Non-Metallic Scriptures Used By The Nephites

[jerryp48]

Hello all,

It's been forever since I've posted. I occasionally lurk but haven't actively participated for a while.

My son and I have been trying to get through the Book of Mormon before he receives the priesthood and tonight we read Alma 14 where believers and their scriptures were thrown into the fire.

It brought up a nagging question that I don't know why I've never asked before but did the Nephites have non-metallic scriptures and scribes to copy and distribute scriptures from the brass plates? I assume metallic plates weren't burned in the fire but I'm open to correction. In several spots the author encourages his audience to search the scripture or says 'you have the scriptures before you' or something to that effect. I would think that making copies would be quite laborious but it seems from the text that the scriptures were quite accessible.

[Calm]

One possibility is they were codices. A Mayan codex was written on bark. I assume other American civilisations at the time likely had paper like or animal skins they could have used as well.

Metallic records would probably be rare. Perhaps they were used as a master copy for less durable, but less expensive copies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_codices

Edited April 22, 2014 by calmoriah

[jerryp48]

One possibility is they were codices. A Mayan codex was written on bark. I assume other American civilisations at the time likely had paper like or animal skins they could have used as well.

Metallic records would probably be rare. Perhaps they were used as a master copy for less durable, but less expensive copies.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_codices

Very interesting wiki page thank you.

[Brant Gardner]

Metal plates would have been extremely rare. The ones that we call the small plates were physically created by Nephi. None of the subsequent writers on them appear to have made more and the last writer pretty much says that they were full (which is one of the reasons he gave them to Mosiah, father of Benjamin).

 

The large plates were a royal tradition and the ability to make more in the hands of the king. I doubt anyone else had the resources. Perishable writing materials were certainly used. That corresponds to what we know and are learning about the Maya. When the San Bartolo murals were discovered, they were the earliest writing recorded. The characters where enough different that they cannot be read as can the later ones. What is important about them is that they were painted. The later ones were carved. Painted texts, either on stone or perishable material would have been the norm, and the paint just didn't survive.

 

There were two forms of perishable media. The most exclusive was a tanned leather. The other was a bark paper.

 

Even though the Nephites would have used perishable media for scriptures and other texts, they were still probably unusual. The manual production methods required would have kept them rare.

[jerryp48]

The manual production methods required would have kept them rare.

Undoubtedly. I think of the very thin pages of my scriptures and wonder how physically big would their perishable writings be to contain the scriptures that they had. Do you think their characters conveyed more information in a smaller space then say English words and sentences?

[Storm Rider]

I don't see a conflict here. The metal plates were the exception and were the reference material for all scripture they held and disseminated among their people. In addition, the metal plates were what was added by the prophets. 

[Sevenbak]

I would say Helaman 3:15 sheds a little light...

 

 15 But behold, there are many books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the Nephites.