1 Introduction
This website presents the Zarahemla Centric Heartland Model (ZM or Zarahemla Model) of Book of Mormon geography which I started in March of 2015. The Zarahemla Model represents the only model of Book of Mormon Geography in existence that includes all of the cities, lands, journeys, battles, and locations. The Zarahemla Model presents Nephite lands in terms of 150,000 square miles instead of the 800,000 square miles proposed by traditional Heartland models.
- Includes 100% of all lands (46), cities (54), topographical locations (18), battles (29), travel routes (35) and other places described (51).
- Is a database driven model that has two separate parts created in this order: 1) Logical Model; and 2) Physical Model.
- Uses GPS coordinates from Google Earth topography and presents an interactive 3D display in Google Maps.
- Is created from the text of the Book of Mormon from which all geographical data points are extracted and placed in a machine readable format using a nomenclature that is also human readable.
- Employs custom programs for computer data analytics which validate the 142 unique physical locations that have a total of 783 interrelationships found in the Book of Mormon text. Five different computer algorithms are applied to cross-check referential integrity for each location.
- Follows a strict and formal methodology, which is fully published online.
- Validates the traditional location of the hill Cumorah of Doctrine and Covenants 128:20Doctrine and Covenants 128:20
20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets--the book to be revealed. ... and also proves the location of the Nephite city of Zarahemla to be the same as referred to in Doctrine and Covenants 125:3Doctrine and Covenants 125:3
3 Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.
The Zarahemla Model:
After looking at the Physical Model, most people wonder how I can with any confidence place all 142 Book of Mormon locations on a map when some of these locations have only a brief mention in the Book of Mormon. The quick answer is that the Logical Model by itself does not pinpoint locations but it rather defines constraints for where those locations can be. The Logical Model constraints are then applied to real life topography via a set of formalized rules (Rules of Application and Rules of Interpretation (HermeneuticsHermeneutics
The theory and methodology of interpretation, especially of scriptural text.) to produce a Physical Model than proposes actual locations. Fortunately many Book of Mormon places (like the cities of Zarahemla and Nephi) have so many descriptive references that it is easy to get a good start when analyzing the database programmatically for the 142 locations and 783 total relationships found in the Book of Mormon. For example, there are 149 total mentions of Zarahemla that contain 42 unique Zarahemla clues. As an analogy, each Book of Mormon location can be thought of like it was a jigsaw puzzle piece - each piece has a distinct shape, picture, coloring, and orientation. When the easiest to place puzzle pieces are first added to the puzzle (like Zarahemla) that piece then becomes a clue for pieces that follow. The total number of clues therefore increases at the same time that the total number of puzzle pieces remaining is reduced. Eventually the last more difficult pieces can be placed because there are more and more surrounding clues combined with fewer and fewer eligible placements remaining.
In the title page of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon wrote that the book is for "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST". I here present internal evidence showing the Book of Mormon to be a true and accurate historical account. Real places, real events, real people, and real history with demonstrable proof of internal consistency. Providing the physical evidence opens doors to the convincing of the spiritual evidence.
The Zarahemla model is an active project with improvements ongoing. Any logical model of reality is incomplete and possibly inconsistent – and so must be continuously revised in the face of new observations. I need help with those observations, so I invite your contributions, observations, and insights in the context of the methodology here provided. Please send them to the email address at the top of this page. I respond to every question and suggestion.
- Jay Mackley
PS A pdf version of this website is available for download. 88.1 MB. Last revised: 11 September 2024
Significant new activity listed below.
- 18 July 2024: Information added for the Chronology of Mormon and Moroni.
- 2 July 2024: Zarahemla Productions LLC formed to produce a photo realistic video game called Zarahemla Quest which uses the Zarahemla Model as a template.
- 23 March 2024: Added new Section 2.7 that includes a very useful paper on the North American climate of 2000 years ago, generated by ChatGPT
- 01 October 2023: Added beta GANTT chart of Jaredite and Nephite chronology, from Scott Willis. The chart includes date estimates based on milestone dates. Also shows overlapping correspondences between Jaredite and Nephite events.
- 21 July 2023: Added chart of Heartland Geography Model Comparisons of the Physical Model of the Book of Mormon. The chart shows summary information about each model.
1.1 Table of Contents
Close All — Open All — Table of ContentsSection Revised: 14 July 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(If sections closed then click Open All to enable internal links)
1.2 Questions and Answers
The following are my answers to common questions. The Q&A has been updated from time to time and is still open to amendment. Be free to challenge me. I welcome your review.
Q1. How does your Book of Mormon geography vary from other Heartland maps?
A1. Book of Mormon geography is controversial. Most researchers have strong opinions that are held close to the heart emotionally and thus there is a lot of bias. However I believe it is important to strive for humility and to keep an open mind. There is so much yet to learn. Let's work together.
For comparison, below is a chart of the Heartland Models I am aware of.
As a reference for Heartland geography models, I am aware of the four distinct versions in the table below. Please let me know of corrections or additions.
- THMx = Traditional Heartland Model:
These models follow the original heartland model. There are three variants with minor differences: THM1, THM2, THM3. - ZCHM = Zarahemla Centric Heartland Model, also called the Zarahemla Model or ZM for short:
This is a new model abbreviated as ZM with locations further west than the THM. - NAM = North American Model:
This is a new model also quite different from the ZM and THM with locations further east than the THM. - WNYMx = Western New York Model:
WNYM1 is an unique older model concentrated in the western upper New York area. WNYM2 is another more recent and complete version for the same area by a different author.
Heartland Geography Model Comparisons
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| Author | Rian Nelson, Rod Meldrum | Wayne May | Jonathan Neville | Jay Mackley | William Peter Midgley | Phyllis Carol Olive | Arlin Ewald Nusbaum |
| Website? | BookOf |
No | Moronis WorksOf |
Heartland 3Dmap |
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| Formal Methodology? | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Hill Cumorah? | Upper New York State | Upper New York State | Upper New York State | Upper New York State | Upper New York State | Upper New York State | Upper New York State |
| City Zarahemla? | At or near Montrose, Iowa | At or near Montrose, Iowa | At or near Montrose, Iowa | At or near Montrose, Iowa | At or near Columbus, Ohio | Near Buffalo, New York | Near Buffalo, New York |
| City Nephi? | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Chattanooga, Tennessee | St Louis, Missouri | Northwest North Carolina | Western NY, near Lake Erie | Western NY, near Lake Erie |
| Narrative Land Area | 800,000 square miles | 800,000 square miles | 800,000 square miles | 150,000 square miles | 650,000 square miles | 12,000 square miles | 12,000 square miles |
| % Lands Mapped | 12% | 10% | 10% | 100% | 12% | 8% | 16% |
| % Cities Mapped | 30% | 15% | 15% | 100% | 12% | 8% | 16% |
| % Journeys Mapped | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| % Battles Mapped | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| % Jaredite Lands | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| % Jaredite Cities | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| % Jaredite Battles | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| % Named Topography | 25% | 2% | 17% | 100% | 48% | 0% | 30% |
| Relationship Tracking? | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Date Ranges | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Active Model? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Accessibility | Online, scattered. Book. | Books, lectures, scattered. | Online, books. Books required. | Online, pdf book. | Online partial. Book required. | Book only. | Online. In progress. |
Q2. Why have you done this Book of Mormon research?
A2. I love the Book of Mormon and it's message of salvation and I recognize its important role in the building up of the latter-day Zion. It contains the "fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" and is secondarily also an accurate and important historical record. So, I have five primary reasons for doing this research:
- I believe it is important to establish the historical veracity of the Book of Mormon as an additional testimony of its truthfulness. Some members of the church have come to believe the Book of Mormon geography and history to be fictional and even at BYU they teach the narrative with a faux map, like in a fictional novel. I think we can and must do better.
- I believe it's also important doctrinally to understand the special purposes and destiny of North America in Gods plan for the latter days, and what that means for those who live there. The Book of Mormon says the land comes with a special promise and responsibility attached to it - and that it has an important role to play in the latter days as regards to the New Jerusalem and the return of the Savior. Because of this, knowing where the land is located is important.
- Geographical references are found extensively in the Book of Mormon during the time of Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi, and Mormon (91 BC — 34 AD, 363 AD — 384 AD). I find it very satisfying to read the Book of Mormon while understanding the geography involved. Everything in the narrative is thereby clarified and becomes more relatable.
- On the title page, the stated purpose of the Book of Mormon is for the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. Many people need to first accept the Book of Mormon as historical before they can consider the message of Christ that is in it. The extensive geography in the Book of Mormon is not just incidental but crucial in establishing the Book of Mormon as real history. Not establishing the history and geography as being something real means a closed door to millions of potential investigators of the Book of Mormon. We hold the Bible to be real history but imagine if we could not even agree on the location of Jerusalem? That would be faith damaging for the Bible. I think we can do better for the Book of Mormon.
- The Entity Relationship table in Section 3.5 provides powerful evidence of the Book of Mormons remarkable consistency regarding geography, and is therefore a testimony of the divine origin of the text. This should be more widely known and is a part of the overall convincing process.
Q3. Seems like your map is wrong, doesn't the Book of Mormon say the Sidon river flows northward so that Manti is south of Zarahemla?
A3. The Book of Mormon does not say if the Sidon river flows north or south. One reason a northward assumption is made is because the Book of Mormon text says the head of the Sidon is near Manti (Alma 43:22Alma 43
22 Behold, now it came to pass that they durst not come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon; therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum into the wilderness, and took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the land; for they did not suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither they had gone.) and Manti is thought to be south of Zarahemla because of Alma 17:1Alma 17
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.. However Alma 17:1Alma 17
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla. can easily be read to indicate that Alma is starting his journey to Manti from Gideon which is southward. In this view, Manti could be in any direction. I'll refer you to Alma 17:1 in Section 4.4.3 Journeys of Alma II for the details.
Another reason Manti is thought to be south of Zarahemla is the claim that Joseph Smith said that Manti is at Huntsville Missouri, but there is no historical record of Joseph Smith ever saying that. There was a pioneer named Samuel Tyler who wrote in his journal that the Huntsville location was "the ancient site of the City of Manti" but he did not attribute that to Joseph Smith. Another pioneer Elias Smith said Huntsville was "near the place where the city of Manti is to be built", so hearsay evidence indicates a settlement was planned (it never happened) and that may be the source of Samuel Tyler's confusion. Early latter-day saints frequently named new settlements after places in the Book of Mormon, just like they later did for Manti, Utah. It should also be noted that ancient cities absolutely require ready access to a major water source for consumption and for travel. There are no rivers or lakes of any significance near Huntsville, Missouri.
Q4. How come you don't place the Land of Nephi and Bountiful in Indiana/Ohio as do other Heartlanders?
A4. In my opinion thus far, Book of Mormon narrative text says that:
- The Land of Nephi is south of Zarahemla and a minimum of 10 days travel distance,
- Bountiful is north of Zarahemla,
- The head of the Sidon is upstream from Zarahemla*, and
- Zarahemla is in the center of the land.
*The common definition for the "head" of a river is the source. This also accords with Book of Mormon usage found in 1 Nephi 8:13-14
13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off...
In my experience, traditional Heartland maps and derivatives overlook much of the geography found in the text of the Book of Mormon (for example: items 1-4 above are a few of many examples) because they are based on the principle of looking secondarily in the Book of Mormon for a name to pin to an archaeological site. I think this process is totally backwards and results in wild guessing based on wishful thinking and not analyzing the text as a whole. Some heartland researchers assume that the text is too vague, does not have that much to offer for geography – and is therefore of secondary importance. However, I take the opposite approach and believe the Book of Mormon text is of primary importance. I believe that the Book of Mormon text has a lot to offer and I point to the Entity Relationship Table in Section 3.5 as empirical proof of that.
Q5. Many maps for the Book of Mormon have been made. Why are you doing it again? What is different about your maps?
A5. In my experience, the many maps and theories for Book of Mormon geography published over the years have been discordant and little has ever been accomplished in the way of consensus or collaboration. When I started this project I had hoped I could help it be otherwise and that a fully defined Logical Model would be a way to collaborate. However the subject of Book of Mormon geography remains discordant. Most researchers refuse to collaborate and many who publish online do not even disclose their name or provide contact information (e.g. See Western New York Model). My experience in analyzing geographical models is that all other models of Book of Mormon geography are incomplete because all the entities and relationships are not included. However, I believe the ZM Logical and Physical Models to be thorough and completely inclusive. The Logical Model definitions are integrated into a database where analytical programs can analyze and cross-check in ways otherwise impossible. Here is a summary of the contents of the ZM database:
Entity Types (Example: city, land, mount, hill, wilderness)... 23
Entity Names (Example: Zarahemla, Manti, Bountiful)........... 119
Named Entity Types (Example: city of Gid, land of Nephi)...... 154
Relationships (Example: near, borders, south of).............. 26
Partial Entity Relationships (city of Noah near wilderness)... 99
Full Entity Relationships (city of Noah near city of Melek)... 697
TOTAL Entity Relationships (unique)........................... 796
So, after scoring 9 MesoAmerican maps and 7 Heartland maps, I make the following claims:
- The ZM formally identifies more geographical features than any other model.
- The ZM identifies more geographical relationships than any other model.
- The ZM uses database and computer analysis to insure the Logical Model has referential integrity with itself and with the GPS coordinates of the Physical Model. See also, Section 3.2
- Every historical event in the Book of Mormon is documented and shown how it best fits within the framework of the ZM.
Q6. How can someone share ideas or ask questions?
A6. One can contribute suggestions, improvements and ideas to the Logical and Physical Model by emailing me directly (use the email address at the top of the page). I promise a response to every query.
My goal and purpose is to seek truth with an open mind and to faithfully apply a scientific method to arrive at the best possible answer. The process of inspired experimentation is explained and endorsed by the Book of Mormon itself. Alma 32 |
Q7. How are your conclusions specifically different from other Book of Mormon maps? How can you give precise placement when the Book of Mormon does not give specifics?
A7. The proposed Physical Model (the "master map" in Section 4.1 Building the Physical Model) is "Zarahemla Centric" in the sense that the city of Zarahemla is the anchor point for all other locations and it is placed across the river (southwest) from Nauvoo Illinois, the city of Nephi at St Louis Missouri, the city of Manti a little east of Minneapolis Minnesota, and the city of Bountiful is placed at Sault Ste Marie on the border of Michigan and Ontario Canada.
As for specific placements, the Book of Mormon gives cardinal directions and some distances and then this information is combined with topographical information to arrive at the best location that is within the database constraints of the Entity Relationship table and the Section 3.3 Rules of Interpretation. Additional considerations are codified in Section 3.4 Rules of Application. For example, we know cities are not built on mountain tops or in flood plains and that they require a nearby water source for population consumption and for travel. There are limited choices when all these factors are considered. In my opinion it is a testimony to the accuracy of the ZM that a good geographical choice has always been available after the text and topography are fully considered. Sometimes there are two or more choices but the vast majority of instances come down to only one plausible choice. In no instances has the text combined with the topography produced zero plausible choices. This part of it really hasn't been a struggle, thus I think that the shoe really fits.
Q8. How are your conclusions the same as other Heartland models?
A8. That the events described in the Book of Mormon took place in North America. That there is only One Hill Cumorah and it is located at the traditional site in New York as described by Joseph Smith and the Angel Moroni. That Zarahemla is at or near Montrose, Iowa. See also, Section 2.2 The Book of Mormon in North America.
Q9. Why do you think the Traditional Heartland Model (THM) is not correct? Is it close?
A9. Except for Zarahemla and Cumorah the THM is not a good fit when using the text of the Book of Mormon as the guide. Overall, the THM is demonstrably way too large. The ZM and the MAM's (MesoAmerican Models) limit the space (for the main historical narrative between 171 BC to 34 AD) to an area that fits within the distances described in the text, which comes out to be about 150,000 square miles. However the THM expands the Book of Mormon narrative to include 800,000 square miles, so the THM is over 5 times too big. Not too big for the total Nephite and Lamanite civilizations but too big for the Book of Mormon narrative history between 171 BC to 34 AD. Also, in the THM, most of the specific Book of Mormon locations are left out. They are missing because they cannot be made to fit even when ignoring most of the text. In my opinion even the major locations in the THM are incompatible with the Book of Mormon text. The THM also adds seas that were not extent during the time of the Reign of the Judges in the Book of Mormon. The proponents of the THM admit that the text of the Book of Mormon was not the primary consideration when developing the THM. In other words, the THM is like the MAM in the sense that the method is to first try and support archaeological discoveries (be it Ohio or Guatemala).
Q10. What about bias? Isn't it true that your rules are subjective and since you make the "rules" you can configure them to get whatever outcome you prefer?
A10. It is not possible to pre-determine results within the framework of the Zarahemla Model/ZM. I confess to a general bias for North America and for the hill Cumorah in New York because it reflects the scriptures and the teachings of the Prophets in my opinion. However, that does not affect the programming code behind the database analysis and there are no special exceptions built into the code. My strict methodology is to follow the text of the Book of Mormon. To that end, the ZM Logical (internal) Model was developed by converting geographical information from the BOM text into a machine readable format for easy manual review and for database processing. Afterward the physical model was developed, relying only on the pre-existing logical model and upon Google map topography. No one should, in fairness, just assume bias without studying the Logical and Physical models enough to provide specifics. Changing a rule (think of it as a theory or postulate) is normally a matter of refinement and rarely results in a significant change to the model and this is because the ZM model is driven primarily by the text of the Book of Mormon and the majority of the geographical text has no rule for special consideration. Compared to the text, the Rules of Application and Rules of Interpretation are adjunct. I would challenge anyone to change the rules with the idea of manipulating the results to a predetermined outcome. It cannot be done without causing inconsistencies (IOW the database referential integrity will be lost - it won't pass the automated validation tests). However, if someone thinks I am creating, bending, or breaking a rule or textual interpretation to conform to a bias, I would definitely like to hear about it. That's the kind of input and peer review I am seeking.
Q11. In Alma 22, Mormon describes the geography of the Book of Mormon. How does your model reconcile with that? For example, the Zarahemla Model has no nearby sea that is west of Zarahemla and the Book of Mormon has a west sea.
A11. The ZM is fully consistent with Alma 22 — after I make major punctuation changes to the long, confusing run-on sentences. See Section 4.2 Mormon's Dissertation on Book Of Mormon Lands and especially the comparison table in Section 4.4.14 Gadianton Robber Rebellion where this is done and explained in detail. Some may say that is cheating but I see the Alma 22 punctuation as well intentioned by John Gilbert (the typesetter hired by the printer E. B. Grandin) but incorrect. Since the original manuscript was not punctuated, Gilbert's punctuation we have today is not an inspired part of the text. Also I do not believe Alma 22 can be punctuated to fit just any geography model of choice (but anyone is welcome to try!).
The west sea (Lake Superior) in the Book of Mormon is west of the east sea (i.e. more west than north of Lake Michigan/Huron) but not west of Zarahemla and Nephite lands, which are statedAlma 53:8,22
8 And now it came to pass that the armies of the Lamanites, on the west sea, south, while in the absence of Moroni on account of some intrigue amongst the Nephites, which caused dissensions amongst them, had gained some ground over the Nephites, yea, insomuch that they had obtained possession of a number of their cities in that part of the land.
22 And now it came to pass that Helaman did march at the head of his two thousand stripling soldiers, to the support of the people in the borders of the land on the south by the west sea. as being south of the west sea. See the commentary on Manti in Section 3.5 Entity Relationship Table.
Q12. What about climate? Doesn't the Book of Mormon lack mention of snow and winter conditions? Even in North America wasn't it colder and wetter in Book of Mormon times?
A12. The Book of Mormon mentions distinct seasons (Alma 46:40)Alma 46:40
40 And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land--but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate--, lack of rain during drought (Helaman 11:12-13)Helaman 11:12-13
12 O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land.
13 O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain., and also snow (1 Nephi 11:8)1 Nephi 11:8 (written in the promised land)
8 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. and tornadoes (Helaman 5:12)Helaman 5:12
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that 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. and hail (Mosiah 5:6)Mosiah 5:6
6 And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain.. The references to snow and hail and tornadoes (written on the Plates of Nephi while in the promised land) favors a North American Midwest locale because the region of Central America is dominated by a hot and humid oceanic climate year around and where snow or hail is extremely rare and tornadoes are uncommonCentral America Climate, by ChatGPT
Central America generally experiences a tropical climate characterized by warm temperatures, high humidity, and distinct wet and dry seasons. The region is not known for snow and hail, which are extremely rare due to its proximity to the equator and the consistently warm temperatures. Tornadoes are also uncommon but can occur in certain areas under specific conditions, particularly during transitional seasons.
Here's a comprehensive overview of the climate in Central America:
Temperature: Central America typically has warm temperatures throughout the year, with little variation between seasons. Average temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C (68°F to 86°F) in most areas. However, temperatures can be cooler in higher elevations, such as in mountainous regions.
Wet Season: Central America experiences a wet season, which generally occurs from May to November. During this period, heavy rainfall is common, particularly in coastal areas and lowland regions. The wet season is influenced by the region's proximity to both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, which can bring tropical storms and hurricanes.
Dry Season: The dry season in Central America typically lasts from December to April. This period is characterized by lower humidity and minimal rainfall, making it a popular time for tourism and outdoor activities.
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms: Central America is vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms, especially along its Caribbean and Pacific coasts. These weather systems can bring torrential rainfall, strong winds, and storm surges, leading to flooding, landslides, and other hazards.
Tornadoes: While tornadoes are relatively rare in Central America compared to regions like Tornado Alley in the United States, they can still occur under specific atmospheric conditions. Tornadoes in Central America are generally less frequent and less intense but can still pose risks to affected areas.
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References:
"Central America: Climate" by Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/place/Central-America/Climate
"Climate of Central America" by WorldAtlas: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-climate-does-central-america-have.html
. For North America, the current scientific consensus is that North American climate was much warmer and drier in North America during the period of the main narrative of the Book of Mormon (Mosiah through the Reign of the Judges, 171 BC - 34 AD). The official report to Congress from By Leon M. Carl (Center Director of the U.S. Geological Survey) states that there was a "low water level" period in the Great Lakes from 293 BC - 7 AD. Other studies conclude that the higher temperatures and lower precipitation of the Roman Warm Period in Europe was also manifest in North America, which was most strongly expressed between approximately 100 BC and AD 200. I follow Rule of Application 11 which states: Unless indicated or implied otherwise in scripture, the current scientific consensus is assumed to be pre-eminent in matters of dating, geology, linguistics and climate, etc. For more information on climate, see Section 2.7.
Q13. What edition of the Book of Mormon do you use for your study and why?
A13. The text I examine is Royal Skousen's edition of the Book of Mormon called The Book of Mormon - The Earliest Text. I also use a formal set of assumptions/postulates called Rules of Interpretation (for the Logical Model) and Rules of Application (for the Physical Model). These are found in Section 3.3 and Section 3.4.
Q14. Do you think the Book of Mormon is internally consistent in regards to geography?
A14. There are two instances of inconsistency in the standard editions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However these come from copyist errors which are corrected in the Royal Skousen version, The Book of Mormon - The Earliest Text. See Example Comparisons for Interpretation Rule 2. The 100% internal consistency of the complex geography of the Book of Mormon is a testimony to its divine origin.
Q15. What about Central and South America and native stories about a bearded white God who visited them?
A15. I believe such legends have a core element of truth. Consider the following:
- The narrative in the Book of Mormon with geographic information is from 91 BC to 34 AD, which is only 125 years of the 1000 years of Nephite history. The Book of Mormon states five times that we have less than 1% of the total history (Jacob 3:13Jacob 3
13 And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings., Words of Mormon 1:5Words of Mormon 1
5 Wherefore, I chose these things, to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people., Helaman 3:14Helaman 3
14 But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work., 3 Nephi 5:83 Nephi 5
8 And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years;, 3 Nephi 26:63 Nephi 26
6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; , Ether 15:33Ether 15
33 And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them.). - By 40 BC, the people had spread to "cover the face of the whole earth" (Helaman 3:8Helaman 3
8 And it came to pass that they did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east. ). It is likely that descendants of Lehi migrated far to the south over the 1000 years of Nephite history. - When Jesus visited in 34 AD, He told the Nephites there were yet other sheep of the house of Israel in other locales that He was going to visit (3 Nephi 16:1-3). Jesus specifically mentions "in the south" and "the islands of the sea". Jesus told Nephi that there were many lost tribes of Israel with records someday to come forth (2 Nephi 29:11-132 Nephi 29
11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.).
Q16. So, do you consider the Zarahemla Model as presented on your website to be 100% perfect and complete?
A16. The Zarahemla Model is the only 100% all-inclusive and complete model and map of Book of Mormon geography. It includes all Book of Mormon lands, cities, land features, battles and journeys. However, the ZM is not perfect. It needs proof-reading, refinement and formal review.
Q17. You claim the Zarahemla Model takes a scientific approach. What do you mean by that?
A17. The scientific method of testing and repeatability. I claim that the logic paths leading to conclusions are precisely defined and documented to be tested by anyone. There are repeatable steps leading to each answer. That doesn't guarantee the right answer but the methodology of the Zarahemla Model provides a framework that programmatically ensures internal consistency – leading to better conclusions and a complete model. See also, the logic diagram in A6.
Q18. Do you think your geography model or some other model will one day find wide acceptance?
A18. The Zarahemla Model of geography is complicated and few people have read and studied it. So for now I believe there will continue to be a wide variance of opinions on the matter. Eventually, additional records will come forth – as is prophesied and promisedEnos 1
15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.
16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.
17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.
18 And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine..
1.3 Mapping The Book of Mormon
Supporting and promoting the historicity of the Book of Mormon motivates me and geography is a very important part of the Book of Mormon in terms of quantity. It appears that the ancient prophets included geographical information to demonstrate that the history narrative was true and real and to help us relate. Here are some stats on the geography of the promised land of the Book of Mormon from Mormons abridgment and from Moroni:
TOTAL VERSES EXCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND NEPHI......... 4394
TOTAL VERSES CONTAINING ANY GEOGRAPHY REFERENCE....... 1434 33%
PLACE NAMES MENTIONED (including duplicates).......... 1743
GENERAL GEOGRAPHY MENTIONED (including duplicates).... 394
----
TOTAL GEOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES (includes duplicates)... 2137
BOOK OF MORMON PLACES AND EVENTS TRACKED BY THE ZM
LANDS NAMED....... 46
CITIES NAMED...... 54
LAND FEATURES..... 17
BATTLES FOUGHT.... 29
TRIP ROUTES....... 35
PLACES MENTIONED.. 51
There remain some errors in this work - but they are mostly technical and minor and will be fixed in time with ongoing review. There are also additional insights from the Book of Mormon yet to be discovered and included. I appreciate any and all constructive feedback and insights into the Book of Mormon that you have.
The Zarahemla Model of Book of Mormon geography is based on a Logical Model that leads to a Physical Model and both use database driven methodologies. For more info on the database see, Section 3.8 Database Referential Integrity. If you are interested more in the Logical Model and the ontology (logic def: the set of entities presupposed by a theory) of it, I suggest you skip the Physical Model information in sections 1, 2 and 4 and go directly to the Logical Model in Section 3. This may also help avoid developing any bias regarding the Physical Model vs the Logical Model. However, most readers do not study the Logical Model vis-à-vis the Book of Mormon but rather just look only at the physical maps to compare it to their pre-existing worldview – and then quit when it becomes clear there is not a match. I strongly advise against that approach because if you are looking at this to confirm bias then you are missing the whole point of learning. If you just don't have the time or inclination to study the Logical Model then I recommend you simply look at Section 1.2 Questions and Answers, which provides answers to the most relevant questions you are likely to have.
Sections 1, 2, and 4 present the heartland of North America as the Book of Mormon "land of promise" with the city of Zarahemla in the center of the land. I formally call this the Zarahemla Centric Heartland Model for Book of Mormon geography. This Zarahemla Model is based on a series of Entity Relationship definitions of geography (see the Entity Relationship table in Section 3.4) that are taken from the Book of Mormon text (The Book of Mormon - The Earliest Text, Royal Skousen), and put into a condensed form using a human and machine readable standardized nomenclature, and then sorted by location. The Entity Relationship table is the foundation of the Logical Model which also includes a set of working rules/postulates regarding textual interpretation (see also Section 3.2). The Entity Relationships and the Rules of Interpretation together form the Logical Model. The Logical Model entities serve as the reference tool for creating a Physical Model. The Physical Model is represented in pieces as maps on this website but also more comprehensively as a .kml file that is read by Google Maps online and by the Google Earth program. In addition to the physical location of Book of Mormon place names, the maps also detail missionary journeys, military battles, and other places and activity described in the Book of Mormon. See Section 4.
In theory, one could take the ZM Logical Model to support a different Physical Model than the one presented here. That is, if there were better Physical Model than the one I use then the Logical Model would reveal that. Using the Logical Model construct as a container for evaluating physical models (Book of Mormon maps) is a process I call "map scoring" and there are multiple examples of map scoring in Section 3.7
The Logical Model is where some logical consensus might first be found among researchers, which was always my first hope. I encourage those with input and insights to share them with me directly. My email address is found at the top and bottom of this page. My goal is to help establish the Book of Mormon as an accurate historical record and thus widen the audience of those who take the Book of Mormon itself seriously — so it can achieve its ultimate purpose of "the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ" (title page of the Book of Mormon). For this purpose I have created a Logical Model of Book of Mormon lands that is rigorous, all-inclusive, formalized, open, and transparent - so that anyone can use it to validate any physical map and to study the Book of Mormon in the context of common reference points.
However, before viewing the details of the Logical ZM, I know you may just want to "skip to the end" to see the overall map (the Physical ZM) for the Nephite, Lamanite, and Jaredite nations of the Book of Mormon.
The ZM map is in Section 4.1. You can also directly open the ZM Google Map.
1.4 The Translation Process
The Zarahemla Model of Book of Mormon geography is based first and foremost directly upon the text of the Book of Mormon — and as close to the original version of the text as possible for technical accuracy (For examples of this see the side-by-side textual comparisons in Section 3.3 Rules of Interpretation-IR2). Access to a close version to the original text is made possible by Royal Skousen's study of the original manuscripts which has resulted in the publication of The Book of Mormon - The Earliest Text.
Understanding the Book of Mormon translation process reveals that it was (in my opinion) a "tight" translation which is technically important when analyzing the text for geography. A "tight" translation means there should be great respect for each and every word of the Book of Mormon as coming from God.
There is much of controversy and conflicting testimony when it comes to the actual translation process. False accounts come from disaffected former members of the Church with a personal agenda to push (like Emma Smith) and accounts of the process also vary widely from one telling to the next, depending on the audience (like David Whitmer11). However, evidence indicates that only Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had any direct experience with the translation process. Fortunately their testimony is consistent, clear and concise, as in the Wentworth letter5 and other authoritative statements1. Therefore the testimony of Joseph and Oliver must be paramount. They testified the translation was: 1) Done by the power of God; 2) Included reading the golden plates; and 3) Involved the use of the Urim and Thummim -- also called the Holy Interpreters. The only real question is the role of the Urim and Thummim in the translation process.
Accounts that describe the translation process using a dark "seer stone" in a hat were introduced by the anti-Mormon book "Mormonism Unvailed" and repeated by enemies and disaffected former members of the church in Joseph Smiths lifetime. There are also claims that "seer stone" and "Urim and Thummim" were referred to interchangeably as the same thing. This is patently false in the writings of Joseph and Oliver and the scripture10 is clear. We must take the official testimony of Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and the Lord Himself and reject the accounts of enemies and apostates – as Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery did in their day9. Below is the official canonized statement on the matter. The seer stone is conspicuously absent and is also not to be found anywhere in the scriptures or in the writings of Joseph Smith or in the writings of Oliver Cowdery as being part of the translation process.
Doctrine and Covenants 17
1 BEHOLD, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.
2 And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
3 And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God;
4 And this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., may not be destroyed, that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work.
5 And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them; for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is because he had faith.
6 And he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.
...
9 And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men. Amen.
Oliver Cowderys testimony is also clear and unambiguous. For example, when he returned to the Church, he spoke at Council Bluffs and said:
Millennial Star, Aug. 20 1859, 544
I wrote, with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by that book, 'holy interpreters.' I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was transcribed. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the 'holy interpreters.' That book is true. Sidney Rigdon did not write it; Mr. Spaulding did not write it; I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet.
There is very strong evidence, based both on testimony and examination of the original manuscripts, that the translation process consisted of a one-time dictation1a,1b,1c which supports the idea that Joseph read off the English words as displayed on the Urim and Thummim Interpretors. This also makes sense when considering the remarkable speed of the translation. It also provides an explanation as to why Joseph did not revise himself – as Royal Skousen discovered in his study of the original manuscripts. Some have argued for a loose translation and that the young Joseph Smith at age 23 had read many books and translated the Book of Mormon into correct Biblical English using his own lexicon. However, this theory does not match the evidence. There were no do-overs, no narrative revision, no lexicon limited to the 19th century Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith himself indicated that he could read the hieroglyphics of the plates:
"I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics, the knowledge of which was lost to the world, in which wonderful event I stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries" ... (History of the Church, 6:74).
It is believed, for good reasons, that the young Joseph Smith studied2a the language2b of the plates for as much as six months2c, was tutored by angelic messengers3 and thus could actually read and understand the logographic symbols on the plates2d based on his own study2e which was augmented with queries to the Urim and Thummim2e. I do believe this is true based on the historical record and also Section 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants4. That the translation process involved a personal understanding the engravings on the plates was also reiterated by the Lord to Oliver Cowdery when he said:
Doctrine & Covenants 8
1 Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of old records, which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit.
However, having a knowledge of the "Reformed Egyptian" characters on the plates does not explain a one-time dictation into a complex Biblical style English with no revisions. This is where, in my opinion, the role of the Urim and Thummim5 comes in. Joseph Smith had a preparation and talent for translating the written meaning to his own understanding and then the role of the Urim and Thummim (also called "Interpreters"6) was to convert/interpret (consecutive interpreting) that understanding into the precise Hebrew-like language constructs and Bible-like vocabulary that is now found in the Book of Mormon. For most people the tendency is to carelessly conflate interpreting and translating to mean the same thing. This is clearly not the case. The 1828 Webster dictionary defines the words "translate" and "interpret" as:
Translate: to turn into one's own or another language (which is exactly what Joseph Smiths study and effort did)
Interpret: to explain or tell the meaning of – present in understandable terms. (which is exactly what the Urim and Thummim interpreters did)
The title page of the Book of Mormon says "The interpretation thereof by the gift (gift: Something that is bestowed voluntarily) of God." Translating and Interpreting are two words conveying two separate processes and they should not be conflated! That the interpretation was a "gift" from God in form of written words is stated in the history of Lucy Mack Smith where she says:
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845
In the mean time Joseph was 150 miles distant and knew naught of the matter except an intimation that was given through the urim and thummim for as he one morning applied them to his eyes to look upon the record instead of the words of the book being given him he was commanded to write a letter to one David Whitmer this man Joseph had never seen but he was instructed to say to him that he must come with his team immediately in order to convey Joseph and Oliver back to his house which was 135 miles that they might remain with him there until the translation should be completed ...
This concept of the final wording being "given" as a gift also explains why it was a one-time dictation instead of the normal multiple attempts required to refine the wording. Multiple attempts and revisions would be needed (double interpretation) for interpreting such a complex text without the text being provided by the Urim and Thummim. Nobody, on their own, could get the wording exactly right the very first time with no revision. In my opinion only God could do that7 and I believe God did provide the exact wording via the Urim and Thummim. This was a blessing not only to Joseph Smith but it also fulfilled prophecy given by the Lord to the ancient Nephite prophets8.
Oliver Cowdery also reportedly testified in court that Joseph dictated the text of Book of Mormon by reading in English from the Urim and Thummim:
Evangelical Magazine 1831-04-09: Vol 2 Issue 15, p 120
Oliver Cowdery, one of the three witnesses to the book, testified under oath, that said Smith found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates. (https://archive.org/details/sim_evangelical-magazine-and-gospel-advocate_1831-04-09_2_15/page/n7/mode/1up)
Therefore the wording as it came from the lips of Joseph Smith was a perfectly accurate interpretation that came for free as a gift from God. However, emendations were nevertheless needed for the following reasons: 1) Errors were introduced in the transcription of the original manuscript (this has been well documented by Royal Skousen); 2) Errors were introduced in the creation of the printers manuscript; 3) punctuation and wording, sometimes incorrect, was introduced by the printers assistant John Gilbert; 4) the perfectly accurate interpretation included Hebrew idioms and sentence constructs of Biblical English that were ungrammatical in modern English; and 5) errors were also introduced by the original writers and abridgers of the Nephite record (they admit this) and so some clarifications were added (rarely for this reason) by Joseph Smith. For all the many details of each of these emendations over the years, I refer you to the 20 year work of Royal Skousen The Book of Mormon, The Earliest Text and the five volumes of The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project
The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project
Volume I: The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon
Volume II: the Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon
Volume III: The History of the Text of the Book of Mormon
Volume III Parts 3 and 4: The Nature of the Original Language of the Book of Mormon
Volume IV: Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon
Volume IV Part One: 1 Nephi 1--2 Nephi 11
Volume IV Part Two: 2 Nephi 12 – Mosiah 13
Volume IV Part Three: Mosiah 14 – Alma 17
Volume IV Part Four: Alma 18–51
Volume IV Part Five: Alma 52 – 3 Nephi 7
Volume IV Part Six: 3 Nephi 8 – Moroni 10
Volume V: A Complete Electronic Collation of the Book of Mormon
I believe the original text of the Book of Mormon to be the ultimate "tight" translation. Every word and every spelling is significant and precise as it came from the lips of Joseph Smith. That is also my experience and testimony as I have studied the text in regard to the geography of the Book of Mormon.
Below is a layout demonstrating the translation process as I have described it and showing the periods for each phase of the translation effort. All translation efforts, inspired or not, go through these phases in order to reach the final product. Only the role of the Urim & Thummim is unique. This process of Book of Mormon translation I call the TITE process: TranslationInterpretationTranscriptionEmendation
.
<-------Translational Activity-----><-----Transcriptional Activity----->
Translation--->Interpretation------>Transcription------->Emendation---->
Joseph Smith-->Holy Interpreters--->Oliver Cowdery------>John Gilbert
study & prep Urim & Thummim others... Joseph Smith
Royal Skousen
others...
Within the TITE process, by using the Urim and Thummim for Interpretation, over time Joseph became familiar and fluent with the language of scripture. Because of this training, later revelations in Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price were received and interpreted without the aid of the Urim and Thummim. However in these cases (when not using Urim and Thummim) he manually reviewed the text and made revisions until the interpretation/wording was accurate to the revelation received.
The graphic below shows the origin and contents of each section of the plates and how they made it to the published version of the Book of Mormon.
Harmony: Joseph learns "reformed Egyption" from large plates of Nephi: 09/22/1827 to 04/12/1828 Harmony: Joseph translates from the large plates of Nephi, named 116 pages: 04/12/1828 to 06/14/1828 Harmony: Joseph did not have the plates or Urim and Thummim, no translations: 06/15/1828 to 09/22/1828 Harmony: Joseph translates a little of the large plates with misc. scribes: 09/22/1828 to 04/04/1829 Harmony: Joseph finishes the large plates of Nephi with Oliver Cowdery: 04/07/1828 to 05/2?/1829 Fayette: Joseph translates small plates of Nephi with Oliver Cowdery: 06/0?/1829 to 06/2?/1829
The Hill Cumorah plates repository is described by Mormon:
Mormon 6:6
6 And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.
Orson Pratt, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff and Brigham Young all spoke of the Hill Cumorah hill repository and its contents. The most detailed statement comes from Brigham Young who testified of it in 1877.
President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol 19, p 38
I lived right in the country where the plates were found from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and I know a great many things pertaining to that country. I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost. (Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at a Special Conference Held at Farmington, for the Purpose of Organizing a Stake of Zion for the County of Davis, on Sunday Afternoon, June 17, 1877)
1 See the Wentworth Letter, also Doctrine and Covenants 3:19Doctrine and Covenants 3:19
19 And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records--that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people; , 5:4Doctrine and Covenants 5:4
1 BEHOLD, I say unto you, that as my servant Martin Harris has desired a witness at my hand, that you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. , have got the plates of which you have testified and borne record that you have received of me;
2 And now, behold, this shall you say unto him--he who spake unto you, said unto you: I, the Lord, am God, and have given these things unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. , and have commanded you that you should stand as a witness of these things;
3 And I have caused you that you should enter into a covenant with me, that you should not show them except to those persons to whom I commanded you; and you have no power over them except I grant it unto you.
4 And you have a gift to translate the plates; and this is the first gift that I bestowed upon you; and I have commanded that you should pretend (as in: to presume; venture) to no other gift until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished., 10:38-46Doctrine and Covenants 10:38-46
38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;
39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.
40 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account--
41 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;
42 And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.
43 I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
44 Behold, they have only got a part, or an abridgment of the account of Nephi.
45 Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work.
46 And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people., 17:1-6Doctrine and Covenants 17:1-6
1 BEHOLD, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.
2 And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
3 And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God;
4 And this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. , may not be destroyed, that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work.
5 And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them; for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is because he had faith.
6 And he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.
1a The work of translation proceeded haltingly through 1828. Joseph's wife, Emma, and others served as scribes until the spring of 1829, when Oliver Cowdery took over, recording the bulk of the 275,000-word text from Joseph's dictation, concluding near the end of June 1829, a period of about 60 days. (see Church History, ChurchOfJesusChrist.org)
1b These were days never to be forgotten-to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth as he translated" (Messenger and Advocate 1 [Oct. 1834]:14)
1c All witnesses of the translation stated that Joseph Smith dictated the text of the Book of Mormon. This claim is supported by certain errors in the original manuscript which clearly resulted from the scribe mishearing what Joseph had dictated. ... Evidence from the original manuscript supports the traditional belief that Joseph Smith received a revealed text by means of the interpreters. ... In fact, the occurrence of non-English Hebraisms such as the if-and construction strongly suggests that the text was tightly controlled down to the level of the word at least. This tight control is also supported by the consistent phraseology in the original text. And the spelling of names such as Coriantumr suggests that control could be imposed down to the very letter. (How Joseph Smith Translated the Book of Mormon, Royal Skousen, pp 25,30)
2a ...Joseph began to make arrangements to accomplish the translation of the Record; And the first step which he was instructed to take in regard to this matter, was, to take a Fac-Simile of the characters composing the alphabet: which characters were called reformed Egyptian... (Lucy Mack Smith History, 1845, pp 117,122, Joseph Smith Papers)
2b for truth is a matter of fact — and the fact is, by the power of God I translated the book of Mormon from hieroglyphics; the knowledge of which was lost to the world. In which wonderful event, I stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries. (James Arlington Bennet letter, Joseph Smith Papers)
2c I commenced copying the characters of all the plates. I copyed a considerable number of them and by means of the Urim and Thummin I translated some of them which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife's father in the month of December, and the February following. (Lucy Mack Smith History, 1845, pp 117,122, Joseph Smith Papers)
2d With "true alphabet" languages, like English, one needs to generally speak the language in order to read it. However, for Pictographic and Logographic writing systems, this is not the case. See below. The "Reformed Egyptian" (Mormon 9:32-33Mormon 9:32-33
32 And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
33 And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. ) of the plates was likely an altered/customized form of the Egyptian Demotic. The beautiful Egyptian Hieroglyphic's were used for monuments and Demotic was the everyday "cursive" form, much simpler to write – and designed for parchment. Mormon explains that he used "Reformed Egyptian" that had been altered by the Nephites. One reason it had to be altered is that it was designed to be engraven on metal plates rather than parchment. That it may also have been primarily logographic is clear when Mormon explains it was much shorter than the Hebrew (Mormon 9:32-33Mormon 9:32-33
32 And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
33 And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. ).
In the context of the Book of Mormon it is useful to understand the basics of the following writing systems
Pictographic/ideographic writing systems:
- There is no single way to read them, because there is no one-to-one correspondence between symbol and language.
- Only the author of a text can read it with any certainty, and it may be said that they are interpreted rather than read.
- Such scripts often work best as mnemonic aids for oral texts, or as outlines that will be fleshed out in speech.
- - Examples: Aztec, Mixtec, other Mesoamerican writing systems with the exception of Maya Hieroglyphs.
Logographic writing systems
- Glyphs (A symbol, such as a stylized figure or arrow on a public sign, that imparts information nonverbally) represent words or morphemes (meaningful components of words, as in mean-ing-ful), rather than phonetic elements.
- No logographic script is composed solely of logograms (A written symbol representing an entire spoken word without expressing its pronunciation; for example, 4 is read as "four" in English, "quattro" in Italian.). All contain graphemes that represent phonetic (sound-based) elements as well.
- Many glyphs are purely phonetic, whereas others function as either logograms or phonetic elements, depending on context.
- Consonant-based logographies
- Examples: Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, and Demotic — the writing systems of Ancient Egypt. - Syllable-based logographies
- Examples: Cuneiform, Chinese, Japanese, Mayan.
Abjad writing systems
- Script containing symbols for consonants only, or where vowels are optionally written with diacritics.
- - Examples: Arabian, Aramaic, Hebrew.
True Alphabets writing systems
- A true alphabet contains separate letters (not diacritic marks) for both consonants and vowels..
- - Examples: Coptic Egyptian, Cyrillic - Eastern Slavic languages, Greek, Latin-Roman (current western and central European languages).
2e
PGP, Joseph Smith History 1
62 By this timely aid was I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife's father, in the month of December, and the February following.
3 And when Joseph Smith was raised up as a Prophet of God, Mormon, Moroni, Nephi and others of the ancient Prophets who formerly lived on this Continent, and Peter and John and others who lived on the Asiatic Continent, came to him and communicated to him certain principles pertaining to the Gospel of the Son of God. (John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, April 8 1875, Vol 17, p 374)
4 (revelation given through Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery)
Doctrine and Covenants 9
7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.
10 Now, if you had known this you could have translated; nevertheless, it is not expedient that you should translate now. (Doctrine and Covenants, 9:7-10).
5 "With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called 'Urim and Thummim', which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God" (Joseph Smith, Wentworth Letter, History of the Church, 4:537).
6 Ether 4:5
5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.
7 2 Nephi 29:2
2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;
7+8 Ether 12:
23 And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;
24 And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.
26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; (Book of Mormon, Ether 12:23-26).
9JS-H: 1
61 The excitement, however, still continued, and rumor with her thousand tongues was all the time employed in circulating falsehoods about my father's family, and about myself. If I were to relate a thousandth part of them, it would fill up volumes. (PGP, Joseph Smith History 1:63).
10PGP, Joseph Smith History 1:35
35 Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book. (PGP, Joseph Smith History 1:35).
11Joseph Smith Foundation
As a disaffected former member of the Church David Whitmer often produced wildly contradicting testimony about the translation process of the Book of Mormon to various newspapers. Apparently he often changed the story to fit the expectations of audiences. Below is a table documenting conflicting testimony from JosephSmithFoundation.org. See David Whitmer: Man of Contradictions for the complete table with all working links.
Table 1. Various Descriptions of the Instrument of Translation
| Footnote | Date and Source | Instrument used to Translate | Description of Instrument |
| 6 | 1878 P. Wilhelm Poulson | Urim and Thummim | Two white stones cased in spectacles of silver, stones separated more than normal spectacles |
| 7 | 1879 Thomas Wood Smith | Urim and Thummim | |
| 10 | 1879 J. L. Traughber Jr. | Seer Stone | Dark colored, opaque stone placed in hat, put face in hat to exclude light |
| 11 | 1880 Thomas Wood Smith | Retraction of Urim and Thummim method described in interview in footnote (see footnote 7) | |
| 12 | 1880 Eri B. Mullin | Urim and Thummim | Looked like spectacles |
| 9 | 1881 Kansas City Journal | Interpreters | Two small stones of chocolate color, egg shaped and perfectly smooth, not transparent |
| 13 | 1881 David Whitmer to the Kansas City Journal | Retracted the Kansas City Journal Story about the Interpreters and said Joseph used a sun stone | Not two stones, but one stone was used. Said he did not say Joseph used the interpreters. |
| 14 | 1881 Chicago Times | Urim and Thummim | Small oval kidney-shaped stone called the Urim and Thummim that had marvelous power converting characters on the plates when used by Smith |
| 18 | 1884 E. C. Briggs | Stone | Placed stone in hat from which all light was excluded |
| 15 | 1884 St. Louis Republican | Urim and Thummim | Two transparent pebbles set in the rim of a bow and fastened to a breastplate. |
| 22 | 1885 Zenas H. Gurley | Seers stone | Placed the stone in a hat into which he buried his face. |
| 17 | 1885 Chicago Tribune | Started with Urim and Thummim he also called “magical spectacles”. Replaced by “seer’s stone” after transgression | Urim and Thummim: affixed them to his eyes and translate the plates. Seer’s Stone: Placed in hat and covered his face in the hat |
| 16 | 1886 Omaha Herald | Stone spectacles, Urim and Thummim, magic stone, strange stone | The strange stone was described as oval-shaped, chocolate-colored, about the size of an egg only more flat |
| 19 | 1886, M. J. Hubble | Pair of large bound spectacles | |
| 25 | 1887 by David Whitmer | Seer stone | Seer stone was placed in a hat and Joseph put his face in the hat drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light |
| 23 | 1888 Richmond Democrat | Urim and Thummim, after the 116 pages were lost, Joseph was presented with a stone | Urim and Thummim: Pair of transparent stone spectacles
Stone: strange oval-shaped, chocolate colored, about the size of an egg but more flat. |
| 24 | 1909 Nathan A. Tanner, Jr. | Joseph had both the Urim and Thummim and “stone” | Stone was chocolate colored |
Table 2. Conflicting Descriptions by David Whitmer of the Method of Translation
| Footnote | Date and Source | Method of Translation |
| 8 | 1878 David Whitmer | Manuscripts of the Book of Mormon were examined and determined to be written by Oliver Cowdery except for a few pages that were in the hand writing of Emma Smith, John Whitmer, and Christian Whitmer. |
| 6 | 1878 P. Wilhelm Poulson | Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, Emma Smith, John Whitmer wrote words from Joseph at different times |
| 7 | 1879 Thomas Wood Smith | Read from the plates by Joseph Smith and written mainly by Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris |
| 10 | 1879 J. L. Traughber Jr. | Stone was placed in a hat and Joseph put his face in the hat to exclude light. Parchment would appear in the hat with a line of characters and the English translation below them. |
| 11 | 1880 Thomas Wood Smith | Retraction of Urim and Thummim method described in interview (see footnote 7) |
| 12 | 1880 Eri B. Mullin | Joseph put them on and looked in a hat with his face in the hat to read. The plates were not in the hat, but words would appear and not go away until spelled correctly, then another set of words would appear |
| 9 | 1881 Kansas City Journal | Did not use the plates, held interpreters to his eyes and covered his face in a hat to exclude light, a parchment appeared with characters from plates in a line with English translation below. The Urim and Thummim was taken away from Joseph when the 116 pages were lost and never returned. |
| 13 | 1881 David Whitmer to the Kansas City Journal | Said the interpreters were taken from Joseph when he lost the 116 pages |
| 14 | 1881 Chicago Times | Joseph had no manuscript notes or other means of knowledge save the seer stone and the characters as shown on the plates. On character often would make two lines of manuscript, while others made but a word or two words. |
| 26 | 1882 William H. Kelly and G. A. Blakeslee | Joseph couldn’t translate unless he was humble and possessed the right feelings towards everyone and humble. Tells story about disagreement with Emma that he fixed and then was able to translate. Information is accurate in this interview |
| 18 | 1884 E. C. Briggs | Characters appeared and under them the English translation. Words remained until the scribe copied them correctly. |
| 15 | 1884 St. Louis Republican | Looked through them and dictated to his scribes. |
| 22 | 1885 Zenas H. Gurley | Original character appeared upon parchment and under it the translation in English. The Interpreters were taken away because of transgression. |
| 17 | 1885 Chicago Tribune | Urim and Thummim: engraven characters and translation in English would appear under them. Seer’s stone: character and translation would appear on the stone. |
| 16 | 1886 Omaha Herald | Prophet had to be humble in order to see the words in the stone/Urim and Thummim. Urim and Thummim was taken away when the 116 pages were lost and after fervent prayer was presented with a strange stone which, it was promised, should serve the same purpose as the missing Urim and Thummim. With this stone all the present Book of Mormon was translated. |
| 19 | 1886, M. J. Hubble | Urim and Thummim was taken away and was not permitted to look at the plates. The characters would appear before him in the air and when translated correctly they would disappear, and new ones come in their place. |
| 25 | 1887 by David Whitmer | Something resembling parchment would appear on which the writing would appear one character at a time and under it was the translation in English. Joseph would read it to Oliver who would then repeat it and if correct, the character and English translation would disappear. Translation was finished in the spring of 1830 before April 6th at which time Joseph gave the stone to Oliver and told David Whitmer and the “rest” that he was through with it. |
| 23 | 1888 Richmond Democrat | Joseph put on the spectacles and a few words of text of the Book of Mormon would appear on the lenses. When translated correctly the words would disappear and others take their place. After losing the 116 pages, Joseph translated with the stone which, it was promised, should answer the same purpose. With this stone, the present book was translated by placing the stone in a hat, then put his face in the hat and read the words that appeared on the stone. |
| 24 | 1909 Nathan A. Tanner, Jr. | Joseph used the Urim and Thummim and stone alternately as suited his convenience. David Whitmer believed that Joseph could as well accomplish the translation by looking into a hat, or any other stone, as by the Urim and Thummim or the chocolate colored stone. David believed Joseph had power with God to get any information he wished for and didn’t believe either the Urim and Thummim or stone he had were essential. Joseph would place the manuscript beneath the stone or Urim and Thummim, and the characters would appear in English, which he would spell out and they would remain until the word was written correctly, then it would disappear, and another take its place. |
2 North America Setting
2.1 Zarahemla Centric Heartland Model
In my opinion, the Book of Mormon peoples and events must be located in North America in order to be compatible with scripture and with the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith. This basic premise is known as Heartland Theory and has rapidly re-gained acceptance as more people learn about ancient North American cultures, the content of the Book of Mormon, Gods covenant with the land of North America, and the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith.
There are four main reasons for being Zarahemla centric:
- The Book of Mormon says that the city of Zarahemla was a great city and the capital city in the heart and center of the land. (
Helaman 1:18-33Helaman 1)
18 And it came to pass that because of so much contention and so much difficulty in the government, that they had not kept sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla; for they had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the heart of their lands to attack that great city Zarahemla.
19 But it came to pass that Coriantumr did march forth at the head of his numerous host, and came upon the inhabitants of the city, and their march was with such exceedingly great speed that there was no time for the Nephites to gather together their armies.
20 Therefore Coriantumr did cut down the watch by the entrance of the city, and did march forth with his whole army into the city, and they did slay every one who did oppose them, insomuch that they did take possession of the whole city.
21 And it came to pass that Pacumeni, who was the chief judge, did flee before Coriantumr, even to the walls of the city. And it came to pass that Coriantumr did smite him against the wall, insomuch that he died. And thus ended the days of Pacumeni.
22 And now when Coriantumr saw that he was in possession of the city of Zarahemla, and saw that the Nephites had fled before them, and were slain, and were taken, and were cast into prison, and that he had obtained the possession of the strongest hold in all the land, his heart took courage insomuch that he was about to go forth against all the land.
23 And now he did not tarry in the land of Zarahemla, but he did march forth with a large army, even towards the city of Bountiful; for it was his determination to go forth and cut his way through with the sword, that he might obtain the north parts of the land.
24 And, supposing that their greatest strength was in the center of the land, therefore he did march forth, giving them no time to assemble themselves together save it were in small bodies; and in this manner they did fall upon them and cut them down to the earth.
25 But behold, this march of Coriantumr through the center of the land gave Moronihah great advantage over them, notwithstanding the greatness of the number of the Nephites who were slain.
26 For behold, Moronihah had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the center of the land, but that they would attack the cities round about in the borders as they had hitherto done; therefore Moronihah had caused that their strong armies should maintain those parts round about by the borders.
27 But behold, the Lamanites were not frightened according to his desire, but they had come into the center of the land, and had taken the capital city which was the city of Zarahemla, and were marching through the most capital parts of the land, slaying the people with a great slaughter, both men, women, and children, taking possession of many cities and of many strongholds.
28 But when Moronihah had discovered this, he immediately sent forth Lehi with an army round about to head them before they should come to the land Bountiful.
29 And thus he did; and he did head them before they came to the land Bountiful, and gave unto them battle, insomuch that they began to retreat back towards the land of Zarahemla.
30 And it came to pass that Moronihah did head them in their retreat, and did give unto them battle, insomuch that it became an exceedingly bloody battle; yea, many were slain, and among the number who were slain Coriantumr was also found.
31 And now, behold, the Lamanites could not retreat either way, neither on the north, nor on the south, nor on the east, nor on the west, for they were surrounded on every hand by the Nephites.
32 And thus had Coriantumr plunged the Lamanites into the midst of the Nephites, insomuch that they were in the power of the Nephites, and he himself was slain, and the Lamanites did yield themselves into the hands of the Nephites. - Zarahemla is mentioned more frequently (424 occurrences in 139 verses) than any other place in the Book of Mormon, indicating its key role in the Book of Mormon narrative from 280 BC onward.
- Zarahemla is identified in the Doctrine and Covenants (Doctrine and Covenants 125:2-3Doctrine and Covenants 125) as being across the river from Nauvoo so this initial placement, combined with reason #2, is the anchor point for the Physical Model. See Zarahemla in Section 2.3 Location of Zarahemla regarding the interpretation of Doctrine & Covenants 125:2-3. Many gainsay this scripture out of "stiffneckedness and unbelief", however, consider this: The Lord Himself has instructed His Saints to call this location Zarahemla, which the early Saints did not hesitate to do.
2 Verily, thus saith the Lord, I say unto you, if those who call themselves by my name and are essaying to be my saints, if they will do my will and keep my commandments concerning them, let them gather themselves together unto the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up cities unto my name, that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a time to come.
3 Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it. - I have discovered that placing Zarahemla across the river west from Nauvoo is the only approach that works with the Logical Model as presented in Section 3.
See below for the interactive 3D Zarahemla Model map.
Interactive 3D Google Map presentation [map revised: 10 September 2024] If map icons below are not visible then refresh the page or click here for external 3D Google Map window.2.2 Issue of The Book of Mormon in North America
There remains in the church now a divide between those who: A) believe the narrative history of the Book of Mormon occurred in North America, USA/Canada (I call it N1C); and B) those who believe it occurred in Mesoamerica (called M2C). The M2C position is that there must be two hill Cumorah's and that the hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon is really located somewhere in Mesoamerica.
To deflect criticism or controversy it is sometimes argued that Book of Mormon geography "doesn't really matter". However, the Book of Mormon contains prophecies, warnings, and special covenants that apply to the land of the Book of Mormon and the people who inhabit it. The Book of Mormon contains an authentic historical account and prophecies of an historical future. It does matter.
The question of N1C vs M2C has become a litmus test between Book of Mormon researchers. If you are N1C then you are immediately suspect by M2C proponents in anything you write or propose about the Book of Mormon. Also vice-versa. Most M2C groups, when challenged, will claim to be neutral on the question of Book of Mormon geography. However, while M2C models are documented, they avoid presenting information on N1C geographic models, archaeological discoveries, or writings.
I find that FairLatterDaySaints (formerly FairMormon) makes a claim to be neutral, but fails. They are N1C hostile, sometimes openly, but more often by just ignoring and suppressing N1C information.
Book of Mormon Central claims to be neutral, but in practice they are not. They exclude N1C information and perspectives and argue against anything N1C. Book of Mormon Central is owned by the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (bmaf.org) whose mission statement is to promote the Book of Mormon as an "ancient Mayan codex".
BYU Studies once led the charge for M2C. Now they privately say they are neutral on all Book of Mormon geography but what they say and what they are is not the same. Their online curriculum materials (e.g. charts 140-160) continues to point exclusively to Central America for Book of Mormon geography. Leaving these M2C materials online is not an oversight.
My Book of Mormon Logical Model and Map declares that I am definitely of the N1C persuasion. The reason is not only because of geography or maps. It's because scriptures declare it. The prophets declare it. The M2C people will say "the scriptures are not definitive" and the prophets only did "the best they could with what they knew" but just weren't privy "to the additional information that scholars have since determined". They say "it's the science of archaeology that counts" and that trumps all other considerations, and "not everything the prophets say is doctrine so I am not obligated to accept it". It is not hyperbole for me to say that all of this is the consensus opinion of the M2C folks from my own personal experience. It is an unwillingness to believe what the prophets have taught.
Luke 24:25
25 Then he [Jesus] said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
It is easy to see that "the sciences" are a moving target, always shifting and changing by definition. Not a firm foundation to build upon. The M2C position is, in my opinion, untenable. By the standard of following only the sciences, the M2C boosters should abandon M2C because the overwhelming consensus of non-LDS archaeologists, the leading experts in Mesoamerican archaeology, is negative. They think it is a joke. They say the written language doesn't match, the evidence on the ground doesn't match, the animals don't match, and the timelines don't match up either. They say the decline of Classic Maya civilization and the abandonment of Maya cities in the southern Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica is between the 8th and 9th centuries at the end of the Classic Maya period, and that pre-classic Maya experienced a similar collapse in the 2nd century. None of this matches up with Book of Mormon time-lines. Not. Even. Close.
Most of the membership of the Church doesn't buy into M2C, with it's 2-Cumorah requirement, either. They cannot fathom the idea that somehow Moroni personally carried the records from Central America to New York and without recording the journey. Absurd. Instead they trend to believing the prophets and the scriptures and Joseph Smith (e.g. the Wentworth letter) and they don't read academic books and papers, especially those members who live outside the US. So now the M2C folks are arrayed against the scientific establishment, the lay members of the church, the Prophets, and the Scriptures. It is what I mean by being untenable.
One of the most serious issues is the censoring and altering the words of the prophets in church publications and manuals. This is caused, I believe, by M2C tainted editors who are promoting their M2C worldview. It is not a systemic policy but it happens. What follows below is an egregious example. Simply deplorable.
|
Teachings of the Presidents, Brigham Young Manual, Chapter 47: President Brigham Young's Witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith |
Original talk by Brigham Young, delivered June 21 1874, Journal of Discourses Vol. 18 p. 239 |
| When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth. ... He received the knowledge that [early inhabitants of the Americas] were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim and had power to translate them. | When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth, and that they contained the history of the aborigines of this country. He received the knowledge that they were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim and had power to translate them. |
When Joseph Smith wrote the Wentworth Letter, he made this earnest request:
At the request of Mr. John Wentworth, Editor and Proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, I have written the following sketch of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-day Saints, of which I have the honor, under God, of being the founder. Mr. Wentworth says that he wishes to furnish Mr. Barstow, a friend of his, who is writing the history of New Hampshire, with this document. As Mr. Barstow has taken the proper steps to obtain correct information, all that I shall ask at his hands, is, that he publish the account entire, ungarnished, and without misrepresentation."
Unfortunately, many church publications do not honor Joseph's request by publishing the entire account ungarnished, and without misrepresentation. Instead they use an altered version of the Wentworth letter that deletes and misrepresents Joseph Smiths statement about Jaredites and Nephites being from America, "this country":
| The Teachings of Joseph Smith, Priesthood Manual, p 441 | The Encylopedia of Mormonism, 1992, Wentworth Letter, Appendix 12 |
| Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God. ... This book ... tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent after His resurrection; that He planted the Gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists, the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days. |
Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God. In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites, and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country. This book also tells us that our Savior made His appearance upon this continent after His resurrection; that He planted the Gospel here in all its fulness, and richness, and power, and blessing; that they had Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists, the same order, the same priesthood, the same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern continent; that the people were cut off in consequence of their transgressions; that the last of their prophets who existed among them was commanded to write an abridgment of their prophecies, history, etc., and to hide it up in the earth, and that it should come forth and be united with the Bible for the accomplishment of the purposes of God in the last days. |
And so, because of surreptitious M2C editing and M2C stealth promotion, many members are unaware of the teachings of the prophets, and so the M2C position can seem okay to those who buy the books etc. — but I maintain that to contradict the clear pattern of what the of prophets and the scriptures have taught is out of step, doctrinally, with what the Book of Mormon teaches:
2 Nephi 9:28-29,4
28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.
42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches–yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
The above scripture is harsher than I would dare to be, so I just quote it. I don't think it would be right to do less. Also, consider that Jesus "upbraided" some of His Apostles for their initial unbelief of the testimonies of his resurrection. Upbraided means "chastised" and "severely criticized". So, in fairness to the dedicated M2C people they are in good company, but if they are wise they will repent their ways as the ancient Apostles did.
Mark 1
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
"Stiff neckedness and unbelief" also held back the early Apostles from understanding about the "other sheep":
3 Nephi 15
11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen:
12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.
13 And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you.
14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem.
15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.
16 This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them:
17 That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
18 And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them.
In support of my position I quote President Oaks below. The complete talk is available here.
I maintain that the issue of the historicity of the Book of Mormon is basically a difference between those who rely exclusively on scholarship and those who rely on a combination of scholarship, faith, and revelation. Those who rely exclusively on scholarship reject revelation and fulfill Nephi's prophecy that in the last days men shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance... (2 Ne. 28:4).
— Dallin H. Oaks, 29 October 1993, The Historicity of the Book of Mormon
Now that I have quoted President Oaks, I could probably end this and be done. However, I also want to document just how strong the case for N1C really is. It is far stronger than most realize, and is definitely not limited to any one "opinion" but is backed up by many prophets, many scriptures, authoritative accounts, and word of the LORD himself. Below are significant testimonies that I have chosen to share because they transcend "opinion".
The scriptures below indicate that missionaries were sent to the "Lamanites" in Missouri. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the city of the future New Jerusalem mentioned by the prophet Ether is also identified as being in Missouri. These are canonized scriptures, with the Lord speaking in the first person and should not be construed by faithful members of the church as "just" the opinion of Joseph Smith. Because of the taint of M2C some LDS visitors centers have labeled the mission as "missionaries sent to the Indians" to hide the reference to Lamanites in Missouri. Some visitors centers have also employed Mayan glyphs in their portrayals.
For more information on these first missionaries of the church, I recommend Lamanites in North America.
Doctrine and Covenants 10
45 Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work.
46 And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people.
47 And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers;
48 Yea, and this was their faith–that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.
49 Now, this is not all–their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;
50 And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;
51 Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be.
52 And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.
Doctrine and Covenants 28:9
9 And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites.
Doctrine and Covenants 28:14
14 And thou shalt assist to settle all these things, according to the covenants of the church, before thou shalt take thy journey among the Lamanites.
Doctrine and Covenants 54:8
8 And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites.
Doctrine and Covenants 84
2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.
3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
Doctrine and Covenants 128:20
20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets--the book to be revealed. ...
Ether 13
3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.
4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
The scriptures above may seem conclusive however M2C proponents say that some church leaders have occasionally referred to Mesoamericans, South Americans and Pacific Islanders as being of Lamanite descent (and I don’t doubt that the descendants of father Lehi migrated far and wide) so therefore, they say, “Lamanites can be anywhere” and therefore the scriptures cited “don’t mean anything specific”. And yet the scriptures are specific in terms of the Book of Mormon narrative.
The first missionaries carried the message that the Book of Mormon was all about the forefathers of the "aboriginal inhabitants" of "this country" (Wentworth letter). When the missionaries took the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites the message from the Lord was that its history applied to this land (DC 10:49,50). This country or this land means whatever the land or country the hearer is from and not the "entire hemisphere" — despite M2C related sophistry.
Oliver Cowdery's Speech to the Delaware Indians about the Book of Mormon
According to Parley P. Pratt they taught the following:
Thousands of moons ago, when the red men's forefathers dwelt in peace and possessed this whole land, the Great Spirit talked with them, and revealed His law and His will, and much knowledge to their wise men and prophets. This they wrote in a Book; together with their history, and the things which should befall their children in the latter days. This Book was written on plates of gold, and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations. It was then that the people prospered, and were strong and mighty; they cultivated the earth; built buildings and cities, and abounded in all good things, as the pale faces now do. But they became wicked: they killed one another and shed much blood; they killed their prophets and wise men, and sought to destroy the Book. The great Spirit became angry, and would speak to them no more; they had no more good and wise dreams ; no more visions ; no more angels sent among them by the Great Spirit; and the Lord commanded Mormon and Moroni, their last wise men and prophets, to hide the Book in the earth, that it might be preserved in safety, and be found and made known in the latter day to the pale faces who should possess the land; that they might again make it known to the red man; in order to restore them to the knowledge of the will of the Great Spirit and to His favor. ... The Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him, Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county.
I include a quote from Joseph Fielding Smith below because he speaks directly to the N1C vs M2C issue. Of course the M2C folks won't accept Joseph Fielding Smith on this subject. They gainsay his teachings.
This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case.
— Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Volume3, Chapter 12, pp 592-597
I include Mark E. Peterson, Marion G. Romney, and Gordon B. Hinckley below because their statements were made publicly in General Conference while teaching in their official capacity as Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Quotes from General Conference talk
Moroni came back from the dead, a resurrected man! He had lived in America some fifteen hundred years ago and was the sole survivor of his people in a series of tragic battles which took many lives.
As the fighting neared its end, Mormon gathered the remnant of his forces about a hill which they called Cumorah, located in what is now the western part of the state of New York. Their enemies, known as Lamanites, came against them on this hill.
When finished with the record, Moroni was to hide it up in that same Hill Cumorah which was their battlefield. It would come forth in modern times as the Book of Mormon, named after Moroni's father, the historian who compiled it.
Mormon then wrote directly to us as modern Americans who now occupy this promised land and said: How can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?
Quotes from General Conference talk
Millennia ago he [Jesus] declared: There shall none come into this land, he was speaking of America, save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
It is my purpose in making these remarks to point out from the record of ancient inhabitants of America that the foregoing decrees have been carried out.
In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the hill Cumorah.... (Mormon 6:6) On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago — events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation.
For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God.... (Ether 2:7-10)
Pursuant to this decree concerning the land of America, the Jaredites were swept off in the manner we have reviewed, because, rebelling against the laws of Jesus Christ — the God of the land — they ripened in iniquity....
This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites'.
Gordon B Hinckley,
An Angel from on High, the Long, Long Silence Broke, October 1979
Quotes from General Conference talk
We in this good land of America are now hearing much debate concerning the treaty designed to reduce the likelihood of nuclear attack on this continent. There is much talk of a balance of power and of a balance of terror. In the context of this current discussion I should like to read to you what the God of heaven said long ago concerning this land as recorded in the book of which we are speaking: Behold, this is a choice land , and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ... (Ether 2:12).
Gordon B Hinckley, October Conference, 1979
I include a letter in response to an inquiry regarding the location of the hill Cumorah. The letter was sent by the Secretary to the First Presidency with instructions from the First Presidency.
Letter from the Office of the First Presidency,
written by Secretary F. Michael Watson, October 16, 1990
Dear Bishop Brooks:
I have been asked to forward to you for acknowledgment and handling the enclosed copy of a letter to President Gordon B. Hinckley from Ronnie Sparks of your ward. Brother Sparks inquired about the location of the Hill Cumorah mentioned in the Book of Mormon, where the last battle between the Nephites and Lamanites took place.
The Church has long maintained, as attested to by references in the writings of General Authorities, that the Hill Cumorah in western New York state is the same as referenced in the Book of Mormon.
The Brethren appreciate your assistance in responding to this inquiry, and asked that you convey to Brother Sparks their commendation for his gospel study.
Sincerely yours,
F. Michael Watson
Secretary to the First Presidency
The following quote from L. Tom Perry shows that N1C is still relevant. The church leaders give the "academics" all the rope and latitude they ask for and demand – while still themselves teaching the scriptures, the Prophets, and the N1C perspective.
The Tradition of Light and Testimony
The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon — a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was the birth of the United States of America that ushered out the Great Apostasy, when the earth was darkened by the absence of prophets and revealed light. It was no coincidence that the lovely morning of the First Vision occurred just a few decades after the establishment of the United States.
From a devotional address delivered on January 24, 2012, at Brigham Young University Idaho.
And there is more of evidence for N1C.
In contrast, zero prophets and zero scriptures testify in terms of an M2C perspective.
Postscript:
A disingenuous M2C argument is "there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon in North America". What this often means is "we don't see any ancient stone temples in North America". I don't understand this because it is a fact that the Book of Mormon does not claim any such thing but rather indicates a preference for wood as a building material (2 Nephi 5:15, Mosiah 11:10, Helaman 3:5-10).
However, when early settlers came to America they found hundreds of thousands of mounds, massive earthworks, and old fortifications long ago abandoned. A number of these were carefully documented in Smithsonian field surveys and published in 1848 as Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Personal histories and newspaper accounts are common that describe the artifacts, earthworks, and mass burials that were found by the early settlers.
Below is Heber C Kimball's early experience near the hill Cumorah. It is not atypical.
"In the towns of Bloomfield, Victor, Manchester, and in the regions round about, there were hills upon the tops of which were entrenchments and fortifications, and in them were human bones, axes, tomahawks, points of arrows, beads and pipes, which were frequently found; and it was a common occurrence in the country to plow up axes, which I have done many times myself. I have visited the fortifications on the tops of these hills frequently… The hill Cumorah is a high hill for that country and had the appearance of a fortification or entrenchment around it. In the State of New York, probably there are hundreds of these fortifications which are now visible, and I have seen them in many other parts of the United States."
2.3 Location of the Hill Cumorah
Unfortunately, some LDS scholars actively teach that Book of Mormon lands and the hill Cumorah are in Central America. Since it is absurd that both Lamanites and Nephites would march all the way to New York for the final battle, they propose there must be two hill Cumorahs and that the hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is really in Central America. They gainsay the prophets of the Church on this subject, but the Church has always been clear on the identity of the Hill Cumorah and has never taught the two Cumorahs theory.
|  Hill Cumorah Visitors Center: May 22, 2024 |
Modern day prophets have said repeatedly that the United States is the promised land mentioned in the Book of Mormon and the Hill Cumorah is in New York. Below is a sampling from leaders of the church. For more background on this controversy see Section 2.2 The Book of Mormon in North America.
1 Nephi 2
20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.
1 Nephi 22
7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.
L. Tom Perry, "The Tradition of Light and Testimony", January 23, 2012
The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon, a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was the birth of the United States of America that ushered out the Great Apostasy, when the earth was darkened by the absence of prophets and revealed light. It was no coincidence that the lovely morning of the First Vision occurred just a few decades after the establishment of the United States.
Even in the case of specific locations, there is one clear exception to "no official position". In my opinion it is the Hill Cumorah. The clearly stated position of modern Prophets, Seers, and Revelators has always been that the Hill Cumorah mentioned in the Book of Mormon is the same as the traditional site that Joseph Smith identified in northern New York State where he received the plates. Joseph Fielding Smith wrote extensively about this. James E. Talmadge, LeGrande Richards, B.H. Roberts, Bruce R McConkie, Marion G. Romney, George Albert Smith, Orson Pratt, and the Dedicatory Prayer of the Angel Moroni Monument have all indicated that the Book of Mormon events occurring at the "Hill Cumorah" is the same site in upper New York where Joseph Smith received the plates.
My faith is to believe in the words of the Prophets. Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith himself in their written histories referred to the locale of the final Nephite battles to be at the New York Hill Cumorah.
Doctrine and Covenants 128
And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets--the book to be revealed. ...
According to Lucy Mack Smith, it was the angel Moroni who identified the hill with the plates as the "Hill of Cumorah" the first time he appeared to Joseph Smith. Was Lucy just "backfilling" in this information after the fact? There is no good reason, no evidence whatever for not accepting Lucy's statement at face value. Her testimony and recollection is simply in line with everyone else's understanding. Joseph Smith had kept his family informed, per the angels instructions. They were intensely interested and supportive.
Lucy Mack Smith History
[angel Moroni] "There is a record for you and Joseph, when you have learned to keep the commandments of God but you cannot get it until you learn to keep the commandments of God, for it is not to get gain for, but it is to bring forth that light and intelligence which has been long lost in the Earth. Now Joseph beware, when you go to get the plates your mind will be filled with darkness and all manner of evil will rush into your mind to keep you from keeping the commandments of God that you may not succeed in doing his work, and you must tell your father of this for he will believe every word you say. The record is on a side hill, on the Hill of Cumorah, 3 miles from this place. Remove the grass and moss and you will find a large flat stone. Pry that up and you will find the record under it laying on 4 pillars of cement." Then the angel left him. (See "Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845" p. 11 bk. 3, The Joseph Smith Papers, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41)
Letter VII
Written by Oliver Cowdery and published in the Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate with Joseph Smiths' approval and assistance, Letter VII identifies in detail that the hill Cumorah in New York is the same hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon where the Nephites and Jaredites had their final battles. (See "History, 1834—1836," p. 86, The Joseph Smith Papers, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90)
Joseph Fielding Smith
"It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, "by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all." Mormon adds: "And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites."
It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains. Moreover, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record, definitely declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon.
Further, the fact that all of his associates from the beginning down have spoken of it as the identical hill where Mormon and Moroni hid the records, must carry some weight. It is difficult for a reasonable person to believe that such men as Oliver Cowdery, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, David Whitmer, and many others, could speak frequently of the spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates as the Hill Cumorah, and not be corrected by the Prophet, if that were not the fact. That they did speak of this hill in the days of the Prophet in this definite manner is an established record of history... (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation , Vol.3, Bookcraft, 1956, p.232-43.)
Marion G. Romney in General Conference
"My beloved brothers and sisters, I invite you to join in a prayer that while I speak you and I may both enjoy the Spirit. I will give you a lesson today that the Lord has taken great pains to bring to us... In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “hill Cumorah.” On July twenty-fifth of this year, as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama which stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events which occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation... This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites , flourished in America between 600 B.C. and A.D. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites’... Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those pertaining to events yet to come." (Talk given by President Marion G. Romney in General Conference, October 4, 1975, Ensign Nov. 1975 pg. 35) [1] (Cf. CES student manual for Religion 121 and 122, p. 136.)
Elder George Reynolds, The Story of the Book of Mormon
"One of the most noted places in ancient American history was the land in which was situated the hill known to the Jaredites as Ramah and to the Nephites as Cumorah. In its vicinity two great races were exterminated; for it was there that the last battles were fought in the history of both peoples. There also the sacred records of the Nephites found their final resting place." (Elder George Reynolds, The Story of the Book of Mormon, Ch.69, p.325)
Dedicatory Prayer of the Hill Cumorah Monument
"We dedicate the hill itself [Cumorah] and the ground surrounding it and all of the materials that have been used in this monument; and we humbly pray unto Thee that it may be preserved from the elements, and that it may stand here as a testimony of God, of Jesus Christ, and of the dealings of Jesus Christ with the people that lived anciently upon this continent." (Dedicatory Prayer, July 21, 1935. Improvement Era, 1935, Vol. 38. September, 1935. No. 9.)
Orson Pratt, Heber C. Kimball, Wilford Woodruff and Brigham Young all spoke of the Hill Cumorah hill repository and its contents. The most detailed statement comes from Brigham Young who testified of it in 1877.
President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol 19, p 38
"I lived right in the country where the plates were found from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and I know a great many things pertaining to that country. I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost." (Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at a Special Conference Held at Farmington, for the Purpose of Organizing a Stake of Zion for the County of Davis, on Sunday Afternoon, June 17, 1877)
2.4 Location of Zarahemla
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The location of Zarahemla is the starting point for constructing the Physical Model. The precise location of the city of Zarahemla is known thanks to modern revelation. It starts with the understanding that Zarahemla is in Iowa across the river from Nauvoo, Illinois. Doctrine and Covenants 125:1-3 According to divine instruction, the city and land opposite from Nauvoo is named Zarahemla. Zarahemla as a gathering place did not happen in Josephs day – but the words of God do not expire. Moses 4:30 Some argue that the Section 125 Zarahemla is not the Book of Mormon Zarahemla – but that is illogical* and irrelevant because Zarahemla is the divinely appointed name by revelation. Period. More and more evidence of the ancient Zarahemla is being found in the ground due to the efforts of the Heartland Research Group. *The Lord doesn't designate place names in scripture without a reason. In this case, Occam's Razor certainly applies, and if without bias, the simpler explanation must be taken. There is no other explanation for it. The scriptural pattern is to specify proper names as a teaching device. For example, see Luke 1:11-13Luke 1:11-13 A Revelation Forgotten; the Naming of Zarahemla
If one searches for the word Zarahemla in the Triple Combination Index, they will discover over 60 references. All of which are located in The Book of Mormon, save one.
In March 1841, the Lord gave a revelation, known as Section 125 of the Doctrine and Covenants, to the Prophet Joseph Smith which was very specific as to the name and location for a city. While the Lord previously named Adam-ondi-Ahman and the New Jerusalem as being in the state of Missouri, this revelation names a third city in America...in Iowa. The revelation goes as follows: "Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it." It is important to note, the Lord did not call the city "New Zarahemla", just Zarahemla. We wonder about the significance of this revelation which was given over 170 years ago. Let us seek to understand the naming of this land and this city more deeply. Zarahemla is used in the scriptures in four ways. 1) a land; 2) a city; 3) a people; and 4) the name of a king leader. The majority of the uses of the word Zarahemla referenced herein refer to "the land of Zarahemla" and "the city of Zarahemla." It was the name of the people of Zarahemla, and later the Nephite Capitol city for many hundreds of years before and after the coming of Christ to the Promised Land. The use of Zarahemla occurs only once in the Doctrine and Covenants. Very early in Church History documents, the name Zarahemla was disassociated with the revelation. Writers of the histories of this period began to attribute the naming of Zarahemla to other persons who were contemporary with the Prophet Joseph or even to the Prophet himself rather than to the Lord. Perhaps it is time to shed new understanding on the fact that the Lord named the place of Zarahemla in 1841 by revelation. During the Nauvoo period of Church history between 1839 and 1844, Joseph Smith had many dealings with Native American tribes of the area. He was also well acquainted with the Indigenous people of the Eastern United States. He had written in the early 1830’s that: "the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians."1 Even in the 1830’s he had authorized special missions to the Native people of the area (Sections 30 and 32 of the Doctrine and Covenants). Joseph escaped the Liberty Jail in Missouri on April 16, 1839 and crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois by April 22, 1839. Within days the Prophet again crossed the river back into Iowa for the purpose "of making locations for the Church."2 We can draw upon three different historic accounts from the 1839-1841 era. Approximately eight weeks after his escape from jail, we read from the Joseph Smith Papers an entry as follows,
Note however, the following entry from Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, V. 3:382.3 "Spent the forenoon of this day on the Iowa side of the river. Went in company with Elders Rigdon, Smith, and Bishops Whitney and Knight, and others, to visit a purchase lately made by Bishop Knight as a location for a town, and advised that a town be built there, and called Zarahemla." Thus we learn that the phrase "and called Zarahemla" was added to the narrative post 1841. In the Manuscript History account of another early Church leader, Brigham Young, we find a reference as follows: "July 2 (1839). Brothers Joseph, Hyrum, and others came over the river to Montrose, and went out on the prairie and looked out the sight for a city for the Saints, which was called Zarahemla." Significantly, however, the actual Brigham Young Journal in the possession of the Church History Library, and in the handwriting of Brigham Young, including brief notes in 1839 for only September and October, does not have a reference to Zarahemla. He does mention visits to Montrose and Quincy during this period. This is a second instance where the phrase "which was called Zarahemla" was added to the narrative post 1841. We can view this journal and read the words penned by Brother Brigham Young in the archives of the Church History Department. In addition, ready access to entries from two different Elias Smith Journals of 1839-18414 are located in the Church History Library. The first is a small 4x5 inch sheet of paper folded in half and forming a small booklet. He makes brief references in 1839 to October 12 and 19. He then makes entries for 1840. These include "April 6 conference in Nauvoo", "July 12 conference at Ambrosia. chosen Bishop of the branch of the Church in Iowa", and "July 18 ordained to that office." Brief August entries are the 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th. He then makes reference to "Sept 6th meeting in Nashville", "13th fyo" (word not decipherable), "14 Joseph Smith Senior died and buried 15th", and "16th, Des Moines steamer came up from Quincy". The entries of this small record then skip forward to 1841 with three brief citations. "7 August Conference at Zarahemla. Don Carlos Smith died." "8th Buried." "16 Conference at Nauvoo." There are no further references for 1841 and the record ends. The reference to the "7 August Conference at Zarahemla" entry seems to be misplaced. The actual journal citing events of 1839 and 1840, appeared to have been written in 1840. As we verify the death date of Don Carlos Smith (cited above), however we then realize that this event occurred in August 1841. The entries on the same page as the 1840 events were actually added to that page as events occurring in August 1841. This is an extremely important finding in this small Elias Smith journal. In addition to the small Elias Smith Journal, there is another and larger-sized journal that can be studied in the Church archives. This other Elias Smith journal only consists of two 8x12 inch pieces of paper for the year 1841. In this version of his journal he makes a full page of entries for January. He then records entries for February at the bottom of the first page. On the second page he makes reference to more than a dozen days in February. At the end of the references in February 1841, and at the bottom of the same page, he made entries for March 1841, giving notations for 8 days. Among these 8 daily references are: "3rd Zarahemla surveyed about this time. Rained for the first time this spring or for two or three months." "16th First locations made in Zarahemla by the citizens of Ambrosia." These entries certify the revelation did indeed occur in 1841. It is interesting that Brother Smith says "about this time" because this allows for several days in early March in which the revelation could have occurred. There are no further entries ascribed to this journal. The fact that this journal of 2 full pages illustrates a small block of time (January-March 16, 1841), helps to understand the skipping of approximately a year in the earlier and smaller account (cited above) of 1840-1841. In a review of the website of Joseph Smith Papers History, Volume C-1, 1838-1856, beginning with 5 October 1839 and dealing with the Church and a stake in Iowa territory, not once is the location referred to as Zarahemla until March 1841. On page 345 of the website version, we read the following: "20 March 1841, about this time, I received a revelation given in the city of Nauvoo, in answer to the following interrogatory…" Joseph then gives the entire content of Section 125. Every reference thereafter with respect to the location cited above in Iowa is referred to as Zarahemla, including the change of the name of the stake to Zarahemla at a conference of the Church by August 1841. The last reference to Zarahemla in these writings is to the stake being discontinued on 6 January 1842. This finding corresponds to the other three findings mentioned earlier herein. Finally, we are able to read the John Smith Journals/Papers and the Hardcopy/Manuscript/ Typescript of that material. He was the stake president of the original Iowa Stake in 1839. Please note the following important information:
It is clear from Church History sources the use of the name Zarahemla is accurately associated with the March 1841 revelation in Section 125 of the Doctrine and Covenants from the Lord. This is an important piece of information provided by these early journal historians. Therefore, we have learned that previous references to Zarahemla (as cited above), which were pre-March 1841, were inserted by scribes and writers who were not the actual writers- Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Elias Smith - after the true date of the revelation. The heading of Section 125 of the Doctrine and Covenants reads: "Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1841, concerning the saints in the Territory of Iowa. HC 4: 311-312." Verse 3 states: "Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it." The first Stake in Iowa was named the Iowa Stake and organized on 5 October 1839. After the above referenced revelation, the Stake was renamed the Zarahemla Stake in August 1841 and then discontinued on 6 January 18425. Since the dissolution of the Zarahemla Stake, the Revelation, and the importance of the city across from Nauvoo seems to fade from history. But should it have? Is there any relevance or reason to take another look at Zarahemla? Could it possibly be a hint at where the promised land truly is, and the covenants associated with the land? The Lord only named three cities in the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants. The New Jerusalem, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and Zarahemla. He revealed the ancient location of Adam-ondi-Ahman and the future location of the New Jerusalem in Missouri. In choosing to name Zarahemla, a city across the river from Nauvoo, is the Lord suggesting the location of the Book of Mormon city? If not, why wouldn't he have called it New Zarahemla in order to distinguish it from the ancient city, similar to Jerusalem, and New Jerusalem? The Lord has given us the revelation for His purposes. We must honor this revelation as we do any and all other revelations He has given in these last days and seek to know His will. We believe the day will come when truth will spring forth from the earth, and we will learn the purposes of the Lord regarding Zarahemla. 1Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 2002, p. 13). 2Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, V. 1, p. 336. 3Smith, Joseph, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, V. 3:382. 4Smith, Elias, Journals 1839-1841. 5Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Volume 2, page 426. (by Jay Mackley) The words of the Lord in Section 125 have not yet come to pass, but they surely will. Moses 4:3030 For as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for as they go forth out of my mouth they must be fulfilled. Doctrine & Covenants 1:30 38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. Doctrine & Covenants 125 (March 1 1841) 1 What is the will of the Lord concerning the saints in the Territory of Iowa? This question was posed to the Lord by Joseph Smith. British converts were coming in and starting to settle in Nauvoo and wherever else they could. There were concerns for their safety and exactly what to do with the incoming Saints. 2 Verily, thus saith the Lord, I say unto you, if those who call themselves by my name and are essaying to be my saints,That should be all of us. if they will do my will and keep my commandments concerning them,This should be us too. let them gather themselves together unto the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up cities unto my name,More than one city is named in verses 3 and 4. that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a time to come.Here the Lord is speaking of the future. I think it is our time. 3 Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo,It has not happened yet but this is where Moses 4:30 comes in. Directly across Nauvoo are lots owned by Heartland groups today. Just a small start. and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.The angel Moroni specified the Hill of Cumorah but Adam-Ondi-Ahman, the New Jerusalem, and Zarahemla are the only three place names specified by the Lord himself. Therefore faithful latter-day saints honor the location as Zarahemla whether they believe it is the same as the Book of Mormon Zarahemla or not. 4 And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the south,Early 1841 is when the British converts were arriving. They came in three ways: 1) via Quebec and the St Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes; 2) via the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes; and 3) up the Mississippi via New Orleans. The first two ways still required a land journey to get to Nauvoo. The New Orleans route required 19 more days on the Atlantic but then it was Mississippi river travel nearly all the way. The New Orleans route was the most popular for those who could get it. Interestingly the Saints came from the west when fleeing attack and persecution but that was concluded in 1839. There was no one coming from the west in 1841. Not until the reverse exodus which is happening in our day. that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the same,It is an open invitation. Not an edict. as well as in the city of Nashville,There is a Nashville in eastern Iowa but it was founded about 1870 and is 139 miles north of Fort Madison. The Nashville being referred to in section 125 is what is now known as the unincorporated community of Galland, Iowa which is near the Mississippi River Road and about 3.5 miles south of Montrose. or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.Nauvoo and other stakes were also approved as gathering places. There are currently 12 church units in the Nauvoo Stake, with two new wards including the Fort Madison Ward. - Jay Mackley |
From the Autobiography of Edward Phillips "I was standing by the temple talking to Brother Woodruff and he pointed out a spot to me on the opposit[e] side of the river about a mile and a half above Montrose, and said there would be a city and a temple built there and the place would be called Zarahemla. I was at Nauvoo when the temple was finished and dedicated. I went up into the tower and wrote my name there. As I understand, the wicked have burned that temple to the ground and it is all destroyed like the Jerusalem temple. But I expect to see that temple re-erected and the one built on the opposite side of the river to match." 
The west side of the river in Lee County is a fertile ground for arrow head hunters, especially in the Montrose area. Here is one account: Quote from: Upcoming archeological survey may yield fascinating artifacts 
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2.5 Joseph Smith
From Moroni and also from visions he received, the Prophet Joseph Smith knew about the ancient lands of the Book of Mormon. Latter-day Saints should take Joseph Smith at his word. He is not only a prophet, he is THE Prophet and Seer of the latter days. Joseph Smith knew specifics about Book of Mormon civilizations, their customs, and the location of their lands. In the famous Wentworth letter, written directly by Joseph Smith, he states:
Wentworth Letter
Joseph Smith, Wentworth Letter
I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known unto me: I was also told where there was deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent. The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. ...
So here we have the angel Moroni himself informing Joseph about his people, "the aboriginal inhabitants of this country". Not once, but three times repeated in one night. That seems pretty clear. Note especially that Joseph was not just told about the ancient inhabitants of this land but also "shown".
Joseph Smith, Wentworth Letter
Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God. In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the Tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites, and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.
Here the same information is repeated. Again it is "America" "this country".
A careful reading of Joseph Smiths' History account of what happened the next morning also reveals that Moroni did not just talk to the young Joseph regarding the latter-day events and fulfillment of scripture, but he also was "informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country". There was at least one vision given to him and and perhaps more:
Joseph Smith History
I left the field, and went to the place where the messenger had told me the plates were deposited; and owing to the distinctness of the vision which I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I arrived there.
Urim and Thummim
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Doctrine and Covenants 130 Joseph Knight Mosiah 8 |
Joseph Smith had the Urim and Thummim that came with the gold plates, which allowed him to see into the past and view ancient Book of Mormon civilizations. |
Emma Smith and Lucy Mack Smith
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Lucy Mack SmithAccording to Joseph's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph had a detailed knowledge of the ancient Americans that he wrote about in the Wentworth Letter. Lucy Mack Smith |
Joseph Smith to Emma SmithJoseph Smith wrote the following in a letter to Emma Smith, during the Zions Camp march to Missouri: Joseph Smith |
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We have the statement above in Joseph's own handwriting. Also, there is no evidence whatever that Joseph Smith authored or approved the Times and Seasons articles in 1842 that erroneously linked discoveries in Central America to the Book of Mormon. He did not contradict himself as regards to the location of Book of Mormon lands. All of Joseph Smiths' personal and signed writings are very clear.
2.6 Central and South America
Chronologically, the only time period in the Book of Mormon that contains significant detail as regards to history and geography is between 91 BC and 34 AD. That's only 125 years of the approximate 1000 year Nephite time span, so it's not appropriate to project the 91 BC to 34 AD historical time period to the overall geographical extent of the people. However, even from the time of Helaman the people were reported to have spread to "to cover the face of the whole earth" (Helaman 3:88 And it came to pass that they did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east.) and most of this expansion is not reported on in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon states plainly six times that not even "a hundredth part" of the history is being related (Jacob 3:1313 And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings., Helaman 3:1414 But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work., 3 Nephi 5:88 And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years; , 3 Nephi 26:66 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;, Words of Mormon 1:55 Wherefore, I chose these things, to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people. , Ether 15:3333 And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them. ).
From the perspective of archaeology the internal dating for Book of Mormon history does not match what is known to have occurred in Central America. For example, Wikipedia says:
In archaeology, the classic Maya collapse is the decline of Classic Maya civilization and the abandonment of Maya cities in the southern Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica between the 8th and 9th centuries, at the end of the Classic Maya Period. Preclassic Maya experienced a similar collapse in the 2nd century.
None of this comes even close to matching up with the chronology given to us in the Book of Mormon. Nevertheless, I believe there is a great history of the peoples of Central and South America and the islands of the Pacific, as yet untold. I believe they have the blood of the House of Israel in their ancestry. Some descendants of Laman and Lemuel and sons of Ishmael surely migrated south to Mexico, Central and South America as well as north to Canada. The distance from the mouth of the Mississippi to Ontario Canada is the same as to Mexico City: 1400 miles. Additionally, other peoples and descendants of Israel were also led by the hand of God to Central and South America, according to 3rd Nephi:
3 Nephi 16
1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.
2 Nephi 29
11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.
14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.
It appears that these words are written as an indication that the peoples of Central America and of South America "in the south" are of the House of Israel also. Jesus specifically says "all nations" and I do not believe He is given to hyperbole. Therefore I believe their traditions of a bearded God who came to their forefathers are true. We just don't have their sacred records, yet - but the records exist, or can be restored, and are promised to come forth.
Joseph Smith was reported to say the following. One likely context the Northern and Southern states but it could also be the continents of North and South America:
... [Joseph] said speaking of the land of Zion it consists of all N & S America but that any place where the Saints gather is Zion which every righteous man will build up for a place of safety for his children. (See Joseph Smith Papers, by Martha Jane Corey, Joseph Smith's July 19, 1840 Discourse)
Jesus said that with faith we can understand and accept these things and that it is only our unbelief that keeps us from the truth.
3 Nephi 15
14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem.
15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.
16 This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them:
17 That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
18 And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them.
19 But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you.
20 And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them.
2.7 Climate
Book of Mormon Lands and Climate The Book of Mormon mentions distinct seasons (Alma 46:40)Alma 46:40 The map to he right shows the Zarahemla plain topography and the highland areas surrounding it as mapped by LiDAR imaging. Also shown is the narrower width of the Mississippi river as it existed prior to the Keokuk dam when the mean depth between Nauvoo and Montrose was only 2.4 feet. One could actually walk across the Mississippi near Nauvoo where the Des Moines Rapids begin. 1800 years earlier in Book of Mormon times, the river flow volume and depth was even less due to the "Roman Warm Period" that also affected North America. Zarahemla is strategically located at the best crossing point. A good travel and trade route. The Book of Mormon narrative of the Amlicite war mentions the Nephite army crossing of the Sidon/Mississippi river on foot. All of that is obscured now because of the dam at Keokuk. For support of warmer temperatures 2000 years ago we have official statements from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department Of The Interior, By Leon M. Carl, Center Director. In summary, the findings are:
There is also another study here that concludes:
The city of Zarahemla itself occupied the plains area across the river, west from Nauvoo. The bean shaped flatlands have natural boundaries seen as bluffs shown clearly on the map. The bean shaped Zarahemla plain has about 23 square miles. There are some remains of earthen berms still in the areas bordering the ancient city of Zarahemla (especially near the "bluff" south of Montrose) that pre-date white settlers. According to Book of Mormon descriptions these would have originally been topped with wooden palisades for defense. | |
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Title: The Roman Warm Period: Impacts on the Midwest USA and Great Lakes (by ChatGPT) Abstract: The Roman Warm Period (RWP), occurring approximately between 250 BCE to 400 CE, was a climatic anomaly characterized by elevated temperatures across Europe, North Africa, and parts of North America. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive examination of the Roman Warm Period, focusing on its implications for the Midwest USA and the Great Lakes region. Drawing upon a synthesis of paleoclimatological, archaeological, and historical evidence, this study elucidates the environmental changes during the RWP and their effects on local ecosystems and human societies. Introduction: The Roman Warm Period represents a significant climatic episode in Earth's history, marked by relatively warmer temperatures compared to preceding and subsequent periods. While the causes of the RWP are multifaceted and not fully understood, natural climatic variability, including fluctuations in solar radiation, volcanic activity, and oceanic circulation patterns, likely played a role (Mann et al., 1999; Büntgen et al., 2011). The RWP is of particular interest due to its potential impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and human settlements. Characteristics of the Roman Warm Period: Proxy data from various sources, including sediment cores, tree rings, and historical records, provide insights into the climatic conditions during the Roman Warm Period. Büntgen et al. (2011) note that the RWP was characterized by higher temperatures across Europe, with evidence of extended growing seasons and altered precipitation patterns. In North America, particularly in the Midwest region, similar trends of warmer temperatures and potential shifts in precipitation regimes have been observed (Booth & Roos, 2012). Impacts on the Midwest USA: The effects of the Roman Warm Period on the Midwest USA were diverse and multifaceted. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns likely influenced vegetation dynamics, agricultural practices, and water resources. Booth & Roos (2012) suggest that the extended growing seasons during the RWP may have positively impacted agricultural productivity in the Midwest, leading to increased yields of staple crops such as maize and beans. However, the altered climate variability may have also posed challenges, with evidence of periodic droughts affecting local communities (Booth & Roos, 2012). Impact on the Great Lakes: The Great Lakes, comprising Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, are sensitive indicators of climate variability and change. During the Roman Warm Period, changes in temperature and precipitation likely influenced the water levels of the Great Lakes. Lenters & Verhamme (2011) report that warmer temperatures may have increased evaporation rates from the lakes, potentially leading to declines in water levels, particularly during the summer months. Reduced ice cover and earlier spring thaws may have further exacerbated evaporation, impacting water availability for navigation, recreation, and ecosystem health (Stanley, 1994). Conclusion: The Roman Warm Period, spanning roughly from 250 BCE to 400 CE, represents a crucial period in Earth's climatic history with significant implications for the Midwest USA and the Great Lakes region. Through interdisciplinary research combining paleoclimatology, archaeology, and historical ecology, scholars have gained valuable insights into the environmental changes during the RWP and their impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Understanding the dynamics of past warm periods like the RWP is essential for informing future climate projections and developing adaptive strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change on vulnerable regions and ecosystems. References:
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3 Logical Geographical Model
3.1 Building the Logical Model
The Logical Model is the foundation for the Physical Model. It was created first. This is kind of a big deal because all other maps of Book of Mormon geography either lack a Logical Model or derive an incomplete Logical Model from a Physical Model – which is backwards. However the purpose of having a full and complete Logical Model is to build a solid logical foundation for the Physical Model which is based on the Book of Mormon itself and to help prevent confirmation bias. Whenever the Logical Model is improved, due to ongoing textual analysis of the Book of Mormon, the Physical Model is afterwards changed to match. So far this has worked very smoothly with the topography, which is a testimony to the accuracy of the Logical Model. The Logical Model mirrors the text Book of Mormon using a nomenclature for geography that is computer readable.
The ontology (logic def: the set of entities presupposed by a theory) of the Logical Model is a representation of all the geographical information contained in the Book of Mormon, which is both systemic (integral to the whole) and systematic (organized to a set plan), — and it does not include a map. The purpose for having a Logical Model is to facilitate thoroughness, completeness, and to help compartmentalize information for the purpose of reducing bias. In it's final form, the Logical Model is also a quick reference and a working tool to validate Physical Models.
When evaluating the Logical Model, please throw away your old ideas and start from scratch. And be patient because it takes some serious time and study of the Logical Model (Section 3.5 Entity Relationship Table) to arrive at a level of confidence. The Logical Model is very complex with 796 total entity relationships defined from the text but it yields wonderful fruit - the physical world of the Book of Mormon.
Below are the building blocks of the Logical Model. See Section 3.5 Entity Relationship Table for how these components tie together to form the Logical Model.
| Entity Types, 23 |
| border, city, feature, forest, fountain, hill, land, land area, mount, mountain, ocean, passage, place, place of arms, plains, river, sea, tower, travel route, valley, village, waters, wilderness |
| Entity Names, 119 |
| Aaron,Ablom,Agosh,Akish,Alma,Ammonihah,Amnihu,Amulon,Angola,Ani-Anti,Antionum,Antiparah,Antipas,Antum,Boaz,BordersOfNephites,Bountiful,CityBySeashore,Comnor,Corihor,Cumeni,Cumorah,David,Desolation,Desolation2,EastSea,EastWilderness,Ephraim,Gad,Gadiandi,Gadiomnah,Gid,Gideon,Gilgal,Gilgal2,Gimgimno,GreatJarediteCity,Hagoth,Helam,Hermounts,Heshlon,Heth,HillManti,HillNorthOfShilom,Ishmael,Jacob,Jacobugath,JarediteLandSouthward,Jashon,Jershon,Jerusalem,Jordan,Josh,Joshua,Judea,Kishcumen,Laman,Lehi,Lehi-Nephi,LehiLand,Lemuel,LineBountifulDesolation,Manti,Melek,Middoni,Midian,Minon,Mocum,Moriantum,Morionton,Mormon,Moron,Moroni,Moronihah,Mulek,MulekLand,NarrowPass,NarrowPassage,NarrowStrip,NeckOfLand,Nehor,Nephi,Nephihah,Noah,Ogath,Omner,Oneidah,Onidah,Onihah,OreMines,Ramah,Riplah,Ripliancum,SeaEast,SeaNorth,SeaSouth,SeaWest,Sebus,Shem,Shemlon,Sherrizah,Shilom,Shim,Shimnilom,Shurr,Sidom,Sidon,SidonHead,Siron,SouthWilderness,Teancum,WatersOfMormon,WestSea,WestWilderness,WhereNephitesDestroyed,WhereSeaDividesLand,Zarahemla,Zeezrom,Zerin |
| Entity Name Types, 142 |
| Aaron city,Aaron land,Ablom place,Agosh plains,Akish wilderness,Alma valley,Ammonihah city,Ammonihah land,Amnihu hill,Amulon land,Angola city,Ani-Anti village,Antionum land,Antiparah city,Antipas mount,Antum land,Boaz city,BordersOfNephites feature,Bountiful city,Bountiful land,CityBySeashore city,Comnor hill,Corihor valley,Corihor land,Cumeni city,Cumorah hill,Cumorah land,David land,Desolation land,Desolation2 city,Desolation2 land,EastSea sea,EastWilderness wilderness,Ephraim hill,Gad city,Gadiandi city,Gadiomnah city,Gid city,Gideon city,Gideon land,Gideon valley,Gilgal valley,Gilgal2 city,Gimgimno city,GreatJarediteCity city,Hagoth place,Helam city,Helam land,Hermounts wilderness,Heshlon plains,Heth land,HillManti hill,HillNorthOfShilom hill,Ishmael land,Jacob city,Jacobugath city,JarediteLandSouthward land,Jashon city,Jashon land,Jershon land,Jerusalem city,Jerusalem land,Jordan city,Josh city,Joshua land,Judea city,Kishcumen city,Laman city,Lehi city,Lehi land,Lehi-Nephi city,Lehi-Nephi land,LehiLand land,Lemuel city,LineBountifulDesolation passage,LineBountifulDesolation border,Manti city,Manti land,Melek land,Middoni land,Midian land,Minon land,Mocum city,Moriantum place,Morionton city,Morionton land,Mormon land,Moron land,Moroni city,Moroni land,Moronihah city,Mulek city,MulekLand land,NarrowPass place,NarrowPassage passage,NarrowStrip wilderness,NeckOfLand land,Nehor city,Nehor land,Nephi land,Nephi city,Nephihah city,Nephihah land,Noah city,Noah land,Ogath place,Omner city,Oneidah place-of-arms,Onidah hill,Onihah city,OreMines place,Ramah hill,Riplah hill,Ripliancum waters,SeaEast ocean,SeaNorth ocean,SeaSouth ocean,SeaWest ocean,Sebus waters,Shem city,Shem land,Shemlon land,Sherrizah tower,Shilom city,Shilom land,Shim hill,Shimnilom city,Shurr valley,Sidom land,Sidon river,SidonHead place,Siron land,SouthWilderness place,Teancum city,WatersOfMormon fountain,WestSea sea,WestWilderness land,WhereNephitesDestroyed place,WhereSeaDividesLand feature,Zarahemla city,Zarahemla land,Zeezrom city |
| Entity Keywords, 26 |
| borders, contains, desolate of, destroyed, distance, east of, has, has not, is, is extent of, is in, leads to, near, north of, northernmost, northwest of, not in, route to, same as, sea journey to, separated by, separates, south of, southeast of, west of |
| Partial Entity Relationships, 92 |
| Ablom place borders seashore,Akish wilderness near seashore,Ammonihah land near wilderness-side-borders,Antionum land borders wilderness-south,Antionum land near seashore,Antionum land has gathering-place,Antipas mount borders valley,Antum land near seashore,Bountiful land has fortified-line,Bountiful land has Temple,Desolation land has-not timber,Desolation land has Jaredite-destruction,Desolation land has mass-migration,Desolation land north-of Nephite-lands,Desolation2 land borders the-sea,EastSea sea borders Lamanite-land,EastSea sea borders Nephite-land,EastWilderness wilderness north-of Lamanite-lands,Gad city destroyed by-fire,Gadiandi city destroyed sunk-into-the-earth,Gadiomnah city destroyed sunk-into-the-earth,Gid city north-of Nephite-lands,Gilgal2 city destroyed sunk-into-the-earth,Gimgimno city destroyed sunk-into-the-earth,Helam land borders wilderness,Helam land has pure-water,Hermounts wilderness has wild-beasts,HillManti hill has execution-of-Nehor,HillNorthOfShilom hill near wilderness,Ishmael land near wilderness,Jacob city destroyed sunk-and-buried,Jacobugath city destroyed by-fire,Jacobugath city northernmost land,Jerusalem city destroyed waters-coming-up,Jerusalem land has Amlicites,Jerusalem land has Amulonites,Jerusalem land has Lamanites,Josh city destroyed by-fire,Joshua land borders the-west-seashore,Kishcumen city destroyed by-fire,Kishcumen city near wilderness,Kishcumen city not-in Nephite-lands,Laman city destroyed by-fire,Lehi-Nephi city has walls,Lemuel city destroyed by-fire,LineBountifulDesolation passage has fortified-line,LineBountifulDesolation passage route-to land-northward,LineBountifulDesolation passage route-to land-southward,Melek land west-of the-borders-of-wilderness,Mocum city destroyed waters-coming-up,Moron land desolate-of timber,Moron land near seashore,Moron land has throne,Moroni city borders Lamanite/Nephite-border,Moroni city borders seashore,Moroni city destroyed sinking-into-the-sea,Moroni city near people-of-Ammon,Moroni land borders wilderness-east,Moroni land borders wilderness-south,Moronihah city destroyed covered-with-earth,NarrowPass place leads-to land-northward,NarrowPass place leads-to land-southward,NarrowPassage passage leads-to land-southward,NeckOfLand land borders land-northward,NeckOfLand land borders land-southward,NeckOfLand land separates lands-south-from-north,Nephi land near wilderness,Nephi land south-of wilderness,Nephi city has walls,Noah land near wilderness,Noah city fortified-by Moroni,Onihah city destroyed waters-coming-up,Riplah hill near valley,SeaEast ocean is-extent-of Lamanite-lands,SeaEast ocean is-extent-of Nephite-migrations,SeaNorth ocean is-extent-of Nephite-migrations,SeaSouth ocean is-extent-of Lamanite-lands,SeaWest ocean is-extent-of Lamanite-lands,SeaWest ocean is-extent-of Nephite-migrations,Shemlon land near wilderness,Shilom land borders hill,Shilom land near wilderness,Sidon river leads-to to-the-sea,SidonHead place is-in northern-lands,Siron land borders Lamanites,Teancum city borders seashore,WatersOfMormon fountain borders forest,WestSea sea borders Nephite-land,WestSea sea borders fortified-line,Zarahemla city borders Nauvoo-Illinois,Zarahemla city destroyed by-fire,Zarahemla land is-in center-of-the-land |
| Full Entity Relationships, 691 |
| Aaron city borders EastSea sea,Aaron city near Moroni city,Aaron land borders Nephihah land,Aaron land borders Moroni land,Aaron city distance Ammonihah city,Ablom place east-of WhereNephitesDestroyed place,Ablom place near Antum land,Ablom place near Desolation2 land,Ablom place near Shim hill,Agosh plains near Akish wilderness,Akish wilderness is-in Desolation land,Akish wilderness near Agosh plains,Akish wilderness near Moron land,Alma valley near Amulon land,Alma valley near Shemlon land,Alma valley near Shilom land,Alma valley distance Helam city,Alma valley distance Zarahemla city,Alma valley distance Nephi city,Ammonihah city near Noah city,Ammonihah city near Noah land,Ammonihah city north-of Melek land,Ammonihah city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Ammonihah city distance Melek land,Ammonihah city distance Aaron city,Ammonihah land borders Zarahemla land,Ammonihah land near Noah land,Ammonihah land near Sidom land,Ammonihah land north-of Melek land,Amnihu hill east-of Sidon river,Amnihu hill near Sidon river,Amnihu hill near Zarahemla land,Amulon land near Alma valley,Amulon land near Helam land,Amulon land near Jerusalem city,Amulon land near Jerusalem land,Amulon land near Midian land,Amulon land near Mormon land,Amulon land near Nephi land,Amulon land near Shemlon land,Amulon land south-of Shemlon land,Amulon land near Shilom land,Angola city north-of Zarahemla land,Angola city south-of Joshua land,Angola city near David land,Ani-Anti village distance Jerusalem city,Ani-Anti village near Middoni land,Antionum land borders Jershon land,Antionum land contains Onidah hill,Antionum land east-of Zarahemla land,Antionum land near EastWilderness wilderness,Antionum land near Siron land,Antionum land south-of Jershon land,Antionum land separated-by Manti land,Antiparah city near CityBySeashore city,Antiparah city near Cumeni city,Antiparah city near Judea city,Antiparah city near Manti city,Antiparah city near SidonHead place,Antiparah city near Zeezrom city,Antiparah city north-of Judea city,Antiparah city north-of Manti city,Antiparah city north-of Zeezrom city,Antiparah city south-of CityBySeashore city,Antiparah city south-of WestSea sea,Antiparah city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Antipas mount is-in Oneidah place-of-arms,Antipas mount is-in Nephi land,Antum land north-of Zarahemla land,Antum land contains Shim hill,Antum land near Ablom place,Antum land near Teancum city,Antum land near Jashon land,Antum land near Jordan city,Antum land near Desolation2 city,Antum land near Desolation2 land,Antum land near Boaz city,Boaz city is-in WhereNephitesDestroyed place,Boaz city near Antum land,Boaz city near Shim hill,Boaz city near Jordan city,Boaz city near Desolation2 city,Boaz city near Desolation2 land,BordersOfNephites feature contains Ammonihah city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Antiparah city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Bountiful city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Cumeni city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Gid city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Lehi city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Manti city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Morionton city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Moroni city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Mulek city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Nephihah city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Noah city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Omner city,BordersOfNephites feature contains Zeezrom city,Bountiful city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Bountiful city near Gid city,Bountiful city near Mulek city,Bountiful land borders LineBountifulDesolation passage,Bountiful land borders EastSea sea,Bountiful land borders Desolation land,Bountiful land borders Hagoth place,Bountiful land borders Jershon land,Bountiful land borders NarrowPass place,Bountiful land borders WestSea sea,Bountiful land contains NeckOfLand land,Bountiful land near WestSea sea,Bountiful land north-of Jershon land,Bountiful land north-of Zarahemla land,Bountiful land south-of Desolation land,CityBySeashore city borders WestSea sea,CityBySeashore city near Antiparah city,CityBySeashore city near Cumeni city,CityBySeashore city near Judea city,CityBySeashore city near Manti city,CityBySeashore city near Zeezrom city,CityBySeashore city north-of Antiparah city,Comnor hill near Shurr valley,Comnor hill is-in Corihor land,Corihor valley borders Shurr valley,Corihor land contains Shurr valley,Corihor land contains Comnor hill,Corihor land contains Corihor valley,Corihor valley is-in Corihor land,Cumeni city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Cumeni city near Antiparah city,Cumeni city near CityBySeashore city,Cumeni city near Judea city,Cumeni city near Manti city,Cumeni city borders Zeezrom city,Cumeni city south-of WestSea sea,Cumorah hill near Ogath place,Cumorah hill south-of Ripliancum waters,Cumorah land near Ripliancum waters,David land near Angola city,David land north-of Zarahemla land,David land south-of Joshua land,Desolation land borders Bountiful land,Desolation land borders LineBountifulDesolation passage,Desolation land borders EastSea sea,Desolation land borders NeckOfLand land,Desolation land borders WestSea sea,Desolation land contains Moron land,Desolation land contains Akish wilderness,Desolation land contains GreatJarediteCity city,Desolation land contains NarrowPass place,Desolation land near Hagoth place,Desolation land north-of Bountiful land,Desolation2 city is-in WhereNephitesDestroyed place,Desolation2 city near Antum land,Desolation2 city near Boaz city,Desolation2 city near Jordan city,Desolation2 city near Moriantum place,Desolation2 city near Sherrizah tower,Desolation2 city near Shim hill,Desolation2 city near Teancum city,Desolation2 land borders NarrowPass place,Desolation2 land near Ablom place,Desolation2 land near Moron land,Desolation2 land near Boaz city,Desolation2 land near Antum land,Desolation2 land near Jordan city,Desolation2 land near Shim hill,Desolation2 land near Teancum city,EastSea sea borders Aaron city,EastSea sea borders Bountiful land,EastSea sea borders Desolation land,EastSea sea borders Gid city,EastSea sea borders Lehi city,EastSea sea borders Lehi land,EastSea sea borders Morionton city,EastSea sea borders Morionton land,EastSea sea borders Moroni city,EastSea sea borders Mulek city,EastSea sea borders NeckOfLand land,EastSea sea borders Nephihah city,EastSea sea borders Nephihah land,EastSea sea borders Omner city,EastSea sea contains NarrowPass place,EastSea sea near Jershon land,EastSea sea near WestSea sea,EastWilderness wilderness east-of Zarahemla land,EastWilderness wilderness near Antionum land,EastWilderness wilderness near Zarahemla land,EastWilderness wilderness north-of Nephi land,Ephraim hill near Nehor city,Gad city near Josh city,Gad city near Kishcumen city,Gadiandi city near Gadiomnah city,Gadiomnah city near Gadiandi city,Gadiomnah city near Jacob city,Gid city borders EastSea sea,Gid city near Bountiful city,Gid city near Morionton city,Gid city near Mulek city,Gid city near Omner city,Gid city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Gideon city east-of Sidon river,Gideon city is-in Gideon valley,Gideon city east-of Zarahemla land,Gideon city east-of Zarahemla city,Gideon city near Zarahemla land,Gideon land east-of Zarahemla land,Gideon land near Sidon river,Gideon land near Zarahemla land,Gideon land south-of Manti land,Gideon valley contains Gideon city,Gideon valley east-of Sidon river,Gideon valley east-of Zarahemla city,Gideon valley near Minon land,Gideon valley near Sidon river,Gideon valley near Zarahemla city,Gideon valley near Zarahemla land,Gilgal valley near Heshlon plains,Gimgimno city near Jacob city,GreatJarediteCity city is-in Desolation land,GreatJarediteCity city is-in Moron land,GreatJarediteCity city north-of JarediteLandSouthward land,GreatJarediteCity city same-as Nehor city,GreatJarediteCity city borders LineBountifulDesolation passage,GreatJarediteCity city borders NeckOfLand land,GreatJarediteCity city borders WhereSeaDividesLand feature,GreatJarediteCity city near OreMines place,Hagoth place borders Bountiful land,Hagoth place borders NeckOfLand land,Hagoth place borders WestSea sea,Hagoth place near Desolation land,Hagoth place north-of Zarahemla land,Hagoth place distance NarrowPass place,Helam city distance Alma valley,Helam city distance WatersOfMormon fountain,Helam land near Amulon land,Helam land near Jerusalem land,Helam land near Midian land,Helam land near Nephi land,Hermounts wilderness near Sidon river,Hermounts wilderness west-of Sidon river,Hermounts wilderness near Zarahemla city,Hermounts wilderness northwest-of Zarahemla city,Heshlon plains near Gilgal valley,Heth land near Moron land,HillManti hill near Zarahemla land,HillNorthOfShilom hill near Nephi city,HillNorthOfShilom hill north-of Shilom land,Ishmael land contains Sebus waters,Ishmael land near Lemuel city,Ishmael land near Middoni land,Ishmael land near Midian land,Ishmael land near Nephi city,Ishmael land near Nephi land,Ishmael land near Shemlon land,Ishmael land near Shilom land,Ishmael land near Shimnilom city,Jacob city near Gimgimno city,Jacob city near Gadiomnah city,JarediteLandSouthward land contains Zarahemla land,JarediteLandSouthward land south-of LineBountifulDesolation passage,JarediteLandSouthward land south-of NeckOfLand land,JarediteLandSouthward land south-of OreMines place,JarediteLandSouthward land south-of GreatJarediteCity city,Jashon city north-of Joshua land,Jashon land near Antum land,Jashon land near Joshua land,Jashon land north-of Joshua land,Jershon land borders Antionum land,Jershon land borders Bountiful land,Jershon land near EastSea sea,Jershon land near Melek land,Jershon land north-of Antionum land,Jershon land separated-by Nephi land,Jershon land south-of Bountiful land,Jerusalem city near Amulon land,Jerusalem city near Middoni land,Jerusalem city near Mocum city,Jerusalem city near Mormon land,Jerusalem city near Onihah city,Jerusalem city distance Ani-Anti village,Jerusalem land borders Mormon land,Jerusalem land near Amulon land,Jerusalem land near Helam land,Jerusalem land near Midian land,Jerusalem land near Nephi land,Jordan city near Boaz city,Jordan city near Desolation2 city,Jordan city near Desolation2 land,Jordan city near Teancum city,Jordan city near Shim hill,Jordan city near Antum land,Josh city near Laman city,Josh city near Gad city,Joshua land near Jashon land,Joshua land north-of Angola city,Joshua land north-of David land,Joshua land south-of Jashon city,Joshua land south-of Jashon land,Judea city near Manti city,Judea city near Zeezrom city,Judea city near Cumeni city,Judea city near Antiparah city,Judea city near CityBySeashore city,Judea city south-of Antiparah city,Judea city south-of WestSea sea,Kishcumen city near Gad city,Laman city near Josh city,Lehi city borders EastSea sea,Lehi city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Lehi city near Morionton city,Lehi city near Moroni city,Lehi city near Nephihah city,Lehi city near Nephihah land,Lehi city south-of Morionton city,Lehi city south-of Morionton land,Lehi land borders EastSea sea,Lehi land borders Morionton city,Lehi land borders Morionton land,Lehi land near Morionton city,Lehi land near Moroni city,Lehi land near Nephihah city,Lehi land near Nephihah land,Lehi land sea-journey-to NarrowPass place,Lehi land south-of Morionton land,Lehi-Nephi city same-as Nephi city,Lehi-Nephi land same-as Nephi land,Lehi-Nephi city borders Shilom land,Lehi-Nephi land borders Shilom land,LehiLand land south-of MulekLand land,Lemuel city near Ishmael land,Lemuel city near Lemuel city,Lemuel city near Middoni land,Lemuel city near Nephi city,Lemuel city borders Shemlon land,Lemuel city near Shilom land,Lemuel city near Shimnilom city,LineBountifulDesolation border same-as NarrowPassage passage,LineBountifulDesolation passage borders Bountiful land,LineBountifulDesolation passage borders Desolation land,LineBountifulDesolation passage borders GreatJarediteCity city,LineBountifulDesolation passage borders NeckOfLand land,LineBountifulDesolation passage contains NarrowPass place,LineBountifulDesolation passage north-of JarediteLandSouthward land,Manti city borders Zeezrom city,Manti city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Manti city near Antiparah city,Manti city near CityBySeashore city,Manti city near Cumeni city,Manti city near Judea city,Manti city south-of Antiparah city,Manti land borders Sidon river,Manti land contains SidonHead place,Manti land near Riplah hill,Manti land near Sidon river,Manti land near SouthWilderness place,Manti land north-of Gideon land,Manti land north-of Zarahemla land,Manti land south-of SouthWilderness place,Manti land south-of Riplah hill,Manti land south-of WestSea sea,Manti land separated-by Antionum land,Melek land near Jershon land,Melek land near Zarahemla land,Melek land south-of Ammonihah city,Melek land south-of Ammonihah land,Melek land west-of Sidon river,Melek land distance Ammonihah city,Middoni land near Ani-Anti village,Middoni land near Ishmael land,Middoni land near Jerusalem city,Middoni land near Lemuel city,Middoni land near Nephi land,Middoni land near Shemlon land,Middoni land near Shilom land,Middoni land near Shimnilom city,Midian land near Ishmael land,Midian land near Nephi land,Midian land near Amulon land,Midian land near Helam land,Midian land near Jerusalem land,Minon land borders Zarahemla land,Minon land near Gideon valley,Minon land south-of Zarahemla land,Mocum city near Jerusalem city,Mocum city near Onihah city,Moriantum place near Sherrizah tower,Moriantum place near Desolation2 city,Morionton city borders EastSea sea,Morionton city borders Lehi land,Morionton city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Morionton city near Gid city,Morionton city near Lehi city,Morionton city near Lehi land,Morionton city near Moroni city,Morionton city near Nephihah city,Morionton city near Omner city,Morionton city north-of Lehi city,Morionton land borders EastSea sea,Morionton land borders Lehi land,Morionton land north-of Lehi city,Morionton land north-of Lehi land,Mormon land borders Jerusalem land,Mormon land borders Nephi land,Mormon land near Jerusalem city,Mormon land contains WatersOfMormon fountain,Mormon land near Amulon land,Moron land contains GreatJarediteCity city,Moron land north-of Zarahemla land,Moron land is-in Desolation land,Moron land borders Nehor land,Moron land near Desolation2 land,Moron land near Akish wilderness,Moron land near Heth land,Moroni city borders EastSea sea,Moroni city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Moroni city near Aaron city,Moroni city near Lehi city,Moroni city near Lehi land,Moroni city near Morionton city,Moroni city near Nephihah city,Moroni land borders Aaron land,Moroni land borders Nephihah land,Mulek city near Bountiful city,Mulek city borders EastSea sea,Mulek city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Mulek city near Gid city,MulekLand land north-of LehiLand land,NarrowPass place borders WestSea sea,NarrowPass place borders Bountiful land,NarrowPass place borders Desolation2 land,NarrowPass place is-in EastSea sea,NarrowPass place is-in LineBountifulDesolation passage,NarrowPass place is-in Desolation land,NarrowPass place sea-journey-to Lehi land,NarrowPass place distance Hagoth place,NarrowPassage passage same-as LineBountifulDesolation border,NarrowPassage passage near Shem city,NarrowPassage passage near Shem land,NarrowStrip wilderness borders Nephi city,NarrowStrip wilderness borders Zarahemla city,NarrowStrip wilderness borders Nephi land,NarrowStrip wilderness borders Zarahemla land,NeckOfLand land borders Desolation land,NeckOfLand land borders Hagoth place,NeckOfLand land borders LineBountifulDesolation passage,NeckOfLand land borders EastSea sea,NeckOfLand land borders WestSea sea,NeckOfLand land borders GreatJarediteCity city,NeckOfLand land borders WhereSeaDividesLand feature,NeckOfLand land is-in Bountiful land,NeckOfLand land near OreMines place,NeckOfLand land north-of JarediteLandSouthward land,Nehor city same-as GreatJarediteCity city,Nehor city near Ephraim hill,Nehor land borders Moron land,Nephi city same-as Lehi-Nephi city,Nephi city near HillNorthOfShilom hill,Nephi city near Ishmael land,Nephi city near Lemuel city,Nephi city near Shemlon land,Nephi city near Shilom land,Nephi city near Shimnilom city,Nephi city borders NarrowStrip wilderness,Nephi city distance Alma valley,Nephi city distance Zarahemla city,Nephi land borders Mormon land,Nephi land borders Shilom land,Nephi land contains Antipas mount,Nephi land contains Oneidah place-of-arms,Nephi land borders NarrowStrip wilderness,Nephi land near Amulon land,Nephi land near Helam land,Nephi land near Ishmael land,Nephi land near Jerusalem land,Nephi land near Middoni land,Nephi land near Midian land,Nephi land near Sebus waters,Nephi land near Shemlon land,Nephi land near Shilom city,Nephi land near Shilom land,Nephi land near WestWilderness land,Nephi land east-of WestWilderness land,Nephi land same-as Lehi-Nephi land,Nephi land south-of EastWilderness wilderness,Nephi land south-of Zarahemla land,Nephi land separated-by Jershon land,Nephi land separated-by Zarahemla land,Nephihah city borders EastSea sea,Nephihah city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Nephihah city near Lehi city,Nephihah city near Lehi land,Nephihah city near Morionton city,Nephihah city near Moroni city,Nephihah city near Omner city,Nephihah land near Lehi city,Nephihah land near Lehi land,Nephihah land borders Aaron land,Nephihah land borders EastSea sea,Nephihah land borders Moroni land,Noah city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Noah city near Ammonihah city,Noah land near Ammonihah city,Noah land near Ammonihah land,Noah land near Sidom land,Ogath place near Ramah hill,Ogath place near Cumorah hill,Ogath place south-of Ripliancum waters,Omner city borders EastSea sea,Omner city near Gid city,Omner city near Morionton city,Omner city near Nephihah city,Omner city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Oneidah place-of-arms contains Antipas mount,Oneidah place-of-arms is-in Nephi land,Onidah hill is-in Antionum land,Onihah city near Jerusalem city,Onihah city near Mocum city,OreMines place near GreatJarediteCity city,OreMines place near NeckOfLand land,OreMines place north-of JarediteLandSouthward land,Ramah hill near Ogath place,Ramah hill south-of Ripliancum waters,Riplah hill east-of Sidon river,Riplah hill near Manti land,Riplah hill near Sidon river,Riplah hill north-of Manti land,Ripliancum waters near Cumorah land,Ripliancum waters north-of Ogath place,Ripliancum waters north-of Ramah hill,Ripliancum waters north-of Cumorah hill,SeaEast ocean east-of SeaWest ocean,SeaNorth ocean north-of SeaSouth ocean,SeaSouth ocean south-of SeaNorth ocean,SeaWest ocean west-of SeaEast ocean,Sebus waters is-in Ishmael land,Sebus waters near Nephi land,Shem city near NarrowPassage passage,Shem land near NarrowPassage passage,Shemlon land borders Lemuel city,Shemlon land near Shilom land,Shemlon land near Alma valley,Shemlon land near Amulon land,Shemlon land near Ishmael land,Shemlon land near Middoni land,Shemlon land near Nephi city,Shemlon land near Nephi land,Shemlon land near Shimnilom city,Shemlon land north-of Amulon land,Shemlon land north-of Shimnilom city,Sherrizah tower near Moriantum place,Sherrizah tower near Desolation2 city,Shilom city near Nephi land,Shilom land borders Lehi-Nephi city,Shilom land borders Lehi-Nephi land,Shilom land borders Nephi land,Shilom land near Shemlon land,Shilom land near Alma valley,Shilom land near Amulon land,Shilom land near Ishmael land,Shilom land near Lemuel city,Shilom land near Middoni land,Shilom land near Nephi city,Shilom land near Nephi land,Shilom land near Shimnilom city,Shilom land south-of HillNorthOfShilom hill,Shim hill is-in Antum land,Shim hill near Teancum city,Shim hill near Desolation2 city,Shim hill near Desolation2 land,Shim hill near Boaz city,Shim hill near Ablom place,Shim hill near Jordan city,Shim hill north-of Zarahemla land,Shimnilom city near Shilom land,Shimnilom city near Ishmael land,Shimnilom city near Lemuel city,Shimnilom city near Middoni land,Shimnilom city near Nephi city,Shimnilom city near Shemlon land,Shimnilom city south-of Shemlon land,Shurr valley borders Corihor valley,Shurr valley is-in Corihor land,Shurr valley near Comnor hill,Sidom land near Ammonihah land,Sidom land near Noah land,Sidon river borders Manti land,Sidon river borders Zarahemla city,Sidon river borders Zarahemla land,Sidon river east-of Melek land,Sidon river east-of Zarahemla city,Sidon river east-of Zarahemla land,Sidon river east-of Hermounts wilderness,Sidon river near Amnihu hill,Sidon river near Gideon land,Sidon river near Gideon valley,Sidon river near Hermounts wilderness,Sidon river near Manti land,Sidon river near Riplah hill,Sidon river near Zarahemla city,Sidon river west-of Amnihu hill,Sidon river west-of Gideon city,Sidon river west-of Gideon valley,Sidon river west-of Riplah hill,Sidon river west-of SouthWilderness place,SidonHead place is-in Manti land,SidonHead place borders SouthWilderness place,SidonHead place near WestSea sea,SidonHead place near Antiparah city,Siron land near Antionum land,SouthWilderness place borders SidonHead place,SouthWilderness place near Manti land,SouthWilderness place east-of Sidon river,SouthWilderness place north-of Manti land,SouthWilderness place south-of WestSea sea,Teancum city near Antum land,Teancum city near Jordan city,Teancum city near Shim hill,Teancum city near Desolation2 land,Teancum city near Desolation2 city,Teancum city is-in WhereNephitesDestroyed place,WatersOfMormon fountain is-in Mormon land,WatersOfMormon fountain distance Helam city,WestSea sea borders CityBySeashore city,WestSea sea borders Bountiful land,WestSea sea borders Desolation land,WestSea sea borders Hagoth place,WestSea sea borders NeckOfLand land,WestSea sea borders NarrowPass place,WestSea sea near Bountiful land,WestSea sea near EastSea sea,WestSea sea near SidonHead place,WestSea sea north-of Antiparah city,WestSea sea north-of Cumeni city,WestSea sea north-of Judea city,WestSea sea north-of Manti land,WestSea sea north-of Zeezrom city,WestSea sea north-of SouthWilderness place,WestWilderness land near Nephi land,WestWilderness land west-of Nephi land,WhereNephitesDestroyed place contains Desolation2 city,WhereNephitesDestroyed place contains Teancum city,WhereNephitesDestroyed place contains Boaz city,WhereNephitesDestroyed place west-of Ablom place,WhereSeaDividesLand feature borders NeckOfLand land,WhereSeaDividesLand feature borders GreatJarediteCity city,Zarahemla city southeast-of Hermounts wilderness,Zarahemla city borders NarrowStrip wilderness,Zarahemla city borders Sidon river,Zarahemla city near Gideon valley,Zarahemla city near Hermounts wilderness,Zarahemla city near Sidon river,Zarahemla city west-of Gideon city,Zarahemla city west-of Gideon valley,Zarahemla city west-of Sidon river,Zarahemla city distance Alma valley,Zarahemla city distance Nephi city,Zarahemla land borders Ammonihah land,Zarahemla land borders Minon land,Zarahemla land borders Sidon river,Zarahemla land is-in JarediteLandSouthward land,Zarahemla land borders NarrowStrip wilderness,Zarahemla land near Amnihu hill,Zarahemla land near EastWilderness wilderness,Zarahemla land near Gideon valley,Zarahemla land near Gideon city,Zarahemla land near Gideon land,Zarahemla land near HillManti hill,Zarahemla land near Melek land,Zarahemla land north-of Minon land,Zarahemla land north-of Nephi land,Zarahemla land south-of Angola city,Zarahemla land south-of Antum land,Zarahemla land south-of Bountiful land,Zarahemla land south-of David land,Zarahemla land south-of Hagoth place,Zarahemla land south-of Moron land,Zarahemla land south-of Manti land,Zarahemla land south-of Shim hill,Zarahemla land west-of Antionum land,Zarahemla land west-of EastWilderness wilderness,Zarahemla land west-of Gideon city,Zarahemla land west-of Gideon land,Zarahemla land west-of Sidon river,Zarahemla land separated-by Nephi land,Zeezrom city borders Cumeni city,Zeezrom city borders Manti city,Zeezrom city is-in BordersOfNephites feature,Zeezrom city near Antiparah city,Zeezrom city near CityBySeashore city,Zeezrom city near Judea city,Zeezrom city south-of Antiparah city,Zeezrom city south-of WestSea sea |
3.2 The Methodology
The most obvious question to ask is: Why do I think the Zarahemla model of geography for the Book of Mormon is more correct than previous efforts that have been made? The answer is: I am not guessing! For example, there are 34 relationship clues for the land & city of Nephi and 776 relationship clues overall for the 141 locations in the text of the Book of Mormon — many of which affect 2 or more locations at the same time. In short, it is far too error prone to manually keep all these constraints in mind when determining a location on the map. Without a knowledge of databases and how to write the software programs to validate all the constraints, it is not possible to review all the possibilities. Another major problem with the traditional approach is the assumptions that are made. They are not written down and formalized. They too need to be validated. These assumptions include how the text is interpreted and how the land topography is to be interpreted. So, the reason I say I am not guessing is because for each Book of Mormon location I follow a computer enhanced fixed methodology that leads to the result. It is not a guess. It is data analytics. If the Book of Mormon was not totally consistent about its geography then the methodology I use would quickly expose that.
The Methodology is the systematic application of procedures used to create the components of the Logical Model and the Physical Model. The methodology outlined below was used to construct a Logical Model of Book of Mormon geography AND the Zarahemla Model Google map of the Book of Mormon. Yes, the Logical Model was actually created in it's entirety first, then the Physical Model was afterwards created. After the initial construction of a Physical Model, subsequent iterative improvements always start with the Logical Model first.
Definitions:
- Entity: A named or described geographical reference in the Book of Mormon.
- Entity Relationships: How one entity relates to another. Example relationships: "is near to", "borders", "is a", "is located", etc
- Entity Relationship Nomenclature: A set of terms and symbols that help describe the Entity Relationships (see Section 3.5 Entity Relationship Table).
- Rule of Interpretation: A working theory on the meaning of Book of Mormon words or phraseology. Used when building the Logical Model. Example: The phrase "round about" indicates "circuitous or indirect, as a road, journey, method, statement or person."
- Rule of Application: A guiding principle used when constructing the Physical Model. Example: When compatible with Entity Relationships, cities and features are placed along navigable rivers or water ways, especially near where the mouth of the river empties into a lake or sea or where two rivers meet, but not in river flood plains.
- Logical Model = Entities + Entity Relationships + Rules of Interpretation.
- Physical Model = Maps consistent with: Logical Model + Rules of Application.
- Entity Relationship Table: The working list of all the entities and their relationships and presented with the Entity Relationship Nomenclature. For each Entity the table includes scripture citations, Entity-to-scripture cross references, Rules of Interpretation, Rules of Application, maps/graphics, and commentary. The components in the Entity Relationship Table referring to the Physical Model are for convenience in constructing the Physical Model. Originally, the Physical Model references were added only after the all the Entity Relationships were first defined.
Methodology:
- The Entity Relationships (Section 3.5 Entity Relationship Table) are created by examining only the text of the Book of Mormon. The information that is contained within the text is extracted and put into a standardized machine readable format. The Logical Model defines a set of constraints for the Physical Model and never vice-versa. The goal is to totally compartmentalize the logical from the physical and deal with the logical first. This helps reduce bias and simplifies the overall tasks.
- For the Logical Model, formalize a set of Rules of Interpretation. If a Rule conflicts with any Entity Relationship, then it is changed or removed. "Rules" are working theories. A Rule of Interpretation is not made invalid simply because it is not "proven" (it is a theory) or because it does not work with a given map - because a Physical Model map is never the source information for the Logical Model. In other words, Rules are working theories that guide research. The process is known as "Inference to the Best Explanation" and uses both Rules of Application and Rules of Interpretation to guide inferences. A Rule of Interpretation may be replaced by a better Rule. A Rule of Interpretation is removed if it is found to be conflicting with an Entity Relationship.
- For the Logical Model, define every known geographical Entity in the Book of Mormon. Leave nothing out. Every scrap of information is useful, contributes towards the whole, and must not be overlooked. This also eliminates the bias that comes of leaving things out intentionally.
- For the Physical Model create a list of Rules of Application. Entities are first placed on the Physical Model map to be consistent with the Entity Relationships Table and, secondarily, according to the Rules of Application. See Section 4.1 Building the Physical Model.
- To ensure consistency, the Entity Relationship table is parsed and the contents are placed into a database. Then a program is run to scan the database looking for any inconsistencies and also implied relationships that should be added. The results of the scan is used to validate the table and ensure updates to the table are appropriate.
The database is programmatically examined to insure data integrity. At a macro level (not fully detailed here) there five processes that check for:- Relationship Compatibility: Each relationship must be compatible with other relationships. For example, if A borders B and B borders A then that is compatible and consistent. However, if A borders B and B is two days travel from A then that is not consistent and it is reported as a Relationship Compatibility error.
- Implied Relationships Missing: If the text of the Book of Mormon says that A is north of B, then we also know that B is south of A. In this example, the Book of Mormon does not say that B is south of A explicitly but it says so implicitly. Implicit relationships are just as valid as explicit relationships, however it is easy to overlook them. Therefore the Implied Relationships Test scans the database and reports any implied relationships that are missing.
- Rules are Complementary: Each geographical relationship has a source, a relation and a target. Optionally, Rules of Interpretation and Rules of Application can be attached to the relationship. If there is an explicit relationship, then complimentary rules should apply to the implicit relationship as well. Most rules are complement to themselves but some rules are complementary to other rules. For example, a travel rule for upstream travel between two locations would be complemented by a rule for downstream travel. The two rules are different but complement each other. This test validates that the rules between an explicit relationship and an implied relationship are complementary and compatible.
- Directional Compatibility: Using the GPS coordinates for each physical location, the Physical Model is checked against the Logical Model for compatible cardinal directions. For example, if the Logical Model says A is north of B then the cardinal direction is calculated from the GPS coordinate of A vs B to verify that the Physical Model conforms to the Logical Model. If, for example, the GPS coordinates of the Physical Model say that A is east of B then a Directional Compatibility error is reported.
- Distances Compatibility: Using the GPS coordinates for each physical location, the Physical Model is checked against the Logical Model for Distances Compatibility. For example, if the Logical Model says A is eight days travel to B then the Book of Mormon distance in miles is calculated based on the applicable Rules of Application and compared to the actual map distance (using google earth map tracing). Discrepancies beyond 25% of the expected distance are reported as a Distances Compatibility error.
- Test the result! This is done by reading the Skousen "Earliest Text" version of the Book of Mormon, including punctuation revisions outlined for Alma 22 (see Section 4.2 Mormon's Dissertation on Book Of Mormon Lands) and with the Physical Model map "in hand". Each reference to Book of Mormon geography, while reading and comparing to the map, must be understandable, plausible and non-contradictory to the reader.
Nomenclature:
There are several different varieties of Entity Relationship modeling, which was originally invented for modeling business processes. My version of ER modeling is adapted for the task of defining geographical entities for the Book of Mormon Logical Model. Here are some samples and explanations of the notation used:
Examples:
∥ [Zarahemla]{city} ⇒ <borders> ⇒ [Sidon]{river14,16,18>
↹[Antum]{land} ⇒ <near> ⇒ [Teancum]{city1,2}
∑ [Alma]{valley}~[Zarahemla]{city} ⇒ <distance> ⇒ {12 days2} ≈ IR4 AR7
- Square brackets [ ] specify the Entity Name, which is a geographical proper noun or feature. The Entity Name must include a Type in curly brackets, except when associating a Type with an Entity for the first time. For each Relationship line, the first Entity is the Object Entity and the second Entity is the Target.
- The Object is followed by a Relationship in angle brackets < >. Relationships are separated from Entities and Types by a ⇒ operator which means "indicates". Following the Relationship operator is the Target.
- The Relationship operator is followed by the Target which is a Type in curly brackets { } or another Entity Name and Type in square brackets and curly brackets [ ]{ }. The cardinality is normally 1 to 1 but if 1 to N then additional Targets are simply added on the end. Target Types may also have numeric superscripts which reference specific scripture citations.
- As a special case, distances are specified between two entities with the distance operator ~. And finally, the entire Relationship line may optionally be suffixed with the "according to" operator of ≈ following by the Interpretation or Application rule number, prefixed with an IR or AR.
- The first character is a symbol representing the Relationship Type. The relationship type symbols are:
- ∥ Borders
- ➢ Cardinal Direction
- ⊚ Contains
- ⊗ Destroyed
- ∑ Distance
- ≡ Equivalence
- ⥅ Has
- ⤼ Has not
- ↹ Near To
- Each Entity name, as shown above, is also highlighted with a color tint, indicating early Nephite (Reign of Judges), late Nephite, Jaredite, or land feature.
3.3 Rules of Interpretation
Rules of Interpretation are set of Rules (postulates) governing how the text of the Book of Mormon is interpreted. They are working theories, not facts, on how to best read the Book of Mormon as regards to geographical references. To be accepted and remain valid, a Rule must be unanimously consistent with the ER Table — and thus, the text of the Book of Mormon itself. If not, then the Rule is changed or removed.
| Rule | Description | Comments | Examples |
3.4 Rules of Application
Rules of Application are a set of Rules (postulates) governing how the Physical Model is built after the Entity Relationships have been considered. They are working theories, on how topography, trade routes, distances, borders and other physical features are considered when constructing a map based on the Entity Relationships.
| Rule | Description | Comments | Examples |
3.5 Entity Relationship Table
Entity Relationships for geography are represented with a nomenclature as defined in Section 3.1.2 Entity Relationship Nomenclature. An Entity Relationships distills the textual information from the Book of Mormon into a discrete standardized form that can be easily analyzed. Entity Relationship definitions come from the Book of Mormon text according based on the Rules of Interpretation (Section 3.3 Rules of Interpretation).
Navigation helps:
- Links with the dotted underline are actually pop-up windows. To activate a pop-up window click once on the link. If you are on a tablet with no mouse, then touch --or-- touch-swipe and hold.
- In the first column, underlined Entity names in [] brackets are internal links that take you directly to that Entity in the table.
- The camera icon in the last column is a pop-up window for pictures. To activate the picture pop-up window, click and hold. If you are on a tablet with no mouse then touch, swipe and hold.
| Period : Relationships | Notes | References (Click to view) |
