Amulek and "the foundations of the devil"

Stisa and I have both written about Amulek's words in Ammonihah. Here is a list of what we've already found in his words: 

• Amulek paraphrases King Mosiah (see item #31 here). 
• There is tremendous irony in the fate of the leaders of Ammonihah (see here).
• Mormon adds elements we know from the Book of Moses about Enoch as he compares the righteous people of God to lions (see here).

There is already so much going on here, and yet I've found another thread: Amulek is also referencing the writings of Nephi.

Compare Amulek's words ... :

17 Now they knew not that Amulek could know of their designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and he said unto them: O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God.

18 Ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people. (Alma 10)

... with the words of Nephi:

3 And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end. (1 Nephi 14)

13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.

14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it. (1 Nephi 22)

The foundation of the great and spacious building is a literal void -- the absence of the "sure foundation" (see Jacob 4:16-17, Helaman 5:12) -- and so its fate is determined by those who seek to build it up in the first place. Its fall is great for the same reason: it has no foundation.

The story has a poignant ending -- many of the righteous are slain and later the wicked leaders experience what it feels like to "bring down the wrath of God upon your heads" (see Alma 14:27).

 

Alma and the two fountains

Nephi describes two fountains he saw in vision:

22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. ...
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God. (1 Nephi 11)

16 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell. (1 Nephi 12)

 I thought of these two types of water as I read Alma's poignant description of his conversion experience -- he mentions both "the pains of hell" and "joy" perhaps as in a subtle allusion to the vision of the tree of life?

13 Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
...
17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

Also notice that in verse 21, Alma describes the joy as "sweet." He uses a word that describes how his joy tastes! Compare with this recent post from Stisa. Also compare this to 1 Nephi 8:11 and Alma 32:42.

What does it mean to "call upon" the name of God?

Calling upon the name of God is mentioned several times in the Book of Mormon.  One reference particularly stands out to me:

27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. (Helaman 3)

"Thus we may see" is typically Mormon's way of pointing out important lessons we should learn from the verses immediately preceding this kind of statement. So let's look at the verses leading up to this statement, along with a few verses which come after and offer additional insights about what lessons we can learn:

24 And it came to pass that in this same year there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church, insomuch that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were baptized unto repentance.
25 And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure.
26 And it came to pass that the work of the Lord did prosper unto the baptizing and uniting to the church of God, many souls, yea, even tens of thousands.
27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.
28 Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.
29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. (Helaman 3)

It seems this passage, in addition to revealing the underlying meaning of "call[ing] upon [the name of God]," also connects other phrases with making and keeping sacred covenants. I've highlighted these in various colors above.  Each of these can be connected to covenant symbols found in other parts of the Book of Mormon (especially on the small plates).

 "gate of heaven" -- 2 Nephi 9:41; 2 Nephi 31:9, 17-18; 2 Nephi 33:9

"lay hold upon the word of God" -- 1 Nephi 8:24, 30; 1 Nephi 11:24-25; 1 Nephi 15:24-25

"strait and narrow course" -- 1 Nephi 8:20

"right hand of God" -- Mosiah 5:9 ("for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ"); Mosiah 26:23-24 ("in my name they are called"); Alma 5:58 ("the word of God must be fulfilled"); Ether 12:4; Moroni 9:26

"kingdom of heaven" -- Alma 11:37; Helaman 5:32; 3 Nephi 14:21

"sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...to go no more out" -- Alma 7:25; 3 Nephi 4:30; Mormon 9:11-13; 1 Nephi 17:40

Variants:

"enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow" Jacob 6:11
"lay hold upon every good thing" -- Moroni 7:19-21, 25 (see this post for more detail about how "every good thing" relates to covenants)
"lay hold upon the gospel of Jesus Christ" -- Mormon 7:8

Conclusion

This is an excellent example of what I believe to be a pattern throughout the Book of Mormon -- covenants are spoken of through symbolic language rather than at the surface level.  It isn't until you attempt to connect one passage with others that you see numerous clear and consistent references to the importance of covenants.

Zenos and the restoration of the Lamanites

Following up a concluding thought from this post, I'd like to try to flesh out what Samuel the Lamanite meant when he said:

11 Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth. (Helaman 15)

In this single verse, we find a subtle example of internal consistency regarding an ancient prophetic allegory given by Zenos, which was recorded on the brass plates and preserved for the Nephite prophets/record-keepers to study and comment on over the centuries.

Jacob 5 is a remarkable and complex chapter. I'm using this helpful diagram from the Come, Follow Me manual to help sort through the various visits and the various branches. The Lehites branch is discussed in verse 25 -- the "last" branch placed on "good ground" (promised land) which brings forth both "tame" (Nephites) and "wild" (Lamanites) fruit.

In this presentation about Jacob 5, Matthew Bowen makes the case that references to "nourish" in this chapter are a reference to temple covenants. I strongly agree, especially in light of all of the tree symbolism we've discussed on this blog recently.

To see how the restoration of the Lamanites is mentioned in this chapter, we need to turn our attention to verse 40:

40 And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even that the branch had withered away and died.

This is a reference to the Lamanites' destruction of the Nephites.

At this point in the allegory, The Lord of the vineyard is ready to mete out justice for all the wild branches:

49 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Let us go to and hew down the trees of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the ground of my vineyard, for I have done all. What could I have done more for my vineyard?

The servant convinces the Lord to "[s]pare [the vineyard] a little longer."

What follows is the last gathering of all the branches back to the "mother tree," including the "last branch" that represent the remnant of the Lamanites. This final time, all of the trees would be nourished by the labor of the servants. Notice the obvious symbolic references to the work of ministering and covenants (in bold):

61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.
62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.
63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.

So there it is, a pretty subtle allegorical prophecy of the restoration of the Lamanites to a knowledge of the truth. Keep in mind that Helaman 15 precedes Jacob 5 in the dictation sequence by about 100 chapters.

"other prophets"

Just as Samuel said in Helaman 15:11, "other prophets" testified of these things. Lehi, Nephi, others prophesied of the restoration of the Lamanites. I'll cover this in a future post.

An interesting note about Alma's use of Psalms in the Book of Mormon (internal consistency alert)

Occasionally, I discover something about the text of the Book of Mormon that blows my mind.  This happened again recently as I was studying the use of Psalm-language in the Book of Mormon.  The dozens of examples I've studied are not randomly distributed.  Certain authors use a lot of it (Nephi, Jacob, Alma-2), other authors use little or none of it (Mormon, Moroni). That alone is an interesting detail.

Then I noticed something even more specific.  Alma-2 (commonly known as Alma the Younger) uses Psalm-language a total of 15 times (according to these two relatively comprehensive sources -- source 1 from John Hilton III and source 2 from Book of Mormon Central). In all but two or three of the examples, the Psalm-language Alma-2 uses matches Psalm-language found on the small plates.  This fits very well with another theory I have about Alma-2 having diligently studying the small plates and incorporating their message into his ministry, much more so than other Book of Mormon figures. I'll provide specifics to back up my assertion below.

One caveat before moving on to the specifics -- I personally don't know the Psalms by heart, and so finding additional examples has been difficult for me even with the aid of modern computers. This goes to show how hard it would have been for Joseph Smith to devise this on his own.

Usage of Psalm-language in the first two thirds of the Book of Alma provides us with a very distinct opportunity to test out a theory, because the 21 examples come from just two individuals. Alma-2 is responsible for 15.  Ammon gives us 6.

Let's consider Alma-2 and Ammon as individuals. They are contemporaries who were miraculously converted at the same time. Ammon's father was the Nephite King. Alma-2's father was the leader of the Nephite religion.  Both were incredible missionaries -- Ammon served among the Lamanites for 14 years, and Alma-2 gave up his position as the chief judge and preached among the Nephites for many years.

Despite all of these similarities, they have one very distinct difference: Alma-2 was a keeper of the records.  Ammon was not.  Alma-2 had significantly greater access to the small plates than Ammon. My theory is that for this reason, Alma-2 incorporates more of the small plate themes into his literary work than Ammon. He knew the small plates better.

Apparently, this extends to the use of Psalms, too.

Below you'll find two tables. The first table shows the 15 examples of Alma-2's use of Psalm-language.  The second table shows Ammon's 6 examples.  If the row is colored green, it has a clear match to Psalm-language in the small plate writings.  If it is yellow, it has a questionable match.  If it is red, it doesn't have a clear match on the small plates.

Table 1. Alma as a Student of the Small Plates

Alma Reference	Psalm-Language	Small Plates Reference
Alma 7:27	From this time forth and forever (Psalm 113:2; 115:8; 121:8)	1 Nephi 12:18; 2 Nephi 29:9
Alma 7:19	In the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3)	1 Nephi 16:5
Alma 36:28	I will praise thee forever Psalm 52:9)	2 Nephi 4:30
Alma 7:22	That I may walk (Psalm 56:13)	2 Nephi 4:32
Alma 33:11*	I will cry unto (Psalm 57:2)	2 Nephi 4:35
Alma 36:1	Give ear to my words (Psalm 5:1)	2 Nephi 9:40
Alma 38:1	Give ear to my words (Psalm 5:1)	2 Nephi 9:40
Alma 5:19	Clean hands . . . pure heart (Psalm 24:4)	2 Nephi 25:16
Alma 14:6	The pains of hell (Psalm 116:3)	Jacob 3:11
Alma 36:13	The pains of hell (Psalm 116:3)	Jacob 3:11
Alma 12:35	Swear in my wrath (Psalm 95:11)	Jacob 1:7
Alma 37:12	Over all his works (Psalm 145:9)	Jacob 4:10
Alma 36:27	Put my trust . . . deliver (Psalm 7:1; 25:20; 31:1)	2 Nephi 4:31,34?
Alma 5:50	The king of all the earth (Psalm 47:7)	not found
Alma 37:15	As chaff before the wind (Psalm 35:5)	not found
*	Quoting Zenos, a prophet also quoted on the small plates

It is also worth noting that similar examples of the Psalm-language in the two red examples can be found in other Old Testament passages, so perhaps Alma-2 is referencing the brass plates or some other lost source rather than the Psalms in those cases.  Even so, 12-13 out of the 15 examples fit this pattern very neatly.

Ammon, on the other hand, did not seem to limit his Psalm-language to examples also found on the small plates.  In his well-known praise to God in celebration of the astounding missionary success he and his brothers enjoyed among the Lamanites, we find 6 examples of Psalm-language. In Table 2 below, we see that only one of these examples has a clear correlation on the small plates, and there is a plausible explanation for this -- that one instance is also used by Alma-2 twice, once in connection with his conversion story. (In other words, it is possible Ammon is actually quoting something he first heard Alma-2 say in reference to the miraculous conversion event for which Ammon was present.)

Table 2. Ammon as a Control

Alma Reference	Psalm-Language	Small Plates Reference
Alma 26:8	Praise ... his holy name ... forever (Psalm 145:21)	not found
Alma 26:12	Will praise . . . name forever (Psalm 145:2)	not found
Alma 26:13	The pains of hell (Psalm 116:3)	Jacob 3:11*
Alma 26:23	laugh...to scorn (Psalm 22:7)	not found
Alma 26:36	Hath been mindful of us (Psalm 115:12)	not found
Alma 26:37	I will give thanks unto [God] forever (Psalm 30:12)	not found
*	This phrase is also used by Alma-2, twice, once in reference to his conversion, during which Ammon was present.

Conclusion

A few comments:

1. It is amazing to me that of all the speakers and writers in the Book of Alma, only three of them use Psalm-language at all.  >95% of that is produced by two of them.  
2. Of those two, we have a clear distinction.  12-13/15 times that Alma-2 uses Psalm-language, he is simultaneously referencing the small plates. Ammon appears to do this once out of six examples, however, the single exception could result from Ammon quoting Alma-2, who in turn is borrowing from Jacob.
3. It is really hard for me to believe that Joseph Smith would have been able to keep track of all of this without notes, especially in light of the fact that he dictated the Book of Alma long before he dictated 1 Nephi - Jacob.  
4. Accomplishing this through naturalistic means without notes would require an exceptional memory and an exquisite knowledge of the Psalms. 
• During the dictation of the Book of Alma, Joseph would have needed to remember the "Alma Psalms" (which would later need to be included in the writings of Nephi and Jacob) and the "Ammon Psalms" (which would later need to be excluded from the writings of Nephi and Jacob). All of this information would have to be held in Joseph's mind for at least a few weeks. (In addition to all other internally consistent details.)
• Joseph would also have needed to avoid Psalm-language at all other times while dictating Alma 1-40.
5. This is a lot of information to keep track of even for me using a computer. As I stated above, I doubt my own ability to spot additional examples of Psalm-language in the Book of Mormon.  Thus, it is reasonable to maintain some degree of caution that additional examples could change these numbers and lead me to a different conclusion. 
6. Here we have yet another subtle, consistent example of internal consistency. If you believe the Book of Mormon was written by Joseph Smith, you'd have to believe that he went to these great lengths, and then once the book was published, he never mentioned it or pointed it out to anyone.

Internal BoM references connected to 2 Nephi 33 -- Part 2

In part 1 we looked at the first half of 2 Nephi 33 and how it demonstrates that both

• Nephi used themes and phrases from his previous writings to create a sort of summary
• Moroni used themes and phrases from 2 Nephi 33 in his writings, particularly in Ether 12

We will now look at the second half of the chapter. The trend continues, even though Ether 12 is not the only part of Moroni's writings quoting this part of 2 Nephi 33, but also Ether 4 (we saw one example of this also in part 1) and Moroni 10. With the same color coding as before, I'm marking these references, at least the most unique ones that I can identify.

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life [2 Nephi 31:18:"And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate"], and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation. 

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ [2 Nephi 32:3: "the words of Christ" (repeated three times in this verse)], and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day [Ether 4:10: "if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day" / Moroni 7:35: "God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true"]; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things [Moroni 10:27: "ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man"], notwithstanding my weakness [Ether 12:40: "because of my weakness in writing"].

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust [Moroni 10:27: "as one speaking out of the dust"]: Farewell until that great day shall come [Ether 12:38: "And now I, Moroni, bid farewell...until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ,"].

14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God [2 Nephi 29:2,4: "the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed...it shall proceed forth from the Jews" (similar language also in 1 Nephi 13 and 2 Nephi 3, see 1 Nephi 13:38, for instance)], behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell [see "farewell" in the previous verse], for these words shall condemn you at the last day.

15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.

Critics could argue that this is just a case of Joseph Smith repeating some of his favorite phrases. But I think that would look very different. What we observe here is way too systematic. It is obvious that Nephi repeats from his previous writings to summarize in his final words. It is also obvious that Moroni has studied the small plates and uses specific parts as inspiration for his own writings. Alma, Jacob, etc are almost entirely out of the equation here. If this were all Joseph Smith anyway, we would not see this distinction.

Internal BoM references connected to 2 Nephi 33 -- Part 1

Having studied the Book of Mormon very thoroughly for a while, I more easily recognize phrases from elsewhere in the text that are not necessarily cross-referenced in the footnotes. Particularly in 2 Nephi 33, I see a lot of these. This is Nephi's final words, and includes a sort of summary of his writings. At least he references a lot of his earlier writings from 1 and 2 Nephi. But we also see that Moroni uses Nephi's final words in this chapter as inspiration, especially when he writes Ether 12, which is Moroni's farewell to his Readers (see Ether 12:38). Ether 12 did not end up being his final words, but keep in mind that he had not originally intended to not write any more after he had abbreviated the Jaredite record (see Moroni 1:4).

So we have:

• Nephi's references to his earlier writings
• Moroni borrowing from Nephi's final words in his writings

I will quote the whole chapter and include these references. But I need to break it down, so the first half is given in this post and the second half in part 2.

1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking [Ether 12:23: "thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing;"]; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught .

3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth [1 Nephi 19:7"For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught"], and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people [2 Nephi 32:9:"pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee"]. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them [Ether 12:37:"And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong"]; for it persuadeth them to do good [Ether 4:11: "it persuadeth men to do good."]; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.

5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written [1 Nephi 16:3: "if ye were righteous...ye would not murmur because of the truth"] save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.

6 I glory in plainness [2 Nephi 25:4: "my soul delighteth in plainness"]; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell [2 Nephi 1:15: "the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell"].

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ [Ether 12:28:" I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me"] that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat [Ether 12:38: "we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted"].

These textual connections are way too many and distinct to be coincidental. In part 2 we will look at the second half of the chapter.