Continuing with the comments sent into the website regarding the
Mulekite-Jaredite-Olmec connection, we continue with our responses to the first
of these comments:
Continuing Comment: “If [this
Mulekite-Jaredite connection] were the case, it would explain the use of
Jaredite names and words among the Mulekites-something that Hugh Nibley
observed in his book "Lehi in the Wilderness and the World of the Jaredites"
Response: As for names: 1) Ammon who was sent by Mosiah to find
out about those who went back to the city of Lehi-Nephi was a descendant of
Zarahemla (Mosiah 7:2-3,13); however, there is no suggestion that the name
Ammon was just Jaredite since the name was an ancient Egyptian one as well. Amon
was the name of an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty and also an
Egyptian god (Amun, Amon, Ammon, Hammon. A local deity of Thebes (21st
century BC)-later replaced Monthu and later ascended with the Sun god, Ra, as
Amun-Ra, and since other Egyptian names appear in the Nephite record, we cannot
claim Ammon was strictly Jaredite. 2) Coriantumr, a Nephite defector, was a
descendant of Zarahemla (Helaman 1:15). The first Coriantumr was the son of Omer (Ether
8:4) and the second was a contemporary with Ether (Ether 12:1) and the last
Jaredite alive (Ether 15:30), in both cases, the name comes from the Jaredite.
However, both Shiblon and Coriantumr, while not Hebrew or Egyptian, have their
origin in some Semitic language related to Hebrew. At the Symposium on
Archaeology of the Scriptures held at BYU in 1977, it was shown that both Shiblon
and Coriantumr were names related to Semitic words meaning lion cub or jaguar
cub, shibl- being an Arabic
root with that meaning and corian- being
related to the Hebrew gurrion, which
means the same thing. Shibl- may
also be the root of the monetary unit, shiblon,
mentioned in Alma 11:15–16, 19. Again, there is no
single suggestion as to where the name Coriantumr, given to a Nephite, came
from—it could have been from the Jaredite record, or from the Semitic language
mentioned. It would seem strange, though, for the Nephites to take a Jaredite
name to use to name one of their monetary coins.
Continuing Comment: “It
[this connection] may explain the tradition of secret combinations among the
Mulekites, as well as the traditional use of jade.
Jade
comes from either Nephrite or Jadeite. Left: Unworked jade; Right: A Mayan Jade
tablet
Response: We know of no secret combinations among the Mulekites. While
there may well have been some, they are not singled out in the scriptural
record as they are for the Jaredites (Ether 8:9,18; Alma 37:21-25), and for the
Nephites (Helaman 2:4,8; Mormon 8:27). As for jade, it was probably the most
precious stone for ancient Mesoamerican people, and next to emery, the hardest
mineral known to them. The Mayan held jade in even higher esteem than gold,
probably because it was very scarce and had to be imported from the area now
known as Guatemala. However, jade, green ore, or any ore other than gold,
silver or copper, is never mentioned in the scriptural record, which might lead
one to ask why, if it was the most important ore in the Land of Promise. It
seems quite a reach to try and link the Book of Mormon Land of Promise with
Mesoamerica through the use of jade. Obviously, there is no connection between
the Mulekites and either secret combinations or jade.
Continuing Comment: “If we
assume that the Olmec era peoples, who valued jade above gold, then this would
explain its use and value among the natives of Costa Rica 500 years later.”
Response: What prompted Costa Rica to use jade in no way can be
linked to the Book of Mormon, where jade is never mentioned or even implied. In
addition, it should show the Olmec were not connected with the Book of Mormon,
since no people in the scriptural record are shown to have held some precious
stones above gold, silver and copper. Even brass, steel and iron and
mentioned—but no jade, green ore, or anything more valuable than gold. In fact, Ether
measured the Jaredite wealth in terms of buildings, gold, silver, grain, flocks
and herds (Ether 10:12).
Continuing Comment: “It [this
connection] may also explain the rapid rise of Nehorism among the Nephites, for
this religious philosophy certainly smells of Jaredite apostasy.”
Response: False prophets are not unique to the Jaredites, whose
prophets, by the way, we know almost nothing about other than there were many
and were treated much the same as Jewish and Nephite prophets later (Ether
7:23; 8:25; 9:28-29; 11:1-2,12). However, men going among the people and
teaching false doctrine can be found periodically among the Nephites, beginning
with (left) Sherem (Jacob 7:1-2), some 400 years before Nehor and any Jaredite
contact. We also know that there were many “lawyers, and
judges, and priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor” (Alma
14:18), who questioned Alma and Amulek in prison. These men had been blinded by
the lawyer Zeesrom (Alma 14:6) among others, and were not related in any way to
Nehor—only to his priestcraft philosophy. The killing of Nehor did not put an
end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land, “for there were many who
loved the vain things of the world.” The rapid rise of priestcraft (Nehorism) was
not due to anything Jaredite, but “there were many who loved the vain things of
the world and they went forth preaching false doctrines for the sake of riches
and honor” (Alma 1:16). Since all men are in a carnal state (Alma 41:11), we
cannot lay the blame for priestcraft solely upon the Jaredites, nor the start
of evil upon them, but the same is true of all men who have not the spirit of God in
their lives.
Continuing Comment: “It [this
connection] may explain the use of elevated stands for religious worship
(rameumptom).
Response: Using this logic, we would have to say that the early
ministers and priests were of the Order of Nehor, and following the Jaredite
nature of apostasy as they preached form their elevated pulpits.
High pulpits were
the norm in early churches, where the speaker had to climb stairs to get to the
podium area from which he preaches his sermon. This was found in all faiths, in
all countries, and through several centuries
Continuing
comment: “The Jaredites (assuming that they
were Olmec) used highly stylized and symbolic decorations and designs on their
buildings and monuments. These designs are not in any way Hebraic, but closely
resemble far eastern oriental design as Paul Shao has clearly demonstrated.”
Response: First of all, Paul Shao,
a professor of Architecture at Iowa State University, despite his work being
entitled “The Origin of Ancient American
Cultures,” did all his work in Mesoamerica—not in Central America, South or
North America. Kind of hard to single out a small area and claim it was
originated or had eastern originations. In addition, Shao attended the Great
China Art College where he earned a Masters, and had an interest in typing
Chinese anthropology to that of the Western Hemisphere, having published before
this work one entitled Asiatic Influences
in Pre-Columbian American Art. Secondly, we cannot assume the Jaredites
were Olmerc. Nor can we say that Olmec designs on buildings show anything
Jaredite, or draw any conclusions from such designs. We only know that through
heavy taxes, Riplakish build many spacious buildings (Ether 10:5), that
Morianton built many buildings and cities (Ether 10:12), but nowhere is there
any suggestion to design, stylized or not, in the scriptural record.
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