Scriptural repetition -- Book of Mormon examples 1

I introduced this topic in my previous post, citing heavily from a paper by Alan Goff. It has made me think of other previous posts on this blog giving examples of such "types of repetition and shadows of history" in the Book of Mormon that perhaps have not been framed in this context. Consider for instance:

• The first and second Moses. People as types is common in the Old Testament and ancient Hebrew tradition. It is clear to me that the Book of Mormon authors follow that same tradition. Here is another example.
• Think about the times when the tree of life from the Garden of Eden shows up again in visions and teachings. There are several blog posts discussing this topic
• Many allusions to the creation account are made in the Book of Mormon. See here, here, here and here. In many cases, "creator of heaven and earth" or similar phrase is used. This is a good example of metalepsis that I introduced in the previous post. By quoting a key phrase you invoke the entire previous story or concept. 
• Another good example of metalepsis are the references to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, invoked by "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" and "keep my commandments and ye shall prosper in the land", respectively.
• Lord Wilmore has identified several theological patterns, like the office of the ministry of angels, crying out for mercy and finding it through Jesus Christ and sermons with specific, repeated and consistent doctrinal teachings (that he has labeled "the sermon").
• The Book of Ether is a miniature Book of Mormon within the Book of Mormon: The rise and fall of a nation in the promised land. Moroni compiles the story on the Jaredite plates, including their fall, which undoubtedly reminds him of the fall he has just witnessed among his own people. This post also points out the common roots in Babel/Babylon and this post shows how both journeys are related to the number 8 symbolism.
• The exodus out of Egypt and to the promised land is a type and shadow of the latter-day gathering of Israel, our modern day exodus out of sin and into Zion. See this post. Isaiah also plays a lot on that imagery.

And so we could go on. But in addition to what has been written already, I can think of several other examples. Here are a couple and I will also save some for the next post:

Alma and Samuel

Alma's first attempt to preach the gospel in Ammonihah results in him being cast out. We read about it in Alma 8. He is about to give up and move on, but an angel stops him and asks him to go back. Alma is obedient, finds another entrance to the city, meets Amulek, and the rest is history as we say. Had this not happened, we would not have the subsequent chapters in the Book of Mormon.

This story is echoed 75 years later. Samuel the Lamanite attempts to preach the gospel in Zarahemla but is cast out. (Cast out becomes a major theme in both of these two stories). "He was about to return to his own land" (Helaman 13:2) but the voice of the Lord told him to go back to Zarahemla. He was obedient and creative finding his way into the city climbing the city wall. Had this not happened we would not have the subsequent chapters in the Book of Mormon. 

In both stories, the people are wicked and God needs to give them a warning. The warning is an echo of many Old Testament prophets: "Repent or be destroyed". The people don't (except a few that are cast out) and the cities are both destroyed some time later (see Alma 16 and 3 Nephi 8).

Was Joseph Smith running out of ideas here, just drawing on a previous narrative? So the critics would probably claim but the argument is too shallow in my opinion. The differences between the stories display more originality than the similarities display lack thereof. I will try to explain: The similarities are found in the main outline of the stories. The differences are found in the sermons. If we compare Alma and Amulek's sermons in Alma 11-13 with Samuel's sermon in Helaman 13-15, they are very different. Of course, they talk about Christ's atonement, repentance and the plan of salvation, as one would expect from any Christian sermon, but the approaches and detailed contents are very different. After an explanation of the Nephite monetary system in Alma 11, Alma goes back to the Garden of Eden to lay the groundwork for an explanation of the ministry of angels, including the ancient High Priestly role and the Hebrew concept of rest in Alma 12-13. Samuel prophesies of the signs of Christ's birth and death in Helaman 14 and addresses the Nephite/Lamanite tension in Helaman 15. 

Reading only the sermon part of these two stories, one would not see any parallels whatsoever. And that is my point: The sermons with all their detailed prophecies and expansions of doctrine make up the vast majority of these chapters. In other words, Joseph could easily have left out the story of being cast out and returning in at least one of the accounts to avoid displaying his lack of creativity without losing much of the text. For me, this points to an ancient text written by people who had a worldview similar to Israelites of old, where God's ways are "one eternal round" and history repeats itself, in different times and circumstances.

One might object to this notion by arguing that these were actual events regardless of the worldview of the authors. Obviously, I believe there was a real Alma and a real Samuel, who were both cast out and asked to return to warn the people. This fact is independent of the worldview of the people who wrote down the stories. So I view this as confirmation that God in fact does deal with his children in certain ways following distinct patterns. But I do believe that the authors recognized that and that their worldview influenced how they recorded it. They were eager to identify and point the reader to these patterns because they witnessed of God's hand.

The dramatic conversion of Lamanite kings

I have not thought much about it before, but anybody who reads Book of Mormon will notice that King Lamoni and his father both faint as part of a rather dramatic conversion to the Lord. This is a very specific example of the old rabbinic saying, "what happens to the father, happens to the son". But in this story, the order is reversed. It happens to the son first and then the father. I don't know if there is any significance in that, but it marks some sort of shift/reversal with the Lamanites embracing the gospel.

The repetitive element is clear. A Nephite missionary stands in front of a king, who is ready and willing to listen and even says he is going to believe whatever they tell him. 

And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. (King Lamoni to Ammon in Alma 18:23)

And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold I will believe. (King Lamoni's father to Ammon's brother in Alma 22:7)

After they have been taught the gospel, the cried unto the Lord in mighty prayer and fall to the ground as if they are dead. Again, the circumstances are different, what happens next is different, but this particular pattern is repeated in both events, for son and father.

What are we to make of it? I am not exactly sure but later in Alma, Mormon inserts a comment after Ammon has had a similar experience.

16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.
17 Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.
18 Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness. (Alma 27)

This passage contains two examples of internally consistent references. "The place of which has been spoke" in verse 16 refers back to Alma 17:1. Alma 17-27 consist of a long flashback and now we are back at the starting point. "Fell again to the earth" in verse 17 is also a very subtle example of internal consistency. There is no other mention of Ammon falling to earth in Alma 27. We need to go all the way back to Alma 19 when he taught King Lamoni.

Now Ammon seeing the Spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God because of their iniquities and their traditions, he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth. (Alma 19:14)

This reference ties Ammon's second falling to the earth to his first in the king's palace so that Mormon links his comment also to the conversion of the Lamanite kings. But as Ammon fell to the earth, both the first and the second time, he was a faithful missionary with much gospel knowledge unlike the Lamanite kings who had barely heard about God. But they all experienced this same joy. Perhaps the lesson is that no matter our circumstances and knowledge of the gospel, whether we are recent converts or lifelong members, we must be "truly penitent and humble seeker[s] of happiness". 

I will leave this post with these two new examples and give some more in the next post.