Settling the Land of Promise: Part II The Jaredites (Cont)

Continued from the previous post, regarding the settling of the Land of Promise by the Jaredites. In ending the previous post with the understanding that the Jaredites never settled in the Land Southward, nor moved into that land other than briefly to hunt (Ether 10:21), we should keep in mind that any Land of Promise location presented by theorists should not have their history of the Jaredites in their Land Southward.

Mesoamerica Land of Promise map showing that the Olmec were settled in the Land Southward with La Venta, one of their largest and most important Olmec sites

However, in Mesoamerica, theorists placing their narrow neck of land at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and claiming the ancient Olmec culture as being the Jaredites, is in error, for the Olmec settled in their Land Southward, and had considerable influence in that Land Southward, despite Ether and Moroni both telling us they did not settle in the Land Southward. In fact, that influence stretched westward to southern Mexico and eastward to Tobasco, and south all along the Pacific Coast through Guatemala and into El Salvador. Obviously, this would be in opposition to the scriptural record, and should in and of itself, disqualify Mesoamerica as the Land of Promise.
    Consequently, from the writings of Ether and Moroni’s abridgement of that work, we can be assured that the Jaredites did not frequent the Land Southward, did not build or settle in the Land Southward, and did not intermarry or interact with the Nephites, Mulekites or Lamanites who were in the Land Southward. And by the time the Nephites reached the Land Northward, around the end of the third century BC, there were no Jaredites left upon the land. How do we know this? Because Ether and Moroni tell us that, and Limhi’s 42-man expedition reinforces that having seen the destroyed Jaredite nation, with their numerous buildings in array and the remains of their rusted swords and copper and brass breastplates, prior to 130 BC (Omni 1:22), and probably closer to 150 BC or earlier.
    In fact, even Sorenson recognizes the early demise of the Jaredite kingdom, claiming “The final destruction of the Jaredite ruling line could have been as early as 580 BC or  late as 400 BC…I believe a date toward the earlier end of that span is preferable. The archaeological record is now quite settled on about 550 BC for the end…” (Ibid, p119).
    In addition, for those who want to claim that the promise to Coriantumr and the battle he waged was only regarding his household and a small portion of the Jaredite kingdom, we should keep in mind, that long before the war was ended with the death of Shiz at Coriantumr’s hand (Ether 15:30), there is an instance where Coriantumr, recovering from his wounds after a severe battle, “began to remember the words which Ether had spoken unto him” (Ether 15:1). Now, at this time, “There had been slain by the sword already nearly two millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children” (Ether 15:2, emphasis added), a number between three and four million once adding in these women and children.

Now, there is no way for it to be possible these were only Coriantumr’s household. That number, when adding in the people of Shiz who had died in these battles, would probably come to around five or six million, with still many hundreds of thousands remaining to fight the last series of battles. Obviously, these numbers would have included the entire Jaredite nation, not merely Coriantumr’s household and a small or minor group of Jaredites.
    Despite the clear and specific language of Ether that “all the people” in “all the land” were involved in the last battles which ended with only two men, Coriantumr and Shiz remaining alive (other than Ether) before Coriantumr killed Shiz, Hugh Nibley stated forcefully, that “many latter-day Saints had oversimplified how complete the destruction of the Jaredites was” (Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, Bookcraft, Salt Lake City 1952, pp238-247).
    According to Sorenson on this matter, “evidence is persuasive that certain Jaredite elements persisted into Mulekite and Nephite times…there is really no question about it” (John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, 1985, p119). Of course the reason for these claims is quite simple. In Mesoamerica, where both men thought the Land of Promise was located, the Olmec culture is claimed to have preceded the Maya, or Nephite, culture and needed to be accounted for by the theorist as being the Jaredites. In fact, Sorenson makes this quite clear, stating: “Jaredite contributions to the later peoples were substantial, in just about the manner and degree we have the Olmec tradition continuing into the post-Olmec era” (Ibid, pp119-120).
    However, we need to keep in mind that “Coriantumr was king over all the land” (Ether 12:1, emphasis added), and when he went to battle, he took all the people with him who were not aligned with Shiz. “And Coriantumr had taken all the people with him as he fled before Lib” (Ether 14:15); and also “And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether” (Ether 15:12). And finally, “When they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz…” (Ether 15:29).
    Obviously, the people of all the land would have been involved. That is, there was only one king, and that was Coriantumr, and his subjects were all the people, other than those who had broken out in open rebellion, thus Ether wrote: “And it came to pass that Ether did behold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz” (Ether 15:13).

There is no question that all the Jaredites in all the land were involved in this last, great battle, for both Ether and Moroni tell us exactly that: “And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether…wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive…when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men women and children being armed with weapons of war, having shields, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not” (Ether 15:12,14-15).
    For those who want to claim that Ether going out at night to investigate what had happened that day, and claiming the area must have been small in which they fought, and thus a small amount of people were involved, quote the following: “he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people. And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of his record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night” (Ether 13:13-14). However, these theorists should keep in mind that the Lord often shows to his prophets a much different view of events than the rest of us have.
    Lehi, who had many things which he saw in visions and in dreams (1 Nephi 1:16), also: “being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God” (1 Nephi 1:8); and Nephi, desiring to know what his father had seen, though being in the desert more than 100 miles away, “I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white” (1 Nephi 11:13); and also “I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle one against the other, and I beheld wars, and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my people” (1 Nephi 12:2); and also: “the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms” (1 Nephi 13:1).

There is no question that the Lord creates imagery that produces the point He wants His prophet to understand. As Nephi said, “as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot” (1 Nephi 11:1). Thus, when the Lord told Ether to go out at night and discover what had taken place among the Jaredites so he could write about it, there is no question that though he physically could not see everything over several miles of battlefield, he could easily and directly he shown by the Lord what had taken place.
    “And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them. (Ether 15:33). To make sure Ether understood the gravity of the events, he had him go out and see firsthand what was near to create in his mind the understanding desired and needed.
(See the next post, “Settling the Land of Promise: Part II Nephites / Lamanites, for additional information about the settling of the Land of Promise)