Chapter 3
Giddianhi, the
Gadianton leader, demands that Lachoneus and the Nephites surrender themselves
and their lands—Lachoneus appoints Gidgiddoni as chief captain of the
armies—The Nephites assemble in Zarahemla and Bountiful to defend themselves.
About A.D. 16–18
We learned in Chapter 2 the Gadianton robbers were taking
over lands in and exerting their power. The governor, Lachoneus, received a
letter from the leader of the robbers.
The letter begins with praise. He praises Lachoneus for “the
firmness of your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right
and liberty” (3 Nephi 3:2). Notice, Giddianhi, while praising the Nephites,
rejects their rights and liberty as a people (“ye suppose”).
They fight well, “as if ye were supported by the hand of a god”
(emphasis mine). He has rejected the concept of Christ and that there is one
God. Again he rejected they had a right to liberty, property, and country (“or
that which ye do call so”).
He pities Lachoneus for being foolish. He cannot “stand
against so many brave men who are at my command” (3 Nephi 3:3). They are simply
waiting for the word, and they will destroy the Nephites.
They have proven their unconquerable spirit. They have
proved their power on the battlefield. The robbers hate the Nephites “because
of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them” (3 Nephi 3:4). This hatred
will lead them and they will destroy the Nephites.
“Hardheartedness is not only a lack of caring, but also an
antipathy that produces unrighteous satisfaction when others suffer. Such was
the attitude of Giddianhi and his Gadianton robbers, whose attitude towards the
Nephites was ‘everlasting hatred’ (3 Nephi 3:4). Moreover, Alma described the
apostate Nephites under the Satanic influence of Amalickiah as more hardened
and impenitent and more wild, wicked, and ferocious than even the Lamanites,
entirely forgetting the Lord their God (Alma 47:36). In this state of mind,
their only goal was to get power for themselves, which they eventually
achieved.”[1]
Giddianhi is really a nice, thoughtful guy. He is writing
this letter because he cares about them. He admires the Nephites for their
strong belief in what they think is right.
It is in the best interest of the Nephites to surrender
everything they have to the robbers. Don’t forget, Giddianhi wrote, if you don’t,
you will be destroyed.
He wants the Nephites to join with the robbers. Learn their secret
works.
And it came to pass that they did
have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this
that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that
whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his
brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant.
And thus they might murder, and
plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary
to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God.
And whosoever of those who belonged
to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and their
abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their country, but
according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton
and Kishkumen.
Now behold, it is these secret oaths
and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world,
lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction.
Now behold, those secret oaths and
covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which were
delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton
by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden
fruit—(Helaman 6:22-26).
If they join, they won’t be slaves. They will become
partners and share in all their plunder.
“By early in the first century A.D., shortly before the
crucifixion of the Savior, the troublemakers were still waving the old flag of
ethnic hatred when it was useful to them. For example, dissenter and robber
chief Giddianhi recited the old litany against the Nephites—‘knowing of their
[the Lamanites’] everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs
which ye have done unto them’ (3 Nephi 3:4). But the countermotive is revealed
in the invitation to the Nephite rulers to ‘unite with us and become acquainted
with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us— not
our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance’ (3 Nephi 3:7).5
They faced the paradox that extermination of the Nephites would rob them of
subjects who could be a source of the wealth that taxation or tribute payments
would bring them in perpetuity.”[2]
Giddianhi offered the Nephites two alternatives. He swore an
oath if the Nephites joined the robbers, they would not be destroyed. He also
swore an oath if they refused, he would send his army to attack them “until ye
shall become extinct” (3 Nephi 3:8).
Oaths were common among wicked organization like the
Gadianton robbers. “And he went unto those that sent him, and they all entered
into a covenant, yea, swearing by their everlasting Maker, that they would tell
no man that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran” (Helaman 1:11).
The Jaredites were probably the source of the functions of
secret combinations.
And it came to pass that Akish
gathered in unto the house of Jared all his kinsfolk, and said unto them: Will
ye swear unto me that ye will be faithful unto me in the thing which I shall
desire of you?
And it came to pass that they all sware
unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and also by the earth,
and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish
desired should lose his head; and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish
made known unto them, the same should lose his life (Ether 8:13-14).
The Nephite secret combination
pattern is obviously very similar to what had been present among the Jaredites.
Was there a historical connection? It is true that Alma instructed his son
Helaman not to make known to their people any contents of Ether's record that
might give them operating procedures for duplicating the secret groups (see
Alma 37:27–29). A later writer says that it was the devil who “put into the
heart” of Gadianton certain information of that sort (see Helaman 6:26). Yet an
efficient alternative explanation of how the later secret groups came to look
so much like those of the Jaredites is direct transmission of the tradition
through survivors of the Jaredites to the people of Zarahemla and thus to
Gadianton. This process probably would have been unknown to Alma or other elite
Nephite writers, who must have had little to do directly with the mass of “Mulekite”
folk. Support for the idea comes from a statement by Giddianhi, one-time “governor”
of the Gadianton organization. Their ways, he claimed, “are of ancient date and
they have been handed down unto us” (3 Nephi 3:9).[3]
Giddianhi announces he is the governor of the secret society
of Gadianton.
The Book of Mormon warns about the dangers of these “secret
societies.” “And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become
devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to
remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that
being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel
of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of
murder and all manner of secret works of darkness” (2 Nephi 9:9).
“And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of
old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all
these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he
leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his
strong cords forever” (2 Nephi 26:22).
“Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths
and their covenants from this people, and only their wickedness and their
murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them; and ye shall
teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders; and ye shall
also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of their wickedness
and abominations and their murders.
“For behold, they murdered all the prophets of the Lord who
came among them to declare unto them concerning their iniquities; and the blood
of those whom they murdered did cry unto the Lord their God for vengeance upon
those who were their murderers; and thus the judgments of God did come upon
these workers of darkness and secret combinations” (Alma 37:29-30).
“But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared
unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people,
for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There
is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his
words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I
taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed
that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I
have brought this great curse upon me” (Alma 30:53).
He then pronounces the works of his “society” as being good!
Why are they good? Because they are ancient and have been handed down to them. “Now
behold, those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from
the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into
the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to
partake of the forbidden fruit—Yea, that same being who did plot with Cain,
that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the world.
And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth” (Helaman 6:26-27).
10 And I write this epistle unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope
that ye will deliver up your lands and your possessions, without the shedding
of blood, that this my people may recover their rights and agovernment, who have dissented away from you because of
your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, and except
ye do this, I will avenge their wrongs. I am Giddianhi.
Giddianhi closes with the hope the Nephites would surrender.
He claims his people dissented from Nephite society because of the wickedness
of the government. Here again we see problems facing the Nephites seldom come from
the Lamanites alone. Frequently, Nephite dissenters convinced the Lamanites to
battle the Nephites and gain power.
They have the right, he claims, to govern Nephite society. He
will avenge the wrongs done to his followers.
[2] Last-Ditch
Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon, John L.
Sorenson, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/2 (2000): 47.
[3] When
Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?, John L.
Sorenson, Maxwell Institute website.
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