Jacob 7--Words of Mormon

FEBRUARY READING

February 19—Omni 12-30, Mosiah 1-3
February 26--Mosiah 4-6
 
SHEREM

• “came among the people of Nephi”
• opposed the teachings of Jacob and sought out a confrontation with Jacob
• does not appear to be a complete outsider as he called Jacob “brother;” was not a close relative because it took much to speak with Jacob
• intelligent, eloquent, persuasive—abilities that link him to the educated people in the city of Nephi, probably the royal group controlled by the kings who succeed Nephi (may have been a Zoramite because of his understanding of the Jewish legal system)
• used flattery to overthrow the doctrine of Christ led many people away
• accused Jacob of blasphemy, causing public apostasy and false prophecy (in Jewish law these are capital offenses punishable by death)
• asked for a sign 
• died

“Modestly, Jacob did not include in the record further details about what he said to refute Sherem’s theories—for example, casting doubt on Sherem’s interpretation of the legal terms he had used, showing how confused his ideas were, rebutting him with scriptures regarding the coming of the Messiah, withstanding him with contrary testimony and perhaps an oath (“they truly testify of Christ,” v. 11), or causing him to become ashamed and embarrassed. These outcomes are all possible within the meanings of the
possible Hebrew words behind the English word confound, a word often used in the Old Testament to describe the confusion, reproach, dismay, and shame suffered by people when their errors are exposed.”

John Welch, https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/the-legal-cases-in-the-book-of-mormon/
 
“Sherem’s conduct requesting Jacob to produce divine evidence was not a casual case of idle sign seeking, but rather followed a significant rule of ancient Israelite jurisprudence.
Divine evidence manifested the will of God in the matter, revealing a powerful dose of divine justice. Such evidence or divine justice was sought in ancient courts, especially when a sole defendant (such as Jacob) insisted upon his innocence but the plaintiff’s evidence had come up lacking (as had Sherem’s).
[Historical] texts show that seeking oracular signs would have been a likely, if not the only, legal strategy open to Sherem since his suit had quickly arrived at a standoff with his accusations on the one hand and Jacob’s denial and rebuttal on the other.With no other witnesses that could be called to testify on the matter, Sherem did perhaps the only thing he could do by moving that the case be submitted to God’s judgment when he asked,“Show me a
sign” (Jacob 7:13).

John Welch, https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/the-legal-cases-in-the-book-of-mormon/
 
“The outcome of Sherem’s case provided a landmark in Nephite history. It effectively decided that the priests (and not the rulers in the palace or men in the general population) would have power in the city of Nephi to interpret the law. Coming during the crucial early years of the establishment of the Nephite monarchy and religious observances, this case validated the messianic teachings of Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob, and it strengthened the role of the prophets, temple priests, and consecrated teachers in construing the law.The outcome of Sherem’s case validated the authority of the prophetic office and tradition, which had in fact come under attack and had been rejected already by some Nephites during Jacob’s lifetime (Jacob 6:8).
It also opened the way for faithful Nephite leaders to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without the threat of legal complications or contentions. No wonder Jacob chose to conclude his book with the case of Sherem. This account not only places a seal of divine ratification on Jacob’s entire life and ministry but it also introduces the period that follows in Nephite civilization.”

John Welch, https://publications.mi.byu.edu/book/the-legal-cases-in-the-book-of-mormon/

ENOS

Dennis Largely outlines nine principles clearly taught in the story of Enos: To all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people—Jesus is the Christ Forgiveness sometimes requires a “wrestle before God”

• Forgiveness comes through faith in Jesus Christ
• Removal of sin must precede removal of guilt
• Charity and good works follow true conversion
• Revelation
• The Lord visits us according to our diligence in keeping the commandments
• The Lord keeps his covenants
• Parents in Zion need to teach the gospel to their children

Dennis Largely, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/enos-his-mission-and-his-message
         
JACOB TO MOSIAH

• There are 28 pages from Jacob to Mosiah
• Those pages cover 421 years of the 1021 total years in the Book of Mormon
• They cover 41% of the entire time period (on less than 6% of the total pages of the book)
• Seventy-five percent of these pages contain preaching that was sacred, revelation that was great or prophesying

BOOK OF MORMON TRANSLATION AND PUBLICATION

• With Oliver as scribe, the entire Book was translated in a three-month period between April and June at a rate of about eight printed pages per day.
• Joseph dictated the words one time through, beginning at the book of Mosiah and continuing through Moroni, then returning to translate the small plates.
• Joseph generally translated by putting a seer stone in his hat and then placing his face in the hat to block out the ambient light while he dictated to scribes.There is still no consensus among LDS scholars as to how the translation process worked.
• One remarkable finding of Skousen’s work is the frequent occurrence of vocabulary from Early Modern English.This older form of English, dating approximately from 1500 to 1700, is familiar enough from the language of the KJB; yet the vocabulary in the Book of Mormon is not simply lifted from the KJB. Many of the meanings in the Book of Mormon predate the publication of the KJB.
• Only about twenty-eight percent of the original manuscript (OM) has survived. Joseph placed it in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo store, where over time it became water and mold damaged.
• After having lost the 116 pages, Joseph had Oliver make a copy for printing (known as the printers manuscript (PM)).This copy is completely intact and is owned by the Reorganized Church, now known as the Community of Christ.  
• Working backwards from the PM (one-sixth of which was typeset directly from the OM when Oliver fell behind in his copying), as well as other early editions, it is possible to reconstruct in large degree the original text.
• Joseph edited the text (mostly grammar and punctuation) on several occasions and between publications.
• The current edition, from 1981, restored several dozen readings from the manuscripts, with a few changes in spelling and punctuation being added in 2013.

     
“The narrative and complexity and coherence of the Book of Mormon offer some of the strongest evidences of its historicity and miraculous translation. As we learn to read this sacred text as carefully as possible, with detailed attention to language, structure, and historical context, its message of salvation through Jesus Christ will become more compelling and its lessons for life more clear.”

Grant Hardy, Maxwell Institute Study Edition of The Book of Mormon