Filter: Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Total chapters: 59
Overview
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The story starts off in Jerusalem, so the ancestors of the Native Americans can be a branch of Israel, with “white” ancestry, so they can fall from grace and become dark-skinned “savages” (a 19th-century settler word, not a Book of Momron word, but the text does say that later Lamanites (Alma 3) were mostly naked, using bow and arrow, stones, slings, having dark skin). This reflects the narrative arc of Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews and the prevelant Mound-Builder Myth of the time. See Racism for more about how impossible it is to whitewash the structural racism from the Book of Mormon.
1 Nephi 1
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The book starts off “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents...” This non-Biblical phrase is found in an 1801 poem “Orson and Ellen”, variously printed in 1802, 1809, 1812, 1816, 1823, written by the poet and satirist John Wolcot, pseudonym Peter Pindar: “Of goodly parents was [Ellen] born.” There are no other search matches for this phrase in any scans of printed books in Google Books through 1828. Pindar's satirical targets included the King and Queen, James Boswell, and others.
1 Nephi 10
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Nephi says that the Lord's course is one eternal round, like the planets in the heavens, so if God gives one person a revelation, you can definitely ask God and you can get the same revelation, it's that simple. This references a 1758 hymn and various poetry of the early 19th century that used these words and imagery.
1 Nephi 13
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
From The Late War, p.224 (last sentence of the text before “End of the History of the Late War”): “And all the nations of the earth beheld the glory of Columbia [i.e. America].” Compare 1 Ne. 13:30: “Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity [i.e. the Americans], and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands.”
1 Nephi 16
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The discovery of the Liahona uses phrases from The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. “And it came to pass that we did find upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles.” The Late War describes the 1810 clockwork torpedo with the phrases: “... partly of brass ... with curious works, like unto a clock; and as it were a large ball.”
1 Nephi 17
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” in the middle of nowhere in an Arabia desert wilderness, with fruit, along the route of a religious pilgrimage, could have been known by JS Jr. by reading a single page of 1826's Arabia by Josiah Conder, which uses the phrase “bountiful land” in the context of a desert oasis with plenty of water, covered with gardens and plantations, etc.
1 Nephi 18
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Nephi and his family embark by ship to the promised land, just like in View of the Hebrews, explaining how the Native Americans got here, as ancient Jews.
Mosiah 2
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The revival meetings in Mosiah ch. 2, 3, and 4 are described using language from a short passage in The Late War: “it came to pass that the husbandmen ... gathered together, and pitched their tents, [and] assembled together ... And the people shouted with a loud voice, ...” See Alma 10 for more on The Late War.
Mosiah 3
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Some might consider the phrase “tabernacles of clay” unique to the Book of Mormon since it is not directly found in the English KJV Bible, but the trigram had actually been in use in English for nearly seventy years before the publication of the Book of Mormon. See Tabernacles of Clay for more information.
Mosiah 4
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The revival meetings in Mosiah ch. 2, 3, and 4 are described using language from a short passage in The Late War: “it came to pass that the husbandmen ... gathered together, and pitched their tents, [and] assembled together ... And the people shouted with a loud voice, ...” See Alma 10 for more on The Late War.
Mosiah 9
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Repeats the trope of Native Americans being lazy and idolatrous, the colonizers' perspective at the time, also the message of the Mound Builders Myth and View of the Hebrews.
Mosiah 10
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Repeats the trope of Native Americans being a wild and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, the colonizers' perspective at the time, also the message of the Mound Builders Myth and View of the Hebrews.
Mosiah 11
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Repeats the trope of Native Americans being full of laziness and idolatry, the colonizers' perspective at the time, also the message of the Mound Builders Myth and View of the Hebrews.
Mosiah 24
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Alma and his people are in bondage to the dark-skinned Lamanites, but teach them their white people ways, such as written language. This reflects the Mound Builder Myth idea.
Alma 10
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
During the reign of the judges, the phrase “the fourth day of this seventh month, which is ...” (refering to the United States “birth day of Columbian Liberty and Independence” i.e. the Fourth of July) mimics language in the
The Late War Between the United States and Great Britain,
a textbook used by school children in the state of New York, about the War of 1812–1815 (= JS Jr. 6–9 yr. old), written in the Bibical style and published in 1819. The textbook is cited by Chris and Duane Johnson and others as a source for the some of the Book of Mormon's specific language and themes. Again, it does not matter if JS Jr. had the textbook laid open while he was dictating to his scribes, it only matters that the final text of the Book of Mormon itself was clearly and specifically influenced by the content of The Late War. If only one phrase showed up in the entire Book of Mormon, it could be ignored as coincidence. But if hundreds of rare 4-grams and dozens of longer n-grams show up in the Book of Mormon, the evidence points to influence, not coincidence. And, as the Johnsons point out, a Gospel Doctrine lessons asks faithful Saints to ponder, “Why do you think Mormon included so much information about war in the Book of Mormon?” (Lesson 31: "Firm in the Faith of Christ", Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual, 1999). The three-year of War of 1812–1815 in JS Jr.'s childhood, and the Late War in particular, provide one clear naturalistic answer to that question, in addition to all the war and battles mentioned in the Old Testament.
Alma 17
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Mormon describes Ammon’s schadenfreude at the Lamantish servants fear of having their flocks scattered and being put to death by the king using phrases from the The Late War: “Now when Carden heard these words, his heart leaped with joy,” becomes “Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; ... that I may lead them to believe in my words.” See the note in Alma 10.
Alma 19
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
“Everlasting life” is a New Testament (John and Paul) phrase, but “light of everlasting life” is post-Biblical. Specifically, it comes from the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, c. 1741, 1763, 1766, 1791, 1822, 1824, widely printed.
Alma 22
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
Alma 27
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Uses phrases from the The Late War: “it came to pass, that they gathered together their army ... their navy ... on the borders of the ... land of Columbia” becomes “... it came to pass that they gathered together all their people ... their flocks ... near the borders of the ... land of Zarahemla.” See note on Alma 10.
Alma 32
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Not proof of anything, but an interesting note that Protestants have used this explicit, non-Biblical phrasing, “Do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week?” John Campbell, African missionary, wrote in 1825: “But, said I, these people who only profess to worship God once a week are not christians; for christians worship God daily, in their closets, and with their families.”
Alma 36
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The involved chiastic structure of Alma 36 is often used as evidence of Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon. I was taught about the chiasmus in Alma 36 and have it all marked out in my scriptures from seminary in the late 1990's, decades ago. However this “evidence” falsely assumes a knowledge vacuum around chiasmus in and before the 1820s, in the English speaking Christian world. The notes here (Chiasmus and Antimetabole in History) give the full context of the rediscovery of parallel structures in Hebrew by Robert Lowth in 1758, down to Thomas Boys in 1820, as well as others in 1824, 1825, and 1827, who wrote about it and explained it with example from the Old and New Testaments, down to the use of the word chiasmus for the introverted versions of this form (crossing, e.g. X or Greek letter Chi, as in chiasmus). .
Alma 38
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A good non-Biblical turn of phrase from this chapter, “Bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love,” is not even original to the Book of Mormon, but hails from various sermons from 1803, 1807, 1825, etc. which interpret James' injunctions (ch. 1 and 3) to bridle the tongue, and bridle the whole body as a need to bridle the passions, all the passions.
Alma 41
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Alma admonishes his son Corianton that at the time of death, a life of virtue is superior to a life of wickness, saying “Wickedness never was happiness.” An 1816 book by Anne MacVivar Grant, who wrote to promote virtuous living in young people, claims, in the same context of regretting a sinful life, “prosperous wickedness never can taste the happiness ... of virtuous poverty.”
Alma 43
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Alma 43:9 (“The design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty”) nearly quotes verbatim George Washington's Address to the Inhabitants of Canada, 14 Sept. 1775: “We have taken up arms in defense our liberty, our property, our wives, and our children. We are determined to preserve them, or die!”
Alma 44
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Some of the Lamanites (one might say, the repentant ones) lay their weapons of war at the feet of Captain Moroni, which references The Late War, p. 123, where “it came to pass, while these things were going on in the north, and the repentant savages laid their murderous weapons at the feet of Harrison.”
Alma 46
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Captain Moroni raises the title of liberty, a flag with the words “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” This nearly quotes verbatim George Washington's Address to the Inhabitants of Canada, 14 Sept. 1775: “We have taken up Arms in Defence of our Liberty, our Property, our Wives, and our Children, we are determined to preserve them, or die.”
Alma 49
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Heavy references to The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. The Lamanites attack fortified cities, which were unknown in the ancient Americas, but mentioned with these phrases in the textbook. The men “were prepared ... and they let loose their weapons of war ... and smote ... with great slaughter. And the deep ditch that surrounded the fort was strewed with their slain and their wounded.” Compare Alma 49:22, “ditches ... were filled up in a measure with their dead and wounded bodies..” Fort building continues in Alma 52.
Alma 50
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A reference to The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. Teancum / Tecumseh conflation. Moravian Town / Morianton conflation, also Alma 62. Also: “it came to pass, in the same year, that the people of Columbia were revenged of the evil,” becomes “it came to pass that in the same year that the people of Nephi had peace restored unto them.”
Alma 51
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
Alma 52
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A reference to The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. The Nephites fortify their cities, a practice unknown in the ancient Americas. This begins in Alma 49 and extends into this chapter: “... it came to pass ... on the tenth day of the month ... the Nephites had dug a ridge of earth ... so high [...] round about ... the city ... And ... built a strong hold ...” and the phrasing of the casualties: they “... fought ... and there were many slain and wounded on both sides.” Also: “And the chief warriors gave up their instruments of destruction, and laid them at the feet of Jackson...” becomes “And ... their chief captains, ... threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni.”
Alma 55
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
Alma 61
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A reference to The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. The righteous leader “... sent forth a Proclamation, ... abroad ... And it came to pass, that a great multitude flocked to the ... standard of Columbia...they came in battle array against the ...” enemies of the righteous. Continues into Alma 62.
Alma 62
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A reference to The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. Teancum / Tecumseh conflation. Moravian Town / Morianton conflation, also Alma 50. The righteous leader “... sent forth a Proclamation, ... abroad ... And it came to pass, that a great multitude flocked to the ... standard of Columbia...they came in battle array against the ...” enemies of the righteous. Continues from Alma 61.
Alma 63
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
Helaman 1
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Mormon describes Paanchi as leading a movement of “... people to rise up in rebellion against their brethren,” using phrases from the The Late War: “... people to rise up one against another, and ... their own children.”
Helaman 4
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A passing reference is made, that “the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples” (used twice in the Book of Mormon) which is a non-Biblical phrase not unique to Mormonism, but with precedent. A few references survive (1752, 1810) showing the use of the phrase. The 1752 expounding of the doctrine of the atonement even talks about whether and how God or Christ could manage to dwell in unholy temples, within sinners.
Helaman 5
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
3 Nephi 3
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
3 Nephi 8
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
Describes the signs of Christ's crucifixion, which are similar to those in the New Testament—like a Hollywood disaster movie, with earthquakes, fires, storms, and darkness. Since JS Jr. had no access to films, he used The Late War (see long note on Alma 10) and the Bible and his fecund imagination instead: “...thunders: ... as the mighty earthquake, which overturneth cities. And the whole face of the earth ... overshadowed with black smoke; so that, for a time, one man saw not another: ... sharp rocks had fallen upon them.”
3 Nephi 11
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The phrase “land Bountiful” may refer to a specific geographical location known for its abundance, possibly drawing on ancient Near Eastern concepts of fertility and divine blessing; however information about this location on the Arabian peninsula (1 Nephi 17) was avaiable in English in 1826, see note on 1 Nephi 17.
Mormon 2
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
In a callback to Captain Moroni's echo of the words of George Washington all over the Book of Alma, Mormon urges his people to “fight for their wives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes.”
Mormon 5
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
For those that have missed it spelled out multiple times, Mormon spells out the entire Mound-Builder Myth yet again: “They [the white Nephites] were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father. But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, ... . And behold, the Lord hath reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the Gentiles who shall possess the land [the New World]. But behold, it shall come to pass that they [the remnants of Lehi] shall be driven and scattered by the Gentiles; and after they have been driven and scattered by the Gentiles, behold, then will the Lord remember the covenant which he made unto Abraham and unto all the house of Israel.”
Ether 9
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
A reference to The Late War, see the long note on Alma 10. “The land ... gold and silver, all manner of creatures which are used for food, And ... the huge mammoth, ... more wonderful than the elephant.”
Ether 10
Literature of the 19th Century or Earlier
The people are blessed with the prosperity gospel by the Lord. More rise and fall narrative, entire microcosm of the Book of Mormon narrative arc, in case it wasn't obvious enough. Also, references phrases from The Late War, see note on Alma 10. The textbook says, “And ... weapons of war were of curious workmanship.”