Comments on: Reading Nephi – 1:1-6

By: Kylie Turley

Kylie Turley — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 00:47:11 +0000

James, I’m interested in this parent/mother/wife issue with Nephi. Sorry to be slow on things if everyone else got this long ago, but it only occurred to me a short time ago that there is a big problem with Nephi’s posterity. He hands the plates off to Jacob and tells him explicitly to hand them down to his [Jacob’s] “seed” (Jacob 1:2) and then anoints “a man” to be king (Jacob 1:9). What is going on? Nephi does have children because Mormon, for one (and there are others), claims to be Nephi’s descendant), but no sons? unrighteous sons? Just daughters whom he never discusses even though he talks about his mom? What is up with Nephi’s kids? What do you think?

P.S. I am waiting to see what you have to say about verse 20. Grammatically-speaking, it’s a bit of a problem for me. But so is verse 1, now that I think about it.

By: Clark Goble

Clark Goble — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 16:02:20 +0000

I think a big problem we have when we read through the text is that we read into it contemporary views of democracy and liberty. Yet I just don’t think the text, at least up through Christ’s appearance, has anything like our views of government or freedom.

By: James Olsen

James Olsen — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 15:55:43 +0000

Clark, I love the idea. This is, I think, one of the great challenges that’s here — like the radically undemocratic nature of Nephite democracy or like their thoroughgoing rejection of a separation of church and state. There’s no easy way to get around it, and we realize that we’re dealing with a very different culture than own. In some respects this can be comforting. But the change from dispensations linked by the one true culture to exploring and finding edification in dispensations linked only by covenant can be very difficult.

By: Clark Goble

Clark Goble — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 15:40:53 +0000

Why Nephi and others so often exclude women from their narrative is a good question. Obviously there are breaks with this in the OT in places. Yet in general this does seem in keeping with the era. It does bother me though. One wishes that Christ when he appears in Bountiful not only told the Nephites to put in the Lamanites like Samuel that had been excluded but also the women. I like to imagine that the sealed portion of the text is much better here.

By: Rob Osborn

Rob Osborn — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 18:22:00 +0000

I think it is noteworthy that Nephi, in looking back on his afflictions is able to say he was highly favored of the Lord because of all the many miracles and manifestations he had in his being delivered from death on so many occasions. We know Nephi is a hard diligent worker who seldom if ever complains. I think this is due to his goodly parents who taught him correct principles. Plus, it helps when your own father is one of the many prophets in Jerusalem who prophesied and warned the people. Though it is mere speculation, I wonder if it was Lehi who preached to one Mulek, son of Zedekiah who would himself sail to the Americas shortly after Lehi and family depart Jerusalem.