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Without the Mormon Lens: 4 - Biblical America

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By Mason
     It's important to note that biblical influence in American writing has been around since the puritans first settled the Americas. This trend was particularly evident in works that sought to connect the American experience with the grand narratives of ancient history or biblical prophecy. We may not see direct satire of the Bible like we do in works of psuedo-biblicia, but we see a lot of writings that carry this religious tone.

   One significant to serve as an example is Cotton Mather’s "Magnalia Christi Americana: or Ecclesiastical history of New-England, from its first planting in the year 1620. unto the year of Our Lord, 1698. In seven books" (1702).

Title page of Magnalia Christi Americana

    Yeah, that's quite the title. And if you're going to judge a book by its cover, this is it. It is dense. This contains a very detailed, over 800 page, narrative of the Ecclesiastical history of New England.  As such, it carries heavily religious themes. However, it does not attempt to mimic the writing style of the Bible, instead the narrative simply reflects the religious ideas sorrounding the history of New England. Which makes it relevant to our dicussion and will lead us nicely into psuedo-biblicia.

   So let's talk about it by looking at the opening text of the first chapter. (I'll transcribe the relevant parts below the image)

Magnalia Christi Americana, pg. 2 (1702)

     Immediately we are presented with this idea that the Lord guided thousands of people away from the land of their inheritance to America.

     "It hath been deservedly esteemed, one of the great and wonderful Works of God in this Last Age, that the Lord stirred up the Spirits of so many Thousands of his Servants, to leave the Pleasant Land of England, the Land of their Nativity, and to transport themselves, and Families, over the Ocean Sea, into a Desert Land, in America, at the Distance of a Thousand Leagues from their own Country;..." 

   Their journeys to America were influenced by their faith in God, and with a trust that he would provide.

"...and this, merely on the Account of Pure and Undefiled Religion, not knowing how they should have their Daily Bread, but trusting in God for That, in the way of seeking first the Kingdom of God, and the Righteousness thereof..."

     Then, because of their righteousness, we see cities built up, churches erected, Jesus Christ worshipped.

     "...And that the Lord was pleased to grant such a gracious Presence of his with them, and such a Blessing upon their Undertakings, that within a few Years a Wilderness was subdued before them, and in place of bruits and Salvages, Towns erected, and Churches settled, wherein the true and living God in Christ Jesus, is worshipped, and served, in a place where time out of mind, had been nothing before, but Habitations, Idolatry, and Devil-worship; and that the Lord has added to them of the Blessings of Heaven above, and Earth beneath, for a Comfortable Subsistence of his People in the ends of the Earth..."

    The idea that America was a promised land which was given by God to his righteous people was not new to the Book of Mormon. We are looking at it right now. In a book published in 1702. Over a hundred years before the publication of the Book of Mormon. We know from this introduction that as we read Magnalia Christi Americana, we are going to learn about how God helped his people arrive in America. How he helped them quickly rise up civilizations, and most importantly, how He established the gospel of Jesus Christ.

   But wait... there's more.

"...there is a great deal of Usefulness in such Histories of the Goodness of God to his People, as may serve to revive the Spirits of God's People, in the midst of Declensions, to help our Faith, and to quicken our Zeal. The Work, whereof this Book gives us the History, is one of the most remarkable Providences that ever happened unto the Churches of Christ;..."

And of course, the book was written for future Generations, with intent that they will stir up their hearts to Christ.

"...and the Author hath not spared his Pains, to give a full and faithful Account of it, for the Instruction and Consolation of present and future Generations, and to stir up the People of God to lay to Heart the precious Interests of the Name of Christ..."

       If you are familiar with the Book of Mormon, you may see where I am going with this. If not.. just hang in there I will be revisiting all of this multiple times.

     We feel that there is at least a basis for a story right? America is the promised land. God has led thousands of various people there. The history is written to show the goodness of God and to testify of Christ... This should all sound very familiar.

     Now let's keep all of that in mind as we consider the title page of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon title page (1830)

     "Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God. An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether."

     " Also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ."

    But is this enough to establish that the Book of Mormon is actually just a retelling of American history? I don't think so. We have a main theme, an idea, but what about the content? What about Nephi, and Laman, and Lehi, and Helaman and any number of the characters presented in the Book. Who are they and where did they come from? 

   Beyond just characters, we have over 600 pages of  events, doctrine, prophecies and on. We need to identify more than a vague theme. 

   And I can hear the critics now, saying "But that book was written a hundred years before Joseph Smith was born." And you are absolutely right. I need to clarify my postion that I am not trying to find plagarisms. I am identifying historical similarities between two narratives. The one in the Book of Mormon and the one present in American history. 

    Ideas and stories have a way of working their way through the common knowledge of communities. Joseph Smith didn't need to read Magnalia Christi Americana to have the idea that America is the promised land prepared by God. He grew up in it. It tells the history in the way that people at the time believed it, thought about it, and taught about it. We are in a sense, going back in time and getting a taste of the type of stories that Smith very likely was exposed to through regular discourse and learning. 

     I know in my last post I said that I would talk about several books today, but I have decided to hold off until I share the first verse in Nephi. I want what I share to be relevant to where I am in the Book of Mormon.

- Mason

"There are no facts, only interpretations."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

- Next Post -

5-Re-contexualization

A brief discussion on a contemporary to the Book of Mormon and its potential literary influence.


New here? Consider starting at the first post.
  

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Without the Mormon Lens: 1 - Introduction

By Mason
 "I don't think Joseph Smith was a prophet"      Tears that I had been holding back finally broke free as I said the words I never thought I would say. The fear, the anger, the betrayal. The emotions that countless people who have lost their faith had felt, were rushing through me. I collapsed to the floor as this great realization washed over me.      I  had lost my faith.       It was gone.      I don't feel that it is important to share the events that led to my faith crisis, and honestly they are hard to explain. Like most people who leave the church, there were a number of issues that had piled up over the years. Items that were stacked on my shelf of concerns eventually became too much for the shelf to handle. It broke, and with it, my world shattered.      The grief was overwhelming. I had known nothing but Mormonism for my entire life, and the loss was the feeling of losing a loved one. An entire half of myself, a huge part of my identity... vanished.      My
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Without the Mormon Lens: 9 - Lucy's Dream

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      At this point in our reading, we can clearly see that the inspiration for the story itself is largely pulled from events in the Bible. Lehi seems to embody the experiences in Jerusalem that reflect that of Jeremiah. And the exodus of his family from Jerusalem seems to reflect that of the Israelites fleeing Egypt. As we continue reading through page 8, we can see the influence continue as Lehi again takes actions that reflect the bible.  The Book of Mormon, pg 8 ~~~~~ The Book of Mormon~~~~~      "And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and he made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God." ( pg 8 ) ~~~~~~~~~~     It should come as no surprise, that this is exactly what Moses did after escaping their enemies and providing the Isrealites with food and water. ~~~~~The Old Testament ~~~~~~       15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: (Exodus 17:15) ~~~~~~~~~~      But what about narrative infl
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Without the Mormon Lens: 8 - The Exodus Begins

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   As we continue on to the next page, we see the world that Smith is building begin to grow. Lehi's role as a parallel to the prophet Jeremiah becomes even more defined. The Book of Mormon, pg 7 ~~~~~The Book of Mormon~~~~~~      "Therefore, I would that ye should know that after the Lord had shewn marvellous things unto my father Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard. " (pg 7) ~~~~~The Old Testament ~~~~~~      7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord . ( Jeremiah 26:7 ) ~~~~~The Book of Mormon~~~~~~      "And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the thing
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Without the Mormon Lens: 3 - And it Came to Pass

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     As I discussed in my previous post, my theory is that the Book of Mormon is a psuedo-biblical  historical fiction . I believe that it is a work which was influenced by other writings in this genre and the history of America.     In order to explore this concept a little more, we need to first understand how widespread these types of works were in the United States. And in order to do that, we need to first go to London, where psuedo-biblicia first captured the public's attention.      In 1740, Robert Dodsley published a book telling the history of the Kings of England in a biblical style, or "the manner of The Jewish Historians." It was published in multiple editions and spread quickly to the United States. Cover page from the 1821 edition      The book quickly gained notoriety for its unique approach to retelling English history. It was designed to mock the grandiosity and style of biblical texts while recounting the history of England's kings, whic
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Without the Mormon Lens: 12 - Attempt to Buy the Brass Plates

By Mason
    Let's just pick up right where we left off , as Nephi and his brothers attempt to buy the plates from Laban. The Book of Mormon, pg 11 ~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~      "And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things."      "And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceeding great, he did lust after it , insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property. And it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of Laban." (pg 11) ~~~~~~~~~~      If we look for a similar story related to Joshua, we find the account of Achan, who stole the silver, and gold, and precious things from the people of Ai.
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Without the Mormon Lens: 13 - The Head of Laban

By Mason
The Book of Mormon, pg 12 ~~~~~ The Book of Mormon~~~~~      " Now when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth, and still did continue to murmur; Nevertheless they did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem. (pg 12) ~~~~~~~~~~      We now find Nephi and his brothers outside of the walls of Jerusalem as they return a third time to retrieve the plates from Laban. We can see some similarities to the Book of Joshua as Joshua leads the Isrealites from city to city as they claim their inheritance. This final encounter with Laban is the final colmination of Nephi's effort to preserve their family's records. Much like the Book of Joshua is the finale of the Isrealites claiming their lands.    As we have seen with previous events, the Killing of Laban will be a conglomerate of multiple events across the Old Testament.  ~~~~~ The Old Testament~~~~~    1  And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee
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Without the Mormon Lens: 10 - Be Strong and of a Good Courage

By Mason
      I'm sure you're wondering when Columbus and other American influences are going to come into play, because so far we have only really referenced the Bible. I promise we will see that soon, at this point however, we are still only a few pages in, and Smith is still laying the Biblical foundations of the text. We will continue to see these Biblical parallels for a few pages, but I promise the build up is worth it. I'd rather continue taking this slow and while being as granular as possible. No rush, we'll get there.      This post will be one of my shortest as I want to focus on this re-introduction of Nephi before his story takes off.      As Nephi wraps up his focus on Lehi, the Biblical parallels begin to shift as well. As Nephi describes his experience, we will see the influence of the biblical prophet Joshua  take precedence in the story.       Stories of Joshua himself are present in several books in the Old Testament. Which will all be referenced as we read t
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Without the Mormon Lens: 2 - Changing Our Perspective

By Mason
     Upon first leaving the church, I didn't have any real explanation to give people for why the religion was "false." I had questions, but I felt that I had no answers.    As a faithful member, I had done my best to steer away from "anti" material. Most items on my shelf stemmed from personal observations and experiences. It took me several months after leaving before I even sat down to read the CES Letter . It seemed backwards to only pursue the material after I decided to leave the church. Somehow it felt wrong. Most people read the letter and then leave... right?      I began posting some of my experiences on  reddit  (under a different username) as a way to vent to others and to find a new sense of community. At one point I shared this sentiment, that I felt unjustified in a way for how I came to the conclusion to leave. I quickly found that many...  many... people experienced what I had experienced. The loss of faith, which was then followed by reading c
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Without the Mormon Lens: 5.1- Consider the Preface

By Mason
     I was working on typing up my analysis sorrounding the story of Nephi retrieving the brass plates from Laban; When something occured to me... I had completely forgotten to address one crucial idea.       Why did the story of the Book of Mormon start in Jerusalem?     Unbelievable. I'm kicking myself a bit. So I'm taking a moment to go back write this as post number 5.1, as it should have been discussed after the concept of re-contextualization and before touching First Nephi.     Oh well. Live and learn.     Remember that Nephi's family needs to eventually end up in the Americas to establish themselves as the ancestors to the Native Americans. This wasn't a claim unique to the Book of Mormon. Ever since the discovery of the New World, many people speculated about where its inhabitants came from.       It was a commonly held belief that the Native Americans were a lost tribe of Israel. Which is likely why Smith initially placed Lehi's family in Jerusalem just be
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Without the Mormon Lens: 11 - The First Return to Jerusalem

By Mason
     We have now reached possibly one of the most significant stories in the Book of Mormon. The turning point of the entire book. Nephi and his brothers are going to be tasked with returning to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates from Laban.       Keep in mind, that Lehi and his family are a retelling of the Israelites. Lehi is Moses, Nephi is Joshua, Laman, Lemuel and Sam are the composite of the rest of the Israelites.      I believe that this story is one of the most critical to understand, as it is one of the most memorable, and controversial events in the Book of Mormon. It also serves as a major turning point in our story as it sets us up to be able to step away from the Old Testament and toward the parallels in New World.      Lets pick up where we left off, with Nephi returning from his vision. He was just told that he will be guiding his people to the promised land. His father Lehi, will send him and his brothers into Jerusalem, to retrieve the brass plates and the genealo
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The content on Lucifer's Lantern reflect the personal experiences and interpretations of individual contributors. These articles often challenge or critique the teachings and practices of various religions. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not represent any official positions. The content is intended for personal reflection and discussion.