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1 AND now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings,
and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father,
and also of my brethren. As with much of the material to this point in the Book of Mormon, Nephi's story is still bound up in the story
of his father. Even with this declaration that the events to be discussed are intimately personal, Nephi finds
that they have no context without providing a background of his father's experience and words. Historical information: Nephi clearly points out that he serves a dual role in this early community
in the new world. Nephi is both ruler and spiritual leader, as indicated by the dual "reign and ministry".
This is an understandable outgrowth of the character he developed throughout their struggles, and the leadership
he provided in spiritual matters. It is important to remember that for the early Lehites, spiritual matters and
physical survival were all rolled up into a single concern, as it was the spiritual undercurrent which drove all
of the necessities of their physical existence from the time revelation directed them to leave Jerusalem to the
time that divine guidance brought them to a new and unknown land. 2 For behold, it came to pass after my father had made an end of speaking the
words of his dream, and also of exhorting them to all diligence, he spake unto them concerning the Jews-- What comes next for Nephi is a direct outgrowth of the Lehi's vision. The recounting of Lehi's vision exists
in the narrative to provide the proper contextual springboard for Nephi's own vision, which is the subject of the
narrative which will follow. 3 That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many
be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea,
even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess
again the land of their inheritance. 4 Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a
prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews--even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world. The essential information in this verse is not the date (although the date is more important for modern readers,
as it is information to which we would otherwise not have ready access) but the birth of the Messiah. Translation analysis: The use of the title "Christ" in this verse, as well as other
places in the text is perhaps indicative of at least one of the processes involved in the translation of the plates.
"Christ" is the anglicized version of a Greek word, which was the substitution in meaning for the Hebrew
word which we have in English as "Messiah", both meaning the anointed one. Clearly the concept of the
person we know as "Christ" would have been present on the plates, but the specific word "Christ"
would not have been. That our text contains "Christ" and not "anointed one" is an indication
that Joseph Smith understood what the text of the plates meant and translated that meaning rather than
slavishly translate only words. Thus Christ is an appropriate translation of the meaning, but might not be the
best literal translation of whatever word actually existed on the plates themselves. 5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified
of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world. 6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would
be save they should rely on this Redeemer. 7 And he spake also concerning a prophet who should come before the Messiah,
to prepare the way of the Lord-- 1 Nephi 10:8 8 Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier
than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing. Translation analysis: Here again is a glimpse into the translation process. The voice crying
in the wilderness is a reference to Esaias (with whom Lehi and his family may have been familiar - though now lost.
Esaias is considered to have lived in the time of Abraham, based on D&C 84:13 "Esaias also lived in the
days of Abraham, and was blessed of him--"), and the information about John the Baptist the fulfillment of
prophecy. The specific manner in which the information is recorded in the Book of Mormon is clearly referenceable
to the King James Version New Testament. Joseph would have seen the meaning, and made the connection to a known
text which supplied that meaning. Again, the relationship of text to translation is not a direct copy of the words
on the plates, but a placing of the meaning of the words into words and phrases of known and accepted meaning. 9 And my father said he should baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also
said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water. 1 Nephi 10:10 10 And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear
record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world. 1 Nephi 10:11 11 And it came to pass after my father had spoken these words he spake unto my
brethren concerning the gospel which should be preached among the Jews, and also concerning the dwindling of the
Jews in unbelief. And after they had slain the Messiah, who should come, and after he had been slain he should
rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles. 12 Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning
the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive-tree, whose branches should be broken off
and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. Historical note: It is appropriate that the olive tree appear in conjunction with a text elucidating
the Tree of Life dream, as the olive tree was one of the traditional botanical species considered to have been
the original Tree of Life. While other species shared that distinction, the association of the olive with the tree
of life continued, and perhaps provides one of the contexts in which the allegory appears in Lehi's exposition. 13 Wherefore, he said it must needs be that we should be led with one accord
into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord, that we should be scattered upon all the
face of the earth. 1 Nephi 10:14 14 And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered
together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of
the olive-tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true
Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. For those who would proclaim that the Book of Mormon took traditions of the lost tribes mirrored the popular
opinion that they were the American Indians, the Book of Mormon itself is specific in its denial that the American
Indians are at all associated with the lost tribes. In the Book of Mormon the lost tribes are lost somewhere else.
The Lehite band does not consider themselves part of the lost tribes, and when spoken of, those tribes are consistently
spoken of as lost somewhere else. It would be remarkable for Joseph Smith to attempt to adopt a popular idea as
support for his new Book, but specifically deny that connection in the text thereof. 15 And after this manner of language did my father prophesy and speak unto my
brethren, and also many more things which I do not write in this book; for I have written as many of them as were
expedient for me in mine other book. 16 And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt
in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel. Nephi's Assumptions Concerning the Tree of Life: Unfortunately for an understanding of the
cultural symbolism of the Tree of Life, it is explicitly mentioned only twice in the Bible, in the first book of
the Old Testament and the last book of the New Testament. Even though in between it slips from the explicit text
of scripture, it nevertheless is a constant cultural undercurrent, and at times aspects of the symbol complex associated
with the Tree of Life can be seen rising in the stream of scripture. To understand the way in which the Tree of
Life symbolism influenced cultural thought, it is important to remember that in ancient Israel tradition consisted
of two parts, the written and the oral. While both were transmitted from generation to generation, and both had
a profound influence on the development of religious thought, the oral traditions were not committed to writing
(and are therefore not readily available to us) until approximately 135 C.E. ("Folklore" Encyclopaedia
Judaica. Jerusalem: Macmillan Company, 1971, 6:1376). To understand the complex set of associated ideas which surrounded the Tree of Life, we need to have a basic
understanding of the symbol in the ancient Near East, and then examine the Biblical text and later written oral
tradition for the continuation of such themes. The seminal study of the Tree of Life symbolism in that area is
Geo Widengren's The King and the Tree of Life in Ancient Near East Religion (Uppsala: A.-B. Lundequistska
Bokhandeln, 1951). Widengren finds a tree of life in Babylonian religious art and myth. The Babylonian tree of
life is found in the midst of a garden paradise, as indicated in an inscription from the first Babylonian dynasty
which dates from the "year in which the garden of the gods was made" (Widengren p. 17). It is always
associated with the primordial waters, the Apsu, and the original tree is located over the Deep (Widengren p. 8). The representations and sanctuaries explicitly reconstructed this mythical model, and the sanctuaries constituted
"a temple grove with the Tree of Life growing in the sanctuary as in a fine garden" (Widengren pl. 10).
The garden is tended by a gardener, who is associated with the King. The King is not only the guardian of the Tree
of Life, but also posses a twig from the Tree of Life which is his scepter (Widengren p. 20). The person of the
King becomes tied up with the image of the tree in symbol, so that the tree is the King, and the King is the Tree
(see Widengren p. 42). The possession of a twig from the Tree represents the King's right to bestow the benefits
of the Tree. Perhaps the most significant reason that the King should be intimately associated with the Tree of Life is that
he becomes the dispenser of its benefits, which, according to the obvious implications of its name, is life itself.
In the epic of Gilgamesh the hero fashions two instruments from a mythic tree which he intends to use to recall
the dead. This conceptual use of a tree to provide life is the quintessential theme of the Tree of Life. In the
developing symbolism, the tree itself holds symbol power, but it is the fruit or the associated liquid of the Tree
which provide the life-giving benefits. According to Babylonian texts, "both the Plant of Life and the water
of life are partaken together, in order that man might be revived" (Widengren p. 35). The life-giving context of the Tree of Life is clearly the important context in the Genesis account, and continues
to be a part of the oral tradition associated with the tree. In a folk legend collected after the commitment of
the oral tradition to text, "Adam bade Eve go with Seth to the gates of Paradise and entreat God to have mercy
upon him, and send His angel to catch up some of the oil of life flowing from the tree of his mercy and give it
to his messengers. The ointment would bring him rest, and banish the pain consuming him" (Ginzberg, Louis.
The Legends of the Jews. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1909, 1:93). In spite of this however, the life-giving context appears to have been more of an oral tradition than a scriptural
one. Of all the symbolic associations surrounding the Tree of Life in the ancient Near Eastern homeland of Israel,
the symbolic connection which most often surfaces in the Old Testament text is the association with the King. Widengren finds the symbolic connection between the Tree of Life and the King in the associated visual symbols
which were used in Hebrew art:
"Tradition differs as to the botanical species of the Tree of Life in the Israelitic Paradise. Some of
the rabbis held it to be a date palm, others the olive, and even the fig tree had its advocates. Presumably the
vine too must have been held to be this tree, for only then do we understand that the sceptre from the Tree of
Paradise may be either a twig from the olive or the vine. That the vine generally holds the place as the Tree of
Life would seem to be natural, if we judge from the association between the vine and the King of Israel" (Widengren
p. 38).
Barlow finds the date palm to be an important decorative element in the temple of Solomon, without explicitly
connecting it to the Tree of Life or to the King (Barlow, H.C. Essays on Symbolism. London: Williams and
Norgate, 1866, pp. 68-69. See I Kings 6:29,32,; 7:36). Understanding the association of the date palm with the
Tree of Life provides a powerful context for the visual imagery. Thus the Tree of Life as Nephi would have known it from his Israelite cultural heritage was a multi-faceted
symbol. The symbol complex consisted of at least the following: Into such a cultural heritage, Nephi places the information he hears from his father about the vision of the
Tree of Life. While many of the symbols are clearly similar, there are significant differences. The easiest to
understand is the shift in the connection between the healing, temporal effects of partaking of the issue of the
Tree in cultural terms, and the eternal effects implied in Lehi's dream. I suggest that it is this very dissonance with the expected symbology that moved Nephi to ask for his own experience
with the dream. 17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father,
concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost,
which power he received by faith on the Son of God--and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come--I, Nephi,
was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is
the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest
himself unto the children of men. As indicated above, I suggest that one reason for Nephi's desire to experience the same information stemmed
from the disconnection of the elements of his father's dream and Nephi's cultural expectation of those symbols.
The second reason is clear in this verse, Nephi wants to know more about the Messiah. Why was the vision of the Tree of Life and the discussion of the mission of the Messiah connected in Lehi's
discourse and subsequently in Nephi's experience? Precisely because the nature of the Tree of Life symbolism branched
into a connection with the King, in this case, the Messiah as the coming ruler. 18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared
for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. 19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall
be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in
times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. 20 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment. 1 Nephi 10:21 21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation,
then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore,
ye must be cast off forever. 1 Nephi 10:22 22 And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things, and
deny them not.
MDC Contents
1
Nephi 10:1Structural
analysis: This verse begins chapter 3 in the first edition of the Book of Mormon, and is a fitting beginning
to a new section. In this verse Nephi clearly indicates that the information to this point in the Book of Mormon
has been following a stronger pattern of reporting the events initiated by his father (though not recognizing the
personalization of those events as we have examined them). Nephi has just ended (in our current chapter 9) his
discussion of the purpose of the small plates, and indicates in this verse his intention to turn to that purpose
in earnest. These small plates are now unavoidably "an account. . . of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry".1
Nephi 10:2Narrative
analysis: After the lacuna in Lehi's vision which was filled with Nephi's aside, Nephi returns to the
vision of the Tree of Life. In this case, however, we are not presented with the full blown recitation of Lehi's
words as it is mostly the case in the relation of the vision of the Tree of Life. We have in the text which follows
a synopsis, an intentionally shortened version of Lehi's words which provide only an essential skeleton of what
came after the recitation of the vision of the Tree of Life. In spite of the abbreviated retelling of what was
obviously a long and detailed speech (with presumably as much detail as we have for the Tree of Life vision) Nephi
indicates that it is a necessary prelude to what comes next.1
Nephi 10:3Lehi has had a vision
of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the scattering and gathering of Israel. In this specific case, Lehi's gathering
is the known historical relocation to Jerusalem, and not the restoration of the ten tribes, which is not
a Lehite theme.1
Nephi 10:4This verse is used
as a time baseline for Book of Mormon dates. As such it is sufficiently accurate. To use it as an accurate measure
of the precise time of the departure from Jerusalem and the birth of Christ perhaps stretches its function too
much. As a round number, it is immediately suspect as a generality rather than a specific. As a rough yardstick
it serves. As an accurate determiner, it likely will not.1
Nephi 10:5Perhaps as not other
verse, this one indicates the quantity of material which has been excised from the report of Lehi's sermon. It
is hard to imagine Lehi expounding on the great number of prophets which had predicted the coming of the Messiah
without naming them, and probably citing their clearest prophecies. Nephi chooses not to repeat this information,
and suffices himself with only the briefest of mentions.1
Nephi 10:6It is not clear
from the available information how much of the plan of life Lehi expounded. Clearly he made explicit the connection
of the Messiah to the Fall of Man, but again Nephi only records this very brief synopsis of what must have been
a much larger original text.1
Nephi 10:7The citation of
the New Testament quotation attributed to John (see Mark 1:7, Luke 3:16, and John 1:27) is a further indication
that Lehi likely included scriptural backing for the Old Testament prophets cited in verse 5. The specific inclusion
of this text was because it was unknown to Nephi, however familiar it may seem to us.1
Nephi 10:9Lehi not only sees
and prophecies the coming of the Messiah, but the future religious history of the world.1
Nephi 10:12While we must wait
until Jacob for the extended allegory of the olive tree, Lehi was obviously familiar with it, and used a reference
to the allegory in connection with the unfolding of his vision.1
Nephi 10:13Note that while
Lehi speaks of a scattering and a gathering, he includes all of the house of Israel in that context. Lehi does
not specifically mention the ten tribes. We have no mention of the lost tribes until Nephi's exposition in 1 Nephi
22:4.1
Nephi 10:15We have yet another
clue as to the difference between the large and small plates of Nephi. It appears that there is a larger quantity
of information available in the large plates. Perhaps there was more of Lehi and less of Nephi in those plates.
Nephi does not tend to dwell on his own sermons later in the small plates as do most of the other texts. Past this
extended experience of Nephi, we don't have that much of his personal information which is not directly related
to essential history. Perhaps Nephi was by nature a humble man, preferring not to discuss his own histories. In
the large plates, therefore, we might have more of Lehi, and less of Nephi. We get Nephi's twist on events precisely
because the small plates of the Nephi are akin to his personal journal - the things which to him were of most worth.1
Nephi 10:16And thus Nephi ends
the abbreviation of the discourse of his father with essential information. It took place while on their journey,
in the valley of Lemuel, and, importantly, "as my father dwelt in a tent."
1
Nephi 10:17Nephi makes no explicit
mention of the reasons why he was unable to take his father's dream on face value, why he found it necessary to
experience the dream's content for himself. He simply mentions that he was desirous to see and know those things.
Remember that this is a new wrinkle in Nephi's relationship with his father as a prophet. While Nephi has recorded
the fact of his father's visions before, he has never indicated that he required a personal revelation concerning
them until this point. Why now?1
Nephi 10:18Narrative
analysis: Having introduced his next topic, Nephi pauses for an aside. Nephi is writing this later in
life (assuredly well after their arrival in the New World) so he is presenting "old history." Nevertheless,
this "old history" is still alive and vital to him, and Nephi's status as a man of God at the time of
writing leads him into a current time (and future time) admonition concerning the God and Savior about whom Nephi
learned in the experience he will shortly relate.1
Nephi 10:19Nephi can rightly
testify that he seeks shall find, and his experience with the Spirit after seeking to know concerning his father's
dream is ample evidence of the point he makes. Nephi also makes clear that such revelation is not relegated to
the past (or even a past generation). Revelation is a current reality for Nephi.1
Nephi 10:20Narrative
analysis: After citing the current access to prophecy, Nephi turns his prophetic voice to his readers
and admonishes them to put their lives in order. From a purely literary standpoint, these verses are a diversion,
an aside which might be seen as detracting from the thrust of the story to come. For Nephi, however, they are
the thrust of what is to come. Nephi's experience with the Spirit was not the first, but certainly the most intense
spiritual experience of his young life, and established him (personally if not in the group) as a receiver of revelation.
From that vantage point as a man of God, one acquainted with the ultimate mission of the Savior, and one who stood
as a receiver of the will of God, this admonition is precisely the point which Nephi is making when he relates
the story to come.
by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998
