Paikkoja, ihmisiä, kaupunkeja ja kolikoita
Many Mormons will claim archaeological support for the Book of
Mormon and try to place its cities and lands in Central and Middle
America. But, unlike the Bible which has much detailed archaeological
support, the Book of Mormon has very little that is officially
recognized by the Mormon Church. Members will claim many things
but there is no or little official recognition of these claims.
This was demonstrated in the Mormon teaching manual Book of
Mormon, Student Manual Religion 121 and 122, 1989, page 163.
This page is titled "Possible Book of Mormon Sites." The
main idea in the title (Possible Sites) is reinforced at the bottom
of the page with the following statement: "No effort should
be made to identify points on this map with any existing geographical
locations."
If Book of Mormon sites (cities and places) were known this would
have been the place to say so. The reality is, with few exceptions,
no coins and artifacts and few people, cities and places identified
in the Book of Mormon have ever been officially located by the Mormon
Church. Exceptions include Joseph Smith, the City of Manti and Hill
Cumorah (near Palmyra, New York).
Hill Cumorah is the place where Joseph Smith allegedly received
the gold plates that he allegedly translated into the Book of Mormon
and the place where two great extermination battles allegedly took
place (Ether 15:2, 11; Mormon 6:9-15, 8:2-3). Joseph Smith had the
following to say about the City of Manti:
The camp passed through Huntsville, in Randolph County
[Missouri], which has been appointed as one of the Stakes of Zion,
and is the ancient site of the City of Manti.... (The
Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, "History of Joseph
Smith", Vol. 16, p. 296)
The City of Manti is mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The index
of this book under Manti, Land of, has: "most southerly
land of Nephites" and under Manti, City of, it has:
"chief city in land of Manti." All this information then
leads to the conclusion that the Land of Manti is allegedly in the
State of Missouri, in the United States. Mormon historian and Apostle
Joseph Fielding Smith, in his book Doctrines of Salvation,
Volume 3, pages 239-241, came to the same conclusion. It still remains,
there is no archaeological evidence in support of the Book of Mormon
officially accepted by the Mormon Church.
Eläimiä, kasveja ja metalleja
The Book of Mormon in its main story line (roughly 600 BC to AD
400, which excludes the Book of Ether) speaks of a variety of animals,
plants and metals that existed during its time frame:
- Rauta: 2 Nefi 5:15, 20:34; Jaarom 1:8; Moosia 11:8.
- Teräs: 1 Nefi 4:9, 16:18; 2 Nefi 5:15.
- Aasi: 1 Nefi 18:25; Moosia 5:14, 12:5.
- Hevonen: Alma 18:9; 3 Nefi 3:22 (hevosia käytettiin vaunujen
vetämiseen); 1 Nefi 18:25; Enos 1:21.
- Karja, lehmä, härkä: Enos 1:21; 3 Nefi 3:22,
6: 1 Nefi 18:25.
- Sika (emakko): 3 Nefi 7:8.
- Vilja, vehnä: Moosia 9:9; Helaman 11:17.
- Silkki: 1 Nefi 13:7; Alma 1:29.
Archaeologists and the prestigious Smithsonian
Institution say that the Americas (New World) had none
of the principle Old World domesticated food plants or animals (except
the dog, which the Book of Mormon mentions only once, 3 Nephi 7:8).
There were NO horses of any size in the 600 BC to AD 400 period;
NO elephants, iron, steel, wheat, barley, oats, millet, rice, cattle,
pigs, chickens, donkeys (asses) and silk in the New World during
the Book of Mormon time frame. There were traces of items made from
meteoric iron/steel, but the technology to make iron and steel was
not present. The above listed items did not start to arrive in the
New World until the Old World peoples brought them starting roughly
in the AD 1500 time period.
Sadat tuhannet kuolevat jättämättä jälkeensä
esineitä?
The Book of Mormon has:
He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly two
millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart;
yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and
also their wives and their children....And it came to pass
that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah;
and it was that same hill [Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra, New York]
where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which
were sacred. (Ether 15:2, 11, also see verses 15-30)
These are the pre-Nephite people (the Jaredites) who were just
coming to their end with the arrival of the main story-line Book
of Mormon people, Lehi and his family as they arrived from Jerusalem
in BC 600. The final Jaredite battle allegedly took place on the
same Hill Cumorah as the following extermination battle between
the Nephites and the Lamanites in AD 385. Other verses have:
And when they had gone through and hewn down all my people save
it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni)
and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the
morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the
top of the hill Cumorah, the ten thousand of my people who
were hewn down, being led in the front by me. And we also beheld
the ten thousand of my people who were led by my son Moroni.
And behold, the ten thousand of Gidgiddonah had fallen, and
he also in the midst. And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand;
and Gilgal had fallen with his ten thousand; and Limhah had
fallen with his ten thousand; and Jeneum had fallen with
his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and Moronihah, and Antionum,
and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their ten thousand
each. And it came to pass that there were ten more who did
fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each; yea, even all
my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me,
and also a few who had escaped into the south countries,
and a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites, had fallen;
and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth,
being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the
land, and to crumble and to return to their mother earth. (Mormon
6:11-15)
And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle
at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country
southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all
destroyed. And my father also was killed by them, and I even
remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my
people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment
of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. (Mormon
8:2-3)
This is the extermination battle on Hill Cumorah in AD 385 that
allegedly killed 240,000 Nephite (This does not include wives and
children who were also present; Mormon 6:7.) warriors, and probably
the same number of Lamanites, including Zelph. The Book of Ether
in the Book of Mormon also related that another great battle took
place there hundreds of years earlier, (see Ether 15, part of which
is above).
It seems reasonable to expect that items that would not decay easily,
such as arrow heads, stone axe heads, copper, silver, and gold items,
gold and silver coins (see Alma Chapter 11 heading and 11:4-19)
would be found in farming of the land and in excavations at the
site. Iron and steel would leave their oxides, that is the rust
as they decayed. Also note that in 1834 Joseph Smith claimed to
have found the bones of Zelph, a white Lamanite, who was killed
in the "last great struggle of the Lamanites and Nephites"
at Hill Cumorah. (History of the Church, June 3, 1834, 2:79-80;
Times and Seasons, 6:788.)
So at the very least some bones should also be found. But the reality
is no unusual artifacts have ever been found at or around Hill Cumorah.
This is the case even though major construction has taken place
on and at the base of the hill. A four lane road has been built
at the base of Hill Cumorah, a paved road was built to the top of
the hill and the visitors center was constructed part way up the
hill.
No matter what Mormons may say, there is just no archaeological
evidence to support the Book of Mormon and the Mormon Church has
little official information in support of alleged proof.
|