More examples of internal consistency

For those interested, a lot of examples of internal consistency have been collected in a series published at the FairMormon blog. Many of them are based on posts on this blog. An arc graph gives an overview of all the references. Here is a link to the last episode. The final graph looks pretty amazing as a representation of details that Joseph Smith would have to keep in mind if he had authored the book. But the series of 120 examples are by no means complete. I picked up a few more during my recent studies.

The covenant of the freemen

Alma 51 tells about contention among the Nephites, because some people didn't want Pahoran as Chief Judge. In verse 6, we read

And those who were desirous that Pahoran should remain chief judge over the land took upon them the name of freemen; and thus was the division among them, for the freemen had sworn or covenanted to maintain their rights and the privileges of their religion by a free government.

6 years and 5 chapters earlier, Moroni raised the title of liberty. In Alma 46:20 we read

Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.

Another aspect of that covenant is described later in Alma 46:35

And it came to pass that whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he caused to be put to death

The covenant that the freemen had sworn, as described in Alma 51, is likely a reference to Alma 46 and means that they had been among the people that "came running together" in Alma 46:21 to support Moroni's cause and entered into this covenant. 6 years later when their freedom came into question again they remembered the covenant they had made and stayed true to it.

The city of Moroni

Another example from Alma 51

Behold, it came to pass that while Moroni was thus breaking down the wars and contentions among his own people, and subjecting them to peace and civilization, and making regulations to prepare for war against the Lamanites, behold, the Lamanites had come into the land of Moroni, which was in the borders by the seashore. (Alma 51:22)

This implies that Moroni is located

1. Close to the borders of Lamanite lands or the wilderness between the Nephite and Lamanite lands
2. By the seashore

This is consistent with Alma 50:13

And it came to pass that the Nephites began the foundation of a city, and they called the name of the city Moroni; and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the possessions of the Lamanites

Yes, these verses are only one chapter apart. But with all the other geographical details in these chapters, it is not easy having to remember so many of them to ensure consistent references.

Zarahemla, the person

The city of Zarahemla can be considered the Nephite capital, although the Book of Mormon does not use that term. From the Book of Mosiah until it is burned in 3 Nephi 9, Zarahemla is where the King/Chief Judge lives as well as the High Priest over the church / the keeper of the plates of Nephi. In Mosiah chapter 7, Ammon is described as a descendant of Zarahemla in verses 3 and 13. 86 modern chapters later, in Helaman 1:15, there is another man described as a descendant of Zarahemla. Evidently, there is not just a city of Zarahemla but also a person called Zarahemla. In the dictation sequence by Joseph Smith, starting with the Book of Mosiah, there has been no mention of a person called Zarahemla, even though the Book of Mormon mentions it in passing as if the reader already knows. 

In fact, the reader does already know because the Book of Mormon is written in a different order than it was dictated. The person, Zarahemla, is only mentioned in the Book of Omni, the last or second to last book in the dictation sequence. But in the reading sequence, this mention of Zarahemla comes before the description of people descending from him. Here it is

Zarahemla did rejoice exceedingly, because the Lord had sent the people of Mosiah with the plates of brass which contained the record of the Jews. (Omni 1:14)

When Mosiah-I and his people found the people of Zarahemla, Zarahemla himself was living among them probably as their leader. When they merged and Mosiah became their king, "the people of Zarahemla" is sometimes used when needed in the Book of Mormon to distinguish the part of the people led by Zarahemla before this merge. This sparse information about Zarahemla, the person from the Book of Omni, is all we have (the 116 lost pages probably contained more information). But this example of internal consistency is another demonstration of how the dictation sequence would complicate things if Joseph Smith made this whole thing up. I would like to hear the critic's theories of why Joseph Smith made it more difficult for himself and willingly increased the risk of running into contradictions when he had no apparent reason to.

"Cunning" in the Book of Mormon

In light of the Hebrew connection between "naked" and "shrewd" or "cunning" in the word arum, I decided to look at how the word cunning is used in the Book of Mormon.

First, a little background on the word itself and what it meant at the time of the publication of the Book of Mormon.  Webster's 1828 dictionary is helpful, offering us two definitions -- "skillful" and curious/ingenious" which are "quite obsolete." We then get three more definitions which are apparently more contemporary: "Shrewd," "deceitful," and "assumed with subtilty."

The word cunning appears 23 times in the Book of Mormon, in the following contexts:

1 Nephi 16:38 -- Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father and accuse him of "work[ing]
many things by his cunning arts"

2 Nephi 9:28, 37 -- 28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. ... 39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
2 Nephi 13 -- [quoting Isaiah] "the cunning artificer"

Mosiah 7:21 -- King Zeniff was "deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman"

Mosiah 9:10 -- King Laman was "cunning" and crafty and brought the people of Zeniff into bondage.

Mosiah 10:18 -- King Laman deceived the Nephites "by his cunning, and lying craftiness."

Mosiah 24:7 (x2) -- The Lamanites began to be a "cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness."

Alma 2:1-2 (x2) -- Amlici was a "very cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world." He drew people away "by his cunning."

Alma 10:13 -- "cunning devices" designed to catch someone in their words and have them cast into prison or slain as a result.

Alma 20:13 -- Lamoni senior chastises Lamoni junior for associating with the Nephite missionaries and accuses them of attempting to deceive them "by their cunning."

Alma 28:13 -- 13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.

Alma 44:9 -- Zarahemnah claims it is the Nephites' cunning and not their faith that delivered them.

Alma 46:10/47:35 -- Amalickiah "was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words," and obtained the Lamanite kingdom "by the assistance of his cunning servants."

Alma 51:27 -- The Lamanites obtained cities by the "cunning" of Amalickiah.

Helaman 3:29-30 -- 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 16:21 -- the people suppose that believing in the prophecies of Christ will bring the into servitude "by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one."

3 Nephi 21 -- 9 For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. 10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

Ether 8:2 -- Jared flattered many people "because of his cunning words" to gain half of the kingdom.

Ether 13:16 -- Coriantumr had studied "in all the arts of war and cunning of the world."

The usage of this word seems to fall into three categories, both negative: (1) crafty, deceptive individuals are described as "cunning" and use their skills for their own selfish purposes. (2) Righteous people/efforts are mischaracterized as attempt to decieve by cunning.
(3) Satan's tactics are described as "cunning" and meant to bind us and subject us to misery and endless woe.

Those small, subtle details

Sometimes, the small details that draw no attention to themselves are the most powerful evidences of Book of Mormon authenticity. Here are two examples.

Example 1:

Compare Alma 51:35

And it came to pass that the army which was sent by Moroni, which was led by a man whose name was Teancum...

with Alma 58:16

I caused that Gid, with a small number of men, should secrete himself in the wilderness, and also that Teomner and a small number of men should secrete themselves also in the wilderness.

In the first example, Teancum is mentioned for the first time. In the second example, Teomner is mentioned for the first time. The introduction of Teancum is the norm. We see similar wording when Mormon introduces other people to the narrative. Teomner is the exception. He is not properly introduced. Rather he is mentioned as if the reader knows him already.

There is a simple and logical explanation. Alma 51 is Mormon's abridgement. Alma 58 is a letter from Helaman to Moroni simply copied over to Mormon's plates. Helaman doesn't have to introduce Teomner to Moroni because he is a military leader and Moroni knows him already.

Example 2:

Notice the wording in Omni chapter 1, the end of verse 13 and beginning of verse 14

until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla. And they discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla.

When Amaleki is writing this, Zarahemla still exists but not the people of Zarahemla, because Mosiah became their new king and they merged with the Nephites.


A third example is found here.

These examples make a lot of sense as something written by people who were there to observe the events as they occurred. If they are invented by a poor young farmer, he must have had an incredible sense of detail.

Internally Consistent Politics in Alma 51 and Alma 61

The Book of Mormon is packed with intricate, internally consistent details.  For a long list of blog posts on this topic, click here. Many of these are subtle enough to elude the casual reader and even serious students of the book, but when you start to look for them, they are all over the place. Furthermore, the extent of this internal consistency forms a strong line of evidence for the divine authenticity of the book. Someone had a lot of time and a lot of notes, and Joseph Smith had neither.

Here's one:

In Alma 61, Pahoran (the chief judge) responds to Moroni's chastisement and threats with a remarkably calm request for help.  He explains the problem:

3 But behold, there are those who do joy in your afflictions, yea, insomuch that they have risen up in rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen, yea, and those who have risen up are exceedingly numerous.
4 And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity; for they have used great flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you.

...

8 They have got possession of the land, or the city, of Zarahemla; they have appointed a king over them, and he hath written unto the king of the Lamanites, in the which he hath joined an alliance with him; in the which alliance he hath agreed to maintain the city of Zarahemla, which maintenance he supposeth will enable the Lamanites to conquer the remainder of the land, and he shall be placed king over this people when they shall be conquered under the Lamanites.

This is consistent with a problem encountered about 4 years earlier, as described in Alma 51:

2 Nevertheless, they did not long maintain an entire peace in the land, for there began to be a contention among the people concerning the chief judge Pahoran; for behold, there were a part of the people who desired that a few particular points of the law should be altered.
3 But behold, Pahoran would not alter nor suffer the law to be altered; therefore, he did not hearken to those who had sent in their voices with their petitions concerning the altering of the law.
4 Therefore, those who were desirous that the law should be altered were angry with him, and desired that he should no longer be chief judge over the land; therefore there arose a warm dispute concerning the matter, but not unto bloodshed.
5 And it came to pass that those who were desirous that Pahoran should be dethroned from the judgment-seat were called king-men, for they were desirous that the law should be altered in a manner to overthrow the free government and to establish a king over the land.

This contention had been settled by the voice of the people.

Like many instances of internal consistency in the Book of Mormon, this detail draws no attention to itself. The ten chapters in between Alma 51 and 61 are filled with intricate details about a totally separate crisis -- the war with the Lamanites.