The tale is a masterpiece picture of reality. Nephi captures it perfectly and is conveyed by the spirit into our hearts how true that concept is about how fast one can go from a miraculous event to complaining again if they desire wickedness in their hearts. I have seen it in my own family where once we had a spiritual manifestation and then literally within minutes its as if we completely forgot and were bickering again. The Book of Mormon is quite replete with this cycle over and over again. It truly tells how things really are in our natures- how quick we are to forget God.

As is being brought up, a whole lot turns on how heterogenous Jerusalem was at the time–something to which we simply don’t have access. We know there were factions. Taking Lehi as a heterodox Moshevite, however, doesn’t mean Laman and Lemuel were nuanced in there views. Commonly kids push back on the heterodoxy of their parents (analogous to 2nd generation immigrants refusing to speak their parents native language). If L&L swallowed the reformed Israelite religion of their day, they might well have done so unreflectively. Outside of Jerusalem, cut off from their society, might well have been the first time they ever thought seriously about these covenants and their father’s (and Nephi’s) interpretation.

The Messiah bit is tricky since we just don’t know the history of the parts of deutero-isaiah and other later bits of Isaiah (possibly Isaiah 13 & 14). In particular the suffering servant passages are key. We know Nephi has these although it’s not clear their nature. Would Laman and Lemuel recognize them as legitimate for instance? It’s not at all clear if they are from a contemporary prophet of Lehi and Jeremiah.

Part of the problem is that it’s just not clear what a 7th century view could entail within the mainstream let alone more heterodox people. (Which Lehi certainly comes off as) The 7th century clearly involves fairly substantial reformations to Judaism. They break more and more with a broad similarity to Canaanite religion. This tension between the Deuteronomist centralization and what I’d term a more Canaanite-like religion seem honestly to be a constant tension in the Book of Mormon from the narrative of Nehor up through Abinadi and the priests of Noah. And not always in a constant way (probably due to influence from indigenous religion – since we’re typically talking centuries after Nephi and Jacob).

I do find it interesting that Nephi really doesn’t try to convince Laman and Lemuel on their own terms. He certainly doesn’t follow the commitment pattern. (Don’t know if they still teach that in the MTC)

The covenants are interesting, especially since arguably there with Nephi (and later with Abinadi) we see a positive engagement with Deuteronomy. (Particularly chapter 29) So maybe my quip about the commitment pattern is unfair.

Terry H, Ahhh! But alas, right now as I slowly move books back out of storage as our basement gets back to normal after a flood I still don’t have all my books. If I can’t yet fit in my Anchor Bible Dictionary I’m afraid other books are not apt to get purchased.

James: I’ve been too busy to contribute like I did earlier, but I have not stopped following your excellent beginnings to the discussion.

Later, scribes in the kingdom of Judah would take advantage of the chaos due to Israel bringing Babylon upon Israel to shape a new narrative, obscuring the worship of the Christ, altough unable to obscure the patterns of Christ. Those patterns would be picked up by later believers in the Christ aming the gentiles, who would help spread worship of the Christ, though not the true understanding of the Crist.

A branch of the actual kingdom of Israel would have gotten out, and among themselves preserved the true words of the Israelite prophets about the Christ, as well as recorded their own worship of the Christ, including a visit from the Christ himself. This collection of records would be entrusted to a upper-New York state farmboy in the 1800s. By the power of God, this farm boy would restore that knowledge of the Christ that had been lost from Israel, and despite the afforts of men and devils, Israel would once again have an opportunity to know and exercise fairh in the Christ.

All of this is just my own opinion, take it as you will.