| 10:1 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. |
|
| 10:2 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-- |
|
| 10:3 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. |
Once again the Book of
Mormon speaks as if the Captivity were in the future. As
already pointed out (I Nephi 1:4),
the first deportation had already taken place before this
point. Most people who are vaguely aware of the events
surrounding the Babylonian captivity seem to be under the
impression that it was one, single event. In fact, the
Captivity took place in several stages over almost ten
years, beginning with the deportation of Jehoiachin and
ten thousand captives (which, at the time Nephi was
writing, had already happened), and ending with the
deportation of Zedekiah and the destruction of the city
about ten years later. |
| 10:4 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. |
|
| 10:5 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. |
|
| 10:6
Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen
state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer. |
Topic: Anachronistic
Concepts
The concept of universal depravity (which later led to
the doctrine of Original Sin) was not present in early
Judaism. Elaine Pagel's "Adam,
Eve and the Serpent" shows how this was a
concept that was first being developed late in the first
century but did not reach its full Christianized
development until several hundred years later.  |
| 10:7 And he
spake also concerning a prophet who should come before
the Messiah, to prepare the
way of the Lord-- |
|
| 10:8 Yea,
even he should go forth and 1cry
in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and
make his paths straight; 2for
there standeth one among you whom ye know not; 3and he
is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy
to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this
thing. |
All the
characteristics of John the Baptist listed in I Nephi 10
are all taken from the same New Testament passage, and
are listed in virtually the same order. Topics: New Testament Paraphrases
[1] John 1:23: He said, I am the voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of
the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
John 1:23 is a quote from Isaiah 40:3.
See also Alma
7:9.
[2] Ibid 1:26:...there standeth one among
you, whom ye know not...
[3] Ibid 1:27: He it is, who coming after
me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not
worthy to unloose.
|
| 10:9 And my father said he should baptize in 1Bethabara,
beyond Jordan; and he also said he should 2baptize
with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water. |
Topic: Anachronistic Words [1] Ibid 1:28:
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where
John was baptizing.
Most modern Bibles (as well as the
Latin Vulgate) have Bethany for Bethabara.
The word Bethabara was apparently proposed by
Origen in the third Century, but the early manuscripts
all contain Bethany. It seems strange that the
Book of Mormon contains the same incorrect place name for
the location of John's ministry.
Topic: Anachronistic
Concepts
[2] Ibid 1:31: ...therefore am I come
baptizing with water.
Baptism is derived from a greek word. Although the Old
Testament Law prescribes washing in water for ritual
cleansing, baptism as a religious institution did not
become widespread among the Jews until long after the
Exile. The Pharisees expanded on the Levitical ritual
washing, a practice that the New Testament comments on
(Luke 11:38). The sect of the Essenes practised Baptism
as a sign of conversion to God and forgiveness of sins
during the Roman period. Nephi not only uses a Greek word
to describe the practice, but seems to expect his readers
to know what he was talking about.
|
| 10:10 And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and 1bear
record that he had baptized the 2Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of
the world. |
[1] Ibid 1:32: And John bare record,
saying...
[2] Ibid 1:29 ...Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world. |
| 10:11 And it came to pass after my father had spoken
these words he spake unto my brethren concerning the 1gospel
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. |
Topic: Anachronistic
Concepts
[1] The Gospel is a distinctly New Testament concept. The
word means "good message" in Greek. Although a
verse in Isaiah (52:7) could be used to indicate that the
Jews had some concept of the "good message", it
is very evident that Joseph Smith is talking about the
gospel of Jesus Christ here in this passage. |
| 10:12 Yea, even my father spake much concerning the
Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that
they should be compared like unto an 1olive-tree,
whose branches should be broken off and should be
scattered upon all the face of the earth. |
[1] Romans 11:17: And if some of the branches be
broken |
| 10:13 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. |
|
| 10:14 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 1grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true
Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. |
[1] Romans 11:17: thou...wert grafted in among
them... |
| 10:15 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. |
|
| 10:16 And all these things, of which I have spoken,
were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of
Lemuel. |
|
| 10:17 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 1all 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. |
[1] Hebrews 11:6: ...he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. |
| 10:18 For he is the 1same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way
is 2prepared for all men from the foundation of the
world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. |
[1] Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and to day, and forever.
[2] Matthew 25:34: ...the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. |
| 10:19 For he that diligently 1seeketh 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. |
[1] Matthew 7:8: ...and he that seeketh findeth... |
| 10:20 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings
thou shalt be brought into judgment. |
|
| 10:21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in
the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean 1before
the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell
with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever. |
[1] II Corinthians 5:10: For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ... |
| 10:22 And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I
should speak these things, and deny them not. |
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