Thursday, November 25, 2021

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 2b -- The (second half of the) Big Picture

This post will continue detailing five additional examples of the "endowment pattern" I am describing in this series. By the end of this post, I hope you will be convinced that there is a pattern. Future posts will detail the deeper meaning of the pattern.  

Please read part 1 and part 2a if you haven't already. I will discuss the significance and possible symbolic significance of each symbol in future posts. I will also outline how this pattern fits a pattern we also see in the accounts of Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Moses.

As a side note -- The first two examples given below are variants of the main pattern. I'll explain more about this in a future post. I believe there is a purpose for these stories, and the contrast between the two accounts helps teach an important spiritual lessons. This is a technique frequently employed by Mormon, as detailed in a recent series of posts (here, here, and here).

Let's get into the details for the five additional examples:


Limhi


DetailLimhi (variant account -- no prophet among them)
1Warned to departBy Gideon and a consensus of the people (Mosiah 22: 1, 3)
2Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder"Bondage by the sword" (Mosiah 22:2)
3Bring all who would "hearken"/listenThe people prosper by hearkening to Gideon (Mosiah 22:3,9)
4Pass through a wildernessMosiah 22:2, 6, 8, 11-13
5"Many days"Mosiah 22:13
6TentsMosiah 22:2
7AnimalsMosiah 22:2, 6, 8, 10, 11
8Inherit a new landJoined Mosiah's people (Mosiah 22:13)
9New names---
10Obedience to the commandments of God---
11Abundance/Prosper---
12Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family memberNo prophet among them -- their king was a good man but not a prophet


Alma-1

DetailAlma-1 (double pattern)second pattern (escaping Amulon)
1Warned to departMosiah 23:1Mosiah 24:13
2Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder"wicked priests of King Noah would come upon them" (Mosiah 23:1)"persecution" Mosiah 24:8, see also verse 11
3Bring all who would "hearken"/listenMosiah 18:3---
4Pass through a wildernessMosiah 23:1Mosiah 24:20
5"Many days""eight days' journey" (Mosiah 23:3)"all day" Mosiah 24:20
6TentsMosiah 23:5Mosiah 24:20
7AnimalsMosiah 23:1Mosiah 24:18
8Inherit a new landMosiah 23:4"Valley of Alma" Mosiah 24:20
9New names(see Mosiah 18:10)Mosiah 24:20
10Obedience to the commandments of GodMosiah 23:18---
11Abundance/ProsperMosiah 23:19---
12Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family memberAlma-1 refused to be their kingAlma-1 refused to be their king


Additional Notes: There is a third mini-iteration of the pattern when Alma is warned by the Lord that the enemy is approaching and they "took their journey into the wilderness" for twelve days and traveled to Zarahemla



Anti-Nephi-Lehi


DetailAnti-Nephi Lehi
1Warned to departAlma 27:11-12
2Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murderAlma 27:2
3Bring all who would "hearken"/listen** (see Alma 27:14)
4Pass through a wildernessAlma 27:14
5"Many days"implied in Alma 27:15-25
6TentsAlma 27:25
7AnimalsAlma 27:14
8Inherit a new landAlma 27:22, 24
9New names"they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after." (Alma 27:26)
10Obedience to the commandments of God"perfectly honest and upright in all things" (Alma 27:27)
11Abundance/Prosper"a highly favored people of the Lord" (Alma 27:30)
12Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family memberLamoni -- ANL; also Ammon son of Mosiah



Jared


DetailJared
1Warned to departThe Lord commands them to gather and depart in Ether 1:40-41
2Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murderN/A (but the Lord was confounding and scattering the people because of the Tower of Babel
3Bring all who would "hearken"/listenFamilies and "friends" (Ether 1:37)
4Pass through a wilderness"the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been." (Ether 2:5)
5"Many days"four years (Ether 2:13-14)
6TentsEther 2:13
7Animals"of every kind" Ether 1:41; 6:4
8Inherit a new landEther 1:38, 42; 2:7-12, 15;
9New names---
10Obedience to the commandments of GodEther 6:17
11Abundance/ProsperEther 6:28
12Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family memberFirst prophet is BoJ; first king is his son Orihah


Additional notes: They are commanded to gather animals and grain "of every kind" (Ether 1:; see also Ether 2:3 "all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind."


Omer


DetailOmer - Emer -- Corinatumr
1Warned to departEther 9:3
2Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murderEther 9:1, 5
3Bring all who would "hearken"/listen"all his household but Jared" (Ether 9:3)
4Pass through a wildernessShim and Ablom; no definite wilderness
5"Many days"Ether 9:3
6TentsEther 9:3
7AnimalsEther 9:17-18
8Inherit a new land"a place which was called Ablom" (Ether 9:3)
9New names---
10Obedience to the commandments of GodEther 9:21
11Abundance/Prosper"All manner of ..." Ether 9:17-19; "Exceedingly rich" Ether 9:16
12Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family memberOmer -- Emer -- Coriantumr



Conclusion of this part


Between this post and part 2a, we have detailed eight examples of this same pattern. I hope you will take the time to read each account in this set of examples and notice how tight the pattern is.  It seems clear to me that the author of each of these accounts was intending to show that each of these groups were embarking on a new path and playing the role of Adam and Eve on their journey to a new land.

As I stated above, in the next part I'll begin detailing what these symbols mean and how they fit into a temple/covenant context.