Lesson 23 – More
Than One Witness
Scriptures
·
Alma 8-9. After preaching in Melek, Alma calls
the people of Ammonihah to repentance, but they reject him. He leaves but is commanded
by an angel to return. Alma is received by Amulek, and both are commanded to
preach in Ammonihah.
·
Alma 10. Amulek preaches to the people of Ammonihah
and describes his conversion. The people are astonished that there is another
witness to Alma’s teachings. Amulek contends with unrighteous lawyers and
judges.
·
Alma 11. Amulek contends with Zeezrom and
testifies of the coming of Christ, the judgment of the wicked, and the plan of redemption.
·
Alma 12. Alma further explains Amulek's words,
warning against hard-heartedness and wickedness and testifying of the Fall and
the plan of redemption.
Once again, we have a huge amount of scripture to cover in
45 minutes. As with Lesson 22, the key
is to review the four chapters and determine the most important concepts in the
chapters.
What are the most important concepts? With so little time, I feel like Snoopy when he
said, “Curse you, Red Baron!” There is so
much great and important information. From
the “For What It’s Worth” department,
here are my recommendations. (I will bold and italicize what I believe are the most
important concepts.)
§
Skip Chapter 8. In Chapter 10, Amulek reviews how he met Alma2.
§
A major part of Chapter 9 is Alma2’s warning
to the people of Ammonihah is that, if they don’t repent, they will be destroyed.
I would suggest you, at the least, touch
on the Law of Apostate Cities chart. You may want to make a few copies to hand out and
review it with your class.
§
Alma 9:7-11 is a list of rhetorical questions
Alma2 asks that outline the wickedness of the people.
§
Alma 9:13-19 - Alma2 compares the status
of the Nephites with the Lamanites.
§
Alma 9:20-23 - Alma2 explains what
they have received from the Lord and why they will be destroyed.
§
Alma 9:26-28 – Coming of the Son of God.
§
Alma 10:1-4 – Amulek introduces self.
§
Alma 10:5-11 – Recounts conversion story.
§
Alma 10:12-32 – A must! Amulek second witness;
lawyers question and challenge Amulek.
§
Alma 11:1-20 – Nephite monetary system. I would recommend little time be spent on the actual
values. This, however, is a must! Critics point out no coins have been found to attack
Book of Mormon. It needs to be pointed out
that nowhere in the Book of Mormon record is the word coin or coinage found. The only place the word “coinage” is found is in
the heading of Chapter 11, which is a modern day addition!
§
Alma 11:21-46 – A must! Zeezrom’s questioning
of Amulek and his powerful responses.
Mormon writes a summary heading of chapters 9-14, telling us
what we will read. Note that he tells us
we are now reading “[t]he words of Alma.”
These next six chapters are not an abridgement, but a copy of the actual
record on the plates.
The words of Alma, and
also the words of Amulek, which were declared unto the people who were in the
land of Ammonihah. And also they are
cast into prison, and delivered by the miraculous power of God which was in
them, according to the record of Alma.
Comprising chapters 9
to 14 inclusive.
Chapter 9
Alma commands the
people of Ammonihah to repent—The Lord will be merciful to the Lamanites in the
last days—If the Nephites forsake the light, they shall be destroyed by the
Lamanites—The Son of God soon cometh—He shall redeem those who repent and are
baptized and have faith in his name. About 82 B.C.
Alma2 is prophesying the destruction of Ammonihah
in one day if the people do not repent.
Why would the Lord destroy an entire people and all the
people therein?
The Israelites were commanded to destroy apostate cities;
however, there were conditions that must be met. The chart below compares Deuteronomy 13:12-18
with the conditions in Ammonihah (Alma 9-16).
The Law of Apostate
Cities
12 ¶ If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the
LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,
13 Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from
among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go
and serve other gods, which ye have not known;
14 Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask
diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such
abomination is wrought among you;
15 Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with
the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the
cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
16 And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst
of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil
thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it
shall not be built again.
17 And there shall
cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from
the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon
thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
18 When thou shalt
hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I
command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy
God.
Deuteronomy 13:12-18
|
Deuteronomy 13:12-18
|
Ammonihah (Alma 9-16)
|
|
certain men gone out from among you
|
Nehorites
|
|
withdrawn the inhabitants of their city
|
withdrew from Nephites
|
|
serve other gods
|
turned from God
|
|
children of Belial
|
Satan had great hold
|
|
inquire and search diligently
|
Alma2 visits personally
|
|
smite all inhabitants with the sword
|
everyone killed
|
|
destroy utterly
|
everything destroyed
|
|
a heap forever
|
bodies heaped up
|
|
abomination
|
desolation of Nehors
|
Hugh Nibley sums up the situation Alma2 faces.
·
“But first
Alma was preaching to them. Was it the same old thing here? Well, it was
different because they put up a fight. They argued back. They shouted back and
forth. It turned out to be a shouting match. Alma began to preach
to the people, and he said (chapter 9, verse 1): ‘As I began to preach unto
them, they began to contend with me, saying … This is Alma's own record here; before
it was [Mormon’s] record. They said, you have no clout—we don't know who you
are … they said, ‘Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man,
although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away? Now they
understood not the words which they spake; for they knew not that the earth
should pass away.’ They were pronouncing the doom on themselves. Their city was buried
completely.”
Review of scriptures in Chapter 9
·
1-6 – people’s response to Alma2.
·
7-11 – Alma2 asks
questions and makes points.
o
8 – How have ye forgotten the
tradition of your fathers?
o
8 – How soon you have forgotten the
commandments of God.
o
9 - Do ye not remember that our
father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God?
o
9 - Do ye not remember that they
were all led by him through the wilderness?
o
10 - Have ye forgotten so soon how
many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies,
o
10 – Have ye forgotten he preserved
them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own brethren?
o
11 - Without the matchless power,
mercy and longsuffering of God towards us, we would have been cutoff from the
face of the Earth and possibly been consigned to a state of endless misery and
woe.
·
Verses 10-11, raise questions. What
were the events that required the Lord to deliver them from their
enemies? Who were these enemies? Who were the
brethren? What were the events? It also raises a
possibility that we might have information that was in the lost 116 manuscript
pages.
·
David LeFevre explains:
o “Lehi's lost record surely had more to say
about the hardships experienced during this part of the journey. We get that impression both from King
Benjamin (Mosiah 1:17) and Alma (Alma 36:28—29). Additionally intriguing are
Alma's words to the people of Ammonihah, which invite them to remember ‘the
tradition of [their] fathers’ (Alma 9:8), meaning ‘our father, Lehi’ who was
‘brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God’ (9:9). In the next breath, Alma
reiterates how the Lord ‘delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies, and preserved them’
(9:10). That
‘our fathers’ refers to Lehi and his family seems apparent from verses 9 and
13. From Brown's observations and these indications from the text, it appears that
the family spent significant time (perhaps most or, in my reading of the text,
even all of the eight years) and conceivably suffered bondage in the passage
between the Nahom area and Bountiful.”
·
S. Kent Brown writes:
o “In an earlier address to people in
Ammonihah, Alma recounted that ‘our father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem
by the hand of God . . . through the wilderness. Immediately thereafter Alma
asked the question: ‘have ye forgotten . . . how many times he delivered our fathers out
of the hands of their enemies, and preserved them from being destroyed?’ (Alma
9:9–10). Enemies? Destroyed? Do these expressions fit into a picture of Lehi in
the desert? To be sure, the phrase ‘our fathers’ may point to an
intermediate generation, nearer Alma's time, who had suffered difficulties with
‘their enemies’ But the context also allows the possibility that Lehi, too, had
experienced troubles with ‘enemies...' [14]
“Footnote 14. The notation
that immediately follows—‘even by the hands of their own brethren’ (Alma
9:10)—opens further the possibility that the reference is to Lehi and his
children since the older sons sought at least once to kill Lehi (1 Nephi 16:37; 17:44) and three times
to kill the younger son Nephi (1 Nephi 7:16; 16:37; 2 Nephi 5:3–4; cf. 2 Nephi
1:24), even though the word brethren’ can refer to unfriendly Lamanites (e.g.,
Mosiah 28:1; Alma 17:9; 48:21).”
·
12-13 – Calls the people to
repentance.
o
12 – Repent or you cannot inherit
the kingdom of God.
o
12 - Repent or you will be utterly destroyed from
off the face of the earth.
o
13 – You don’t remember words He
spoke to Lehi – if ye keep my commandments, prosper in the land.
o
13 – If you don’t keep commandments,
you will be cutoff from the presence of the Lord.
·
14-17 – Alma2 talks about
the Lamanites.
o
14 – Lamanites haven’t kept commandments
and they have been cutoff; Lord’s word has been verified in that the Lamanites
have been cutoff.
o
15 – Shall be more tolerable for
Lamanites in the day of judgment if “you” remain in your sins; more tolerable
for Lamanites in this life except “ye” repent.
o
16 – Many promises had been made to
the Lamanites; remain in state of ignorance of gospel because of traditions of
their fathers. (See Mosiah 10:13-17); Lord will be merciful to them.
o
Daniel C. Peterson wrote about the term “traditions of the fathers.”
§
“Typically,
when the scriptures allude to ‘the traditions of men’ or ‘the traditions of the
fathers,’ they are speaking negatively about the false notions that hinder
people from recognizing and accepting the truth (e.g., at 1 Peter 1:18;
D&C 74:4; 93:39). ‘Why do ye . . . transgress the commandment of God by your
tradition?’ the Savior asked his audience (Matthew 15:3). ‘For laying aside the
commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men’ (Mark 7:8). The
Lamanites, too, were misled by the false traditions of their
fathers (Mosiah 1:5; 10:12-3; Alma 9:16; 60:32; Helaman 15:4).
“Salvation therefore consists, at least
partially, in overcoming false traditions(Alma 9:17; Helaman 5:51;
15:7-8; D&C 74:6-7), and, accordingly, it is part of the goal of those who preach the
true gospel to lead people to see the incorrectness of the traditions they have
previously been taught (Alma 17:9; 24:7).”
o
17 – Eventually, Lamanites will
believe the gospel and reject traditions.
o
17 – Many Lamanites will be saved.
o
17 - Lord merciful to all who call
on his name.
·
18-19 – Repent or be destroyed.
·
18 – Persist in wickedness, and
don’t repent, Lamanites will destroy you.
·
19 – Lord not suffer them to live in
their sins; will not suffer the people to destroy Lord’s people; rather have
Lamanites destroy people of Nephi; this because of having much light and
knowledge from the Lord.
·
20-23 – Alma2 teaches why
the will be destroyed. They had received
much from God. Here’s the list.
o
They have been given much light and knowledge.
o
They were highly favored of the Lord.
o
They were favored above all nations, kindreds,
tongues, and people.
o
They had all things made known to them according
to their desires.
o
They had been visited by the Spirit of God.
o
They had conversed with angels.
o
They had been spoken to by the Lord.
o
They had the spirit of prophecy and the spirit
of revelation.
o
They had received many gifts.
o
They had been delivered of God from Jerusalem.
o
They had been saved from famine, sickness, and
diseases.
o
They were strong in battle.
o
They had been brought out of the bondage time
after time.
o
They had prospered until they were rich.
·
This helps us gain insight to Mormon’s approach
to editing his plates.
o
“Mormon reinforced
this reading by framing the destruction within a prophecy. His
editorial summary included the observation, ‘Their great city [was destroyed],
which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness. But behold, in
one day it was left desolate’ (16:9-10). Here Mormon was referring to an exchange that
took place at the story's beginning. There the people of Ammonihah had rejected
Alma's message with the words, ‘We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst
prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day.’ Mormon
there commented, ‘Now they knew not that God could do such marvelous works, for
they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people"’ (Alma 9:4-5; see also
the predictions at Alma 9:18; 10:23). Clearly, Ammonihah's destruction was a
marvelous work of God manifesting his divine power and justice.”
·
Once again, we get more insight to what happened
to Lehi’s party as they travelled in the wilderness of the Arabian peninsula.
o
“It is
important to add a few words about the kinds of vicissitudes that the party met
along the way. Nephi said of their troubles that ‘we did ... wade through much
affliction,’ afterward characterizing the hardships less vividly as
‘afflictions and much difficulty; (1 Nephi 17:1, 6). Later Book of
Mormon authors who had consulted the full set of records added important
details, speaking of the family's suffering from both ‘famine’ and ‘all manner
of diseases’ while crossing the desert (Mosiah 1:17; Alma 9:22).
“These later Book of Mormon authors, who
enjoyed access to the fuller account of the party's journey, preserve
recollections of troubles that differ markedly from details in Nephi's rather
full narrative of the trip from Jerusalem to Nahom. For
instance, King
Benjamin recalls that at certain points along the way party members ‘were
smitten with famine’ (Mosiah 1:17). To be sure, the family had
suffered from lack of food during the trip from the first camp to Nahom (see 1
Nephi 16:17–32, 39). But the word famine sounds a more ominous
note. Moreover, Alma also writes of Lehi's party suffering ‘from famine’ as
well as ‘from sickness, and all manner of diseases’ “
·
24-25 – How they will be destroyed.
o
24 – Promises of Lord extended to Lamanites;
promises not extended to “you” if “you” sin; if “you” rebel against God, “you”
will be utterly destroyed.
o
25 – Lord sent angel to visit
people; kingdom of heaven at hand; they still may not be destroyed.
·
26-28 – Son of God shall come in
glory.
o
26 – Son of God’s glory the glory of
the Only Begotten of the Father; He is full of grace, equity, truth, patience,
mercy, long-suffering, quick to hear cries and prayers of people.
o
27 – Redeem those who are baptized
unto repentance.
o
28 – Way of the Lord at hand; all
men reap rewards according to works, righteous – salvation; wicked –
captivation of the devil.
o
Hugh Nibley observes:
§
“Notice, there are just two
conditions, and he told us what righteousness is. He just said, as the Lord:
grace, equity, truth, patience, mercy, long-suffering. These are
the characteristics the Lord has shown us, and if they're righteous, they'll reap salvation
to their souls. But if they've been evil—no.”
·
30-34 – People angry with Alma2.
o
30 – Alma2 calls them his
brethren; should bring forth works meet for repentance; hearts “grossly”
hardened against word of God; a lost and fallen people.
o
31 – People angry with Alma2
because of his words.
o
32 – Wanted to put him in prison.
o
33 – Lord prevented them from
placing him in prison.
o
34 – Amulek speaks to people.
o Hugh
Nibley comments on the response of the people of Ammonihah.
§
“This is the last
call, and we don't like it either. Were the people satisfied with this? This
made them mad as hornets, as the next verse [31] tells us. When he tells
them frankly, he ends up by saying, ‘ye are a lost and a fallen people. Now it
came to pass that when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold the people were
wroth with me because I said unto them that they were a hard-hearted and a
stiffnecked people.’ “
o
Richard Dilworth Rust writes:
§
“Alma's closing
plea lapses into resignation as his words fail to move the people of Ammonihah
away from their path of self-destruction: ‘And now, my beloved
brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to
bring forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that your hearts have
been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost
and a fallen people’ (Alma 9:30).
Given the people's earlier reactions and
Alma's resignation about their fate, it is no surprise that the people of
Ammonihah become angry and attempt to cast Alma into prison. From the first,
these people deny and mock Alma's claims to authority.”
Chapter 10
Lehi descended from
Manasseh—Amulek recounts the angelic command that he care for Alma—The prayers
of the righteous cause the people to be spared—Unrighteous lawyers and judges
lay the foundation of the destruction of the people. About 82 B.C.
Review of scriptures in Chapter 10
·
1-4 – Amulek introduces self; is
known by the people.
o
Amulek a descendant of Aminadi.
§
Aminadi “interpreted the writing which was upon
the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God” (verse 2).
§
We know nothing about Aminadi. May have been mentioned in lost 116
manuscript pages.
o
Hugh Nibley made some observations about Amulek.
§
“So then
Amulek stood forth and began to preach to them. Amulek introduced himself, and he is a very
striking character. These vignettes, these character sketches in the Book of
Mormon, are very clearly marked. He was the most respected citizen you could
possibly imagine. He was a blueblood. Alma 10:2: ‘I am Amulek
… a descendant of Aminadi, . . . and Aminadi was a descendant of
Nephi, who was the son of Lehi.’ He was proud of his genealogy. And
here we have an extremely important genealogical note. Lehi was a descendant of
Manasseh, who was half Egyptian … He had been a successful businessman, and made
himself very rich. He had been very successful and very respected. He was la
creme de la creme.”
·
5-11 – Talks about his conversion.
o
5 – Never known much of the ways of
the Lord.
o
6 – Was called many time but
hardened heart and would not hear; continued to rebel against God.
o
7 – Angel appeared to him and told
him about Alma2 coming to his house.
o
8 – Met Alma2 as he
returned home.
o
10 – Testifies Alma2‘s
words are true; angel made these things known to him.
o
11 - Alma2 blessed his
house, his women, his children, his father, and his kinfolk.
o
We learn about Mesoamerican architecture in
verse 11.
§
“Mesoamerican
dwellings were basically compounds for multiple family units. How well does
this archaeological feature fit with the rare Book of Mormon descriptions of
dwelling units? We find the following in Alma: ‘For behold, he hath
blessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my
father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the
blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake’
(Alma 10:11). When Amulek describes Alma's blessing, he paints a picture of how
Amulek perceives his kin connections. These descriptions fit the general
picture of Mesoamerican households…
“The first term Amulek uses is ‘my house.’ For
kin-based societies, this typically is as real as it is symbolic of the family.
Kin-based societies frequently live in compounds. Excellent
documents allow anthropologists to visualize some Aztec households close to the
time of the Conquest. … One account from 1580 indicates that houses typically
contained six or seven married couples besides unmarried youth.
“The archaeological discovery of living areas
that clearly contain multiple buildings led archaeologists to the conclusion
that such an area was a family compound, which is a very common feature of the
archaeological sites of the Maya area dating to the Book of Mormon time period … Amulek may
plausibly have lived in a typical Mesoamerican household compound …
When Amulek speaks first of Alma blessing his ‘house’ and then lists specific
groups, we
are justified in assuming that these are people who are living in the same
‘house,’ which would mean the entire dwelling area, not a single structure.”
·
12-18 – Amulek serves as second
witness; lawyers question them.
o
12 – People astonished there was
more than one witness.
o
Dennis Largey explains:
§
“The people in
Ammonihah rejected and ridiculed Alma and his message, but became
astonished at the words of Amulek, "seeing that there was more
than one witness that testified of the things whereof they were
accused" (Alma 10:12; italics added). It was the second witness that astonished
the people.”
o
13-15 – Lawyers use cunning devices
to “catch them in their words;” they seek to destroy Alma2 and
Amulek.
o
Hugh Nibley comments:
§
Alma 10 is
the legalistic chapter. It's on legalism and lawyers. It packs a real wallop
and shows immense insight ... That's the whole business of lawyers—to make your
side appear whatever it is … That's the skill of rhetoric. You can take either
side and make it win. Whether it was good or bad had nothing to do with it; you won the
case. That's what you are supposed to do. To make the worse appear
the better reason shocked everybody. That's what we have here; this is way up
in it …
“… It's frightening because these people
make the rules as they go. They're the lawyers and they're free to move the
goal post anytime they want, so they always win … they had [Amulek] in their clutches. They were
going to weave a tangled net to get him.”
o
17 – Amulek knows thoughts and designs
of lawyers; calls them on their tricks.
o
18 – Lawyers are trying to pervert
ways of the Lord.
·
19-22 – Good thing that government
leaders chosen by the voice of the people; prayers of righteous prevent
destruction.
o
19 – If people choose unrighteous
leaders, they are ripe for destruction (Mosiah 29:27).
o
20 – Lord judge of their iniquities;
voice of angel cry repentance.
o
22 – Prayers of righteous prevent
destruction; will be by famine, pestilence, and the sword.
o
What does it mean when they are ripe for destruction?
§
“When
iniquity ripens fully the cursings come. But what constitutes being ripe in iniquity? The
Book of Mormon gives specific conditions: (1) when ‘the voice of this people should choose
iniquity’ (Alma 10:19); (2) when the people ‘turn aside the just for a
thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no
worth’ (2 Nephi 28:16); (3) when they reject ‘every word of God’ (1
Nephi 17:35); and (4) ‘when [they] shall cast out the righteous from among [them], then shall
[they] be ripe for destruction’ (Helaman 13:14).”
·
23-24 – Cast out righteous and “you”
will face destruction; people angry with Amulek.
o
23 – If righteous cast our, anger of
the Lord will come out against you.
o
24 – People angry with Amulek
because he challenges their “just laws” and “wise lawyers.
o
Ben Franklin had two thoughts that apply to the
Ammonihahites.
§
A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead
than an ignorant one.
§
Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as
being unwilling to learn.
·
25-27 – Satan has great hold on
their hearts; lawyers and judges lay foundation to destruction.
o
25 – Satan has great hold on their
hearts; they are blinded to truth.
o
26 – Amulek speaks in favor of law; law
condemns “you.”
o
27 – Foundation of unrighteousness
is laid by judges and lawyers.
o
Hugh Nibley wrote:
§
“They would lay
their legal traps, and if they failed to work, became righteously indignant. ‘This
man doth revile against . . . our wise lawyers whom we have selected’ (Alma
10:24). ‘This man is a child of the devil, for . . . he hath spoken against our
law. . . . And again, he has reviled against our lawyers, and our judges’ (Alma
10:28—29).
Such men are dangerous enough on their own, but when their position becomes
official (either in education or government) they have a powerful lever for
achieving their aims by force, as Amulek observes: ‘the foundation
of the destruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the
unrighteousness of your lawyers and your judges’ (Alma 10:27).”
·
28-32 – People cry out against
Amulek, calling him a child of the devil.
o
28 – People know he is a child of
the devil for speaking out against law.
o
29 – He has reviled lawyers and
judges.
o
30 – Lawyers behind opposition.
o
31 – Zeezrom is introduced, being an
expert.
o
32 – Purpose of lawyers was to get
rich.
o
Hugh Nibley had this to say about Zeezrom.
§
“There it is.
[Zeezrom] had associations, he had connections, he was making a lot of money,
etc.—the typical lawyer. Back in those days did they do it exactly
as we are doing it today … Yes, they did … ancient rhetoric was the training of
lawyers for the law schools and the legislative courts. They worked right
together, but you had to be a lawyer… It was thoroughly corrupt, and it destroyed
the ancient world. He says the same thing is going to destroy them here. But
this Zeezrom was the most expert…”
Chapter 11
Nephite coinage set
forth—Amulek contends with Zeezrom—Christ will not save people in their
sins—Only those who inherit the kingdom of heaven are saved—All men shall rise
in immortality—There is no death after the resurrection. About 82 B.C.
Review of scriptures in Chapter 11
·
1-3 – How wages were paid.
o
1 – Law of Mosiah set pay for
judges.
o
2 – If a person was brought before
judge, he was judged according to the law and evidence; a judgment would be
rendered.
o
3 – Payment for judges identified.
o
Lindon Robinson comments about the importance of
the monetary system.
§
“All economists
recognize the importance of a currency or monetary system to facilitate
trading. Thus, it is interesting that the Book of Mormon patiently
explains the Nephite monetary system even though it is an odd topic to have
included in a religious text. Moreover, Alma also explains how the Nephites used
money—to pay their judges, to discharge debts, etc. (Alma
11:1–20).”
·
4-21 – Nephite monetary system
outlined.
o
Heading says “coinage set forth.”
o
Did Nephites have coins?
o
Current chapter headings were written in the 1980’s.
§
“Royal
Skousen [the most expert scholar on the Book of Mormon translations and
editions] says ‘In the text proper, the gold and silver units
are referred to as pieces, not coins … now these are the
names of the different pieces of their gold and of their silver according
to their value' (Alma 11:4). Here in Alma 11, there is no specific evidence for a coin system
(that is, minted pieces of precious metal, with possibly images or writing,
perhaps the stipulated weight, on the pieces).’ “
o
The text itself calls the gold and silver
“pieces.” We don’t know what they meant
by pieces. But, the text is clear. They are
never referred to as “coins.”
o
Daniel Peterson gets the final word:
§
“And, by
the way, for
the umpteenth time, the Book of Mormon never claims that there were ‘coins’ in
the ancient New World. The text of the Book of Mormon mentions neither the
word coin nor any variant thereof. The reference to
‘Nephite coinage’ in the chapter heading to Alma 11 is not part of the original
text and is mistaken. Alma 11 is almost certainly talking about standardized weights of
metal—a historical step toward coinage, true, but not yet the real thing.”
o
20 – To get more gain, judges and
lawyers stirred up the people to wickedness and law breaking so they would need
to be
o
21 – Zeezrom begins to question
Amulek.
§
He was expert in the devices of the devil.
·
Thomas Valletta wrote:
o
“The
unrighteousness of the Ammonihahite lawyers and judges consisted not so much in
their chosen profession, but rather that ‘their hearts [were] set so much upon
the things of this world"’ (D&C 121:35). The record is clear that it was their
‘sole purpose to get gain’ (Alma 11:20). Their law and
their lucre had become their God. Their craving for the things of this world
was so intense that ‘they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of
disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might
get money according to the suits which were brought before them’(Alma
11:20). Possibly this emphasis on ‘gain’ as a driving force of the order of
Nehor was a major reason that Alma 11 includes the only extant scriptural
account of the Nephite monetary system.”
·
22-25 – Amulek agrees to answer
questions; Zeezrom tempts him with money; Amulek sees his motivation.
o
22 – Amulek says he will answer
“according to the Spirit of the Lord;” Zeezrom offers him six onties (a lot of
money!) of silver to deny Supreme Being.
o
23 – Amulek calls him child of hell;
righteous don’t yield to such temptation.
o
24 – He asks Zeezrom if he believes
there is no God; Amulek answers he knows there is a God but loves money more.
o
25 – Zeezrom has lied before God; he
wasn’t going to give him the six silver onties; for this evil, he will have his
reward.
o
Hugh Nibley comments:
§
“He has it
all set up. He asks a very crude question here. I mean if he is trying to be
subtle, isn't this about as crude as you can get? He says, ‘Behold,
here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny
the existence of a Supreme Being?’ In front of all those people there, you
see. Would
he accept a bribe as conspicuously as that after his moral tirades, etc.? Well,
of course he wouldn't. What is the guy planning to do? It lets us
know what he's planning to do. As Amulek tells him, I know you had no intention to
pay. What he was going to do was to up the ante … He was going to
offer him a fabulous amount, so people would think the guy was crazy for not
taking it, whatever he believed. It's the corruptibility of the times.
But Amulek said, I know you weren't going to pay it anyway, but I'm not going
to accept it whatever it is. It seems like a rather crude approach, but you can
see what he was doing. He had these people in the palms of his hands. It said
he had much business with the people, and he was the most skillful lawyer in
the place. He was the top man.”
·
26-34 – There is a series of questions and answers between Amulek and
Zeezrom.
o
26 - Zeezrom (Z) – You say there is a God?
o
27 – Amulek (A) – There is a true
and living God.
o
28 – Z – Is there more than one God?
o
29 – A – No.
o
30 – Z – How do you know?
o
31 – A – An angel appeared to me and
told me.
o
32 – Z – Should the Son of God come?
o
33 – A – Yes.
o
34 – Z – Will we be saved in our
sins?
o
34 – A – No. It is impossible for God to lie.
o
John Clark wrote that:
§
“… in his dialogue with Amulek, Zeezrom implied
that people could be saved ‘in their sins’ (see Alma 11:34—37),
and the
people of Ammonihah, who were followers of Nehor, ‘did not believe
in the repentance of their sins’ (Alma 15:15).”
§
35-37 – Zeezrom points out Amulek’s
“contradictions.” (Editorial
comment: This reads much like an
anti-Mormon tract!); Amulek points out he lies and explains why.
o
35 – Zeezrom claims inconsistencies
in Amulek’s answers.
§
There is one God but he says Son of God will
come.
§
God will not save us his people and he acts like
he has authority to command God.
o
36 – Amulek points out his lies.
o
37 – I didn’t command God, I said He
cannot save people in their sins.
o
38 – He repeats the statement God
cannot save people in his sins.
§
He cannot deny His word and this is His word.
o
38 – God said you cannot be saved in
your sins, so you cannot be saved in your sins.
o
Hugh Nibley observed:
§
“Now Zeezrom said unto
the people: See that ye remember these things [watch that—we'll catch him on
that]; for ‘he said there is but one God; yet he saith that the Son of God
shall come, but he shall not save his people—as though he had authority to
command God.’ Notice that he omits the part, ‘in their sins.’ He just
leaves that out. He says don't say ‘in their sins’ is a typical lawyer
question. Answer yes or no; will he save his people? Well, he won't save them in
their sins. I didn't say "’n their sins’; leave that out. I'm just asking
you a question. Answer me yes or no—will he save his people?
Of course, it's a conditioned answer. This is a very favorite trick of lawyers.
Their tricks are all easy, foolish, and transparent. They always
work though, more or less.
“Then Amulek says you're the one
that lies ‘for thou sayest that I spake as though I had authority to command
God because I said he shall not save his people in their sins. And I say unto
you again that he cannot save them in their sins [that's the thing he hadn't
mentioned]; for I cannot deny his word …’ “
§
38-41 – Zeezrom’s questioning
continues.
o
38 – Z - Is the Son of God the
Eternal Father?
o
39 – A – Yes. He is Eternal Father of all things, his beginning,
the end, the first, the last.
o
40-41 – A continues – He will come
into the world and redeem his people; He will take upon him the transgressions
of those who believe on His name; wicked remain as if there was no redemption
made; wicked will rise from dead; will stand before God and be judged according
to their works.
o
Robert Millet explains.
§
“Jesus
Christ is also known by the title of Father. The meaning of scriptures using this
nomenclature is not always immediately clear, primarily owing to the fact that
Christ and his Father are virtually inseparable in purpose, testimony, glory,
and power. In most cases, however, the scriptural usage can be
explained in several ways:
§
“Christ is
sometimes called Father because of his role as Creator from the beginning. Before
his mortal birth, and acting under the direction of the Father, Jesus was Jehovah, the Lord
Omnipotent, through whom God created worlds without number (Moses
1:33; 7:30; John 1:1—3; Heb. 1:2). …, Christ-Jehovah is called ‘the Father of heaven
and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning’ in the
Book of Mormon…
§
“Jesus Christ is
also known as Father through the spiritual rebirth of mankind (see Born of God) …
he became the ‘author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him’ (Heb.
5:9). He
is the Savior. No person will come unto the Father except through him and by
his name (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Mosiah 3:17). Those who accept
the gospel of Jesus Christ and receive its saving covenantal ordinances, living
worthy of its sanctifying and enlightening powers, are "born again"
unto Christ and become known as the children of Christ, "his sons and his
daughters," his "seed" (Mosiah 5:5—8; 15:10—13; 27:25—26;
Alma 5:14)…
§
“Furthermore, Jesus is called
Father because of the authority God gave him to act for the Father. He
explained in Jerusalem: ‘I can of mine own self do nothing . . . I am come in
my Father's name"\’ (John 5:30, 43)…
§
“In
addition, Christ
is Father in that he literally inherited attributes and powers from his Father
(Elohim). From Mary, his mother, Jesus inherited mortality, the
capacity to die. From God, his Father, Jesus inherited immortality, the
capacity to live forever: ‘As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given
to the Son to have life in himself’ (John 5:26; cf. Hel. 5:11). Christ is
"the Father, because he was conceived by the power of God.’ (Mosiah
15:3)…
§
“Christ is also
Father in that he spiritually received all that the Father has. I am in the
Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—(D&C 93:3—4).”
§
42-46 – Amulek talks about temporal
death and resurrection.
o
42 – Physical death is temporal
death; death of Christ loose bands of temporal death.
o
43 – Body and spirit will be
reunited in perfect form; we will stand before God and have a “bright recollection
of all our guilt.”
o
44 – Restoration come to all, old
and young, bond and free, male and female, wicked and righteous; will be
restored to its perfect frame; all will be arraigned before the bar of Christ
and God the Father which is one Eternal God to be judged according to their
works.
o
45 – Once body raise to immortal
body, it can die no more and no more see corruption.
o
46 – When Amulek finished, people
were astonished and Zeezrom began to tremble.
o
Douglas Callister writes:
§
“Resurrection is as universal as death.
All must die and all must be resurrected. It is a free gift to everyone. It is
not the result of the exercise of faith or accumulated good works. The
Book of Mormon prophet Amulek declares, ‘Now, this restoration shall come to
all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the
wicked and the righteous.’ “
