10 And he also caused
that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the
temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.
11 And the seats which
were set apart for the high priests, which were above all the other seats, he did
ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them,
that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak
lying and vain words to his people.
12 And it came to pass
that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high
that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and
also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could
even look over all the land round about.
13 And it came to pass
that he caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; and he caused a
great tower to be built on the hill north of the land Shilom, which had been a
resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land; and
thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.
14 And it came to pass
that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous
living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend
their time with harlots.
15 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 11:10-15
The temple was a work of fine and expensive material outside
the temple. The inside was no different. There was “all manner of fine work within the
walls of the temple from fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.”
The high priests had their own seats. They were set apart from other seats in the
temple. They were very expensive
seats. They were “built … that they
might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak lying and
vain words to his people.” Mormon makes
it very clear what he thinks about the type of men Noah selected to be high
priests to his people. They were just
like him.
The Book of Mormon uses “high priest” in different ways,
depending on the situation. Daniel C.
Peterson explains its use in verse 11.
According to Mosiah 11:11, King Noah had "high
priests" (emphasis added). It may be that we are here referring to
an office analogous to that of high priest (i.e., a priest of the higher
priesthood, as opposed to a priest of the Aaronic order) in the contemporary
church, which many are able to hold simultaneously.[1]
Noah also built a high tower, one that was so high he could
stand at the top and see the lands of Shilom and Shemlon and the land
surrounding them. This description gives
us some idea of the area covered. “A
good deal of Nephite history takes place in a land so small that its whole
expanse can be surveyed from the top of a high tower (Mosiah 11:12).”[2]
In Mormon’s Map, we
also read:
Events in the reigns of the Zeniffite kings Noah and Limhi
shed light on distances in the local land of Nephi and its vicinity (the land
and city at that time were called Lehi-Nephi, probably at the insistence of the
Lamanite overlords, but for simplicity we will use the old term, Nephi). Noah
“built a tower near the temple [in the city of Nephi], even so high that he
could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the
land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites” (Mosiah 11:12).[3]
Buildings were also built in Shilom. A tower was also built there.
Hugh Nibley tells us Noah was choosing poorly. “There is one phrase occurring some fifteen
times in the Book of Mormon that starts the alarm bell ringing and the red
lights flashing; the fatal words are: ‘They set their hearts on riches.’”[4]
Sometimes those focused on economic inequality and
separation perverted the laws to achieve their ends … Noah placed a tax on his
people of 20 percent on all products and income, including their ziff, copper,
brass, iron, fatlings, and grain (see Mosiah 11:3). With these ill-gotten
gains, King Noah created not a society where righteousness and prosperity could
flourish but "elegant and spacious buildings," separate from the
people, where he and his priests lived licentiously (see Mosiah 11:8, 14–15).[5]
Noah and his priests lived a hedonistic lifestyle. They had wives and concubines. But that wasn’t enough for them. They also spent time with painted women! They also like their wine. Plenty of wine was available, and they did
their best to drink as much as possible.
[2] Strategy
for Survival, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute .
[3] Mormon’s
Map – Distances and Directions, Maxwell Institute .
[4] Last
Call: An Apocalyptic Warning from the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell
Institute .
[5] "No
Poor Among Them," Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute .
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