One of our readers sent this in and asked us to take
a look at it and tell her what we thought of it. This particular article,
written by L. Swayne Samuelson, entitled Lehi
in the Pacific, Powerful New Evidence for the Book of Mormon, has to do
with Lehi’s journey across the Pacific and involves an island-hopping journey
in which there is absolutely nothing in the scriptural record to suggest any
such thing. However, in order to respond, we will reprint the article under
separate Comments with our Responses.
Comment: “The
Lehi party undoubtedly had sufficient supplies on board, including drinking
water, to avoid the necessity of a landfall in India. But after crossing the Bay
of Bengal they did come ashore on an island in the group which still bears the
name they must have given it, the Andaman Islands, practically identical with
the name given to Father Adam's home, Adam Ondi-Ahman. (See D&C 78:15,
107:53-57, 116:1)“
Response: First of all, if Lehi went this way, he
would have skirted off the south India coast, gone further south in the
Laccadive Sea and beyond Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and across to the channel between
Great Nicobar and Sabang islands, and into the Andaman Sea at the mouth of the
Malacca strait. To have gone north into the Bay of Bengal to the Andaman
Islands would not only have been close to 500 miles out of the way, but would
have served no purpose whatever. From Ceylon straight across to the Malacca
Strait between Malaysia and Sumatra is the only direction that makes any sense.
If they needed supplies, they could have landed on Ceylon or across to the
Great Nicobar Island, or even to Kota Banda. Since the Valley of Lemuel and the
River of Laban, two names given by Lehi, have not survived, nor the name of Bountiful,
nor the Irreantum Sea, it is extremely unlikely any name Lehi might have given
an island would still be called that.
Comment: “No
non-Mormon scholar has been able to explain how that ancient American name came
to be the name of islands in the Bay of Bengal. Lehi obviously knew the name,
and bestowed it on these islands in gratitude for God's leading them there for
provisions. It must truly have seemed to them like the Garden of Eden where
Father Adam dwelt!”
Response: After spending eight years in the desert
wilderness, the Empty Quarter, and the largest sand desert in the world, before
arriving at this coastal paradise along the shore, Lehi called it Bountiful. He
did not consider it a place where Adam dwelt, or the Garden of Eden. If Lehi
went in the direction of the Andamans, they would have arrived their within a
few weeks—and been on water with cool winds all the way. Not much chance they
would have thought of this place in terms of Adam and the Garden. Nor do we
know that Lehi knew the name of Adam-ondi-Ahman, since it was not a name known
in the Bible, would not have been on the brass plates, and is known only now to
us from a revelation given to Joseph Smith. The chance that Lehi would have
known this name is about zero.
As for the Andaman Sea name, it was originally called
the Burma Sea. As for Andaman, the name is ancient and has always been in historical
times some form of Andaman. According to R.C. Temple, and Hunter, Cotton, Burn and
Meyer (1908), as well as the Imperial Gazetteer of India, the Great Britain
India Office, and the Asian Educational Services, it is believed to have
derived from Hanuman, the Malay form
of Hanuman, the Sanskrit name treating the
islands as the abode of the Hindu mythological monkey people or savage
aboriginal monkey god. The islands have
been inhabited since long before Lehi’s time by the negritos Andamanese people,
who are thought to have a relationship with the Sernang of Malaysia and the
Aeta of the Philippines. Ptolemy called the Andamans by another name, and the
Persian navigator Buzurg ibn shahriyar of Ramhormuz called them Andaman
al-Kabir (Great Andaman). They are called Timaittivu in Tamil (impure islands), and
Marco Polo called them Angamanain.
Comment: “We can follow Lehi's party as they sail
somewhat south, passing the opening to the Strait of Malacca (more about that
later!) to follow the southern coast of Sumatra. The name of this large island
was probably chosen to reflect the loyalty of Sam to his brother Nephi and
Sam's defense of Nephi against the rebellious Laman and Lemuel, since the name
appears to be compounded from the name "Sam" and the Hebrew word
'athar' meaning "to entreat, urge". It is probable that somewhere on
or near this island Sam entreated the older brothers to obey Nephi. Thus the
name means "Sam entreated [here]".
Response: First of all, from the Andaman Islands to
the Malacca Strait is very close to due south, not “somewhat south.” Secondly,
nowhere in scripture are we led to believe that Sam ever spoke out against his
older brothers. In fact, Sam is basically shown to us as a quiet, reserved, and
background type person. At no time does he step forward, and at no time does he
“entreat” his older brothers, or the sons of Ishmael, to listen to Nephi. As
for the name, it is derived in ancient times from Sanskrit Swarnadwipa, which
means “island of gold” and Swanabhumi, meaing “land of gold,” because of the
gold deposits on the island’s highland. It is also related to the kingdom name
of Samudra Pasai before it was replaced by the Sultanate of Aceh. At the time
of Lehi, this island was not inhabited, with people arriving there in 500 B.C.
from Taiwan, and would not have known any name Lehi might have given it.
Comment: “The
next island they would have encountered, just east from Sumatra, is Java,
obviously named by the Lehite party after their God Jehovah. It is likely that
Lehi worshiped here, and legends on this island speak of ancient visitors who
built altars and worshiped different gods, and then left.”
Response: Again, whatever name Lehi might have given
a place has not been shown to last to another people anywhere the colony
traveled. As for Java, the name is attributed to “home,” “distant,” and
probably came from “jau” which means “beyond or distant,” a name that is best
applied from across the small seas around it, from which it appears beyond the
sea or distant island. There is also the fact that the island was covered of
wild barley, and in Sanskrit, “yava” means “barley.” There is also the jawa-wut, which was the name of a common
plant on the island, which was known as “island of barley” early in its
history.
Comment: “The
name of the largest city on the island, Jakarta or Djakarta, still reflects
this, being made up of 'Jehu' ("Jehovah") and the Hebrew word
'karath' meaning "to covenant." It is likely, then, that this city is
built at the spot where Lehi and his party renewed their covenants with
Jehovah.”
Response: Jakarta has been known under several names:
Sundra Kelapa, Batavia, Jayakarta, Djakarta, and Jacatra. It originally was a
Hindu settlement and port in the Indianized kingdom of Tarumanagara. Its
Chinese name, Chu-fan-chi, which was written by Chou Ju-kura, when Srivijaya
ruled Sumatra and Malay peninsulas and western Java, which was known as Sunda.
Prince Jayawikarta established a settlement on the west banks to control the
port of the river there. In short, this island has been known by numerous
names, and ruled by numerous princes, kingdoms, and sultanates. The current
name more reflects the names of several rulers than any ancient name given it
by someone passing through.
(See the next post, “Was this Lehi's Route Across the
Pacific? – Part II,” for more of the article in question)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Did you not read the next page of that pretend article about Lehi where the anti-Mormon author said he made up the whole thing to mock Mormon's? There is no need for rebuttal, just a need to warn people.
ReplyDelete