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Ether 13 |
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Ether 13:1 1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing.
It should be emphasized, however, that Moroni is not return to translation, or even to copying. Moroni is returning to telling. This is still Moroni, but he is telling a different tale at this point. He is returning to the story instead of elucidating the moral.
2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;
3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Ether 13:4 4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel.
Moroni explains that while the Old Jerusalem might have been rebuilt and therefore renewed it is nevertheless a renewal and not the New Jerusalem. Since Ether would not have any familiarity with any Jerusalem except through vision, this explanation separating the possible confusion between the two must be Moroni’s. Ether would not be confused for he saw the two. For Moroni, there would be some confusion because there was a historical Jerusalem that would be his most common reference. Therefore, Ether sees the vision, and this explanation is part of Moroni’s retelling, not the original vision.
6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type. Ether 13:7 7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not. Ether 13:8 8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.
As Moroni retells the vision, he relates it to the scriptures with which he is familiar. The explanation of the type is again demonstrably Moroni’s, because Ether’s people left prior to the time of Joseph in Egypt. Moroni had the story through the brass plates. Ether could not have known it. Therefore, this method of explaining the meaning of Ether’s vision comes from Moroni, not Ether. The type depends upon the fact that Joseph went Egypt and never returned. Although Israel eventually left Egypt and returned, Moroni ignores that part of the story, and concentrates on the separation that left Joseph in Egypt. The Jaredites and Lehites are therefore compared to Joseph who was separated, and became a powerful and righteous people in a foreign land. After the comparison to the separation, Moroni tweaks the next phase. Where Moses leads Israel out of Egypt and symbolically to Jerusalem, The Jaredites and Lehites will also leave their “separation” and come into Jerusalem, but a New Jerusalem.
9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. Ether 13:10 10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.
11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.
12 And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.
Matthew 19:30 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Of course this is not a text that would have been scripture (in the sense of written down) for Moroni. That it is referenced as fulfillment of scripture has to come from the association of Joseph’s understanding of that text to the situation explained by Moroni. Clearly the events of the last days come as fulfillment of scripture. It would appear that this particular fulfillment is pulled from Joseph’s understanding rather than what was directly on the plates. The application of the scripture of the reversal of first and last is difficult to apply to this particular context. The typical use of the phrase was to indicate the reversal of the house of Israel with the Gentiles. That is clearly not the case here. The context here is the separation from Israel and the reuniting of Israel in the two Jerusalems. Perhaps the New Jerusalem/Old Jerusalem creates the first/last reversal in some way that its not particularly clear.
13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
In this case, the rejection is not simply one of the message, but it appears to entail danger to the man himself. Even in the time of Shule, the king had to declare protection for the prophets, because they were being physically persecuted. This appears to have been a long-standing trend among the Jaredites, and it effects Ether as well. Ether is not out among the people, but he is hiding, in the “cavity of a rock,” or a cave. A cave has some natural reasons for selecting it as a hiding place. As early man learned, caves offer protection from the elements and a defensible position against wild beasts. It is a place of nature, and therefore not advertising the presence of man. All of this makes it an effective hiding place. In the Mesoamerican world, it was also a sacred place where the levels of the world met. The Mesoamerican tower-temples raised into the air to touch the level of the heavens. Caves entered the earth to touch the world below. If Ether participated in the Mesoamerican mindset, it would not be surprising to see a prophet understanding a cave as a potential place to commune with God. Redaction: Moroni again notes that he is retelling the information from Ether. He selects certain things to write, and is forbidden to write others. We never have an indication that Moroni is copying directly from his source, only that he is telling what was in the source, to the point that he is commanded to stop the telling.
14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night.
15 And it came to pass that in that same year in which he was cast out from among the people there began to be a great war among the people, for there were many who rose up, who were mighty men, and sought to destroy Coriantumr by their secret plans of wickedness, of which hath been spoken.
16 And now Coriantumr, having studied, himself, in all the arts of war and all the cunning of the world, wherefore he gave battle unto them who sought to destroy him.
“We know nothing about Olmec armies or possible military rfeats. Aside from the historical fact that no state can stand for a long period without the support of military forces, ideas of warlike activity are indicated in a concrete way. For instance, on Altar 4 of La Venta, a human figure bound by a cord suggests a captive. Monument C at Tres Zapotes shows scenes of war and combat. A trophy head is probably represented on Stela A from Tres Zapotes and on Stela D a kneeling figure also suggests that he is the victim of conquest. The representation of an obsidian-edged sword would indicate the same. From stelae A and D of Tres Zapotes we know that the Olmecs possessed lances and knives.” (Ignacio Bernal. The Olmec World. Translated by Doris Heyden and Fernando Horcasitas. University of California Press, 1969, p. 88). While the evidence for military action is less prevalent than among the Maya, the indications are clear that Coriantumr as a man who has studied the arts of war would not be out of place in the world of the Olmec.
17 But he repented not, neither his fair sons nor daughters; neither the fair sons and daughters of Cohor; neither the fair sons and daughters of Corihor; and in fine, there were none of the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins.
The next stylized part of the verse is the inclusion of the names of Cohor and Corihor. While Coriantumr is a current figure, Cohor and Corihor are probably related to the historical people that we have already seen bearing those names. Both Corihor and Cohor come from the earliest times of the Jaredite peoples, so that their “fair sons and daughters” are rather certainly symbolic at this point. Corihor is the first of the listed sons who rebel against their father (Ether 7:4). Cohor is also a rebel against family, who establishes a separate kingdom (Ether 7:20). The presentation of these two names from history is meant to describe the two types of people involved in this last war of destruction. There is the current ruling line, represented by Coriantumr, and there is the rebellious portion of the people, symbolically represented by the ancestral rebels, Corihor and Cohor. All of these aspects of political conflict are present, and none of them will turn to the Lord.
18 Wherefore, it came to pass that in the first year that Ether dwelt in the cavity of a rock, there were many people who were slain by the sword of those secret combinations, fighting against Coriantumr that they might obtain the kingdom. Ether 13:19 19 And it came to pass that the sons of Coriantumr fought much and bled much.
20 And in the second year the word of the Lord came to Ether, that he should go and prophesy unto Coriantumr that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom and spare the people— Ether 13:21 21 Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself. And he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr.
[they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself]: This statement is important because it signals the ending of a dynasty. In the world of kings, continuation of the dynasty comes through the family. It might come through the sons, and in Mesoamerica (and the Book of Mormon) there is also inheritance of rule or rights by a brother. In all cases, however, the continuation of the rule comes through family. With the complete destruction of the family, the dynasty is ended. It is in this light that we must see the related phrase: [every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr]: This phrase has been used to support the idea that every single Jaredite was destroyed in some frenzy of murderous destruction. While terrible destructions have occurred in the history of mankind, the most final are those where a superior force destroys some lesser force (and sadly, some undefended peoples). The typical picture of every single Jaredite fighting to the death is an exaggeration of the intent of this phrase. The prophesy should be seen in the light of the destruction of the ruling lineage, not the destruction of every person who lived under the rule of the destructive leaders. Archaeological work in the area of the Olmec in which the Jaredites would have lived shows that there is a continuation of people, even when there was a clear discontinuation of polities. This destruction of polities is the type of thing that defines the decline of the archaeological Olmec. The official Olmec culture is gone three to four hundred years prior to this ending of the Jaredite polities. Nevertheless, just as the ending of the Olmec was followed by the continued presence of the post-Olmec peoples (including the Jaredites), so too was the end of the Jaredites followed by other peoples in the area. [he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them]: This is the prophecy of Coriantumr’s travel to Zarahemla and his time with them. The idea that this would be a people that would inherit the land is an interesting prophecy. The Zarahemlaites were Mulekites and more recent entrants into the New World, and therefore could be seen as a new people who would inherit the land. However, they had also been part of the Olmec world. This suggests that while the Mulekites had been among the Olmec polities, they had not been among the Jaredite polities. If they had been a splinter group from the Jaredite polities, we would expect Coriantumr to have considered them a part of his people, and not a representative of some new people who would inherit the land.
22 And it came to pass that Coriantumr repented not, neither his household, neither the people; and the wars ceased not; and they sought to kill Ether, but he fled from before them and hid again in the cavity of the rock.
23 And it came to pass that there arose up Shared, and he also gave battle unto Coriantumr; and he did beat him, insomuch that in the third year he did bring him into captivity. Ether 13:24 24 And the sons of Coriantumr, in the fourth year, did beat Shared, and did obtain the kingdom again unto their father.
25 Now there began to be a war upon all the face of the land, every man with his band fighting for that which he desired.
[fighting for that which he desired]: While we are not told what it is that they desired, it can be understood that for most of these kin-groups, the fight was for their ancestral lands and the ability to use that land to produce their food.
26 And there were robbers, and in fine, all manner of wickedness upon all the face of the land.
27 And it came to pass that Coriantumr was exceedingly angry with Shared, and he went against him with his armies to battle; and they did meet in great anger, and they did meet in the valley of Gilgal; and the battle became exceedingly sore. Ether 13:28 28 And it came to pass that Shared fought against him for the space of three days. And it came to pass that Coriantumr beat him, and did pursue him until he came to the plains of Heshlon. Ether 13:29 29 And it came to pass that Shared gave him battle again upon the plains; and behold, he did beat Coriantumr, and drove him back again to the valley of Gilgal. Ether 13:30 30 And Coriantumr gave Shared battle again in the valley of Gilgal, in which he beat Shared and slew him.
31 And Shared wounded Coriantumr in his thigh, that he did not go to battle again for the space of two years, in which time all the people upon the face of the land were shedding blood, and there was none to restrain them.
Textual: There is no chapter break at this point in the 1830 edition. |
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by Brant Gardner. Copyright 2002 |
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