Mosiah

Who wrote it? It was abridged by Mormon from the writings of: Mosiah, 

Summary:  
Part One: Chapters 1-8 Account of King Benjamin and his son Mosiah, and the travel of Ammon
King Benjamin call the people together so he can pronounce his son Mosiah as the next king.  He also prophesies until them, being a great example.  He is such a righteous king that he wants them all to know he served them because when you are serving fellow men you are serving God.  Then he proceeds to preach unto them about how they should be righteous and selfless, giving what they have to their fellow men.  He testifies of Christ who is going to come and of the resurrection and the need to utilize his name in the process of repentance if we do not want to suffer endless torment.  Then, in chapter 5, King Benjamin's people have a "mighty change," in which they lose their desire to sin, and desire to do ONLY good.  Because of that desire, they are ready to make new covenants with God.  So King Benjamin gives them a name, which ends up sounding remarkably similar to the present day temple endowments.  The people live in righteousness, and King Benjamin then allows Mosiah to become the king (476 years after Lehi left Jerusalem) at the age of 30.  King Benjamin lived 3 more years, in which the people remained very righteous, then he died.  Mosiah was a very loving and righteous king, just like his father.  He even tilled the ground with his people, so that he could work with his people.  He also followed the commandments of the lord and helped the people remember the covenants they had made.  After those 3 years, Mosiah became curious about what had happened to their people who had left (in Omni 1:27-30), and he sent a group of 16 men being led by Ammon (not the decapitating Ammon we all loved to read about in primary) to check on those people in the Land of Lehi-Nephi.  They wandered in the wilderness for 40 days, and then Ammon, Amaleki, Helem & Hem went down into the land of Nephi, where they were immediately bound and put in prison, until they could be taken to see the king Limhi 2 days later.  When they met with the king, Ammon told King Limhi who he was, and that he had come to find out about the people who had left Zarahemla with Zeniff years prior.  King Limhi gets very excited and tells him how his people are in bondage (because of their sins and iniquities) to the Lamanites because of their extreme taxes, and he knows that Mosiah's people can save his people.  King Limhi tells of how his people had killed Abinadi the prophet when he tried to warn them of the incoming bondage, and how they have been evil. Ammon teaches the people about the things his people were just taught by King Benjamin, to inspire them to righteousness.  Then King Limhi gets the 24 gold plates, and asks Ammon if he knows anyone that could interpret them (Ammon tells him that King Mosiah is a seer and would indeed be able to).  King Limhi also tells Ammon how his people had been trying to find the land of Zarahemla to seek help, but had instead discovered a land of ruin and bones and death (where they found the 24 gold plates-which end up being the book of Ether about the Jaredites).  When they found that, they thought that it was the land of Zarahemla, and that the Lamanites had actually overtaken and killed the people of Zarahemla, and all of the Nephites.  So, King Limhi's people became defeated, feeling like they had lost all hope and chances of being delivered from their enslavement to the Lamanites.

Part Two: Chapters 9-22 The account of Zeniff (so going back in time) who left Zarahemla with some Nephites from Zarahemla into the land of Nephi-Lehi (now under rule of King Limhi) This skips backwards 80 years from chapter 8.  
Zeniff leads a group of people to spy on the Lamanites in the land of Nephi-Lehi, so that their people will be able to win the war, but when he sees them he changes his mind and decides they should not be destroyed.  When he presents this new plan, it causes a basic civil war among his people where "the greater number" were killed.  Then, he returns home briefly, before taking people to go try to inherit the land of Lehi-Nephi.  The king sees Zeniff, and "covenants" with him and moves all of his people out of the land, so that Zeniff's people can move in.  Right about now, I would imagine that I would wonder why the heck king Laman was willing to move all of his people out of their home so generously just because I had arrived, but Zeniff was not thinking that apparently.  Instead, his people moved in and began to wax strong, and built up the city.  About 13 years later, King Laman started to be aware of how strong the people were getting, and his original plan to enslave them had to be put to action before they got too strong.  So he sent His Lamanite people and attacked the people of Zeniff while they were working in their fields.  Zeniff responded by supplies weapons to his people, and because he called on the Lord for strength in battle, which is why the death toll ended up being 3,043 Lamanites/279 Nephites. Then, the people of Zeniff went back to prospering in the land for another 22 years peacefully and he set guards up around the people so that they would not be attacked again.  Then, King Laman died and his son took over and was stirring up his people against the Nephites again, so Zeniff sent spies to see what their plans were.  Then, Zeniff had the women and children hide in the wilderness, and the men prepared for war, even himself.   The Lamanites were extremely strong men, but they did not have the strength of God behind them.  Zeniff explains to his people that they are "wild and ferocious and a blood thirsty" people that hate the Nephites because they believe in false traditions.  The Lamanites believed that 1) they had been driven out of Jerusalem because of their parents' wrongs, 2) They were wronged in the wilderness and while crossing the sea to America (because Nephi was more faithful and he was more favored of the Lord).  They didn't believe that Nephi was actually dealing with the Lord, so they did not comprehend his strength and why he should be a ruler.  They go to battle and slaughter the Lamanites, "even so many that we did not number them."  Then, the Nephites go back to being peaceful in the Land.  Zeniff says that he is old and he gives the kingdom to his son King Noah.

Chapter 11-12

King Noah did not rule like his father.  He was very prideful.  He immediately started having many concubines and replaced all of the priests that his father had had serving.  He added a 1/5 tax to his people to support himself and the priests and had the people building all sorts of extremely ornate projects around the city.  They were sinning in every way.  He also had a tower built where he could overlook Shilom and Shemlon, which is the city the Lamanites were living in.  The Lamanites started to sneak into the fields and murder King Noah's people so he placed guards, but they were overtaken by the Lamanites. In response, King Noah sent more army and drove the Lamanites back.  Immediately they began to party and rejoice in their murder and their strength.  This is when Abinadi showed up.  He started preaching to them and told them that if they did not repent they would be taken into captivity according to the Lord.  He told them that if they did not repent he would not deliver them from their enemies until they knew that he was the Lord their God.  "when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries, yeah and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies."  I like that he used the word slow.  He is still listening, but he does not help us if we don't repent and turn to him.  He especially does not help us quickly.   The people turned on Abinadi (as always) and wanted to kill him, but the Lord protected him. King Noah heard about all of this and was upset.  He wanted to know who Abinadi was and why he thought he had a right to judge him and his kingdom.  Instead of heeding Abinadi's prophecies, he became even more stubborn and wanted to kill Abinadi.  Definitely no repentance going on. Abinadi reappears and he preaches to the people again, but this time he uses much more upfront language and basically tells the people what WILL happen, instead of just what could happen if they don't repent like he had been teaching the first time. They take him to King Noah who imprisons him.  The priests then question him, and Abinadi calls them out on not practicing what they preach and not teaching the people the things they know to be true.

Chapter 13

As the priests, under King Noah's command, sought to attack Abinadi he told them basically if they touched him that God woulds smite them because he has not delivered his message yet.  He told them that he had told them the truth and they were assuming he was mad.  Then they all went silent because Abinadi was literally glowing with the spirit. Then while none of them were able to talk he gave his message and told them that he knew they were in wonder and amazement and anger.  He tells them that once he is able to deliver his message it doesn't matter where he goes because his purpose will be served, but what they choose to do with him will predict what things are going to happen later.  Then he goes over the 10 commandments with them.  Then he tells them they obviously are not teaching these and having them in their hearts.  He tells them that for now they need to follow the law of Moses, but that the time is coming when they will not need it anymore because the law alone is not good enough and it takes the actual sacrifice of God himself.  He tells them that Israel was given the law of Moses because they were slow to remember God and they need a strict law because of their stiffneckedness.  He says this is why they were given a law with strict performances and ordinances because they needed a way to remember him.  They didn't understand the law, but they needed to do it and even then Moses told his people about the future of a messiah.  All of the prophets have since the world began.  They have all said that he would come to earth as a man and bring to pass resurrection and that he would be afflicted as well.


Part Three: Chapters 23-25 The account of Alma (not the well known Alma) who was living in Helam. Also this is a record of King Noah, Amulon and the Lamanites. 




Time Period: 361 B.C-130 B.C. (331 year period).  The first four authors wrote in the land of Nephi, but Amaleki kept his record in Zarahemla.  

What Was Going On in the World:
While Mosiah 1, Benjamin and then Mosiah the 2nd were kings over the Nephites in Zarahemla, in the Land of Lehi-Nephi, Zeniff, Noah and then Limhi had been ruling.



Main Characters:
Mosiah-->King Benjamin-->Mosiah (the second): All were Righteous Nephite kings in the Land of Zarahemla from 200 B.C. to 77 B.C ish. 
           Helorum (other son of Mosiah)
           Helaman (other son of Mosiah)
King Zeniff (righteous)-->King Noah (wicked, had Abinadi Killed)-->King Limhi (righteous): These were Nephite kings in the Land of Nephi from around 200 B.C-125 B.C. ish
Alma
Abinadi (first appears Chapter 11:20) (one blog I found stated "We have no information as to his origin, though it is interesting to speculate. Did he come up to the land of Nephi with Zeniff? Or did he come up from Zarahemla on his own? Was he born in the land of Nephi? Obviously we don't know. He knew the scriptures and therefore must have encountered the plates of brass in Zarahemla.")

Mosiah, King Laman and Zeniff were at the same time.  Benjamin was just starting as king when king Noah was at his peak power.  Then, Limhi's reign ended around the start of king Mosiah the II seconds reign starting.  
Lamoni's father (might be a descendent of Laman)
Purpose: 

Other Interesting Facts:

• “Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made. Knowing that service is what gives our Father in Heaven fulfillment, and knowing that we want to be where He is and as He is, why must we be commanded to serve one another? Oh, for the glorious day when these things all come naturally because of the purity of our hearts. In that day there will be no need for a commandment because we will have experienced for ourselves that we are truly happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service” Marion G Romney.  
• "I think that a lot of people want what is best for others, so they force them to do things they think are right, but in a sense are doing exactly what Satan offered in the pre-existence.  When we take other’s agency away from them, we are joining Satan’s army" I saw this quote somewhere online on a blog and I really liked it.  

Words of Mormon

Who wrote it? Mormon (abridger and compiler of the Book of Mormon, Father of Moroni, military leader among the Nephites) 

Summary: Mormon explains his abridgment of the Large Plates of Nephi.  In 1 Nephi  9:3&5 the Lord commanded Nephi to make two sets of place for a special and a wise purpose.  

Time Period: About 385 A.D. (500 years after Amaleki had written) (After having seen the destruction of most of his people) (He did not say where he was when he wrote it)

What Was Going On in the World:




Main Characters:
Mormon
Moroni
King Benjamin
Amaleki

Purpose: Basically, I think this book is included because it provides a bridge to start the Large Plates of Nephi, by taking us to the end of King Benjamin's life, so that we are getting in to talking about another group of people. 
                "As a historical account, the book serves as a bridge between the small           
plates of Nephi (1 Nephi–Omni) and Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of 
Nephi (Mosiah–4 Nephi)."

Other Interesting Facts:

• This book interrupts how each book was written right after the other.  It picks up 500 years after the previous book.  

"Many years later, one reason for this inspiration became apparent. When Joseph Smith began translating the Book of Mormon, he started with Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi—the secular history. Martin Harris, who was the Prophet’s scribe for this portion of the translation, lost 116 pages of the manuscript. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that wicked men had obtained those pages and changed the words (see D&C 10:8–10). If Joseph had translated the same material again, those men would have claimed that he was not a prophet because he could not translate the book the same way twice (see D&C 10:11–19). The Lord told Joseph not to translate that part again but to translate the small plates of Nephi that Mormon had included with his abridgment of the large plates (see D&C 10:30–45). Thus, Words of Mormon helps us see how the Lord prepared a way to frustrate the plan of wicked men and to include scripture that not only covered the same time period as the lost manuscript but provided “greater views upon [the Lord’s] gospel” (D&C 10:45). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “Obviously it would be exciting if someone were one day to find the lost 116 pages of the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon. But whatever those pages contain, it could not be more important or more fundamental to the purpose of the Book of Mormon than the teachings … recorded on the small plates” (Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 35–36)."

The Book of Mormon Purpose

The Book of Mormon “was written for our day,” President Benson has taught us. “The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, he abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us” (19). Mormon’s son, Moroni, having witnessed the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in a day of pride and envy and wars and pollutions, said: “Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing” (Mormon 8:35).

With this in mind—with the voice of the Nephite prophets crying out to us and stressing the eternal relevance of their messages, with the clear witness burning in our souls that the Book of Mormon is an ancient book which exposes modem falsehoods and modem anti-Christs—President Ezra Taft Benson has challenged the Saints as follows:

Now, we have not been using the Book of Mormon as we should. Our homes are not as strong unless we are using it to bring our children to Christ. Our families may be corrupted by worldly trends and teachings unless we know how to use the book to expose and combat the falsehoods in socialism, organic evolution, rationalism, humanism, and so forth Social, ethical, cultural, or educational converts will not survive under the heat of the day unless their taproots go down to the fulness of the gospel which the Book of Mormon contains (6).

The Book of Mormon thus attests that anti-Christs are to be found in every age; that doubt and skepticism are ever with us, at least as long as Satan reigns on this planet and as long as people of the earth value the accolades of their cynical constituency more than the quiet acceptance of the Lord and his people; but that certitude and peace and power are the fruits of personal spiritual experience and the keys to remaining steadfast in the face of opposition and challenge.

One of the most effective ways to teach faith in Christ is through reading the scriptural accounts of persons who have evidenced great faith, then patterning our lives after them. Similarly, an indispensible guide in discovering the path of repentance and the miracle of forgiveness is the way of spiritual regeneration and holiness set forth in the labors and ministries of the Saints of earlier dispensations. In our own day there exists no more credible and critical source for discerning and exposing the spirit of anti-Christ than the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon; nor is there any better formula for remaining untroubled and unhindered in our course than that put forward in the example of Jacob, who had received many revelations, had been ministered to by angels, knew well the voice and dictation of the Spirit, was a student of holy writ, and had spent many quiet hours in spiritual struggle and mighty prayer (see Jacob 7:5, 8, 11, 22). When the moment of significant confrontation came to him—just as it has or will come to individual Latter-day Saints—he stood steadfast and immovable, firm in the faith of his beloved Redeemer. Only when we are built upon the rock of Christ, are anchored and settled in true doctrine and personal spiritual experience, will we have the strength and capacity to perceive the perverse or engage the diabolical. In the words of Nephi, the son of Helaman, “when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Hel5:12).

-BYU education center

Omni

Who wrote it? 5 different authors
Omni (son of Jarom-described himself as a sinner)
Amaron (son of Omni)
Chemish (son of Omni)
Abinadom (son of Chemish)
Amaleki (son of Abinadom-author of most of the book-finally trusted the plates to King Benjamin at the end because he had no seed to pass them on to)


Summary:  The beginning of the book seems to me to be very distant, and I can tell the contention must have been bad because the writers even seem to be more apostate and they hadn't really received any new revelation.  The Lord protected the righteous Nephites, and in turn they were led by Mosiah to the land of Zarahemla. They discover the Mulekites there, and Mosiah is made a king over them.  They also discover the last man of the Jaredites (Coriantumr) who lives with them in Zarahemla.  Then King Mosiah dies and King Benjamin takes his place.  

Time Period: 361 B.C-130 B.C. (331 year period).  The first four authors wrote in the land of Nephi, but Amaleki kept his record in Zarahemla.  

What Was Going On in the World:




Main Characters:
Mulekites (the people of Zarahemla)
Jaredites (led to the promised land with the Mulekites)
King Mosiah
King Benajamin
Coriantumr
Omni
Amaron
Chemish
Abinadom
Amaleki
A brother of Amaleki left with other Nephites to return to the Land of Nephi, has not been heard from since.  

Purpose: 
Basically, I think this book is included because it provides an explanation of how we got to be with the Mulekites in the book.  It also shows that God will deliver the righteous.  

Other Interesting Facts:

Omni covers more time than any other book in the small plates.

• This book tells us about King Mosiah the First (Father of King Benjamin, eventually would be a grandfather to King Mosiah the Second).  The First king Mosiah led the righteous Nephites from the land of Nephi to safety in Zarahemla, with Amaleki there.  In this book it talks about how the Lord guided the Mulekites from Jerusalem to the Land of Promise very close to the time Lehi had also been led out of Jerusalem (Mulekites= People of Zarahemla).
• This book is the first time the Jaredites are mentioned.  
• I read that in Mosiah it will talk more about the Nephites that left Zarahemla to return to the land of Nephi and their inheritance.  

Jarom

Who wrote it? Jarom, the son of Enos

Summary: Jarom does not write about his own prophecies because he mentions that what his forefathers have already written about the Plan of Salvation should suffice.  Instead, he lets us know how diligently and continually the prophets and righteous people have to work among the rest of the people to keep everyone righteous.  He also describes how when they are being righteous, they are able to fight off the Lamanites advances, and prosper in the land with families and with trades and crafts etc.  

Time Period: 420 B.C-361 B.C. (59 year period)

What Was Going On in the World:
Malachi had written his last book in 433 BC, and that started the "dark ages" or "400 years of silence" in the bible.  

410's-This decade witnessed the continuing decline of the Achaemenid Empire, fierce warfare amongst the Greek city-states during the Peloponnesian War, the ongoing Warring States period in Zhou dynasty China, and the closing years of the Olmec civilization (lasting from c. 1200–400 BC) in modern-day Mexico


Main Characters:
Jarom
Enos

Purpose: To teach us that God keeps his promises to the righteous.  In addition, he kept it to keep a record of the Nephite people.  Also, Jarom said "these things are written for the intent of our brethren, the Lamanites," just like the other books of the Nephites.  

Other Interesting Facts:

• This is the shortest book in the book of mormon

Enos

Who wrote it? Enos, a son of Jacob

Summary: Enos prays for his own forgiveness and wrestles with himself before the Lord.  Then he is forgiven and prays that the record of his people many be preserved, and he prays for his people.  He describes the stiffneckedness of the Nephites, and how constantly the prophets have to be on them (and very bluntly) to keep them in the right way, and he details the wickedness of the Lamanites.  Then he says he is going to die, and testifies of how purely he knows of eternal life and how peaceful it will be that he gets to go and meet the redeemer.

Time Period: 544 B.C-421 B.C.

What Was Going On in the World:



Main Characters: Enos (A son of Jacob, Grandson of Lehi)

Purpose: The book shoes us the power of repentance and how we can be cleaned.  It can teach us about prayer, repentance, love and revelation. In verse 13 Enos also prays that the records of his people will be preserved even when the Nephites are destroyed, so that his brethren one day could receive them and be brought forth into the light.  

This book introduces a pattern that we see everywhere in the book of mormon that I was reading about, and the steps are as follows:

1.  Enos learned about the gospel and was taught the righteous things.  
2.  Enos realized he needed the Savior so that he would be able to repent, and he prayed for forgiveness.  
3.  After he was forgiven, he started working hard to bring others to the same salvation.   

Other Interesting Facts:

• The wrestle Enos had before God was with himself (see Enos 1:2). Sometimes the greatest effort is put forth when a person contends with himself before the Lord. Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one’s real desires which are sometimes hidden behind sin, evasion, and cover-up. Wrestling with oneself involves deep thought, meditation, and concentration. It means going beyond the cliche level of prayer to the point that one truly pours his soul into words and offers them to God. Repetitions cease to be vain, trite, or unfelt. Instead, each phrase is an expression of a yearning desire to do God’s will. Such prayers are assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

  Enos’s choice of words in Enos 1:3–4 (“sunk deep,” “hungered,” “cried,” “mighty prayer and supplication,” “raise my voice high”) effectively shows his efforts to truly communicate with the Lord.
  Book of Mormon Student Manual (1996 Edition)
  
  
  
  
  Forgiveness Sometimes Requires a “Wrestle Before God.” The story of Enos teaches us that there is a price to pay both in effort and attitude before we can receive forgiveness of our sins. Enos said: “I will tell you of the wrestle I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins” (Enos 1:2). Enos’ wrestle before God was a spiritual struggle which contains lessons that can apply to all people who seek forgiveness through the Atonement. In many cases, this wrestle contains the following four elements:

  (a) A wrestle with sorrow. Repentant persons experience deep disappointment in knowing that their sinful lives have offended God. This sorrow is intensified as they confront the great disparity between their sins and the standards which God has set.

  (b) A wrestle with guilt. As these persons accept the fact that they have sinned and humble themselves, they will wrestle for a restoration of peace to their souls and the return of the Holy Ghost, which has withdrawn. President Spencer W. Kimball related: “There must be a consciousness of guilt. It cannot be brushed aside. It must be acknowledged and not rationalized away . . . . There must be a pricking of conscience, perhaps sleepless hours, eyes that are wet, for as Alma says: ‘None but the truly penitent are saved’ “ (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball 87).

  (c) A wrestle with time. Often the Lord requires a period of time to elapse before lifting the burden of sin. This waiting period compels sinners to reevaluate their commitment and live the promises they have made. When this upward struggle is completed, it can then serve as an anchor to hold on to after the remission of sin is granted. During this period of struggle they school their appetites and desires so that their only focus is upon pleasing God and keeping his commandments.

  Although Enos wrote that he “went to hunt beasts in the forests” (Enos 1:3), President Kimball said, “But no animal did he shoot nor capture. He was traveling a path he had never walked before. He was reaching, knocking, asking, pleading; he was being born again. He was seeing the pleasant valleys across the barren wastes. He was searching his soul. He might have lived all his life in a weed patch, but now he envisioned a watered garden” (Faith 210).

  (d) A wrestle in prayer. If we are to receive forgiveness, we must ask for it. Enos wrote, “And all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens” (1:4). Of this President Kimball has taught:

  Here is no casual prayer; no worn phrases; no momentary appeal by silent lips. All the day long, with seconds turning into minutes, and minutes into hours and hours. But when the sun had set, relief had still not come, for repentance is not a single act nor forgiveness an unearned gift. So precious to him was communication with and approval of his Redeemer that his determined soul pressed on without ceasing {Faith 211).

  Prayer is a significant key in many conversion stories recorded in the Book of Mormon. For example, king Benjamin’s people all prayed “with one voice” for forgiveness of their sins (Mosiah 4:2). At the mrning point in his spiritual life, Alma “cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death” (Alma 36:18). And king Lamoni’s father prostrated himself upon the earth and cried mightily, saying, “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee” (Alma 22:18). Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). The story of Enos teaches us that sometimes it takes a wrestle just to open the door. This struggling is a tutorial period which becomes a hedge against closing that door in the future, for we learn through experience that God cannot be mocked and that mercy cannot rob justice.

  
  

  From the BYU Archives

Allegory of the Olive Tree

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