Popular Post Ntrw Posted May 14, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted May 14, 2015 The Jaredites are a dynastic lineage described in the Book of Mormon and not a unique nation or civilization. In my view, some Jaredites were "Olmec"; but almost no Olmec were Jaredites. I believe this is the case because, in my mind, Jaredite history and Olmec archeology seem to converge upon each other. The following post is based on the work of John L. Sorensen and Brant Gardner; there is little original thought of my own. To know when the Jaredite kings lived, we must first deduce an end date for the dynastic lineage, look at the Jaredite lineage history and then count backward, from Ether to Jared. The ominus prophesies in the days of Coriantor(Ether 11:20-21, were declared before the arrival of Mulek's group for it speaks of people coming in the future. The last Jaredite king, Coriantumr, was warned that he would live to see the prophecies fulfilled(Ether 13:21), this would have him dying at around 600 B.C. The following, are the generations of a Jaredite dynastic lineage, from Ether down to Jared, as found in Ether 1:6-32.Ether*CoriantorMoronEthemAhahSethShiblonComCoriantumAmnigaddahAaron*HethHearthomLibKishCoromLeviKimMorianton*RiplakishShezHethComCoriantumEmerOmerShuleKibOrihahJaredNow, some Jaredite kings lived very long lives. Several kings are described as being "exceedingly old" and having children in their old age, with at least one king living past 100 years(Ether 7:7 and Ether 9:23,24). So, how many years were in 30 generations? There is no way of knowing for sure because we don't have a solid start date nor do we know how many generations seperated Riplakish and Morianton(Ether 10:8-9). We will have to approximate; assuming the Jaredites came at around 2500 B.C. and lasted until 600 B.C. then counting back, at minimum, 30 generations, we get 63 years for each generation in the Jaredite dynastic lineage.Since Coriantmr, stumbled upon the "people of Zarahemla", hereafter reffered to as Mulekites, the Mulekites must have originally lived near Jaredite territory(Omni 1:14-17). Relative to the Nephite heartland, Mulek landed in the land northward(Alma 22:30) but settled in the north(Helaman 6:10), while the Jaredites lived "northward" thus the Mulekites landed in Jaredite territory then settled just outside of it, presumably to avoid the volatility of that region.The more numerous Mulekites "had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time". By about 226 B.C. they are in the more southern land of Zarahemla. If we average out the dates of 600 B.C. and 226 B.C. then that means the serious contentions that caused the Mulekites to fall by the sword, happened at around 413 B.C. The Mulekites were by then, almost certainly, a Jareditish people for it isn't until they merge with the Nephites, led by Mosiah I, that Jaredite names suddenly appear in the Nephite record(A Permanent Heritage). Interestingly, Morianton, a Nephite with a Jaredite name, had a desire to possess the land northward(Alma 50:29). JAREDITE DATES2500BC:Jaredites land in New World.1482BC:King Lib builds a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land(Ether 10:19-21).1041BC:There began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth; and all this came to pass in the days of Shiblom(Ether 11:5-7). 789BC:The Jaredite ruling lineage is deposed(Ether 11:18-23).600BC:End of the Jaredite ruling lineage, the arrival of Mulek.413BC: Mulekites have "many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time".OLMEC DATES2500-1500BC:The first farming villages in Mesoamerica appear. Settlers raise maize, chili peppers, squash and cotton.1500-1200BC:Olmec build San Lorenzo; fully developed Olmec culture, represented typically by gigantic basalt sculptures fashioned in a distinctive style, proved to date back to 1400BC. 1100BC:By this time, La Venta becomes a major Olmec site.900BC:The Olmec site of San Lorenzo is destroyed. Olmec monuments are attacked, defaced and buried.400BC:The Olmec site of La Venta is destroyed.So we see that the Jaredite history converges with Olmec archaeology. This isn't to say that the Olmecs are the Jaredites or that this proves the Book of Mormon true. What it does say is that the idea that the Jaredites were to the Olmec what Mormons are to Southern California is plausible, that the Jaredites probably participated in Olmec culture. 6 Link to comment
mfbukowski Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 The Jaredites are a dynastic lineage described in the Book of Mormon and not a unique nation or civilization. In my view, some Jaredites were "Olmec"; but almost no Olmec were Jaredites. I believe this is the case because, in my mind, Jaredite history and Olmec archeology seem to converge upon each other. The following post is based on the work of John L. Sorensen and Brant Gardner; there is little original thought of my own.To know when the Jaredite kings lived, we must first deduce an end date for the dynastic lineage, look at the Jaredite lineage history and then count backward, from Ether to Jared. The ominus prophesies in the days of Coriantor(Ether 11:20-21, were declared before the arrival of Mulek's group for it speaks of people coming in the future. The last Jaredite king, Coriantumr, was warned that he would live to see the prophecies fulfilled(Ether 13:21), this would have him dying at around 600 B.C. The following, are the generations of a Jaredite dynastic lineage, from Ether down to Jared, as found in Ether 1:6-32.Ether*CoriantorMoronEthemAhahSethShiblonComCoriantumAmnigaddahAaron*HethHearthomLibKishCoromLeviKimMorianton*RiplakishShezHethComCoriantumEmerOmerShuleKibOrihahJaredNow, some Jaredite kings lived very long lives. Several kings are described as being "exceedingly old" and having children in their old age, with at least one king living past 100 years(Ether 7:7 and Ether 9:23,24). So, how many years were in 30 generations? There is no way of knowing for sure because we don't have a solid start date nor do we know how many generations seperated Riplakish and Morianton(Ether 10:8-9). We will have to approximate; assuming the Jaredites came at around 2500 B.C. and lasted until 600 B.C. then counting back, at minimum, 30 generations, we get 63 years for each generation in the Jaredite dynastic lineage.Since Coriantmr, stumbled upon the "people of Zarahemla", hereafter reffered to as Mulekites, the Mulekites must have originally lived near Jaredite territory(Omni 1:14-17). Relative to the Nephite heartland, Mulek landed in the land northward(Alma 22:30) but settled in the north(Helaman 6:10), while the Jaredites lived "northward" thus the Mulekites landed in Jaredite territory then settled just outside of it, presumably to avoid the volatility of that region.The more numerous Mulekites "had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time". By about 226 B.C. they are in the more southern land of Zarahemla. If we average out the dates of 600 B.C. and 226 B.C. then that means the serious contentions that caused the Mulekites to fall by the sword, happened at around 413 B.C. The Mulekites were by then, almost certainly, a Jareditish people for it isn't until they merge with the Nephites, led by Mosiah I, that Jaredite names suddenly appear in the Nephite record(A Permanent Heritage). Interestingly, Morianton, a Nephite with a Jaredite name, had a desire to possess the land northward(Alma 50:29).JAREDITE DATES2500BC:Jaredites land in New World.1482BC:King Lib builds a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land(Ether 10:19-21).1041BC:There began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth; and all this came to pass in the days of Shiblom(Ether 11:5-7).789BC:The Jaredite ruling lineage is deposed(Ether 11:18-23).600BC:End of the Jaredite ruling lineage, the arrival of Mulek.413BC: Mulekites have "many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time".OLMEC DATES2500-1500BC:The first farming villages in Mesoamerica appear. Settlers raise maize, chili peppers, squash and cotton.1500-1200BC:Olmec build San Lorenzo; fully developed Olmec culture, represented typically by gigantic basalt sculptures fashioned in a distinctive style, proved to date back to 1400BC.1100BC:By this time, La Venta becomes a major Olmec site.900BC:The Olmec site of San Lorenzo is destroyed. Olmec monuments are attacked, defaced and buried.400BC:The Olmec site of La Venta is destroyed.So we see that the Jaredite history converges with Olmec archaeology. This isn't to say that the Olmecs are the Jaredites or that this proves the Book of Mormon true. What it does say is that the idea that the Jaredites were to the Olmec what Mormons are to Southern California is plausible, that the Jaredites probably participated in Olmec culture.I would suggest you look up some material by Mark Wright, and others who have noticed this. Here is a video you might like, and welcome to the board! 1 Link to comment
mfbukowski Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Mark Wright also speaks about the Nephites and Lamanites as being subcultures within the Mayan culture- along the lines of your analogy of Mormons in Southern California Link to comment
theplains Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 The Jaredites are a dynastic lineage described in the Book of Mormon and not a unique nation or civilization. Is that your opinion or is it something supported by the Book of Mormon? Thanks,Jim 1 Link to comment
strappinglad Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I have such a hard time comprehending 3000 years . Cleopatra is closer in time to the astronauts than she is to the construction of the pyramids. From 1066 AD to 2015 AD is less than 1000 years. Has anything of note happened around Europe in those years? When the ancient editors of the BoM spoke of not being able to cover even the 100th part of the historical record, they were being very conservative. The analogy to Mormons in Southern California may be fine except when the US went to war did the Mormon leaders rise up and declare war as if they were leading the charge and conducting the plan of attack, albeit with a couple of million " others" ? 4 Link to comment
Freedom Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 The Olmec cultural core was further south west then where most suspect the Jaradites lived. According to the Sorensen map, they were largely south of the narrow neck of land. It is also important to recognized that the Olmecs were not a nation. It is a cultural group of a specific art style. If you went into a home in Florida and another in Alberta, they would be the same cultural group. the same type of furniture, same architecture and the same Tupperware dishes. Link to comment
Uncle Dale Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 The Jaredites are a dynastic lineage described in the Book of Mormon and not a unique nation or civilization. In my view, some Jaredites were "Olmec"; but almost no Olmec were Jaredites. I believe this is the case because, in my mind, Jaredite history and Olmec archeology seem to converge upon each other. The following post is based on the work of John L. Sorensen and Brant Gardner; there is little original thought of my own....So we see that the Jaredite history converges with Olmec archaeology. This isn't to say that the Olmecs are the Jaredites or that this proves the Book of Mormon true. What it does say is that the idea that the Jaredites were to the Olmec what Mormons are to Southern California is plausible, that the Jaredites probably participated in Olmec culture. Sounds a bit more reasonable than professing that the Olmec came acrossthe ocean to a land "where never man had dwelt" in submersible barges the "length of a tree." Try and articulate that thesis, in some modern graduate Anthropologyor Archaeology seminar, and see how many non-LDS participants will even give it five minutes of their attention. I suppose that if the faithful Mormon wishes to interact and exchangeinformation with actual, professional experts in ancient Americancultures, that he/she could always ask the question -- "What is thepossibility that Old World migrants made it to the ancient Americaslong before Columbus, but were absorbed into AmerInd culturesand disappeared?" There's at least some reasonable premise for that sort of an idea --(so long as the questioner leaves out references to the Tower of Babel,and the biblical Confusion of Tongues, etc.) UD 1 Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 ............................................................................... Here is a video you might like, and welcome to the board! This is senior archeologist Dr. John E. Clark, who headed the New World Archaeological Foundation (NWAF based in Chiapas, Mexico) for many years: Perhaps this is an excerpt from his lecture on “Archaeological Trends and Book of Mormon Origins,” in The Worlds of Joseph Smith, at the Library of Congress. He speaks from great depth of experience in excavating in Mesoamerica. See also his “Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/2 (2005): 38–49, 71–74, online at http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/14/2/S00007-50e5fcbd037374Clark.pdf . Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Sounds a bit more reasonable than professing that the Olmec came acrossthe ocean to a land "where never man had dwelt" in submersible barges the "length of a tree."Actually, they were only partially submersible, the top half always with access to air through a blow hole. They floated. It may seem odd, until one considers the very large floating docks (made of metal) which floated all the way to the north west coast of the USA from Japan a couple of years ago, following the great tsunami -- see http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/70-foot-dock-japan-washes-oregon-beach-article-1.1091301 . suppose that if the faithful Mormon wishes to interact and exchangeinformation with actual, professional experts in ancient Americancultures, that he/she could always ask the question -- "What is thepossibility that Old World migrants made it to the ancient Americaslong before Columbus, but were absorbed into AmerInd culturesand disappeared?" There's at least some reasonable premise for that sort of an idea --(so long as the questioner leaves out references to the Tower of Babel,and the biblical Confusion of Tongues, etc.).............................................................There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism. 1 Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 ............................................................JAREDITE DATES2500BC:Jaredites land in New World.1482BC:King Lib builds a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land(Ether 10:19-21).1041BC:There began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth; and all this came to pass in the days of Shiblom(Ether 11:5-7).789BC:The Jaredite ruling lineage is deposed(Ether 11:18-23).600BC:End of the Jaredite ruling lineage, the arrival of Mulek.413BC: Mulekites have "many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time".OLMEC DATES2500-1500BC:The first farming villages in Mesoamerica appear. Settlers raise maize, chili peppers, squash and cotton.1500-1200BC:Olmec build San Lorenzo; fully developed Olmec culture, represented typically by gigantic basalt sculptures fashioned in a distinctive style, proved to date back to 1400BC.1100BC:By this time, La Venta becomes a major Olmec site.900BC:The Olmec site of San Lorenzo is destroyed. Olmec monuments are attacked, defaced and buried.400BC:The Olmec site of La Venta is destroyed................................................................It seems to me quite likely that the Jaredites came across the Pacific Ocean at around 3100 B.C., and that is the year selected as the beginning of the Olmec calendar, and passed on to all later Mesoamerican civilizations as the foundation of the Long Count. Please note that several of the Jaredites are descendants rather than sons of their predecessors, so that we may have an indeterminate chronological sequence. 3 Link to comment
strappinglad Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) "There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism."That 'great tower' in Ether , must be referring to the predecessor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai . They don't build them like they used to. Edited May 15, 2015 by strappinglad 3 Link to comment
cinepro Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Are we inviting Joseph Smith to this conversation? In regard to the confusion of languages it is said of the above nations, that there were “fifteen heads, or chiefs of families, that were permitted to speak the same language.” The Book of Mormon, concerningthe same event, says: “And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord; and the Lord had compassion on Jared, therefore he did not confound the language of Jared”—and it further states thatJared’s brother’s language was not confounded; and they then prayed for their families and friends also, and the Lord heard them in their behalf; and their language was not confounded. These accounts, then,precisely agree, one of which was found in Ontario county, N. Y., and the other in Mexico. Again, those nations, of families, embodied themselves together and traveled they know not where, but at length arrived in the country of Aztalan, of the lake country of America. The Book of Mormon says,that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, that he would give them another land; the Lord heard him, and told him to go to a certain place, “and there I will meet thee and go before thee into a land which ischoice above all the land of the earth.” This it further speaks is the land of America. The coincidence is so striking that further comment is unnecessary.—ED. Times and Seasons, June 15, 1842, Vol. 3, No. 16 Link to comment
cinepro Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism. Someone has really got to get the word out on this. Especially to Don Parry: For some in the modern world, the historicity of the tower of Babel story, as with the Flood, is often discounted. One modern school of thought considers the account to be nothing more than an “artful parable” and an “old tale.” 11 But Latter-day Saints accept the story as it is presented in Genesis. Further, we have the second witness of the Book of Mormon. The title page of the Book of Mormon explains that the book of Ether “is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven.” The book of Ether itself then tells of when “Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth” (Ether 1:33).The Flood and the Tower of Babel, Ensign January 1998Also...Guide to the Scriptures Guide to the Scriptures (Ether) Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Study Guide Apostle in General Conference Another Apostle in General Conference Another Apostle in General Conference Edited May 15, 2015 by cinepro 1 Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 The Olmec cultural core was further south west then where most suspect the Jaradites lived. According to the Sorensen map, they were largely south of the narrow neck of land. It is also important to recognized that the Olmecs were not a nation. It is a cultural group of a specific art style. If you went into a home in Florida and another in Alberta, they would be the same cultural group. the same type of furniture, same architecture and the same Tupperware dishes. From the time of their florescence in the mid-second millennium B.C., the Olmec surely constituted a major civilization, with writing, math, and astronomy, as well as massive, cyclopean construction and sculpture, and a far reaching trade network. They may not have coelesced into a single nation state so much as remained competing city states and warlords (like the later Maya), which is why we may want to relate that to the battles and the hostage system for Jaredite enemy royals (commonly in the Ottoman Empire, Japan, China, and even the British Empire). Read Karl Wittfogel on Oriental Despotism (Yale, 1957), and you will have a much better feel for what their culture amounted to and how it functioned. 1 Link to comment
Popular Post Robert F. Smith Posted May 15, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) Robert F. Smith, on 14 May 2015 - 11:30 PM, said:There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism. Someone has really got to get the word out on this. Especially to Don Parry: ...............................................................................Don Parry and I are not in disagreement, and you misunderstand the point, cinepro -- I may have been too brief since I have covered this matter repeatedly on this board: "Babel" occurs nowhere in the Book of Mormon ("Babylon" however does occur), and the phrase "tower of Babel" does not occur there. So why does it occur in the Bible? Because the Bible was edited by the Jews during and after the Babylonian Captivity, and they attached the then familiar name of the capital of their capitivity to the great tower story. That is how some anachronisms arise, through an honest attempt to help clarify the text. The Great Tower story of the Book of Mormon is earlier and not muddied by that anachronism. When Professor Parry refers to the historicity of the story, he is not referring to the historicity of the term "Babel," but to the gist of the great tower story. We should all be sophisticated enough to understand that. Edited May 16, 2015 by Robert F. Smith 5 Link to comment
ERayR Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Try and articulate that thesis, in some modern graduate Anthropologyor Archaeology seminar, and see how many non-LDS participants will even give it five minutes of their attention. Which part of the great and spacious building is that located in? 1 Link to comment
theplains Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism. According to an LDS teaching, there is. Or maybe this is a false teaching. https://www.lds.org/manual/book-of-mormon-student-study-guide/ether-1?lang=eng Regards,Jim Link to comment
Avatar4321 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 It seems to me quite likely that the Jaredites came across the Pacific Ocean at around 3100 B.C., and that is the year selected as the beginning of the Olmec calendar, and passed on to all later Mesoamerican civilizations as the foundation of the Long Count. Please note that several of the Jaredites are descendants rather than sons of their predecessors, so that we may have an indeterminate chronological sequence.What if they crossed the Atlantic? Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 "There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism."That 'great tower' in Ether , must be referring to the predecessor of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai . They don't build them like they used to. And for the same reasons. So, perhaps a comeuppance is on the horizon. Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 What if they crossed the Atlantic?Certainly possible, but I prefer to read the book of Ether in an Asian context, yurts and all, . . . Link to comment
Robert F. Smith Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) There is no Tower of Babel in the Book of Mormon. That is a late anachronism.According to an LDS teaching, there is. Or maybe this is a false teaching. https://www.lds.org/manual/book-of-mormon-student-study-guide/ether-1?lang=eng Regards,JimThey are reading it in a biblical context, and are not concerned with critical analysis. Naive, but harmless. Edited May 16, 2015 by Robert F. Smith Link to comment
mfbukowski Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Is that your opinion or is it something supported by the Book of Mormon? Thanks,JimAre you seriously asking if "Olmec" appears in the BOM??It does not. Link to comment
theplains Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 They are reading it in a biblical context, and are not concerned with critical analysis. Naive, but harmless. According to the introductory notes in the Book of Mormon, Ether chapter 1 says,"Moroni abridges the writings of Ether—Ether’s genealogy is set forth—Thelanguage of the Jaredites is not confounded at the Tower of Babel". This teaching is prevalent in LDS history but contradicted in the last source I provide. I wonder if these are all naive and harmless false teachings. Sources follow ... ----------------The last man in the ancient line of American prophets was Moroni. He and hisfather, Mormon, compiled the sacred records of their own people covering athousand years, including the account of still an earlier people, the Jaredites,who came to this continent from the Tower of Babel. The Jaredite records wereengraved on twenty-four sheets of solid gold.(1983, October, Mark E. Petersen, ‘The Angel Moroni Came!,’ Ensign, November1983, page 35) ----------------Moses too made promises to the tribe of Joseph, whose land, America, was to beprecious for the things of heaven and of earth, and who would “push the peopletogether to the ends of the earth.” (See Deut. 33:13–17.) These are just some ofthe biblical prophecies, and we have the Book of Mormon record which tells ofthe Jaredites who were the first to come to America. They came at the time ofthe confusion of languages during the building of the tower of Babel.(1976, April, N. Eldon Tanner?, ‘If They Will But Serve the God of the Land,’Ensign, May 1976, page 15) ----------------The answer came immediately as I remembered that some fifteen to twentycenturies before their destruction, as the small group of their ancestors wasbeing divinely led from the tower of Babel, the Lord “would that they shouldcome forth even unto [this] land of promise, which was choice above all otherlands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.(1975, October, Marion G. Romney, ‘America’s Destiny,’ Ensign, November 1975, page27) ----------------You may ask: “How may I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isthe true church which Christ the Lord accepts as his?” He, the Lord, hasprepared an infallible witness that you may know. Nearly four thousand years agothe Lord began to prepare this witness by showing himself as a preexistentspirit to the brother of Jared, a prophetic leader in the days of the Tower ofBabel. The Lord inspired his people who followed this prophet to be led toAmerica, an unknown land in that day; and later he caused groups of the House ofIsrael in Palestine to migrate also. Of them all he commanded that records bekept of their travels and their knowledge of the Lord.(1973, October, S. Dilworth Young, ‘The Witnesses of Christ,’ Ensign, January1974, page 21) It was by faith that the brother of Jared and his followers retained thelanguage of their fathers during the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel,and were brought to this Western Hemisphere [see Ether 1:33–43]. … It was asimilar faith that enabled Lehi to bring his family across the sea and planttheir feet on this land, choice above all other lands.(George Albert Smith, Ch. 17, Teachings of George Albert Smith, The power offaith is evident in the scriptures., page 7 • GAS, p. 179–190) The book of Ether gives a history of a civilization, the Jaredites, who left theOld World at the time of the Tower of Babel, approximately 2200 B.C. The Lorddirected them to journey across the sea to the promised land in divinelydesigned barges. When the Jaredites were righteous, they were blessed; and whenthey rejected the word of the Lord and refused to repent, the Spirit of the Lordceased striving with them. Eventually they departed from the Lord’s ways anddestroyed one another in about 600 B.C., thus ending approximately 1,600 yearsof Jaredite civilization.(2006, October, Robert D. Hales, ‘Holy Scriptures: The Power of God unto OurSalvation,’ Ensign, November 2006, page 20) Well, they brought these stones. He [Mosiah] had the gift and power of God, andhe told what they said. Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla.They had been there 350 years. And he lived with them for nine months, whichshows that the Jaredites survived at least until 500 B.C. They went [hundreds]of years before that, maybe back to 2000 B.C., and I think much earlier. Itdoesn’t make any difference. They were the people who were destroyed upon thenorth country. The woods Indians, plains Indians, and others like that had agreat culture up there once, but they had been destroyed. They came from thetower. Notice that it doesn’t say the Tower of Babel. That’s very important. Asa matter of fact, we learn from the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon that thename isn’t Babel, but it’s Nimrod, which is exactly what it was. Remember itwent north in the valley of Nimrod. Now we know through tradition and everythingelse that the tower was called “Nimrod’s Tower,” because Babel didn’t come inuntil later. That was [determined] from the philological events, etc. And sothey came out from the tower. It’s careful not to say the “Tower of Babel,”which was later. But Nimrod’s Tower was that one, and it tells us in the firstverse of the second chapter of the book of Ether that they went up into thevalley northward where there never had men been, and it was the valley ofNimrod. Nimrod was the big name at that time. I’ve written a great deal aboutNimrod, but we won’t go into that here. At that time the language wasconfounded, “and their bones lay scattered in the land northward.” That’s aliterary expression. Their bones could still be there, but in various stages ofdecomposition, I suppose. That’s from their latest war.(TBofM 1st, 27 page10 • 1st p. 430–447) Thanks,Jim Link to comment
theplains Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Are you seriously asking if "Olmec" appears in the BOM??It does not. In post #1, ntrw said "The Jaredites are a dynastic lineage described in the Book of Mormon and not a uniquenation or civilization". I was wondering if he was expressing his opinion or whether the Book of Mormon teaches the Jarediteswere not a unique nation or civilization. Thanks,Jim Link to comment
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