Secret Combinations (Historical Examples)

The Book of Mormon describes how the people of Lehi and the Jaredites were plagued by secret combinations to murder and get gain. Wicked and ambitious individuals and groups employed assassination and other means to gain political power and influence (Helaman 1:9-12; 2:3-5; 6:15-30; 3 Nephi 6:27-30; 7:1; Ether 8:10-18; 9:5-6). Moroni and other prophets warn that these practices, if they remain unchecked, and are allowed to spread throughout the society lead to social chaos and eventual destruction, as in the case of the Jaredites and people of Lehi (Helaman 2:13; Ether 8:21-22). They, we are told rather common anciently as well as in our day, and "they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites" (Ether 8:20). Here are two examples from the Pre-Columbian history of Mexico.

The first comes from Diego Duran, The History of the Indies of New Spain, Translated by Doris Heyden (Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994), 69.

Tezozomoc of Azcapotzalco was dead and the Tepanecs, even more determined to carry out their intentions, agreed among themselves to kill King Chimalpopoca by treachery, thereby facilitating the annihilation of the Mexican nation. They sealed this conspiracy by solemnly vowing to carry out this evil plan. At night, when all was silent, they secretly sent men to Mexico-Tenochtitlan, where the murderers entered the palace while the guards, careless, were asleep. Finding the ruler unprepared, they slew him and his son Teuctleuac, who was sleeping beside him.

The second example comes from the Tlaxcaltecan chronicle the Anonimo Mexicano, one of the rare non-Mexica accounts of ancient Mexican history (Richley Crapo and Bonnie Glass-Coffin, eds., Anonimo Mexicano. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2005, 50-53). Chapter 9 of the chronicle tells how an ambitious noble named Tlacomihua, unhappy with his lot as a mere nobleman, conspired to obtain power and the kingship

He began by shrewdly flattering some of his fellow nobles and talking down the king.

Thus already he was beginning to advise the men and vassals of his vicinity. Thus the lord warned them and said that he [the king] was already very great. Thus he did not still take care of them well as he had done at first. He just talked fast. He no longer held these nobles in high esteem, as a good father who loves them. Tlacomihua reported all this. Thus he remembered whichever men of the city were dissatisfied concerning their revered lord ruler. This he gathered them together on his property, where he made this speech to them. Still when night fell, he finished this. Sighing thus, he spoke evil against their lord (50-51).

Without explicitly calling for the king’s assassination, the shrewd operator Tlacomihua’s implied support and persuaded his fellows to commit the crime.

He moved their will against the king, towards his evil intention, so they would kill their sovereign lord. And then the vassals agreed thus to kill him. He would not make known to them his intent. These nobles went with him to his palace. They went as if to be civil. Raising a shout, they attacked. He was not prepared. Thus secretly they killed him. Thus when they left there, their secret deed would not be known. They crossed over to the homes of their poor sovereign lord’s kinsmen. And however many were involved killed the sons, nephews, kin, and all his close kin with their arrows, so that not one of his lineage would remain. . . . it was in this way that this much-loved sovereign lord died, who was greatly loved and respected. Thus was he just to everyone of his vassals (51).

In the aftermath following the murder of the king the people were unwilling to punish the perpetrators because the children, fathers and friends of so many families in the community were involved.

And when he died, they were afraid everywhere. In the city, many became agitated and did not know about the conspiracy. They armed themselves and went about most disturbed, with all the women and children, so that there was very great confusion. The crying of the women and children was great, so there was very great mourning. Thus they killed him who was their sovereign. And those who began already nearly slaves wanted to avenge themselves, desisted because it appeared to them that to do so would give evil, because if they would kill all the guilty, they would be killing someone’s children and someone’s fathers and friends. They would spill their blood in vain so long as they carried out such a remedy (51-52).

Subsequently Tlacomihua, who had cleverly nudged others to action without getting his own hands dirty, was finally able to maneuver himself into the kingship.

It was just possibly Tlacomihua whose desire was the secret killing. Then it is said that he became the noble on the throne of the rulership of Ococteluco. Although it was not that some who had agreed that the first ruler should die, they did not want this noble to rule, still in this manner many were able to follow him because many had participated in this manner conspiracy . . . And as his power was greater, he was able to shut their mouths. And thus he entered himself into the rulership (52).

Faith Archaeology and the Book of Mormon

[From Rodney Stark, "The Basis of Mormon Success: A Theoretical Application," in James Duke, Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members. Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1998, 45-46. Stark is a non-Mormon Sociologist).

Latter-day Saint liberals often concern themselves with conflicts between the Book of Mormon and archaeological research. . . . The basic problem for both Christian and Latter-day Saint liberals is that they inevitably project their inability to believe to everyone else. Latter-day Saint liberals worry about dis-confirmations of the Book of Mormon because they don't really believe this is an ancient and inspired scripture, but something composed, consciously, or otherwise, by Joseph Smith. Orthodox Saints, believing the Book to be the word of God, are not only able to accommodate some discrepancies, but fully expect archaeologists to find evidence in support of scripture, which is why the LDS Church has supported a considerable amount of New World archaeology. 

Interestingly enough, the orthodox have had some substantial successes. For example, John L. Sorenson (1985) devoted many years to constructing a map of the Book of Mormon. Working entirely with textual references, he located places in relation to one another (how long did it take to walk from Nephi to Zarahemla and in what direction?) and to the topography as described therein. This map turned out to be a remarkable fit for the area surrounding the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Southern Mexico and Northern Guatemala.

Faith and the Truth of the Book of Mormon

From Bruce R. McConkie, "What Think Ye of the Book of Mormon?" Ensign (November 1983)

Two ministers of one of the largest and most powerful Protestant denominations came to a Latter-day Saint conference to hear me preach. After the meeting I had a private conversation with them, in which I said they could each gain a testimony that Joseph Smith was the prophet through whom the Lord had restored the fulness of the gospel for our day and for our time. I told them they should read the Book of Mormon, ponder its great and eternal truths, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ, in faith, and he would reveal the truth of the book to them by the power of the Holy Ghost. . . . All of this I explained to my two Protestant friends. One of them, a congenial and decent sort of fellow, said somewhat casually that he would read the Book of Mormon. The other minister, manifesting a bitter spirit, said: “I won’t read it. We have experts who have read the Book of Mormon, and I have read what our experts have to say about it.” This account dramatizes one of our problems in presenting the message of the Book of Mormon to the world. There are sincere and devout people everywhere who have heard what other people say about this volume of holy writ, and so they do not read it themselves. . . .

Shortly after my experience with these two ministers, two other ministers from the same denomination came to another of our conferences to hear me preach. And, once again, after the meeting I had a private discussion with them. My message was the same. Taking the Book of Mormon as their guide, they must read, ponder, and pray in order to gain a witness from the Spirit as to the truth and divinity of this great latter-day work. I told them of my prior experience with their two colleagues and how one of them had refused to read the Book of Mormon, saying that they had experts who had read the book and he had read what their experts had said. I then said, “What is it going to take to get you gentlemen to read the Book of Mormon and find out for yourselves what is involved, rather than relying on the views of your experts?”

One of these ministers, holding my copy of the Book of Mormon in his hands, let the pages flip past his eyes in a matter of seconds. As he did so, he said, “Oh, I’ve read the Book of Mormon." I had a momentary flash of spiritual insight that let me know that his reading had been about as extensive as the way he had just flipped the pages. In his reading he had done no more than scan a few of the headings and read an isolated verse or two.

A lovely young lady, a convert to the Church whose father was a minister of the same denomination as my four Protestant friends, was listening to my conversation with the second two. At this point she spoke up and said, “But Reverend, you have to pray about it.”

He replied, “Oh, I prayed about it. I said, ‘O God, if the Book of Mormon is true, strike me dead’; and here I am.”

My unspoken impulse was to give this rejoinder: “But Reverend, you have to pray in faith!”

Book of Mormon Word Usage: Priesthood

It would probably come as a surprise to most members of the Church to learn that the term priesthood, as such, never occurs in the Book of Mormon. The word priesthood appears eight times in the Book of Mormon, all in the book of Alma, and always preceded by the adjective high. The Book of Mormon term is therefore not priesthood, but high priesthood.

All the uses of the term high priesthood save one occur in the thirteenth chapter of Alma. The exceptional occurrence, in the fourth chapter is interesting because it actually defines what Alma means by the term high priesthood. In Alma 4:20, it states: “Alma delivered up the judgment seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God.” Earlier in the chapter it states that “Alma did not grant unto him [Nephihah] the office of being high priest over the church, but he retained the office of high priest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment-seat unto Nephihah” (Alma 4:18). For Alma, the term high priesthood means the office of being high priest over the church.

Thus men prepared from the foundation of the world were “called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the” office of high priest over the church (Alma 13:6). And this office of high priest over the church was "after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world." (Alma 13:7). High priests "were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the" office of being high priest "of the holy order" (Alma 13:8). In sum:

Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;

Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.

Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God. (Alma 13:10–12)

In the Book of Mormon, high priest was a special office. We first hear of the office when Alma founds the church in the land of Helam (Mosiah 23:16). The office is passed to his son, Alma (Mosiah 29:42). We originally read of only one high priest, but then Alma claims that he is "a high priest over the church of God" (Alma 5:3). But perhaps he is referring to high priests chronologically as a bit later he is "the high priest over the church of God throughout the land" (Alma 8:23), and was acknowledged as such:

we know that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions. (Alma 8:11).

Some time later, we hear of other high priests:

they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people.

And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land. And he came over into the land of Gideon, and began to preach unto them also; and here he did not have much success, for he was taken and bound and carried before the high priest, and also the chief judge over the land. (Alma 30:20–21)

After 3 Nephi 6:22 we hear no more of high priests. After the coming of Christ they disappear and the church seems to be led by "disciples" rather than high priests.

Thus the high priesthood was a specific office used for at least a century among the Nephites.

The Names Sam and Josh (Howlers # 17 and 18)

One of his brothers was a real Yankee–Sam! Well done, Prophet Smith; you can’t get rid of your Jonathanisms. Sam indeed! Fie, Joseph, how you forget yourself. Can’t you forge better than this? Precious little of Yankee wit, have you in your composition, to let a Yankeeism creep into the ancient `Book of Nephi’ in this manner. . . . `Sam, Josh, and Gid.’ . . . .There’s Yankee for ye. Rather out of place, however, in ancient writings . . . . Sam, Josh, and Gid, are half names, or Jonathanisms.

Origen Bachelor, Mormonism Exposed, Internally and Externally (New York: 1838), 11, 14.

Here is a boy six hundred years before Christ who has the unmistakable Yankee nickname for Samuel. There is certainly nothing Hebraistic about this name, nor does it sound like any Egyptian name we ever heard.

M. T. Lamb, The Golden Bible (1887), 218.

This name Sam, by the way, sounds very modern.

Edgar E. Folk, The Mormon Monster, or the Story of Mormonism (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1900), 186.

No Hebrew named his child "Sam" (v. 5). "Sam" is an American name, but not a Hebrew name.

Marvin Cowan, Mormon Claims Answered (1989), 39.



Both Sam and Josh are now known to be authentic Hebrew names attested in Hebrew inscriptions from before 587 B.C. only published in the last few decades. Both names are hypocoristic or abbreviated forms of Hebrew names which have dropped the theophoric element from the end (John Tvedtnes, John Gee and Matthew Roper, "Book of Mormon Names Attested in Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/1 2000: 49-51. For more information on the names Sam, Josh and other Book of Mormon names researchers will want to consult the Willes Center's Onomasticon Project.

Consecrate Your Brain

From Neal A Maxwell, "Discipleship and Scholarship," BYU Studies 32/3 (1992): 8.

There is no lasting place in the Kingdom for unanchored and unconsecrated brilliance.

Ezra Taft Benson on the Book of Mormon

From Ezra Taft Benson, "The Book of Mormon--The Keystone of Our Religion," Ensign (November 1986): 7.

Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of the Book of Mormon a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life. There is a difference between a convert who is built upon the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of that iron rod, and one who is not.