Continuing
from the last post regarding whether or not any Prophet, Church Leader, or
Apostle, past or present, has ever stated officially, or known by direct
comment were the Land of Promise was located.
Along
this line of discussion, it seems paramount that we understand an editorial
that appeared in the Times and Seasons, dated 15 July, 1842, signed ED, on
“American Antiquities,” in which discussing areas as diverse as Canada,
the United States, Florida, the Mississippi, and Guatemala as providing
evidence for the Book of Mormon, and specifically mentioned is Stephens and
Catherwood's book about Central American ruins. The final paragraph of
the Times and Seasons article reads:
“If men, in their researches into the history of this country, in
noticing the mounds, fortifications, statues, architecture, implements of war,
of husbandry, and ornaments of silver, brass, &c. were to examine the Book
of Mormon, their conjectures would be removed, and their opinions altered;
uncertainty and doubt would be changed into certainty and facts; and they would
find that those things that they are anxiously prying into were matters of his
would find their conjectures were more than realized -- that a great and a
mighty people had inhabited this continent -- that the arts sciences and
religion, had prevailed to a very great extent, and that there was as great and
mighty cities on this continent as on the continent of Asia. Babylon, Ninevah,
nor any of the ruins of the Levant could boast of more perfect sculpture,
better architectural designs, and more imperishable ruins, than what are found
on this continent. Stephens and Catherwood's researches in Central America
abundantly testify of this thing. The stupendous ruins, the elegant sculpture,
and the magnificence of the ruins of Guatemala, and other cities, corroborate
this statement, and show that a great and mighty people -- men of great minds,
clear intellect, bright genius, and comprehensive designs inhabited this
continent. Their ruins speak of their greatness; the Book of Mormon unfolds
their history.” – ED. ("The Government of
God," Times and Seasons Vol
3, No 18, 15 July 1842, pp855-858; then "American Antiquities,"
858-860).
There
are certain comments or phrases within this statement that should be fully
understood. Let’s start with the easiest one:
1.
…better architectural designs, and more imperishable
ruins, than what are found on this continent. Stephens and Catherwood's
researches in Central America abundantly testify of this thing.
Obviously, as we have been saying
for years, the term “this continent” as used by Joseph Smith (and all people of
his day) had to do with the entire area of the Americas, as shown by his
including both his North America and the area of Mesoamerica or Central
America. As we have shown many times from old Atlas’ to the use within Joseph
Smith’s time, as well as Moroni’s comment,” this continent” included both North
and South America.
2. If men, in their researches into the history of this country realized
-- that a great and a mighty people had inhabited this continent.
Again, the 1842 article relaters
both “this country” and “this continent” as the same place, i.e., which shows
that in Joseph Smith’s time, the concept of a Land of Promise extended beyond
the confines of the United States to include the entire continent. And the word
“continent” in 1842, was both North and South America.
3. …in noticing the mounds, fortifications, statues, architecture,
implements of war, of husbandry, and ornaments of silver, brass, & were
to examine the Book of Mormon, their conjectures would be removed, and their
opinions altered…that a great and a mighty people had inhabited this continent.
This great and mighty people, obviously
being referred to in this editorial are the Nephites, who inhabited “this
continent” not just “the United States” and that “this continent” refers to the
entire Western Hemisphere or both North and South America, as history shows was
meant all the way up until just before World War II, as well as even today
within the Latin World here in the Americas.
4. …that a great and a mighty
people had inhabited this continent -- that the arts sciences and religion, had
prevailed to a very great extent, and that there was as great and mighty cities
on this continent as on the continent of Asia.
Great and mighty cities on this
continent. The only mighty cities Joseph knew about at the time were those in
Stephens' book and Catherwood’s drawings of Mesoamerica. We now know of more
than that, for the ancient cities of South America are far greater, more
extensive, and of even greater design and construction. Thus, the Land of
Promise was an area that covered the Americas, where these marvelous cities are
found, where fortresses and temples, synagogues and palaces are found.
For the first ten to twelve years
of the Book of Mormon, no one knew of the great and marvelous cities that were
yet to be discovered in the Americas. Once they were found, once construction
beyond mounds and artifacts has been found, once Stephens’ book was seen, once
Catherwood’s drawings had been shown, Joseph and other Church leaders and
members realized that there was now proof of such building and construction in
the Americas. It was like a revelation—a sign that the Nephites had actually
inhabited this continent, i.e., North and South America, and now, for the first
time, Joseph Smith was looking at the evidence of what he had been preaching
since the publication of the Book of Mormon, and had been talking about to his
family for nearly ten years before that.
What an exciting moment in
Joseph’s life; and in the life of his family and those who had believed in him.
What an exciting moment in the lives of the Latter-day Saints of 1843 who had a
testimony of the fact, but now saw the evidence of that testimony. As Joseph
Smith said of this discovery of solid evidence of Nephite existence: “their conjectures would be removed, and
their opinions altered; uncertainty and doubt would be changed into certainty
and facts; and they would find that those things that they are anxiously prying
into were matters of his would find their conjectures were more than realized
-- that a great and a mighty people had inhabited this continent.”
5. …that a great and a mighty
people had inhabited this continent -- that the arts sciences and religion, had
prevailed to a very great extent, and that there was as great and mighty cities
on this continent as on the continent of Asia. Babylon, Ninevah, nor any of the
ruins of the Levant could boast of more perfect sculpture, better architectural
designs, and more imperishable ruins, than what are found on this continent.
Note that Joseph didn’t say that
Catherwood’s drawings were of Zarahemla, Bountiful, or the City of Nephi, but
that they were Nephite! We can learn two things from this: 1) It was not
important what location these ruins were, but that their existence proved the
existence of the Nephites; and 2) It was not important where the ruins were
located, Guatemala, Mexico, United States, or wherever, but that they were on
this continent--that is, the Americas! After all, there were ruins on other continents, but not on this
one until Catherwood’s drawings and Stephens’ words were seen. Note that “on
this continent” is used four times in this one paragraph—four times! This was
the importance of what Joseph saw in the Mesoamerican ruins.
Once again, while theorists today
want to argue and debate where this city or that lake or a specific place was
located, Joseph Smith exulted over the fact that evidence of the Nephites were
found on “this continent.” Most likely that is because he understood in some
manner, or at some level, that the entire Western Hemsiphere, ”this continent,”
was the promised land. And of this entire area, Lehi was promised one portion
of it—that area we know along the western lands of South America. Obviously,
Nephi saw Columbus coming to America and he surely described his coming to the
land where his brethren (the Lamanites) were located, which in his visits to
the Caribbean, Central America and South America where they
surely were located. But he also saw the promised land of the New Jerusalem,
and understood as Moroni did, that this New Jerusalem would be in North
America, where Joseph Smith located it among the area of Missouri, at
Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Nephi saw the coming of the
Gentiles, both the Spanish that literally destroyed three great civilizations
of Lamanites, i.e., the Inca, Aztec, and Mayan, and the coming of the Europeans
who settled in the northern lands and created a freedom in the city set on a
hill, where this one part of the promised land would guarantee the freedom of
the entire land that was promised. After all, Hagoth’s ships went north with
large numbers of immigrants, they built as their forefathers had done in the
south, and their descendant went further north, also leaving their mark of
building in the southwest. By the time Joseph Smith in Zion’s camp came along
and discovered Zelph, and learned of Onandagus, the Nephites and Lamanites from
Hagoth’s immigrants had settled across the Western Hemisphere. What others came
and mixed in with them we are not told. What happened to those Nephites of
Hagoth’s immigrants that went north, we are not told, though if Onandagus was
one of their much later prophets, we can place him in the eastern United
States.
What happened to the immigrants
in Hagoth’s ship that went evidently west and no one knew its destination, would
have settled down current and down wind in Polynesia. In such a way, and no
doubt with other forces of which we know nothing, the Americas and the South
Pacific was settled by members of the House of Israel that had been led off
from time to time at the Lord’s good pleasure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I find it interesting that for the most part the Indians of North America have not joined the Church whereas there are many that have in South America. It might very well be that many of the tribes of NA are not Lamanites such as perhaps the Navajo's who came from the North according to their traditions. Ira
ReplyDeleteAn interesting observation.
ReplyDelete