Mysteries

As Lord Wilmore is posting about ancient cosmology and temple themes in Alma 12, among other things, my mind goes back to a scripture we have discussed before

9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12)

I want to focus on the word, mysteries, this time. It is found once in each of these three verses. Considering the temple themes in Alma 12-13, this quote from Hugh Nibley is interesting:

In a recent and rather sensational work, Morton Smith demonstrates at length that the word mystery, as used by the first Christians, usually refers to ordinances. He duly notes that Judaism itself was an ancient “mystery religion” in which the rites of circumcision and passover were “mysteries,” and that such early and orthodox Christian writers as Clement of Alexandria “think of Jesus as a ‘hierophant,’ a teacher of mysteries.” As Smith sums it up, “This was the mystery of the kingdom—the mystery rite by which the kingdom was entered,” i.e., the ordinances of initiation. (Hugh Nibley, “The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri”, 515)

It should be added that Morton Smith's work is disputed and scholars disagree about the possible meaning of "mysteries" in relation to ordinances. But I don't think the point is that "mystery" always refers to an ordinance, but that there is a clear relation and one possible meaning depending on context. At least it makes sense to me that the sacred ordinances anciently were viewed as mysteries of God that were only available for and understood by the faithful. In Greek, mystery (musterion) comes from mueo, which is related to initiatory rites. Of course the Nephites did not speak Greek but this relation might go back to the ancient Israelites as the quote indicates. In this context it makes sense that Alma goes on to talk about ordinances later in his sermon.

8 Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end...

16 Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord. (Alma 13)

A natural question to ask is then: If those who know the mysteries of God (like Alma) are strictly commanded to impart only a limited portion according to the heed and diligence of the recipient, why would Alma start lecturing the wicked Ammonihahites about these deeper temple themes? I think the answer is given in Matthew 13:

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

The Isaiah quote in verse 15 forms a chiastic pattern with heart, ears and eyes in that order before it is reversed. Even though Alma 12-13 can hardly be called a parable, it is a layered sermon. The plain language is for all to hear and the deeper covenant symbols, presumably only recognized by those among the listeners who were familiar with the temple theology, are reserved to those who had not hardened their hearts but instead opened their eyes and ears. King Benjamin talks about this

And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view. (Mosiah 2:9)

These words are spoken right after the description of the people gathering around the temple and as we know, the sermon ends with the people entering into a covenant and receiving a new name.

Nephi also talks about the mysteries of God. As he starts writing on the small plates, he is a middle-aged man reflecting back on his life. This is the very first verse of his account

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. (1 Nephi 1:1)

He even tells his readers how he first came to know the mysteries of God.

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. (1 Nephi 2:16)

In line with Alma's statement, Nephi had a soft heart and was therefore ready to learn about the mysteries of God ("he that will not harden his heart"). His great desires and crying unto the Lord triggered the process. Nephi later advises his readers to follow the same pattern.

18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. (1 Nephi 10)

We must seek diligently to have the mysteries of God unfolded unto us. Nephi is talking from experience. Again, this is in line with Alma's statement that the portion of God's mysteries we receive is in accordance with our diligence.

To me, this is related to the "forbidden to write" series. Because of the underlying principles for obtaining knowledge about the mysteries of God, sometimes the prophet can only say this much and then needs to stop. Other times, he will talk with layers of meaning, where only the diligent and initiated with open eyes, ears and hearts can pick up the deeper layers.

Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 3 (From tabernacle to temple)

Here are links to part 1 and part 2 of this series, where I have introduced the Hebrew concept of Shekinah, the presence/"dwelling place" of God's glory, that is typically found in the tabernacle and temple of Israel of old. I have also linked Lehi's tent to the tabernacle of Israel in the wilderness.

In this post, I will discuss a pattern that I admittedly do not fully understand. Whereas Lehi gets his revelations and enjoys the Shekinah in his tent, Nephi goes to the mountain. Let's first examine Lehi. This blog post states

The tabernacle in the wilderness serves as an allegory that Nephi draws upon. With this ancient connection established between Lehi and Moses, the verse, “And my Father dwelt in a Tent” takes on greater significance. In the world of Israel, this verse communicates that Lehi was a Tsadik (a holy or righteous one) who walked in the same pathway of the Holy Order, such as Moses, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, and Adam.  As he dwelt in a tent in the wilderness, he communed with God.  He received revelations, commandments, and decrees for his people...

Like ancient Israel camping in tents in the wilderness, a tsaddik or holy man would often be found living outside the bounds of the cities in the caves and tents of the wilderness.  In doing so, these men lead a consecrated or set apart existence similar to Moses dwelling in the Tabernacle enwrapped in the Glory of the Lord (Shekinah).

It is easy to see how the Book of Mormon portrays Lehi as a Tsadik who separated from the wickedness in Jerusalem dwelling in a tent. Once he left, he never set his foot in the city again but sent his sons to obtain the plates and persuade Ishmael and his family to come along. It is also clear that he "communed with God" in the tent. We saw in the previous post (part 2) that it was a place of sacrifice and offerings. Almost every time the tent is mentioned, the Shekinah is also manifest.

14 And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them.

15 And my father dwelt in a tent. (1 Nephi 2)

Perhaps the most well-known example of Lehi's communion with God is Lehi's dream. This verse immediately follows his dream in 1 Nephi 8.

And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel, and also a great many more things, which cannot be written upon these plates. (1 Nephi 9:1)

Interestingly, Nephi says that Lehi said many more things that could not be written. But then he changes his mind

And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren. (1 Nephi 10:1)

Nephi goes on to recount some more of what his father said. I think this is done to give more context to his account of his own vision that includes both elements from his father's dream but also his teachings in chapter 10 about the Jews, Gentiles and the Savior's mission. After Nephi has ended this brief recount of his father's prophecies, he repeats yet again

And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel. (1 Nephi 10:16)

After his father had spoken about these things, Nephi wants to see what his father has seen. Nephi sees a grand vision as recorded in 1 Nephi 11-14. But it does not happen in a tent. Nephi is carried away in the spirit up on a high mountain. 

And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father. (1 Nephi 15:1)

This description is similar to the one in 1 Nephi 3:1 described in my previous post, where Nephi had spoken with the Lord and then returned to his father's tent. We see a steady focus on Lehi's tent whenever divine manifestations have occured. Divine manifestations happen to Lehi in the tent, whereas for Nephi it happens outside the tent, followed by a return to his father's tent. This is an interesting pattern that I don't know if I quite understand. Contrast that with the description in 1 Nephi 16

31 And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families.

32 And it came to pass that I did return to our tents, bearing the beasts which I had slain; and now when they beheld that I had obtained food, how great was their joy!

When he had been hunting (rather than communing with God), Nephi returned to "our tents", not his father's tent.

It should be abundantly clear by now that Lehi's tent can be linked to the tabernacle and was thought to have a special function as dwelling place not only for Lehi but for God. But even though we know Nephi to be a prophet and great spiritual leader, it also seems clear that Lehi was the high priest of the tabernacle, while Nephi undoubtedly later became the king and high priest of the temple. After his father died, Nephi built a temple, as we can read in 2 Nephi 5. This was the permanent dwelling place for God in the promised land and replaced the tabernacle. Just as Lehi's tent/tabernacle mimics the tabernacle of Israel in the wilderness, Nephi's temple mimics the temple of Solomon in the promised land.

And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. (2 Nephi 5:16)

Angels declaring the time of the coming of Christ

In this post, Lord Wilmore demonstrates that angels are the source of the name of Christ. I just realized that angels also are the source of the timing for the coming of Christ. This is special, sacred knowledge not normally revealed, except in special circumstances by holy angels. Considering all cases of the timing of the coming of Christ in the Book of Mormon certainly leads to this conclusion. The first time this is brought up in the Book of Mormon is 1 Nephi 10:4

Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world.

There is no mention of any angel here. But in 1 Nephi 19:8, Nephi repeats this and reveals the source of information

And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.

2 Nephi 25:19 may be more ambiguous

For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Here we have the source of both the name of Christ and the timing of his coming. The timing is "according to the words of the prophets", but "the word of the angel" is added indicating where the prophets got their knowledge in the first place.

Even though the 600-year prophecy is repeated a few times, there is no count-down in the Book of Mormon. I am speculating here, but I believe that this was information only contained on the small plates and not generally revealed and distributed to the people. The time of Christ's coming is only mentioned in unclear terms after the Book of Omni when the small plates were full and only the large plates continued. Not until Samuel the Lamanite prophesied 5 years before his coming, was a specific time mentioned again.

King Benjamin brings it up without a specific time stamp but with the assurance that these are the words of an angel.

2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God...
5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay...

The topic is brought up again in Alma 13:24-25

24 For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory.
25 And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.

This one might seem strange. Alma says he does not know when Christ will come. Had he not read the small plates? A careful reading suggests that Alma was talking about Christ's coming to the Nephites. The 600 year prophecy was about Christ's coming to earth, i.e. his birth at the land of their fathers. In verse 24 above, we read about the people in "our land" receiving "his word at the time of his coming in his glory". This must be referring to his appearance to the Nephites. Alma probably knew from 2 Nephi 26:1 that it would happen sometime after his death and resurrection, but he didn't know when. Even though he probably knew about the 600 year prophecy, he was not giving away too much. 

Another puzzling statement here is "would to God that it might be in my day". If Alma knew that Christ's coming to earth was yet 82 years away and Christ would appear to the Nephites after that, how could it possibly be in his day? The answer is simple: Alma knew that was not the case. "Would to God" in the Book of Mormon means "I know it is not the case but I wish it were". This expression is used twice elsewhere in the Book of Mormon (Jacob 1:8 and Alma 39:7) and we can see from both of those verses that this is what is meant.

Then, finally, we get to Samuel the Lamanite.

2 And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name...
9 And behold, thus hath the Lord commanded me, by his angel... (Helaman 14)

I might have missed something, but as far as I know, these are all the occasions where the Book of Mormon mentions the time of the coming of Christ. Every time, angels are the source of information. They are messengers bringing sacred knowledge in special circumstances. Before the coming of Christ, this sacred knowledge included his name and the time of his coming.

Matthew 24:36 is interesting in this context

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

This is of course talking about the second coming. The time of his second coming is also special, sacred knowledge. When the angels don't know, nobody knows! Perhaps, one day they will and perhaps they will also bring this sacred knowledge to prophets. But I expect and am content with never knowing the time before it actually occurs, "quickly" (D&C 39:24) and "like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2).

On time, eternity, squares and circles

The frequent reader of this blog has probably noticed that we are concerned with the original meaning of the scriptures, not just how we understand it today. Even though it is the same God and gospel, our worldview and language is very different from the ancient prophets. The Nephites became extinct and left no other legacy than their engraved words on metal plates. We don't even know their language. But we know something about their origin in 600 BC Jerusalem. Therefore I think learning about how ancient Israelites viewed the world can help inform us about the worldview of ancient Nephites.

Lately, I have studied a bit about the ancient Hebrew concept of time. It is quite different from how we view it. In fact, time itself was usually not a major concern. Rather, they were concerned with events. One explanation is given here and quoted in part below:

The eastern mind is not obsessed with time as the western mind is. Anyone who has lived and worked in the near or Middle East knows that they are event oriented rather than time oriented as we westerners. Their lives are not ruled by the clock. The tenses in Hebrew and Arabic and as well in the Greek are not primarily concerned with time but rather flow or type of action.

The ancient Hebrew words that are used to describe distance and direction are also used to describe time. The Hebrew word for east is qedem and literally means "the direction of the rising sun."

The implications of this statement are astounding. This is because time, as defined as the distance between two physical events, is not a physical measurement in and of itself. Yet in ancient Hebrew, time and distance refer to the same thing and literally to "the direction of the rising sun," (which we as human beings call the east direction). One implication of this association would be that the origin of all things could have come, does come, and will come from the east.

In the Hebrew mind, man is figuratively facing east, with the past in front of him and the future behind, the opposite of how the modern western mind would see it. The Hebrew root, qdm, means east, meet/front or ancient. All these concepts are therefore related. The Hebrew words for 'south' and 'right' are also very similar, fitting into this framework. When Genesis 14:15 states that Hobah is north of Damascus, 'north' is actually translated from the Hebrew word for 'left'. The Bible really states that Hobah is left of Damascus, which would not make sense to us, but makes sense to an ancient Israelite who orient themselves by facing east by default.

In ancient Hebrew thought, when you face east you look into the past. The future cannot be seen as it is behind you, it is unknown. We can compare it to rowing a boat. Even in the past, we can see to a certain point, after which everything is blurry or invisible. This brings us to another term that is understood very differently in a Hebrew mind. They use the word, 'olam', that is often translated as 'forever'. But they did not think of eternity as a duration of time without end. 'Olam' really means in the far distance. It's as far as you can see. It is simply the distant past or the distant future that is hard to know or perceive.

Modern science views time as a fourth dimension in addition to the three spatial dimensions. 'Olam' can actually be translated into 'world' and is therefore referring to both time and space. I am not implying that ancient Jews shared the worldview of modern scientists. They probably knew nothing about the speed of light. Still, they looked towards the east and saw the rising sun (sometimes used as symbol of God) and looked into "forever". Today we know that looking beyond the horizon a very long distance, you really do look backwards in time. 

In the words of a Jewish rabbi commenting on the expression, "Eternal Father":

This is a rather unusual term in Hebrew and only appears in Isaiah 9:6. The name in Hebrew is אבי-עד (Avi-ad) which literally means “My father is until”. Now the term “ad” is the short form of “ad olam” which literally means “until the (next) world”. Hebrew thought doesn’t think of eternity as Greek thought. Time is measured in “worlds” which could be understood as the timeframe of the existence of a created world or universe – universe because in Semitic thought the sun and stars would have been part of this created world.

Occasionally the scriptures use, "forever and ever". That really seems redundant in English. 'Forever' is sufficient to express the meaning. But the Hebrew term in those cases is "l'olam va'ed". It literally means "to the distant horizon and again", meaning a very distant time and even further. It's the idea of looking all the way to the horizon and extending beyond that into the unknown. It can be used both about the past and the future.

Here are some examples from the Book of Mormon

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever (Mosiah 3:19)

Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations (Alma 37:31)

And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment. (Jacob 6:10)

The English translation using "forever and ever" may have been a mere consequence of a familiarity with the biblical language at Joseph Smith's time and therefore a natural translation choice. But I would not be surprised if the original Nephite expression here is similar to the Hebrew "l'olam va'ed". As we have shown on this blog before, there are many examples of Hebrew culture and language preserved by the Nephites. Here is a relevant example for this post.

Another interesting quote from the article I linked and quoted at the beginning of this post:

The meaning "forever" is paralleled with the expression "for a thousand generation(s)" 1 Chron. 16:15 – note – the Hebrew word for generation in this verse is "dor" – דור and it is singular. To express "forever" more precisely one can find the phrase – דור ודור "forever, from generation to generation – dor va'dor

This is seen from poetic parallelism in passages like Joel 3:20

But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

 ...or Isaiah 51:8

my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

The word for generation, 'dor' is from the same root as 'dur', which means circle. This reflects the ancient Hebrews viewing time as circular rather than the "timeline" we sometimes use in the modern world to illustrate the passing of time. The circular time should not be completely foreign to us either. After all, we have circular clocks with no beginning or end, weeks, months and seasons move in cycles. In Judaism, the years also moved in 7-year cycles. The seventh year was a special sabbath year. After 7*7 years was the Jubilee year. The relation between generation and circle implies that one generation is one revolution of time. 'Generation' is used in a broader sense in Hebrew. Many generations, even thousand, becomes 'forever'.

The Hebrew 'dur' (circle) is actually a verb describing moving in a circle or encircling. In addition to being related to time it is also related to heaven and the Being who gave us the seasons, the sabbath and who created the generations. Again, we see examples in the Book of Mormon hinting of a similar worldview. Lord Wilmore wrote about the term 'encircle' here. The link at the end of his post also further explains the circle as symbolism of heaven or the eternal. Notice the circle and heaven connections

And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. (3 Nephi 17:24)

Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love (Alma 26:15)

Notice how the darkness is "everlasting", but it is still possible to be brought out of it. D&C 19:10-12 comes to mind. Another good example from the Book of Mormon:

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. (1 Nephi 10:19)

Whereas the circle symbolizes heaven or eternity (the full "circle" of this world and beyond into the next), the square symbolizes the earth and the temporal. For instance, Israel is gathered from the four corners of the earth. This is repeated several times in the Book of Mormon, probably not because they thought the earth was square but because this symbolism was part of their culture.

I know I have been throwing a lot of things out there with this post. I am learning but do not yet possess the knowledge to lay this all out in great detail. But I do believe that understanding the worldview of those who wrote the scriptures can help us understand them better.

Internally consistent detail about Nephi's reign

There is a curious detail in 1 Nephi 10:1

And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry

What reign? At this point, Nephi is likely a teenager who has just left Jerusalem with his family. The first time reader does not yet know that it is a much older Nephi that is reflecting on his life and writing about his experiences. And if they have guessed that much, they don't know much about this older Nephi and what kind of reign this is referring to.

For the rest of 1 Nephi, he keeps narrating his experiences, temporal and spiritual, from earlier in his life. Not until 2 Nephi 5, we learn about the background for his writing and the reference to reigning. In this chapter, Nephi is in the promised land and establishes a society of those who hearken to the commandments of the Lord, after which we read:

18 And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power.

Even though he doesn't want the title of king, he is a leader of this group, and his people regard him more or less as king. In Jacob 1:10-11, we read

10 The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare—
11 Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. And whoso should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth...

Later in 2 Nephi 5, we learn that it is during this reign established in 2 Nephi 5 that Nephi is commanded to make the so-called small plates and engrave the words that we now have in 1 and 2 Nephi.

30 And it came to pass that the Lord God said unto me: Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy people.
31 Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which I have engraven these things.

In this context, obviously 1 Nephi 10:1 makes sense. But it is not the first time that we get these subtle details that do not make sense until we get the explanation afterwards. In fact, this is quite similar to how we are introduced to Mormon. In the Words of Mormon, we suddenly get a snapshot of the situation several hundred years from where the Book of Omni left off. There is some uncertainty about whether the Words of Mormon came first or last in the dictation sequence. But another one of those details is in Mosiah 18 where we get introduced to the background for Mormon's name, without knowing. Not until 3 Nephi 5, Mormon properly introduces himself and explains that he is named after the place that tells about the converts in Mosiah 18 (see 3 Nephi 5:12).

Some people claim that a poorly educated young farmer just made this all up. He would have to be very clever to complicate the narrative and drop these hints and get back to them later to connect the dots, all to make it seem authentic. This is something he apparently could do seamlessly in essentially one draft with his face in a hat. I don't buy it. Nephi and Mormon were actual people, writing to obey God's commandments for our benefit.

Redeemer - kinsman -- Part 1

The Hebrew term for "Redeemer" is the word גואל (goel). It is also used in connection with its cognate - the term גאל (gaal) which means kinsman. The spelling of gaal is the exact same as the verb, "redeem".

In ancient Israelite thought, the kinsman-redeemer was a male relative, who should act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble or need. There are many examples of this in the Jewish Law. See Leviticus 25:25 for instance

If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

Perhaps the best description of a kinsman-redeemer in the Old Testament is Boaz in the Book of Ruth. He is a wealthy relative of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, appeals to him as their goel.

And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. (Ruth 3:9)

As Ruth's goel, Boaz offers her protection, redeems her from her difficult situation as a widow with a widowed mother-in-law to take care of, and marries her. They later bear a son named Obed who becomes the grandfather of David and a forefather of Jesus.

This background is useful to better understand how ancient Israelites would view scriptures describing the Lord as their Redeemer. We find several of those, often with allusions to the Messiah.

I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14)

This poetic parallelism connects "help" with "redeemer" and "Lord" with "Holy One of Israel".

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. (Isaiah 54:5 / 3 Nephi 22:5)

Here is another connection between Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel, who Nephi in no uncertain terms says is Christ (see 2 Nephi 25:29). It is also interesting to note that this is the chapter Jesus quotes to the Nephites after having told them about the gathering of Israel and the covenant with them. "thine husband" is a symbol of the covenant relationship between Jehovah and his people. Actually, the underlying Hebrew here is the verb "to marry". "He who espouses/marries you" (is perhaps a better translation) is also "thy Redeemer" and directs our minds to the Boaz and Ruth story.

Another example in Psalms

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. (Psalm 78:35)

Again a poetic parallelism connects redeemer to another word, this time "rock". When the Psalmist multiple times in other Psalms writes about "the rock of my salvation", it should be clear who that rock is. But again, the Book of Mormon removes all doubt.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation (Helaman 5:12)

So the concept of a kinsman-redeemer is something the ancient Israelites attributed to the Messiah who would come, the rock and the Holy One of Israel. He would be their redeemer. They also believed he would be their kinsman. In light of this it is interesting to see how this word is used in the Book of Mormon. The first time it is used, is by Lehi in 1 Nephi 10:4-6

5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.

6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

We have just seen that prophets of old testified of a redeemer like Lehi says. But as I have discussed in a previous post, Lehi's view of this redeemer was perhaps quite radical at his time. "Redeemer of the world" is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. They perceived a Messiah who was their kinsman and would redeem them, not the whole world. They did not understand that

as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel. (2 Nephi 30:2)

or that

God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (Matthew 3:7)

This is getting too long for one post so I will split it up and write more about the use of "Redeemer" in the Book of Mormon in part 2 and how it fits with the Old Testament kinsman idea.