Mosiah 25-28

APRIL/MAY READING

April 9—Mosiah 29, Alma 1-4
April 16—Alma 5-7
April 23—Alam 8-12
April 30—Alma 13-16
May 7—Alma 17-22 (final class)


MOSIAH

https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/how-was-mosiah-a-type-of-christ

“While it is not possible to determine absolutely the origin of the name Mosiah, or whether Mosiah was the given name or title of these two Nephite leaders, it is not at all implausible to see it as deriving
from the Hebrew word môšiaʿ. In fact, in the absence of any better alternate propositions, this appears to be the strongest theory.
This is strengthened by the fact that the name Mosiah being derived
from môšiaʿ would have had significance for the Nephites.The two Book of Mormon Mosiahs share all of the characteristics common to those who bear this name or title.”
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/how-was-mosiah-a-type-of-christ

1.The môšiac is a victorious hero appointed by God.
2. He liberates a chosen people from oppression, controversy, and unjustice after they cry out for help.
3.Their deliverance is usually accomplished by means of a nonviolent escape or negotiation.
4.The immediate result of the coming of a môšiac was “escape from unjustice, and a return to a state of justice where each man possesses his rightful property.”
5. On a larger scale,“final victory means the coming of môšicim [plural, pronounced moe-shee-eem] to rule like Judges over Israel.”

“Thus, in several respects, the Book of Mormon usage of this term is quite remarkable, meaningful, and wholly consistent with Hebrew usage.”

What Was a “Mosiah?” John W.Welch, https://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/
pub=1110&index=28


MULEK AND HIS PEOPLE 

Omni 12-19
Helaman 8:21
Helaman 6:10
Mosiah 1:10


“NEXT MORMONS”

“We used to keep about 75 percent of members,” she said.“For millennials, it’s about 46 percent, or less than half.”

A healthy religion needs to be both “firm and elastic,” Riess said.“You want to stay apace of the times without compromising what you consider to be your vital integrity as a faith.”
Is she optimistic that Mormonism can manage that?
Yes, Riess said. On good days.

Jana Riess, https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/02/25/coffee-gay-issues/


ALMA THE YOUNGER

“Language is not limited to the words we use; it also entails signs, symbols, and bodily gestures that are imbued with meaning by the cultures that produced them. As with spoken language, symbolic and gestural languages are culturally specific and can be fully understood only by those entrenched within that particular culture.”

“The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi appears to have understood this concept and noted that the Lord “speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3).This is echoed in modern revelation, as Doctrine and Covenants 1:24 declares: “Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.” More recently, the late LDS apostle Marion G. Romney reaffirmed, “Revelation comes to men in an unlimited number of ways.”

“Lehi’s prophetic calling fits within the historical context of preexilic Israel.This is to be expected, as Lehi had his vision while he was yet at Jerusalem, which spurred his flight into the desert a decade prior to the Babylonian captivity.
Unlike Lehi, later prophets in the Book of Mormon–those grounded firmly in the New World–did not receive their commissions according to this ancient Near Eastern pattern; rather, their calls conform to a pattern that can be detected in ancient Mesoamerica. Elements of this pattern can be seen throughout the Book of Mormon in the accounts of individuals who are overcome by the Spirit to the point that they fall to the earth as if dead and ultimately recover and through that process become spiritually reborn and subsequently prophesy concerning Jesus Christ.This process may seem foreign to modern readers, and indeed it should, since it is not part of our “cultural language” and its deeper meaning is lost in translation. But to the Nephites, living in an ancient Mesoamerican setting, falling to the earth as if dead is pregnant with meaning. Modern Western culture would classify such episodes as near-death experiences, but an examination of the specific cultural context in which the Book of Mormon events likely took place provides a more nuanced understanding of this obscure practice.”

Ethnographic work among traditional societies has shown that holy men of various types commonly receive their calling [in] near-death experiences. Divine election occurs within a context of some physical or emotional crisis, such as a severe, chronic, or life-threatening sickness. While in this state they have a vivid dream where the individual is [taught] by a spirit being, such as an angel.The healing process is often aided by the prayers and ritual actions of [others] on behalf of the critically ill individuals. Once recovered, the newly called possess a power and authority that is recognized by the members of their community because of their shared cultural language. During the initiatory dream vision the individual may experience temporary insanity or unconsciousness,” and it is through this near-death experience that he or she is reborn as a person with power and knowledge.
The Book of Mormon similarly describes individuals who fall to the earth as if dead and then recover and become healers. Beyond the examples where physical infirmities are removed, the Book of Mormon also provides numerous examples of individuals who are spiritually healed. It would be a mistake to place physical and spiritual healing in separate categories; the two concepts are equated in LDS canon and in the ancient mind.

“The hierophanies (divine manifestations) recorded in LDS canon directly reflect the unique cultural background of the individuals who witnessed them. By examining the cultural context in which such manifestations occur, modern readers can obtain a greater understanding of the revelatory process recounted in these texts. Modern Latter-day Saints believe in continuing revelation, collectively and individually, and cultural context continues to influence the manner in which divine manifestations are received by individuals entrenched within the various cultures that comprise the worldwide church.”

Mark Alan Wright, ”According to Their Language, unto Their Understanding":
The Cultural Context of Hierophanies and Theophanies in Latter-day Saint Canon
https://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1471&index=4