Book of Mormon: Unities
The Book of Mormon > Unities
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Contents
Four principal authors
The Book of Mormon differs from the Bible in that it was written mostly as a single whole by a limited number of authors. The Bible, in contrast, was written at many times by many people long before it was ever collected into a single whole.
Most of the Book of Mormon was written in its final form by just four people: Nephi, Jacob, Mormon and Moroni.
When Nephi wants to prophecy, he usually does so by quoting Isaiah. When Jacob wants to prophecy, he quotes Zenos. Mormon's primary vehicle for teaching in Mosiah through Mormon is Nephite history. And Moroni uses Jaredite history as his vehicle.
Four principal characters in Nephi's Isaiah quotes are Zion, Babylon, Assyria and Egypt. Zion is the Lord's people, represented in Nephite history by the church. Babylon is the worldly world and its attractions, represented in Nephi's vision as the great and spacious building, and in Mormon's account of Nephite history by the rich and proud portion of the prosperity cycle. Isaiah describes Assyria as a feared expansionist power that poses a constant threat of destruction to the Lord's people. In Nephite history this would be the Lamanite nation. Isaiah describes Egypt as a countervailing power that Israel looks to for protection, represented in Nephite history by the Nephite nation. So there is a great deal of similarity between Nephi and Mormon. Nephi quotes and explains Isaiah, while Mormon illustrates what the bi-polar world described by Isaiah looks like when applied to another time and place.
Mormon's writings in Mosiah-Mormon primarily track religious leaders and are often concerned with the conversion and salvation of individuals. Ether in contrast primarily tracks political leaders and is concerned only with the salvation or destruction of society as a whole.
Government and secret combinations
A principal message of Mosiah is that governments sometimes abuse those to whom it is not accountable. In the opening division King Benjamin is presented as an ideal king. In the middle division Noah is presented as the exact opposite. In the closing division Mosiah II explains that an unaccountable monarchy would be great if all kings were as good as his father Benjamin, but since some kings are as bad as Noah, it is better for government to be accountable through voting or democracy.
A principal messages of Alma 45-63 is that democratic governments also have a weakness. A democracy can become paralyzed when you and your neighbor disagree and the government is accountable to both of you. Mormon makes a point of explanation how dangerous it was for dissensions to arise in the context of a foreign war. And it is only after the king men are dealt with that the Nephites again begin to be victorious.
Helaman - 3 Nephi 9 explains another threat to democracy, namely secret combinations. The Lord clearly explains that it is the secret combinations that have caused the downfall of the people.
Ether cautions that transitioning from democracy to monarchy, or in other words giving up government accountability, will not automatically solve the problem of secret combinations. Ether recounts how secret combinations cause the destruction of monarchical Jaredite society not just once, but three times.
Footnotes
Additional resources
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