Knowing the Record is True

While reading in 1 Nephi 1 today, I focused on Nephi's assertion in verse 3 that the record is true:

I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

He makes a similar declaration in 1 Nephi 14:30. This has the feel of a legal declaration, a representation or warranty. Or perhaps he is just affirming the truth of the record like we might affirm the truth of a story we are relating in everyday conversation. In that sense, the affirmation serves to clarify that we are trying to describe facts rather than spinning a tale. In either event, the value of Nephi's declaration is that he was an eyewitness to most of the events described in the record. For those who knew Nephi -- or did not doubt his existence -- this would have been a valuable piece of evidence for the truth of the record.

To the modern reader, however, Nephi's declaration has less value. The problem is that Nephi could be a fictional person, in which case the declaration would be worthless. It's just the sort of thing a fictional person would be made to say when the author is attempting to provide credibility to a specious record.

The challenge, then, is evident: how can we know that the record is true when we have no credible evidence beyond the record itself? Elsewhere (2 Nephi 25:20) Nephi bears testimony of a record that he did not make. King Benjamin does the same thing. Mosiah 1:6. So does Alma. Alma 3:12. Of course, in each of these instances, the witness had no reason to doubt the existence of the people who created the record of which they are testifying.

So the question remains on the table: how do we know whether the Book of Mormon is a true record?

In Mosiah 1:6, King Benjamin makes a fascinating declaration in reference to the plates of Nephi: "they are true, and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes." Two thousand years later, those same records were shown to eight witnesses, but those witnesses said nothing about the truth or falsity of the record. Instead, they merely affirmed the existence of the records:

Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken.

Notice the distinction between King Benjamin's declaration and the testimony of the eight witnesses. While King Benjamin testified that the records were true, the eight witnesses merely testified that Joseph had the plates. Something more was needed to provide a witness of the truth. We find that something in the Testimony of the Three Witnesses:

We, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true.

Seeing the records was not enough. They obtained their witness "by the gift and power of God," just as foretold in Ether 5:3: "And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true."

This observation is entirely consistent with the instruction typically given by missionaries to read and follow Moroni 10:3-5, where the Prophet Moroni admonishes readers of the record to "ponder it in your hearts" and "ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true." If you do that "with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ," Moroni claims, "he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." Indeed, by this power "ye may know the truth of all things."

"Goodly Parents"

I started reading the Book of Mormon again today. Over the weekend, I purchased a new set of scriptures, and I decided to start with my favorite book. The famous first verse -- "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents ..." -- reminded me of one of my old posts on Times & Seasons:

Jim [Faulconer] reminds us that next week begins a change in the Gospel Doctrine curriculum. This year’s course of study is, without a doubt, my favorite book in the world, The Book of Mormon. I hope to see a vigorous discussion of Jim’s provocative study questions, but I am going to anticipate him by a week or two with a post about the first verse of the Book of Mormon: “I, NEPHI, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father.” In my humble opinion, this verse does not mean what most of us think it means.

Before explaining my understanding of this verse, I want to ensure that we all agree on the usual understanding of this verse. General Authorities of the Church have used this verse repeatedly to support the notion that “goodly parents” means “righteous parents”:

* Elder L. Tom Perry: “What a blessing it would be to have it said of all fathers and mothers that they were goodly parents, righteous parents, active parents, faithful parents, exemplary parents, celestial parents.”

* Elder M. Russell Ballard: (after noting that Nephi was born of goodly parents) “So was the Prophet Joseph Smith; he once declared, ‘Words and language are inadequate to express the gratitude that I owe to God for having given me so honorable a parentage’ (History of the Church, 5:126).”

* Elder S. Dilworth Young: “Prophets are born of goodly parents. Before the earth was formed the heavenly hosts gave shouts of joy, both because they could come to the earth and that their leaders were chosen and recognized….”

* Elder Lynn Archibald: “The Book of Mormon clearly shows the value of righteousness and dedication in parents.”

* Elder Douglas L. Callister: “‘Goodly parents’ means good parents who set an example in keeping the commandments of God. My parents were very good. I hope I have been as good an example to my children.”

* Sister Virginia Pearce: “They were ‘goodly’ because they taught him to love the Lord and obey His commandments.”

In my view, this understanding of “goodly parents” is simply wrong. While the debate over material prosperity still proceeds below, I will add some fuel to the fire: the words “goodly parents” mean nothing more than “rich parents.”

This is not an issue that can be resolved by reference to a dictionary of usage. One sees remnants of my understanding of “goodly” in modern dictionaries — for example, the American Heritage Dictionary defines “goodly” to mean “Quite large; considerable” — but that does not resolve the issue. In addition, historical usages of “goodly” are mixed. If memory serves, the OED offers support for both definitions of “goodly” discussed here (i.e., righteous and rich). My argument, therefore, proceeds not solely from the dictionary, but from my reading of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon never quantifies Lehi’s wealth, but several references in the text suggest that Lehi was a man of great means. When describing the departure of Lehi and his family from Jerusalem into the wilderness, Nephi writes: “he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things….” 1 Nephi 2:4 Perhaps the most striking reference occurs when Lehi’s sons return to Jerusalem to obtain the “plates of brass,” which contained the writings of the prophets prior to Lehi’s departure at the time of the reign of Zedekiah (roughly 600 b.c.). 1 Nephi 5:11. When the four sons of Nephi attempt to buy the brass plates from Laban – himself apparently a man of great means – Nephi records, “when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it….” 1 Nephi 3:25.

Why is this relevant to our understanding of “goodly parents” in 1 Nephi 1:1? The view of Lehi and Sariah as “rich parents” sheds light on the subsequent division in the family. The main issue that divided Lehi’s family was wealth. The older children — Laman and Lemuel — were raised in conditions of great affluence, and they were quite outspoken in their opposition to the family’s move down the social ladder. Moreover, in Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life, Laman and Lemuel elected to enter the “great and spacious building,” which was “filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.” 1 Nephi 8:27. By contrast, the younger children — Sam, Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph — remained righteous. The youngest (Jacob and Joseph) were born in the wilderness, and the others were probably too young when the family relocated to have been tainted by the affluence of the family in the days prior to Lehi’s “conversion.”

Finally, I anticipate someone commenting that “goodly parents” might have a dual meaning (both righteous and rich), but I don’t agree. The notion of goodly parents is connected to Nephi’s opportunities for learning: “therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father.” This is pretty clearly a reference to literacy, as Nephi concludes verse 1 by saying, “therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.” While wealth has obvious connections to literacy, righteousness does not. That is, I assume that many righteous parents of Nephi’s day were unable to provide their children with a formal education.

There is much more that can be said about this, but that should suffice to generate some reactions.

Since writing that post, I have mellowed a bit on "goodly." (Note that this post was written early in my blogging career, when being provocative was at least as important as being right.) For one thing, my memory of the Oxford English Dictionary was incomplete. Here is the listing of meanings of "goodly" as an adjective:

1. Of good appearance; good-looking, well-favoured or proportioned; comely, fair, handsome.

2. Notable or considerable in respect of size, quantity, or number (freq. with mixture of sense 1).

3. Of good quality, admirable, splendid, excellent. Also, well suited for some purpose, proper, convenient (often with implication of sense 1).

4. Gracious, kind, kindly-disposed.

None of these provides strong support for the use of "goodly" as a synonym for "rich" -- though perhaps being "considerable in respect of size, quantity, or number" could have that connotation -- but the last one in particular would support the idea of parents who care for their children.

Nevertheless, there is no question that Lehi was considered rich, and I believe this fact helps immensely in understanding the story of his family.

The 23rd Psalm

My neighbor asked me to substitute for him today as the teacher of the 12-13 year old Sunday School class. The lesson was on courage, and our text was the incomparable 23rd Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The commentary on this short passage is voluminous, but I will venture a few observations in relation to the central task of this blog: to inquire diligently to know more concerning the kingdom of God.

As many have observed, this Psalm has two primary metaphors for the Lord. He is a shepherd in verses 1-4 and a host in verses 5-6. The author of the Psalm is presumed to be King David, but we can imagine ourselves as the speaker.

In the first verses, we are sheep, and we are content under the Lord's care. The phrasing of the first verse -- "I shall not want" rather than "I do not want" -- suggests that this contentment is contingent on our willingness to follow the shepherd. Those who follow Him are rewarded with green pastures and still (fresh) waters. We can probably assume that the reference to green pastures and still waters is not a promise of material wealth, but rather a promise of spiritual rest (peace) and wisdom. If we are faithful, our souls will be restored, through repentence and the atonement.

Verse 4 was the focus of our lesson on courage. Even though we follow the Lord ("he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness"), we will encounter trials. But if we are faithful, we will not fear those trials because we will trust in the Lord to protect us. Thus, courage is a function of faith.

In the last two verses, we are prospective guests in the Lord's house. The "house of the Lord" often refers to temples, but given that David was not allowed to build the temple and the fact that the last verse mentions living in the house of the Lord for ever, I suspect this is a more general reference to heaven or the kingdom of God.

The reference to anointing in verse 5 is interesting. Coupled with the reference to a cup running over, the anointing probably was intended to suggest that the Lord is a generous host. But anointing is also done in blessing the sick (perhaps a prelude to our entering into His house is that we become spiritually whole) and to set someone apart for a special calling. For example, Jesus is sometimes referred to as the "anointed" in reference to his special calling as the Christ or Messiah, both of which are derived from words meaning anointed. Thus, the anointing in Psalms 23 could refer to the setting apart of those who enter His kingdom.

Taken as a whole, Psalm 23 is not merely an expression of gratitude for blessings received in this life, but also an invitation to enjoy the blessings of eternal life. In response to Zeezrom's inquiry concerning the kingdom of God, the Psalmist would admonish Zeezrom to become part of the Lord's flock and to follow Him in paths of righteousness.

"O remember, remember"

In several passages in the Book of Mormon, prophets urge the people to remember. Consider this beautiful passage in Mosiah 2:41 from King Benjamin's address:

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

And this passage in Alma 37:13, which features Alma speaking to his son, Helaman:

O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land—but if ye keep not his commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence.

In both passages, prophets urge people not only to remember the commandments of God, but also to remember the blessings that follow from living according to those commandments. Without a written record, remembering these things is surprisingly difficult. (Cf. Nephi and the plates of brass: "I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law").

The foregoing thoughts come to me with a bit of irony because I was reminded of these ideas by watching a videotape of President Henry B. Eyring's talk on this subject from the October 2007 General Conference:



This is only a snippet from a powerful talk. You can read the whole thing here or watch it from this page.

On listening to President Eyring again, I focused on this paradoxical idea: "As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day." Obviously, President Eyring understood the paradox: "I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done."

This reminded me of that passage of scripture quoted in my welcome post: "And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God." If the goal of this blog is to pursue Zeezrom's inquiry, that is, to enhance my knowledge of the kingdom of God, it's hard to think of a better place to start than remembering.

On first hearing that talk over a year and half ago, I resolved to follow President Eyring's counsel to write in my journal daily. And I did. It was a wonderful, uplifting experience. Nevertheless, as time has passed, I have allowed various distractions to stand in the way of keeping a daily record. Seeing President Eyring's talk again has rekindled my resolve.

Welcome to Zeerom's Inquiry

In the spring of 2003, without much forethought, I launched a blog. Within a week or so, people were linking to my blog, even though I had done nothing to publicize it. And, though it may seem strange, I didn't want the attention. I was just goofing around with a new communication medium.

Once I realized that people were actually reading my blog, I almost stopped blogging. But I realized very early in my blogging career that writing for an audience had the potential to change me. In a good way. Blogging forced me to articulate a view. And the fact that I was blogging changed the way I interacted with the world. Whatever I was reading or doing had the potential to become a blog post, so I thought more deeply and more creatively about what I was reading and doing. It even enhanced my scholarship.

That early blogging was a "quirky mix of entries about business, law, Wisconsin, legal education, and whatever else strikes [my] fancy (including, of course, cheese)." But my blogging didn't include religion. Then, in the fall of 2003, some young lawyers asked me to join their new Mormon blog, Times & Seasons. Together we built one of the most popular sites in the Bloggernacle (a term coined at T&S), but after several years of blogging there, I ran out of things to say to that audience.

Since leaving T&S in 2007, I have largely avoided blogging about religion. Until today. I am launching Zeezrom's Inquiry for the same reason I decided to continue blogging in early 2003, namely, because I want to learn by writing. This time, my focus is Mormon scripture.

If all goes according to my mental plan, this blog will be much different than T&S. I will not be commenting on all things Mormon, but hoping merely to supplement my study of the so-called "Standard Works": The Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine & Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.

The title of the blog makes reference to my favorite character in the Book of Mormon, whom I described in a 2004 post at T&S:

Zeezrom was a lawyer, who is described as "a man who was expert in the devices of the devil." (Alma 11:21) At one point in [an] exchange with Amulek, Zeezrom attempts to purchase Amulek’s testimony against God, and Zeezrom fails. (Alma 11:22) But when Amulek describes spiritual death, "Zeezrom began to tremble." (Alma 11:46) Then Alma jumps in, calls Zeezrom a liar and reads his mind — "Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit." (Alma 12:3) At this point, Zeezrom changes from adversary to student as he "began to inquire of them diligently." (Alma 12:8) Eventually, he is totally converted and confesses his sins to the people, who "spit upon him, and cast him out from among them." (Alma 14:6-7) Zeezrom takes ill with a "burning fever," and he is healed by Alma. (Alma 15) Ultimately, Zeezrom becomes a missionary. (Alma 31)

The bolded passage serves as my inspiration for this blog, but I left out an important part. The first sentence of that verse reads: "And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God." That is the motivation for this blog, and I hope you will read it in that spirit.