Without the Mormon Lens: 5.1- Consider the Preface

     I was working on typing up my analysis sorrounding the story of Nephi retrieving the brass plates from Laban; When something occured to me... I had completely forgotten to address one crucial idea.

     Why did the story of the Book of Mormon start in Jerusalem?

    Unbelievable. I'm kicking myself a bit. So I'm taking a moment to go back write this as post number 5.1, as it should have been discussed after the concept of re-contextualization and before touching First Nephi.

    Oh well. Live and learn.

    Remember that Nephi's family needs to eventually end up in the Americas to establish themselves as the ancestors to the Native Americans. This wasn't a claim unique to the Book of Mormon. Ever since the discovery of the New World, many people speculated about where its inhabitants came from. 

    It was a commonly held belief that the Native Americans were a lost tribe of Israel. Which is likely why Smith initially placed Lehi's family in Jerusalem just before it was taken captive Babylon. Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonian captivity would result in a scattering of the Isrealites, which gives Smith the perfect setting to justify a large group's departure from the region in his book.

    But why did Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries believe so strongly in the lost tribe theory? In my research I was actually surprised to learn that many of the evidences presented to me by Mormon apologetics, are also incredibly common arguments for this theory in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many justifications for the theory were circulated in the community, even before the Book of Mormon was written.

      I'll share many of these arguments in detail as we encounter them in later chapters. Right now, lets cover the idea that Native American beliefs and practices in general, were based on Jewish tradition.

I picked those two terms very intentionally.

...in general...

...based on...

    Pretty much every piece of evidence from the time was based on broad and misrepresented perspective of the Native Americans. They were formed by first deciding that they were of Israelite descent and then by forcing cultural examples to fit this narrative. Simply put, it's bad science. Nevertheless, people adhered to it and it no doubt played a role here. 

    The book, The History of the American Indians (1775) by James Adair, gives us the some insights of these supposed arguments that support the lost tribe theory.

Memorial stone to James Adair

     James wasn't just any other historian, he actually lived with the Native Americans for years, which influenced much of the source material for his Book. As you can see by the title page, he was incredibly thorough.

The History of the American Indians (Title Page)

     As I read through this book, I couldn't help but wonder if Joseph Smith himself had read it , as much of what Adair had to say seems to line up with Joseph Smith's own title page and preface to the Book of Mormon. Im going to show a few ideas presented by Smith in his title page that we also find in Adair's book. 

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~

AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF MORMON, UPON PLATES TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI.

     "Wherefore it is an abridgment of the Record of the People of Nephi; and also of the Lamanites; written to the Lamanites, which are a remnant of the House of Israel; 

~~~~~History of the American Indians~~~~

     "The history of the American Indians;  particularly those nations adjoining to the Mississippi, East and West Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, and Virginia (Title page)

     " Observations, and arguments, in proof of the American Indians being decended from the Jews." (Contents)

History of the American Indians (Contents)

History of the American Indians (Contents cont.)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~

     "and also to Jew and Gentile; written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of Prophesy and of Revelation. Written, and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed; to come forth by the gift and power of God, unto the interpretation thereof; sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by the way of Gentile; the interpretation thereof by the gift of God; an abridgment taken from the Book of Ether." (Title Page)

~~~~~History of the American Indians~~~~

    "containing an account of their origin, language, manners, religious and civil customs, laws, form of government, punishments, conduct in war and domestic life, their habits, diet, agriculture, manufactures, diseases and method of cure, and other particulars, sufficient to render it a complete Indian system." (Title Page)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~

    "Also, which is a Record of the People of Jared, which were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people when they were building a tower to get to Heaven; which is to shew unto the remnant of the House of Israel how great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever; and also to the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting Himself unto all nations." (Title page)

~~~~~History of the American Indians~~~~

     "From the most exact observations I could make in the long time I traded among the Indian Americans, I was forced to believe them lineally descended from the Israelites, either while they were a maritime power, or soon after the general captivity ; the latter however is the most probable. (pg 13-14)

~~~~~ The Book of Mormon ~~~~~

     "And now if there be fault, it be the mistake of men; wherefore condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ. (Title Page)

~~~~~History of the American Indians~~~~

     "The performance, hath doubtless imperfections, humanum est errare. Some readers may think, there is too much of what relates to myself, and of the adventures of small parties among the Indians and traders. But minute circumstances are often of great consequence, especially in discovering the descent and genius of a people - describing their manners and customs—and giving proper information to rulers at a distance. I thought it better to be esteemed prolix, than to omit any thing that might be useful on these points. Some repetitions, which occur, were necessary—The history of the several Indian nations being so much intermixed with each other, and their customs so nearly alike. (pg 3)

~~~~~~~~~~

     At the time of writing it, much of what Adair had to say flew in the face of what was believed by the scientific community. The book was also written without any access to libraries or scholarly experts. Which he acknowledged.

The History of the American Indians (pg 3)

~~~~~History of the American Indians~~~~

     "The following history, and observations, are the production of one who hath been chiefly engaged in an Indian life ever since the year 1735: and most of the pages were written among our old friendly Chikkasahs, with whom I first traded in the year 1744. The subjects are interesting, as well as amusing; but never was a literary work begun and carried on with more disadvantages. The author was separated by his situation, from the conversation of the learned, and from any libraries— (pg 1)

~~~~~~~~~~

     Adair initially didn't even want to publish this book, as Native American folklore hadn't been widely published yet. He felt that by publishing it, he would be sharing an intimate knowledge of friends.

~~~~~History of the American Indians~~~~

     "A view of the disadvantages of my situation, made me reluctant to comply with the earnest and repeated solicitations of many worthy friends, to give the public an account of the Indian nations with whom I had long resided, was so intimately connected, and of whom scarcely any thing had yet been published but romance, and a mass of fiction. My friends at last prevailed, and on perusing the sheets, they were pleased to approve the contents, as conveying true information, and general entertainment. Having no ambition to appear in the world as an author, and knowing that my history differed essentially from all former publications of that kind; I first resolved to suppress my name; but my friends advised me to own the work, and thus it is tendered to the public in the present form." (pg 3)

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     So, as we continue to read the Book of Mormon, keep this in mind. Smith wanted to create a narrative that portrays itself as a Native American version of the christian Bible that belonged to a lost tribe of Israel

 

     To do this, he needed it to justify how the lost tribe made it to America in a biblical context, and then he needed to make the stories of the people that established here seem realistic.

    As Adair said, many of the myths of the Native Americans were difficult to publish. This is why I think Joseph Smith told what he knew about them and then enlarged them by combining the stories with Biblical and American history to formulate complete narratives.

-Mason

- Next Post -

6 - I Nephi

We discuss Nephi's introduction and its potential tie to American history.

New here? Consider starting at the first post.