• No Other People in The Land of Promise
According to the scriptural record the Land of Promise was empty of all people when Lehi arrived except for Coriantumr, the last surviving Jaredite eventually wandered into the camp of the Mulekites at Zarahemla. There were no other people and the Lord promised Lehi it would remain that way as long as they were righteous. Lehi makes this plainly clear as he addressed his children and grandchildren before his death.
Said he: “And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Nephi 1:8).
From the very beginning, the Lord told Nephi that he “shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands” (1 Nephi 2:20). The Lord had also made it clear to Lehi that this Land of Promise was to be for him (1 Nephi 5:5) and his posterity—a person’s children and descendants (2 Nephi 1:5) often called “seed” in scripture.
Lehi and his family and household as well as that of Ishmael were eventually led into the Land of Promise by the hand of the Lord (1 Nephi 17:42), which they ultimately obtained (2 Nephi 1:3). Lehi states: “But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord” (2 Nephi 1:5).
We learn more on this empty land from the record of Ether when Moroni abridges the Jaredite history: “after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof” (Ether 13:2), meaning that no one had ever come to this land, this Land of Promise that had not been brought by the Lord, who also told Lehi that this Land of Promise would be kept from other people as stated above (2 Nephi 1:8).
As a result, Lehi prophesied that “I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord” (2 Nephi 1:6). Note the future tense language of those who would be brought at some point in the future from Lehi’s time: “This land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever” (2 Nephi 1:7).
Lehi prophesying to his family just before his death
Again, note the future tense: “whom the Lord shall bring,” referring to those who would arrive after Lehi, which would include the Mulekites who left Jerusalem within ten years after Lehi had left.
Now Lehi, having seen the future of his posterity in the Land of Promise adds: “Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever” (2 Nephi 1:9).
In all of this, it should be noted that Lehi was speaking in the future of his time. That up until he came, the land had been kept free from those who would be upon it in his time, that is, none were left of the Jaredites and no other people were in the land when he, Lehi, arrived.
• Roads and highways throughout the land
According to the disciple Nephi, “there were many highways cast up, and many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place” (3 Nephi 6:8). This should suggest that Nephi was not describing a few roads with limited access to areas, but that the entire land was covered with roads and highways. In 1828, the dictionary definition of “highway” was: A public road; a way open to all passengers; so called, either because it is a great or public road, or because the earth was raised to form a dry path. Highways open a communication from one city or town to another. The difference between road and highway is shown in a road; “a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface,” and highway, “a main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities.” Evidently, then, the Nephites had roads connecting settlements, villages, and small far-flung towns, while highways connected major towns and cities.
An ancient Peruvian road over 3700
miles long still used today
While there is no evidence of an ancient major roadway system in North America, the one in Mesoamerica was limited in scope and called a “sacbeob,” which meant the linear architectural features connecting communities throughout the Maya world. These functioned as roads, walkways, causeways, property lines, and dikes. The word sacbe translates to "white road" but clearly sacbeob had layers of additional meanings to the Maya, as mythological routes, pilgrimage pathways, and concrete markers of political or symbolic connections between city centers. Some sacbeob are mythological, subterranean routes and some trace celestial pathways; evidence for these roadways are reported in Maya myths and colonial records.
The longest Maya road known is the one that stretches 62 miles between the Maya centers of Cobá and Yaxuna on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, called the Yaxuna-Cobá causeway or Sacbe 1. Along Sacbe 1's east-west course are water holes (dzonot), steles with inscriptions and several small Maya communities. Its roadbed measures approximately 26 feet wide and typically 20 inches high, with various ramps and platforms alongside, with the earthen-filled roadbeds including some crudely cut facing stones (David D. Bolles and William J. Folan, “An analysis of roads listed in colonial dictionaries and their relevance to pre-hispanic linear features in the Yucatan peninsula,” Ancient Mesoamerica Vol.12, No.02, 2001, pp299-314).
The eastern route ran high in the mountains, through mountain valleys, from northern Ecuador to southern Chile and into Argentina. The western route followed the coastal plain except for where the deserts ran and then the road moved inland and hugged the foothills. More than twenty routes ran over the western mountains, while others traversed the eastern cordillera in the mountains and lowlands. Some of these roads reached heights of over 16,000 feet above sea level. The roads and highways connected the northern most modern city of Quito, in Ecuador, to the southern most modern city of Santiago in Chile, extending over almost 25,000 miles, providing access to over 1,200,000 square miles of territory. Some of these monumental roads were 66 feet wide—a modern highway has lanes 12-feet wide, with an outside paved shoulder of 10 feet and inside shoulder width of 4 feet, making a modern four-lane highway 60-feet wide, and a modern 4-lane freeway 82-feet wide.
When they came to impassable canyons and rushing rivers, they built rope bridges across the chasms. It was one of these rope bridges that Moroni threw the bodies of the Lamanites off of and into the river to clear the path across the bridge.
Of these roads, the 16th century historian, Pedro de Sousa Leona said: “I believe that since the beginning of mankind has there been such an example of the grandeur, as on this road that passes through deep valleys, majestic mountains, snowy heights, over waterfalls, through rock and scree around the edge of the monstrous chasms.” Another chronicler of the time wrote: “…one of the most remarkable structures in the world, recounted by the ancient authors, were not created with such effort and cost, as these roads.”
(See the next post, “Land of Promise Features that Cannot be Ignored—Where are they in Mesoamerica or the Heartland/Great Lakes? Part II,” for more scriptural record descriptions of the land of Promise that do not match Mesoamerica or the Heartland/Great Lakes)
What is the reference for Moroni throwing bodies off a bridge?
ReplyDeleteAlma clears the ground of bodies in Alma 2:34
"And thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west of the river Sidon, throwing the bodies of the Lamanites who had been slain into the waters of Sidon, that thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites on the west side of the river Sidon."
Later in Alma 44:22 Moroni just puts the bodies in the river to essentially bury them at sea. But there's no mention there of needing to cross a bridge.
I'm probably missing the correct reference. Or is it an assumption that he cleared a bridge at some point?
The comparison was made in the article that there were no roads in North America, and limited roads in Mesoamerica, and extensive roads in South America. From there the comment went on to explain South America, and the introduction of rope bridges which existed to a large degree in the mountains of South America.
ReplyDeleteAnd since South American roads were far more extensive and seemed to match the scriptural reference better than others, it would have been one of these rope bridges that Moroni threw the bodies of the Lamanites off of and into the river to clear the path across the bridge.
This also seems borne out by the comment found in Alma 2:34. Of this, one should ask how and why was the bank of a river during the course of the battle lacking room for the Nephites to cross the river? The answer would be if there was a ford across at that point where the dead were bunched up in a singular location. Now fords are crossings of a river, and a rope bridge would have been one of the possibilities. In addition, a bridge is so narrow for a massive battle as described and Lamanites to flee before the Nephites would have been confined to a very narrow area as they tried to funnel into the bridge, leaving many without a chance to flee and easily cut down by the Nephites.
While this is obviously conjecture, it seems likely, certainly a workable solution. But again, thus was in describing roads and the differences in the three locations of roads built anciently.
Thanks for explaining. I admit, I had a little giggle thinking of one of the armies wanting to stop the advance of the other and cutting the ropes. "Ha! Let's see you get to us now!"
ReplyDelete"In all of this, it should be noted that Lehi was speaking in the future of his time. That up until he came, the land had been kept free from those who would be upon it in his time, that is, none were left of the Jaredites and no other people were in the land when he, Lehi, arrived."
ReplyDeleteWhen the record of the Jaredites was brought to Mosiah it was around 122 BC - I was under the impression that this wasn't long after Coriantumr was discovered alive and lived in Zarahemla for 9 months. This is 448 years after Lehi dies-- wouldn't it follow that much of the Jaredite history was taking place at the same time as the Nephite history?
It is not absolutely certain at what point in their history the Mulekites actually found Coriantumr. The stone with a history of him was translated by Mosiah sometime after 225 BC, but the statement that Coriantumr was among the Mulekites for nine months most like was recounting an event long before that time-- probably around the time they first came to Zarahemla.
ReplyDelete20 And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah, there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God.
21 And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.
--Omni 1