by immersion or for the forgiveness of sins, but the rubbish of accumulated ages was swept aside, the rocks made bare, and the foundations of the Kingdom of God were relaid.”

It may seem preposterous to many to declare that within the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be found a bulwark to safeguard against the pitfalls, the frustrations, and the wickedness in the world. The plan of salvation formed in the heavens points clearly to the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life, even though there are many who refuse to follow that way.

In a great revelation, the Lord gave instruction by commandment to the leaders of the Church of that early day that they should be seekers after truth in many fields.

First, of course, he commanded that they should “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom … in all things that pertain [to] the kingdom of God. …” (D&C 88:77–78.)

The Conservative desires to hold the rod, Liberals don’t think they need a rod.

Then he counsels as to the wide sweep of learning about which we should seek. His church was not to be an ignorant ministry in various fields of secular learning.

And then the Lord addressed his revelation to all others who may not have faith: “… seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118.)

One might well ask: How does one get “learning by faith”? One prophet explains the process: First, one must arouse his faculties and experiment on the words of the Lord and desire to believe. Let this desire work in you until ye believe in a manner that you can give place even to a portion of the word of the Lord; then, like a planted seed, it must be cultivated and not resist the Spirit of the Lord, which is that which lighteneth everyone born into the world; you can then begin to feel within yourselves that it must be good, for it enlarges your soul and enlightens your understanding and, like the fruit of the tree in Lehi’s vision, it becomes delicious to the taste. (See Alma 32.)

It was an English novelist who was quoted as saying: “He who seeks God has already found him.”

Let no one think that “learning by faith” contemplates an easy or lazy way to gain knowledge and ripen it into wisdom.

From heavenly instructions and added to which are the experiences of almost anyone who has sought diligently for heavenly guidance, one may readily understand that learning by faith requires the bending of the whole soul through worthy living to become attuned to the Holy Spirit of the Lord, the calling up from the depths of one’s own mental searching, and the linking of our own efforts to receive the true witness of the Spirit.

The mission of this church is to bear witness of the truths of the gospel and put to flight the false teachings on every side that are causing the restlessness and the aimlessness that threaten all who have not found the straight path and that which could be an anchor to their souls.

My fervent prayer is that I may hold up that true Light of Christ to all the world. I would that all may know with assurance, as I, from study, prayer, and faith, know for a certainty, as the Master declared to Martha, who was mourning the death of Lazarus, that the Lord and Master is indeed “the resurrection, and the life; [and] he that believeth in [him], though he were dead, yet shall he live:

“And whosoever liveth and believeth in [him] shall never die. …” (John 11:25–26.)

I thank the Lord that I can answer, as did Martha and as did Peter of old: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16.)

“Yea, Lord: I believe … thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” (John 11:27.)

To this I do bear my solemn witness, in the sacred name of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, even so. Amen.

See my blog here https://www.bofm.blog/revelation-traditionalists-vs-progressives/

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