JOHN - Please help me understand the difference
in the “large stone’s engravings” from Omni 20-22 and
the engravings on the 24 plates of gold (Mosiah 8:8-9) discovered by the
people of Limhi.
In the book of Omni (20-22) we learn from Amaleki that
Mosiah (Benjamin’s father) received a large stone with
engravings on it that he translated.
20 And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah, there
was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on
it; and he did interpret the engravings by the gift
and power of God.
21 And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and
the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered
by the people of Zarahemla; and he
dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.
22 It also spake a few words concerning his fathers.
And his first parents came out from the tower, at the
time the Lord confounded the
language of the people; and the severity of the Lord
fell upon them according to his judgments, which are
just; and their bones lay scattered in the land
northward.
This is obviously different than the 24 plates
translated by the other Mosiah (Benjamin’s son).
Mosiah 8:8-9 states:
8 And they were lost in the wilderness for the space
of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not
the land of Zarahemla but returned to
this land, having traveled in a land among many
waters, having discovered a land which was covered
with bones of men, and of beasts, and was
also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind,
having discovered a land which had been peopled with a
people who were as numerous as the
hosts of Israel.
9 And for a testimony that the things that they had
said are true they have brought twenty-four plates
which are filled with engravings, and
they are of pure gold.
It sounds as if the early people of Zarahemla
(Mulekites) originally discovered Coriantumr and the
large stone containing a brief Jaredite
history. Why, then, are the people of Limhi credited
with discovering these people? I’m also presuming
that much more information was
contained on the 24 plates than was on the large
stone.
JOEL - I think the Book of Mormon makes it clear that both
the people of Zarahemla and the people of Limhi can
share the credit for discovering the Jaredites.
You are correct in that Mosiah I first found out about
the Jaredites through the large stone that was given
to him by the Mulekites.
After Coriantumr killed Shiz he fell to earth as if he
had no life (Ether 15:32). This is the last we know of
him until in Omni, which tells of the Mulekites, who
according to the large stone, apparently found him
after he had wandered
south to Zarahemla where he stayed for about nine
months(Omni 1:21).
Fast forward a couple of generations later, King Limhi
reported to Ammon that he had sent out an exploring
party which had discovered ruins and gold plates on a
battleground to the distant north.
One would think that Ammon would have known who the
people were who once lived there, because of
the historical experience of Mosiah I and the large
stone and that he would have mentioned this fact to
Limhi.
But Ammon gives no hint of making any such mental
connection, either to the Coriantumr tradition or to
Mulek. The two incidents are separated by as much as 160 years,
so it is possible that, because it happened so long ago, that Ammon
simply never heard of the large stone's account of
Coriantumr's survival, or perhaps he belonged to a section
of Zarahemla's people who had not heard about it.
And of course the people of Limhi didn't know about it
before either.
Remember also that Mormon compiled the Book of Mormon
from hundreds of other plates which probably had a lot
more detailed information about this.
I think we just have to look at it as two different
groups of people independently discovering the same
thing.
The main difference between the two records(large
stone and 24 plates) is that the large stone more
particularly referred to Corriantumr and what
happened during his reign and his 9 month stay with
the Mulekites.
The 24 gold plates found later by King Limhi gave a
much more extensive record of the Jaredite nation.
JOHN - Since the Brass Plates were maintained in
Jerusalem by Laban, why were they written in Egyptian?
Mosiah 1:3-4
3 And he also taught them concerning the records which
were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons,
I would that ye should remember
that were it not for these plates, which contain
these records and these commandments, we must have
suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not
knowing the mysteries of God.
4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi,
could have remembered all these things, to have taught
them to his children, except it were for the help of
these plates; for he having been taught in the
language of the Egyptians therefore he could read
these engravings, and teach them to his children, that
thereby they could teach them to their
children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God,
even down to this present time.
JOEL - The Brass plates were probably not started until after
the flood and the tower of Babel, as there was no
Egyptian language before these events. And they were
probably not started until after the Israelites went
down into Egypt in the days of Joseph.
Scholars have suggested that records from which the
brass plates were taken were originally in Hebrew but
then later translated into Egyptian. Laban had a copy
of the Egyptian translation.
Noone knows for sure why they were written with
Egyptian characters. However, the Israelites spent
centuries in Egyptian bondage and since Joseph, the
great-grandson of Abraham, spent a total of
ninety-three years in Egypt, he surely would have
become proficient in the language of the Pharaohs. He
was a
distinguished member of the pharaoh's court and even
married an Egyptian wife (Gen. 41:45). That the
records of his posterity should be kept in Egyptian is
not surprising. Moses, spent the first forty years
of his life in Egypt and "was learned in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22).
So these are a few reasons I can think of why Laban's
brass records were written in the Egyptian language.