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MDC Contents
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 Alma
14:1
1 And it came to pass after he had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his words,
and began to repent, and to search the scriptures.
Alma 14:2
2 But the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek; for they were angry with Alma,
because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom; and they also said that Amulek had lied unto them, and had
reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges.
Literary: Mormon
intended for verses 1 and 2 to be read together. They form a contrasting parallel set. In verse 1 we have the positive
effect of the preaching, and in verse 2 the antithesis. Stating the result in this parallel fashion only serves
to highlight the iniquity of those who chose not to repent. By showing that there were those who repented and searched
the scriptures, Alma manages to show that the message was correct and inspired, and that those who were capable
of understanding it did receive it.
This is contrasted with the larger number of people who did not accept. First, they did not accept because of their
own volition. We know that Amulek and Alma were effective in their role because they did convert some. These people
must have hardened their hearts to the point where they were past feeling (as were Laman and Lemuel, 1 Nephi 17:45).
They have thus elected this course on their own. As with most who so consciously reject the powerful testimony
of the spirit, their response is not apathy, but open anger and a desire to lash out against the testimony that
has been raised against them. It appears that the deeper the distance from the Spirit, the greater the anger when
confronted by the testimony of that Spirit.
Alma
14:3
3 And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness,
they sought to put them away privily.
Translation:
The term privily is used with some frequency in the King James Version of the Bible. However, the idiom put away
privily is used only once:
Matt. 1:19
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put
her away privily.
This particular verse, coming as part of the birth narration of the Savior, was probably fairly well known, and
is a probable model for the particular idiom Joseph used here. This is not a copy, but a borrowing of a known idiom.
Alma
14:4
4 But it came to pass that they did not; but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took them before
the chief judge of the land.
Alma 14:5
5 And the people went forth and witnessed against them-testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their
lawyers and judges of the land, and also of all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there
was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he should not save them; and many such things
did the people testify against Alma and Amulek. Now this was done before the chief judge of the land.
Political: Alma
and Amulek are bound and take for judgment to the chief judge. This tells us that as part of the general Nephite
political sphere, Ammonihah operated under the form of government established by Mosiah for the Nephite polities.
Even though the Ammonihahites were is some ways dissenters, they were not completely separate from Zarahemla, and
followed the Zarahemla form of government.
Ammonihah also appears to have followed the Mosiahn policy of having some separation between the religious and
the political. When Alma is brought before the chief judge, he is brought on religious grounds. While we may be
tempted to see politics behind the accusation that Alma and Amulek had spoken against the layers and judges, it
is the specifics of what they said that more fully shows the issues. The real issues are the places where the preaching
of Alma has contradicted that of the order of Nehor:
[and also testified that there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people] This is the trap
Zeezrom laid. The people are contending that Alma is confused because he proclaims only one God, but also a Son
of God. The Ammonihahites see this are two gods, not the one Alma proclaimed.
[but he should not save them] This is the classic Nehorite doctrine. God will save all, therefore there is no need
for an Atoning Messiah. Repentance is not required because God will forgive all sin.
The mechanics of this particular complaint appear to be the accusation against the offenders, and the presentation
before the judge for judgment. This follows a rather understandable procedure. What is not clearly present is the
voice of the people. While there are many people involved in the accusation, the formal mechanism of the voice
of the people is not applied in this case. The chief judge has power to judge, and will exercise his power unilaterally.
Alma
14:6
6 And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning
the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed
up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.
Zeezrom begins the
process of repentance. Note the stages given for his process of repentance:
[was astonished at the words which had been spoken] The first step in his repentance was to hear the message. We
need not doubt that had he not heard Alma and Amulek, Zeezrom would have continued in his previous ways.
[and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words]
Zeezrom acknowledges his role in the current unbelief. He has personal culpability for his own beliefs, but also
a larger culpability for the communal blindness to the Spirit which he had espoused. The recognition of one's own
sins is an essential step in repentance. We cannot repent unless we see clearly those parts of our actions, thoughts,
or heart that are contrary to the will of God.
[and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt] After recognizing his sins, Zeezrom
feels the pains of sin. In this case is soul is "harrowed up." The imagery of a harrow is unique to the
Book of Mormon, and comes from Joseph's farming background. A harrow is an instrument for tilling the soil, and
as such is much later than the Book of Mormon and Biblical time periods. When a harrow breaks up the soil it digs
in and turns in over. Thus when the soul is "harrowed up" it is dug into deeply by the spirit and overturned.
Presumably the "underneath" is exposed in both the soil and the soul.
[yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.] Zeezrom recognizes the consequences of his actions.
Not only is there soulful pain attached to the cognizance of his sin, there is an understanding of the direction
those actions are taking his soul. He clearly sees that these actions are leading him away from God.
Literary: The location of the story of Zeezrom does not create a formal chiasm, but does follow a structural
reversal that is at the heart of the more formal chiastic structures. In the introduction to this sequence Alma
provides a small number of people who believe contrasted with the larger number who did not. In this section, we
have the large number who accuse Alma and Amulek, and a small number (one man, Zeezrom) who defends Alma and Amulek.
That this one man is the defense is a dramatic focus on the turnaround Zeezrom has made. Alma and Amulek were so
effective that an accuser became a defender. Yet still they were unable to touch the large numbers who had hardened
their hearts.
Alma
14:7
7 And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless
before God. And he began to plead for them from that time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed
with the devil? And they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the
words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them.
Zeezrom recognizes
his guilt before God, and declares the innocence of Alma and Amulek. We do not know the social context in which
this defense took place. It is possible that it took place before the chief judge, and that Zeezrom provided a
voice of defense against the larger number of voices of accusation. While there is some temptation to see Zeezrom
the lawyer as a representative for the defense, there is nothing in the description that would allow us to draw
that conclusion. Indeed, the reaction of the people appears to occur almost independent of the ruling of the chief
judge.
What we see in this verse is the enforcement of prevailing opinion by force of numbers. Nevertheless, this action
is taken with at least the tacit approval of the chief judge, as we will see in verse 14.
What we do see clearly here, however, is the very real manifestation of the fear that Alma had when first presented
with Nehor himself. It is worth reexamining Alma's statement to Nehor as Nehor stood accused before Alma, an ironic
twist where Alma as chief judge condemned Nehor, and now a Nehorite judge apparently condemns Alma:
Alma
1:12
12 But Alma said unto him: Behold, this is the first time that priestcraft has been introduced among this people.
And behold, thou art not only guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce it by the sword; and were priestcraft
to be enforced among this people it would prove their entire destruction.
Alma's fear was that
Nehor would "prove their entire destruction." Alma clearly saw Nehor's religious ideas as so divisive
that the social fabric would be irreparably torn. We see in Ammonihah a very clear demonstration that Alma's fears
were well founded. In Alma, the differences in ideas not only result in the persecution of Alma and Amulek, but
of all those who believed the words of Alma and Amulek.
Alma
14:8
8 And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the
word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which
contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire.
This terrible event
was foretold by Abinadi:
Mosiah 17:12-15
12 But the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king.
Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain.
13 And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death.
14 And now when the flames began to scorch him, he cried unto them, saying:
15 Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer
the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of death by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of
the Lord their God.
This is the only recorded event in our Book of Mormon that fits Abinadi's description. While there is a possibility
that a different event occurred but was not part of Mormon's editorial selections, the fit is good enough to suspect
that it is the fulfillment of this terrible prophecy. As a fulfillment, however, there is a part of the prophecy
that bears some examination. In Mosiah 17:15 Abinadi states that "they seed shall cause that many shall suffer
the pains that I do suffer…"
How is it that the Ammonihahites might be the seed of the Priests of Noah? The priests of Noah become attached
to the Lamanites, and it is unlikely that there were many (and probably not any) descendants of those priest among
the Ammonihahites. There is the possibility that there were some descendants for the wives and children of those
priests prior to their defection from the Limhites. However, there is another explanation that makes even more
sense.
As we have mentioned previously, the doctrines espoused by the order of Nehor have tremendous parallels to the
beliefs of the priests of Noah. While Nehor came later and lent his name to the belief set, nevertheless, it appears
that the Nehorite beliefs may be traced either to the Noahite religion, or that they both derive from a similar
available model. It is this latter possibility that AI consider the most likely, and the Ammonihahites should be
seen as the metaphorical and ideological seed of the priests of Noah, rather than as descendants.
Another question, however, lies in the very fact of the similarities of deaths. While the prophecy stated that
they would be the same, it is certain that the Ammonihahites did not chose fire as a mode of death specifically
to fulfill the prophecy of Abinadi. Why were the deaths of Abinadi, Noah, and these believers, all accomplished
by burning?
It should be noted that there is no way to know. There is simply no firm evidence in the text of the Book of Mormon
that can absolutely tell us where the people derived this idea. However, there are a combination of possibilities
that make sense in the cultural context in which the Nephites found themselves.
One of the traits of Mesoamerican religion was human sacrifice. We do not see this as an obvious influence in the
Book of Mormon, but there are times where it is tempting to see statements or events in the Book of Mormon in the
cultural context of an region that espouses human sacrifice. For instance, in a later sermon, Alma is speaking
of the sacrifice of the Atoning Messiah:
Alma 34:10
10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of
beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal
sacrifice (italics added).
It is possible that Alma is making a generic statement that has no relationship to a known cultural phenomenon,
but in the Mesoamerican culture area, it is much more likely that he feels it important to explain the difference
between this sacrifice of the Atoning Messiah and the more common human sacrifices in the Lamanite communities.
One of the modes of human sacrifice known from Aztec times is a sacrifice by fire. Thus we have a tempting connection
between a cultural practice of human sacrifice, a known mode of human sacrifice, and these particular instances
of death by fire.
How do we get from a Lamanite practice of human sacrifice to an acceptance of human sacrifice by Nephite populations?
First, we should remember that much of the beliefs of the order of Nehor have been discussed as related to general
Mesoamerican concepts. Thus the presence of the order of Nehor suggests in and of itself that there is some adoption
of Mesoamerican ideologies into the Nephite belief system for those who favor the order of the Nehors.
Secondly, it is possible that the Nehorite reinterpretation of their own religion in the light of Mesoamerican
ideologies also played a part in their selection of fire as a mode of killing those they deemed to be in conflict
with what they considered to be the true religion. In the case of king Noah, Abinadi has preached a different religion,
and has, through that preaching, spoken against the king as the representative of religion. Nevertheless, Abinadi's
crimes are religious. In this current case, the punishable sin of the people is once again a difference of belief.
There is no way to know if the Ammonihahites misinterpreted Nephite scripture, but there is a possibility that
they did misunderstand some of the scriptures they had received:
2 Ne. 6:15
15 And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by
bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel.
2 Ne. 30:10
10 For the time speedily cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the wicked
will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be that he must destroy the wicked by fire.
Of course we understand those verses in a very different context, as part of the events of the last days, the reign
of the Triumphant Messiah. However, the verses do clearly state that the wicked shall be burned. There is the possibility
that as part of the wresting of the scriptures that Alma warned against, the Ammonihahites had justified their
acceptance of a Lamanite form of sacrifice by linking it to these out-of-context Nephite texts. Notice that along
with the believers, the scriptures of the believers were also thrown into the fire. This is not a political punishment,
but a religious one. There is an expunging of those considered to be contrary. The sociological conditions fit
the idea of a borrowed form of human sacrifice more than simple coincidence.
Alma
14:9
9 And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they
might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire.
Sociological:
Alma and Amulek are brought to the scene of the terrible torture. There are a couple of important points that may
be derived from this statement. The first is the rather obvious fact that Alma and Amulek were viewing from the
outside rather than the inside of the conflagration. If Alma and Amulek caused this problem for the chief judge,
and it was Alma and Amulek were brought before him and accused by the people, how is it that they escaped punishment
and others were put to death?
Once again we return to the concept of human sacrifice. The sacrifice of the others would bring appeasement from
the deity who would be supposed to desire such a sacrifice. Secondly, at least Alma is a rather important man from
Zarahemla. While he is not the sitting chief judge of the entire polity, he is the immediate past chief judge.
It is very probable that the Ammonihahite judge would be loathe to harm Alma fearing some retaliation from Zarahemla.
Amulek would be under the protection of Alma as a companion.
It is also a part of the Mesoamerican concept of human sacrifice that well known captured enemies were kept alive
and "on display" for a number of years (Schele, Linda and David Freidel. A Forest of Kings. William Morrow
and Company, 1990, pp. 190, 193-4, 464). Thus Alma and Amulek may have been important enough to warrant ceremonial
detainment rather than a more immediate death.
The second point that we may derive from this brief description is that the burning occurred in a place that provided
the ability to bring Alma and Amulek to witness it. Again this may appear to be a simplistic point, but the importance
is in the probable public nature of this martyrdom. It is likely that all of the population of Ammonihah would
have been at least theoretically capable of watching the martyrdom. This again is consistent with the concept of
human sacrifice, with was a very public performance in Mesoamerica.
Alma
14:10
10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained;
and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise
the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
Alma 14:11
11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord
receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may
do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise
upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and
cry mightily against them at the last day.
Daniel H. Ludlow has
commented on these passages:
"It appears only natural that Amulek should plead with Alma to exercise the power of the priesthood and save
the righteous people from being burned to death. However, Alma, through the impressions of the Spirit, was able
to see things through the eyes of eternity and thus said: "The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch
forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer . . . that the
people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall
exercise upon them in his wrath may be just." (Alma 14:11.)
Essentially this same idea is expressed by a later Book of Mormon prophet, who says: "For the Lord suffereth
the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose
that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God."
(Alma 60:13.)
Concerning the fact that we should live righteous lives and then leave the final judgment to God as to what should
be done with our lives, President Spencer W. Kimball has said:
Now, we find many people critical when a righteous person is killed, a young father or mother is taken from a family,
or when violent deaths occur. Some become bitter when oft-repeated prayers seem unanswered. Some lose faith and
turn sour when solemn administrations by holy men seem to be ignored and no restoration seems to come from repeated
prayer circles. But if all the sick were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed,
the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the Gospel, free agency, would be
ended.
If pain and sorrow and total punishment immediately followed the doing of evil, no soul would repeat a misdeed.
If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil-all would do good
and not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character,
no growth of powers, no free agency, no Satanic controls.
Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then
there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death; and if these were not, there would
also be an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life, and godhood. ("Tragedy or Destiny," Improvement
Era, March 1966, pp. 180, 210.) (Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Deseret Book,
1976, pp. 205-6).
Alma
14:12
12 Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also.
Alma 14:13
13 And Alma said: Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they
burn us not.
It is interesting that
Amulek's first response is to the immediate suffering of others, and only secondarily to the prospects of his own
demise by a similar fate. Alma is calmly willing to be a martyr (as was Abinadi) should it be the Lord's will.
However, he apparently has a witness of the spirit that the mission is not over. Therefore he knows that they will
be spared this painful end.
Alma
14:14
14 Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those who had been cast into the fire were consumed, and also the
records which were cast in with them, the chief judge of the land came and stood before Alma and Amulek, as they
were bound; and he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and said unto them: After what ye have seen, will
ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?
Apart from the inherent
meanness that we can feel in the actions of the chief judge, there are other aspects that may be coming to play
here. The chief judge strikes Alma and Amulek. Why does he do this? We may claim pure devilishness for the chief
judge, but it is also possible that he is following a cultural custom toward important captives. The Maya kept
important captives alive, but did not treat them well, and in fact tortured them periodically. Thus we may be seeing
a chief judge treating Alma and Amulek as important captives.
The second point is that the chief judge has clearly connected the burning of the believers with the putative religious
heresy of Alma and Amulek. He sarcastically asks if they will be able to preach that the Ammonihahites will end
up in a lake of fire and brimstone now that they have seen their believers perish in a lake of fire. This is no
coincidental image. There was a religious motivation in the taking of their lives, and likely a religious motivation
in selecting the mode of death. That the chief judge saw the future punishment of the wicked in a lake of fire
and brimstone as analogous to this sacrifice of human life suggests that he may have also seen the verses about
the burning of the wicked in the time of the Triumphant Messiah as a similar religious connection.
Alma
14:15
15 Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them
because they were of thy faith. And the judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked: What say ye for yourselves?
The chief judge is
continuing his dual meanings. He has connected the burning of the martyrs with Alma's discussion of the punishment
of the wicked in a lake of fire and brimstone. Now he sarcastically links the obvious fact that the people died
as a failure of salvation. The chief judge says: "ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the
fire; neither has God saved them." One of the major ideological differences between the order of Nehor and
the Nephite religion revolved around the concept of salvation. Alma had been preaching the necessity of salvation
from sin, and so the chief judge mocks them by noting that there was no salvation for the sacrificed.
Alma
14:16
16 Now this judge was after the order and faith of Nehor, who slew Gideon.
In this context, Mormon's
inclusion of this sentence is designed to show us the sarcastic nature of the comments, coming as they do from
the Nehorite perspective.
Alma
14:17
17 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him nothing; and he smote them again, and delivered them to
the officers to be cast into prison.
We have the chief judge
again hitting Alma and Amulek. This may again be seen as a normal part of the treatment of captive dignitaries.
Alma
14:18
18 And when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many lawyers, and judges, and priests, and teachers,
who were of the profession of Nehor; and they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about
many words; but they answered them nothing.
This verse tells us
that Alma and Amulek were visited and questioned, but we do not have enough information to know the context of
what was being questioned and why. We can be certain from the following verses that the visiting lawyers were not
interested in listening to the preaching of the true gospel. Their visits clearly had the intention of some discomfort
for Alma and Amulek.
Alma
14:19
19 And it came to pass that the judge stood before them, and said: Why do ye not answer the words of this people?
Know ye not that I have power to deliver you up unto the flames? And he commanded them to speak; but they answered
nothing.
Alma 14:20
20 And it came to pass that they departed and went their ways, but came again on the morrow; and the judge also
smote them again on their cheeks. And many came forth also, and smote them, saying: Will ye stand again and judge
this people, and condemn our law? If ye have such great power why do ye not deliver yourselves?
It is not only the
lawyers, but the chief judge who also inflicts physical and verbal abuse on the two prisoners.
Alma
14:21
21 And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying:
How shall we look when we are damned?
Alma 14:22
22 And many such things, yea, all manner of such things did they say unto them; and thus they did mock them for
many days. And they did withhold food from them that they might hunger, and water that they might thirst; and they
also did take from them their clothes that they were naked; and thus they were bound with strong cords, and confined
in prison.
Cultural: It
is at this point that we should again remember the Mesoamerican habit of torturing victims. A Maya pot shows a
captive dancing who face is swollen from apparent torture (Freidel, David, Linda Schele, and Joy Parker. Maya Cosmos.
William Morrow and Company, 1993, p. 265). A remarkable series of depictions allows for the tracing of the humiliations
of a particular captive:
"As we have mentioned before, prestigious captives taken in battle were often kept alive for years on end.
They were displayed in public rituals and often participated in these rituals in gruesome, humiliating, and painful
ways. Smoking-Squirrel and Wac-Chanil-Ahau were enthusiastic practitioners of this sacred tradition. Kinichil-Cab
of Ucanal survived his capture to reappear four years later, on May 23, 698, in an event that was in all probability
a sacrificial ritual of some sort. Later in the same year, on September 23, Shield-Jaguar suffered through the
same rite in "the land of Smoking-Squirrel of Naranjo." A year later, on April 19, 699, it was lady Wac-Chanil's
turn. The hapless Kinichil-Cab appeared again in a public ritual she conducted. On Naranjo Stela 24 we see her
standing on the bound, nearly naked body of this unfortunate warrior. Finally, on 9.13.10.0.0 (January 26, 702),
the day Smoking-Squirrel dedicated both Stela 22 and Stela 24, the young king displayed his famous captive, shield-Jaguar
of Ucanal, in a public blood-letting ritual. As depicted, the ill-fated captive is nearly naked, stripped of all
his marks of rank and prestige, holding his bound wrists up toward the magnificently dressed fourteen-year-old
king who sits high above him on a jaguar-pillow." (Freidel, Schele, Parker. Pp. 189-191).
Although these events are separated by over 700 years, there is an uncanny and unholy resemblance between the stories
of Kinichil-Cab and Shield-Jaguar and the depiction of the treatment of Alma and Amulek. When we account for the
process of translation where Joseph would have understood the generalities, but not the specifics, and then account
for time and cultural differences, there yet remains a remarkable number of parallels. In particular, we have the
stripping and binding of the prisoners in both the Maya case and the Ammonihahite. As in the vase mentioned, there
were beatings on the face, and similar striking on the face is mentioned for the Ammonihahites.
Alma
14:23
23 And it came to pass after they had thus suffered for many days, (and it was on the twelfth day, in the tenth
month, in the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi) that the chief judge over the land
of Ammonihah and many of their teachers and their lawyers went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek were bound
with cords.
History: The
tenth year of the judges would be approximately 83 BC.
Alma
14:24
24 And the chief judge stood before them, and smote them again, and said unto them: If ye have the power of God
deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according
to your words.
The mocking continues.
Alma has claimed otherworldly connections, giving the message of angels. Therefore the chief judge mocks him and
suggests that they might save themselves using these otherworldly powers.
Alma
14:25
25 And it came to pass that they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last; and
when the last had spoken unto them the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood upon their
feet.
Alma 14:26
26 And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according
to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and
when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them.
At this point, the
Lord does allow them the strength to break their bonds. Of course this deliverance will not have the effect promised
in verse 24. Even though they see, they will not believe.
Alma
14:27
27 And it came to pass that so great was their fear that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door
of the prison; and the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain, so that they fell
to the earth; and the chief judge, and the lawyers, and priests, and teachers, who smote upon Alma and Amulek,
were slain by the fall thereof.
The Lord releases them
from prison, and the walls of their prison break open so that they may leave.
Literary: This story is told as a moral story. The bad appears to have the good in a desperate situation.
The good are miraculously saved, and the bad are killed. This formula of vindication is an ancient one, and one
with which human beings continue to resonate. This does not suggest that the events did not take place precisely
as stated, but rather that the way Mormon couches them, and indeed the reason for telling this story in the first
place, have to do with those feelings of vindication. The prevalence of this theme in all of the oral literature
of the world, where the oppressed with whom the teller sympathizes is miraculously rescued and the wicked punished
is such that it may be comfortably stated as a nearly universal human concern. Mormon was not immune from his humanity,
and therefore not only chooses this story, but couches it in those unmistakable terms.
Geographic: The events noted here suggest that the means the Lord used to effect the escape of Alma and
Amulek was a particularly violent earthquake. We are particularly told that the "earth shook mightily."
This shaking of the earth opened the breach in the walls, and the collapse of the roof and or walls easily supplies
the means whereby the lawyers and the chief judge perished. In the area of the world where these events are suggested
to have taken place, earthquakes are well known and frequent. Indeed the area is sufficiently well known for earthquakes
that Eric R. Wolf would name a novel about that area of the world Sons of the Shaking Earth.
Alma
14:28
28 And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them
power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they
were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof,
save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into the city.
Alma 14:29
29 Now the people having heard a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it; and when
they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were
struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from
two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.
Textual: This
is Mormon's conclusion to the incident, but this is not a conclusion to the story that Mormon is telling. There
is no chapter break in the 1830 edition here, and we are to understand that Mormon did not consider this to be
an ending of the story. This is ultimately a conversion story, and the final step in the conversion of Zeezrom
yet awaits us in the next chapter of the current edition.
The imagery of the goat fleeing from young lions is most likely due to Joseph's interpretation of the text rather
than anything on the text. There are no lions in Mesoamerica, though there are jaguars. The jaguars, however, are
solitary hunters, and it is doubtful that there would be a mental image of two jaguars hunting. The possibility
of two jaguars, however, would be a very strong image for a Mesoamerican, so we cannot entirely discount an original
text indicating two jaguars. The goat is similarly not an Mesoamerican animal.
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