The references critics point out in the Book of Mormon regarding the word “horse,” begins with Nephi telling us what he found in the Land of Promise after landing, and that “there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals” (1 Nephi 18:25). Thus, we can assume that the Nephites did not bring horses, or these animals, with them. This, then, tells us that the animals were those brought by the Jaredites and who escaped into the Land Southward ahead of the poisonous serpents (Ether 9:31-32). Obviously, these animals were brought by the Jaredites when they left their home (Ether 1:41), and loaded in the barges they built to cross the many waters (Ether 6:4), that is, flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them,” which included horses (Ether 9:19).
Thus, the horse was known to the Jaredites in 2200 B.C., obviously downloaded from the Ark a couple of hundred years earlier into the Mesopotamia area. But how the Jaredites used them is unknown; however, they are linked with asses and elephants and cureloms and cumoms, which are all beasts of burden (Ether 9:19). Consequently, we do not know if the Jaredites ever rode the horse as a means of transportation. Horses were had among the Nephites as early as Enos time, if not before: “the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses“ (Enos 1:21). Horses are not mentioned again until Ammon is noted as feeding the horses of the Lamanite king (Alma 18:9), which were used to draw chariots (Alma 18:9-10;20:6). These five incidences of the word “horse” suggests only their use with chariots—we do not know if they were ever ridden as the later Europeans did, or even if anyone had horses below the status of the king or his royal entourage.
On the other hand, there are no other animals that have ever been identified with chariots throughout history—so when Joseph said horses, he knew what he was talking about. It is interesting that these apologists consider themselves more knowledgeable than Joseph. Nor do we have any evidence that the Lamanites used horses for riding until they saw the Europeans riding them in their lands after the Spanish conquistadors arrived.Later, during the war with the Robbers, Lachoneus called all Nephites to gather into a central location and to bring their horses and their chariots, as well as other animals (3 Nephi 3:22), which they did (3 Nephi 4:4), and later, after defeating the Robbers, the Nephites returned home with their horses (3 Nephi 6:1).
Critics claim that “Horses are mentioned eleven times in the Book of Mormon in the context of its New World setting,” however, this is not true. On three of these occasions, the horse is related to other lands (2 Nephi 12:7;15:28) in quoting Isaiah; and once used regarding Gentiles in the latter days (3 Nephi 21:14). Obviously, critics do not read the scriptural record, so really have no idea what is being discussed.
However, the point is, the horse is never mentioned in the entire scriptural record as a means of transportation other than as pulling a chariot. Horse is mentioned only once in the Ether record, and in connection with beasts of burden; only once in 1st Nephi as being found in the land; only once in Enos as an animal being raised; mentioned six times in Alma regarding Lamanite horses used with chariots at the level of the king; and three times in 3 Nephi regarding the bunching of the Nephites to fight off the Robbers, one of these times connected with chariots. In all, horses are mentioned 12 times in the era of the Jaredites and Nephites, and 3 times regarding other peoples and lands. But not once is the horse mentioned as being ridden by man, and six times among the Lamanites with chariots for the king, one among then Nephites connected to their chariots, and the rest simply that they were had among the Nephites.
Now, the question arises, why would we think that horses would have survived the eleven hundred years after the Nephites were wiped out. Except for a king’s use, the horse was never mentioned among the Lamanites in any way, including their movements, wars, battles, escapes, etc. Thus, we cannot assume the horse was ever used for anything but either a beast of burden, or for meat as other flocks and herds were raised. Now since the Lamanites ate beasts they caught in the wilderness, and during the constant wars among themselves that lasted for decades after the Nephites were annihilated, it would seem likely that anything edible was consumed by the Lamanites who never grew or herded any animals of which we are aware.
Like the cattle and cow in an earlier post, it is likely they, along with the horse, was eaten out of existence by the Lamanites who foraged in the wilderness for their food and would have had no use of such animals for anything else. Unlike the plains Indians of the U.S., after seeing the Spaniards riding horses, they also rode them once they acquired them, the natives of Central and South America were not riding horses when the Spaniards arrived. Their lack of such mobility led to their easy conquest. Obviously, had their ancestors over the earlier eleven hundred years had use for horses to ride, they still would have existed at the time of the Spaniards.
Wow you are so smart. They ate all of the horses. Why didn't I think of that!
ReplyDeleteI saiah 30:16 wasnt known to Nephi or Lehi or Muleks people? But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. Why would they hunt buffalo without horses? and eat their horses instead herd prey and game far off??
DeleteHorse meat forms a significant part of the culinary traditions of many countries, particularly in Europe, South America and Asia. The top eight countries consume about 4.7 million horses a year. For the majority of humanity's early existence, wild horses were hunted as a source of protein (Melinda A. Zeder, Documenting Domestication, University of California Press, Berkeley CA, 2006, pp257,258,265).
ReplyDeleteOf the many cultures that eat horse meat today, Mexico, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Poland and China, where horse meat is eaten without a second thought, consume the most. Combined, China, Mexico, Russia, Italy and Kazakyhstah eat 54,000 tons annually, while Mexico, China and Kazakhstan produce 380,000 tons.
The consumption of horse meat continued throughout the Middle Ages until modern times, despite a papal ban on horse meat in 732. Horse meat was also eaten as part of Germanic pagan religious ceremonies in Northern Europe particularly ceremonies associated with worship.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spaniards, followed by other European settlers, brought horses to the Americas, of which some became feral, and began to be hunted by the indigenous Pehuenche people of Chile and Argentina. Initially, early humans hunted horses as they did other game; later, they began to raise them for meat, milk and transport. The meat was, and still is, preserved by being sun-dried in the high Andes into a product known as charqui.
During the Siege of Paris in the late 1800s, horse meat, along with the meat of donkeys and mules, was eaten by anyone who could afford it, partly because of a shortage of fresh meat in the blockaded city, and also because horses were eating grain that was needed by the human populace. Though large numbers of horses were in Paris (estimates suggested between 65,000 and 70,000 were butchered and eaten during the siege), the supply was ultimately limited, and if the circumstances had not changed, horses would have disappeared from the region.
In addition, hunger during World War II led to horses being eaten, as has happened in numerous places around the world when food is scarce.
Despite the general Anglophone taboo, horse and donkey meat was eaten in Britain, especially in Yorkshire, until the 1930s. Today, Switzerland exports foods, such as horse meat pasta meals that contain horse meat instead of beef. On the other hand, in the U.S. and the U.K., eating horse meat is reviled. A 2007 Time Magazine article about horse meat brought to the United States from Canada described the meat as a sweet, rich, super-lean, oddly soft meat, and closer to beef than to venison.
The comment above: “Now since the Lamanites ate beasts they caught in the wilderness, and during the constant wars among themselves that lasted for decades after the Nephites were annihilated, it would seem likely that anything edible was consumed by the Lamanites who never grew or herded any animals of which we are aware,” seems like a reasonable statement of possible scenarios regarding the disappearance of horses in the Americas prior to the arrival of the Europeans.