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by Roy Weldon CONTENTS GLOSSARY
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GLOSSARY Chan-chan--Chahn-chahn
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CHAPTER I THE GOD OF ANCIENT AMERICA In John 10:16, Jesus gives expression to one of the most significant statements to be found in the Scriptures: "And 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." It is recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew that a woman of Canaanite descent followed Jesus and cried to him in behalf of her child. It was only after persistent and continued effort that Jesus was persuaded to minister to her child. Jesus explained his slowness to respond to the Gentile woman's cries with this terse but very significant statement: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep) of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:23,24). A candid, open-minded, truth-seeking approach to the meaning of John 10:16 leaves no alternative but to look somewhere (Africa, Australia, Siberia, America, or elsewhere) other than Jerusalem for evidence that the Good Shepherd had another flock of sheep (House of Israel) whom he visited and who heard his voice. A survey of the history, legends, and archaeology of various nations quickly reveals that one does not have to be a detective to recognize that in Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs we have a clue of the first order. COURTS AND TEMPLE OF QUETZALCOATL AT TEOTIHUACAN About thirty-five miles northeast of Mexico City lie the famous pyramids of Teotihuacan. In prehistoric times, Teotihuacan was a great city that filled a large area in the valley. The dwelling places of the people have long since disappeared, but broken pieces of pottery and other evidences of ancient occupation are numerous. According to Robert Marett, the great government and religious structures of the city occupy an area four miles long by two miles wide.1 Among the most imposing structures are the huge Pyramid of the Sun (twelve acres) and the awe-inspiring courts and temple of Quetzalcoatl. Paul found on Mars' Hill an altar dedicated to an unknown God. In contrast, we find at Teotihuacan a temple dedicated to a mysterious prehistoric personage (Quetzalcoatl) which with its impressive courts and priest's quarters occupies many acres. THE DIEGO RIVERA MURALS OF QUETZALCOATL Diego Rivera,
a full-blooded Indian artist of outstanding ability, has recently completed
a history of Mexico. This history is painted in murals on the expansive
inner walls of the presidential palace in Mexico City. The history starts
with the depiction of the presence in ancient Mexico of the white god,
Quetzalcoatl. He is shown seated on a throne surrounded by a worshiping
throng of brown-skinned Aztecs. In another scene he is shown seated on
a white cloud ready to depart over the sea toward the rising sun from whence
legend says he came. Before his departure he is said to have promised to
return. In both scenes he is depicted holding in his right hand a scepter
strongly resembling a shepherd's crook. United States historians also recognize
Quetzalcoatl. In an eminent textbook, Epic of America, which is used in
colleges and universities in the United States, James Truslow Adams introduces
the student to the history of the United States with the story of Quetzalcoatl.
WHAT THE LEGENDS SAY ABOUT QUETZALCOATL Mr. Lewis Spence, well-known English anthropologist, in a comparatively recent book (1923) sums up the Aztec legends of Quetzalcoatl from several trustworthy Mexican codices: "A god of the name of Citallatonac ... sent an ambassador from heaven on an embassy to a virgin of TULAN called CHIMALMAN . . . to whom the ambassador announced that it was the will of this God that she should conceive a son . . . she conceived a son without connexion with man, who they call QUETZALCOATLE."2 "They say that it was he [QUETZALCOATLE] who effected the reformation of the world by penance, since as, according to his account, his father had created the world and men had given themselves up to vice, on which account it had been frequently destroyed, CITINATIONALI sent his son into the world to reform it."--Ibid., page 131. "He alone had a human body like that of men; the other gods were of an incorporeal nature."--Ibid., page 128. "Quetzalcoatl was a white man . . . with long black hair and a beard heavy and round."--Ibid., page 120. "He instituted fasting and mortification, and never married."--Ibid., page 127. "He forbade all war and disturbance."--Ibid., page 127. "The arts had their inception with Quetzalcoatl."--Ibid., page 123. "As they considered him their advocate, they celebrated a solemn festival and fasted during four signs."--Ibid., page 132. "They adored him as a god,... for they believed it certain that he had ascended into heaven. "--Ibid., page 131. "He desired of them at the time of his departure to restrain their grief and to expect his return, which would take place at the appointed time."--Ibid., page 130. "When he died he was not visible for four days, during which period he tarried in the underworld."--Ibid., page 132. "He had priests who were called QUEQUETZALCOHUA, that is to say, 'priests of the order of Quetzalcoatl.'"--Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, page 259. Paul found an altar on Mars' Hill dedicated to an unknown God. In Mexico we find the largest pyramid in the world dedicated to Quetzalcoatl as the "Author of Light." Gregory Mason comments on the size of the pyramid of Cholula in Mexico: The greatest Toltec pyramid is the one at Cholula.... It is inferior to the more famous work of the Egyptians in height, although its summit was more than two hundred feet above the surrounding level.... But the base of this Cholula pyramid averages more than one thousand feet on a side, and the structure has three times the volume of the pyramid of Cheops.3 QUETZALCOATL PROMISED TO RETURN Such was the impression left on the native mind by this mysterious person (Quetzalcoatl) that notwithstanding the centuries had rolled away since his appearance, the Aztecs thought he had reappeared when Cortez and his followers landed on their coast. Brinton
says: "Therefore when they first beheld the fair complexioned Spaniards,
they rushed into the water to embrace the prows of their vessels, and dispatched
messengers throughout the land to proclaim the return of Quetzalcoatl"
(Brinton, Myths of the New World, page 203).
QUETZALCOATL OR JESUS CHRIST IN THE NEW WORLD The impact of the personality of Jesus Christ on the course of history in the Old World has been tremendous and incalculable. When we pick up the evening paper or write a letter or look at the calendar, we are confronted with the evidence of the impression of the personality of the "Good Shepherd." Every time we write the date or look at the date, we honor the Savior from whose birth time is measured. One biographer has said, I am far
within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all
the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat,
and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the
life of man upon this earth as has that One Solitary Life.--Author Unknown;
quoted in Reader's Digest, January 1954, page 36.
Manly Palmer Hall in his book, Twelve World Teachers, published in 1937 by the Philosophical Research Society of Los Angeles, includes Quetzalcoatl along with Confucius, Mohammed, Jesus Christ, et al, in his work on "the twelve" great teachers of history. The evidence that Quetzalcoatl was Jesus Christ is not complete until we add to the impact of his personality on prehistoric America the traditions which link and weld the history of Quetzalcoatl with the story of the Good Shepherd. Briefly, and in addition to the excerpts quoted by Mr. Spence, we present further milestones in the life of Quetzalcoatl: A. Quetzalcoatl's
birth was accompanied by the appearance of a new star and mysterious omens
and wonders in the heavens.
AUTHENTICITY OF AZTEC TRADITIONS Mr. Paul Radin, anthropologist of the University of California who has made a special study of the reliability of Aztec traditions, says, "Many oral myths give us such details which not only look historical but have so often been subsequently proved to be correct that there is a certain presumption of their being correct whenever we find them."7 Quetzalcoatl, the God of the Aztecs, was not himself an Aztec. The Aztecs were preceded in Mexico by the Toltecs. Nadaillac says that the Toltec era "is enshrined in the memory of the Nahuas as their golden age."8 Brinton says, "In Mexican legends the early Toltecs were of fair complexions."9 As we travel farther south in Mexico we come to the state of Oaxaca. Eighty per cent of its inhabitants are Indian, mostly Zapotecs. Nine miles above its capital city by mountain road are found the ancient mountaintop ruins of Monte Alban. Its ruins are estimated to spread over an area of 24 square miles. Again and again the archaeologists have found the picture of a bearded god carved on the stones of the principal buildings. One of the finest of these stone portraits shows the figure in an attitude of prayer. Only a stone's throw away from the figure of a bearded god in prayer is a large tomb in the form of a cross. Two other large cruciform tombs constructed of fine-cut stones and adorned with mosaics and inscriptions are to be found at Mitla and El Garron also in the state of Oaxaca. In August of 1953 my son Ward and I visited the mountaintop tomb of El Garron. We measured one of the largest stones in the cruciform and found it to be roughly twelve feet long, three feet wide, and four feet high. South of the state of Oaxaca is the frontier state of Chiapas. Chiapas borders on Guatemala. Vast areas of its southern reaches are unexplored and still occupied by the wild, uncivilized Lancadone Indians, many of whom wear animal skins and hunt with bows and arrows. For twenty-eight miles along the eastern base of the mountains of Chiapas lie the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque. Here explorers and archaeologists were amazed to find a temple containing a large tablet, in the center of which was a cross. This famous temple is now known as the "Temple of the Cross." On the Isthmus of Yucatan many ancient Mayan cities have been found. Perhaps the greatest of these is Chichen Itza. As at Monte Alban so at Chichen Itza we find portraits in stone of a bearded white god. Explorers and writers have referred to this figure as a "Jewish caste face." The Mayans call their god Kulculcan. They tell the same kind of story about him that the Aztecs tell about Quetzalcoatl. He was a white man born of a virgin and came from the distant east beyond the sea. When he departed from them he promised to return. The Book of Mormon is the only book ever published which claims to contain the history of the visit of Jesus Christ to ancient America. This book records that after his resurrection, Jesus Christ came to America and fulfilled his pledge found in John 10:16, to visit other sheep of another fold. The evidence appears to indicate that the place of his visit wa America or in southern Mexico. The dramatic appearance of Christ to the ancient Americans came when a large group of the people were gathered together at the temple in the Land Bountiful. The Book of Mormon tells us that the people, gathered together at the temple, heard a voice. And it came
to pass as they understood, they cast their eyes up again towards heaven;
and behold, they saw a man descending out of heaven;
In the great assembly at the temple where Quetzalcoatl or Jesus Christ made his appearance, there were present not only the ancestors of the Aztecs but also the ancestors of the Mayas and other Indian tribes. After his first appearance, he announced that he would return and meet the people again on the morrow. His appearances were continued over a protracted length of time. The startling news that Jesus Christ the Shepherd of Israel was making appearances at "the temple in the land Bountiful" spread like wildfire. It is indicated in the Book of Mormon that great numbers of people traveled all night as well as by day to reach the temple in the Land Bountiful (III Nephi 9:3). It is also
recorded (IV Nephi 1:3) that within two years of his visit, the entire
population of ancient America was converted to Jesus Christ. This means
that not only were ancestors of the Aztecs converted to Jesus Christ, but
ancestors of every tribe had been gathered into the fold of the Good Shepherd.
Consideration of Quetzalcoatl's counterpart among all the tribes of the
New World would require a volume or series of volumes. It is within the
scope of this presentation to offer only a few brief references.
NUMEROUS TRIBES WORSHIP WHITE GOD DRESSED IN LONG WHITE ROBE Both the
Book of Mormon and Aztec traditions tell us that Jesus Christ or Quetzalcoatl
appeared in ancient America dressed in a long white robe.
Bancroft says, Although bearing various names and appearing in different countries, the American culture heroes--all present the same general characteristics. They are all described as white, bearded men, generally clad in long robes; appearing suddenly and mysteriously upon the scene of their labors, they at once set about improving the people by instructing them in useful and ornamental arts, giving them laws, exhorting them to practice brotherly love and other Christian virtues, and introducing a milder and better form of religion; having accomplished their mission, they disappear as mysteriously and unexpectedly as they came.10 THE TEMPLE OF THE DESCENDING GOD The story
of a blond bearded god descending out of the sky to visit the ancient Americans
is not only told in legend, pictograph and ceramics, but in recent findings
carved on temples in the remote fastnesses of Quintana Roo. In August 1953,
through the kindness of the Mexican air force, I was able to land with
an air force pilot in a light plane in a small clearing near the fabled
ruins of Tuluum overlooking the picturesque Caribbean Sea. In the ancient
ruins of Tuluum is a temple called by archaeologists, "The Temple of the
Descending God." Over the entrance to the temple there is clearly carved
on the façade a personage descending. His feet are upward and his
arms and legs extended downward.
BORN OF A VIRGIN Mr. Brinton says, Many of
the great gods of the race, Quetzalcoatl, Viracocha, and Ioskeha, were
at times said to have been born of a virgin. Even among the Indians of
Paraguay the early missionaries were startled to find this tradition of
the maiden mother of the god. . . .
CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES IN PREHISTORIC AMERICA Mr. P. De Roo says, "The first missionaries of the fifteenth century were greatly astonished to find them [Peruvians] in possession of several tenets of Christian doctrines and practicing a number of Christian rites."12 Mr. Brinton says, These reformers
[Quetzalcoatl, Votan, Virachocha, etc.] were credited with an ethical elevation
in their teachings which need not blush before the loftiest precepts of
the Old World moralists. According to the earliest and most trustworthy
accounts, the doctrines of Tonapa were filled with loving kindness and
the deep sense of duty which characterize the present Christianity. Nothing
was wanting in them, says a historian, save the name of God and his Son,
Jesus Christ.13 (Words in brackets by R. W.)
THE HAND DESIGN OF ANCIENT AMERICA In his ministry at Jerusalem, Jesus heated the sick, the blind, and the lame by touching them with his hands. Then were
there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on
them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them, saying, There is no need,
for Jesus hath said, Such shall be saved. But Jesus said, Suffer little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom
of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.--Matthew
19:13-15, I.V.
The open human hand has been found extensively among the ruins of prehistoric America. At Copan, Honduras, there is a large beautiful specimen of the open hand sculptured out of stone. Channing Arnold says that the human hand is found extensively on ruins at Chichen Itza, island of Cozumel, and other Maya ruins.15 Mr. Bancroft says, "Another form in which we may recognize Zamna is the image of Itzamat Ul, or the 'dew of heaven' who is said to have been a great ruler, the son of god, and who cured diseases, raised the dead and pronounced oracles." Mr. Bancroft also says, "This class of devotees generally resorted to the temple where he [Zamna] was represented in the form of a hand, Kab Ul, or working hand, whose touch was sufficient to restore health."16 Henry Clyde
Shetrose, director and archaeologist of Ohio State Archaeological Association,
says that the human hand is found in the Hopewell Mounds and is related
to the hand design of middle America.17
IS GOD A RESPECTER OF PERSONS? The golden text of all Christendom says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Did God
give his Son to the Old World only? It is estimated that at the time of
Christ the civilizations of ancient America were in full bloom with a culture
as great and in some respects superior to the civilizations of Rome, Greece,
Babylon, and Egypt. Estimates of the population in Mexico, Central America,
and the Andean region at the time of Christ run as high as three hundred
million people. Did God respect the Old World above the New World that
they should enjoy the priceless benefits of Christ's personal ministry
while great civilized nations in America should be left to go it alone
without a personal visitation and ministry of God's Son?
IS THERE A FIFTH GOSPEL? Jesus said, "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: ... and they shall hear my voice" (John 10:16). Were these
sheep in America? The last verse of the Four Gospels in the New Testament
says, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which,
if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself
could not contain the books that should be written."
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO NEPHI If the Book of Mormon is true, there is a fifth gospel--Nephi's eyewitness account and record of Christ's ministry among the ancient Americans. Is it possible that one of the "many other things which Jesus did" that is not written in the Four Gospels was a visitation to the New World? It is perhaps
well to close this chapter with an answer to the questions from the legends
of the Chibchas Indians of Colombia, South America.
BOCHICA, ENVOY OF THE OMNIPOTENT Kathleen Romoli, noted authority on the cultures of South America, sums up the Chibcha story of the coming of the white god to America. Bochica
must have really existed. He came to Cundinamarca from the east, from the
direction of the Orinoco, and when his mission was over he returned, alone
as when he came. . . . He leant upon a shepherd's crook and his long white
beard fell to his waist. (This beard is one of the most curious features
of the Bochica legend. It is extremely hard to imagine whiskers of which
you have never heard, and the Chibchas were beardless.) The Messenger of
God was dressed in long robes, and a mantle covered his shoulders; his
skin was fair, and on his forehead was the sign of the cross. He went up
and down the land, teaching, and wherever he stopped the people crowded
to hear him. He preached of the resurrection of the body and of the Last
Judgment, of the afterlife and the immortality of the soul, and of the
beneficent power of God; he enjoined his followers to practice good works
and charity.... The children of Bachúe said that Bochica lived with
them fourteen centuries before the Conquistadores--whose coming he foretold;.....
the Spaniards believed he was St. Bartholomew.18
(All italicizing is by the author for emphasis.) 1. Robert
Marett, Archaeological Tours from Mexico City, page 27.
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CHAPTER
II
THE MYSTERY OF THE "LOST BOOK OF GOD" And 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.--John 10:16. Wherever or whenever in the Old World the words of the Good Shepherd or his undershepherds were heard, there was an urge to write them down that they might be preserved for the inspiration and salvation of coming generations. From the time the Lord instructed Moses to write the Book of Genesis and the other books in the Pentateuch until He instructed John on Patmos to "Write the things which thou hast seen" (Revelation 2:19), books and instructions about writing are mentioned no less than 175 times in the King James Version of the Scriptures, according to Young's Analytical Concordance. The urge of prophets, patriarchs, and holy men to write down the words of life that came when they heard the voice of the Good Shepherd is well illustrated in the Book of Job: Oh that
my words were written! Oh that they were printed in a book! That they were
graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that
my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the
earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold,
and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.--19:23-27.
In the previous
chapter, we found evidence from the Aztecs that Jesus Christ visited prehistoric
America. Let us further examine this evidence from Mexico that the Good
Shepherd visited them, and that his voice was heard.
SPANIARDS DESTROYED ENTIRE LIBRARIES OF ANCIENT DOCUMENTS Because of the many similarities to Christianity which the Spanish priests found in the native religion, they thought that the Devil had attempted to build a counterfeit church here in America. Father Duran at the end of his Historia Antiqua de la Nueva España (1585) wrote, "I verily believe that the evil spirit himself must have somehow supplied these poor people with a spurious edition of the Bible." (Quoted from Jesus Christ Among the Ancient Americans, by Paul M. Hanson.) The Catholic priests thought they could destroy this socalled spurious work of Satan by destroying the ancient writings. Brinton says, Immense
masses of such documents were stored in the archives of ancient Mexico.
Torquemada asserts that five cities alone yielded to the Spanish governor
on one requisition no less than sixteen thousand volumes of scrolls. Every
leaf was destroyed.1
There is
one man who was acquainted with the contents of the libraries who has given
us an inkling of what these ancient volumes contained. His name is Ixtlilxochitl.
He was a grandson of the king of Tezcuco. Tezcuco, a small kingdom allied
with the Aztecs, was situated on the west of Mexico City. Ixtlilxochitl
wrote a history of prehistoric Mexico.
THE TEOAMOXTLI OR LOST BOOK OF GOD The Book of Mormon contains the words which the ancient Americans wrote when they heard the voice of the Good Shepherd. It also contains the history of the end and total destruction of the white cultured Nephites by the barbarous Lamanites (Indians). After the Nephites were wiped out in the final battle, the last prophet, Moroni, inscribed the concluding paragraphs of the history of his people and hid the sacred book in a stone box with the Urim and Thummim. It remained lost from the knowledge of men until it was divinely revealed to Joseph Smith and later translated by him with God's help into the English language. From the works of Ixtlilxochitl, Bancroft gives us this story of the Teoamoxtli: Returning
now to the other version of Toltec history we learn that after the death
of the first king of Tollan, his son Ixtlilcuechahuac mounted the throne.
His reign, like that of his predecessor, was peaceful and prosperous; but
the only event recorded was a meeting of all the sages under the direction
of the aged Hueman which took place only a few years before the end of
the second king's term of office. At this assembly there were brought forward
all the Toltec records reaching back to the earliest period of their existence,
and from these documents, after a long conference and the most careful
study, the Teoamoxtli, or 'book of God,' was prepared. In its pages were
inscribed the Nahua annals from the time of the deluge, or even from the
creation; together with all their religious rites.2
Ixtlilxochitl's account of the end of the prehistoric Toltecs is startling in its similarity to the story in the Book of Mormon. Those who have read the Book of Mormon will instantly recognize the similarities. According to the Book of Mormon, the golden age of peace and prosperity in ancient America lasted for about two hundred years after the visit of Christ. About the beginning of the third century after the appearance of Christ, a war broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites. Three hundred and five years later, when the empire had been long at peace, a revolt broke out (Native Races, Volume 5, pages 210, 211). After several years of war, the Book of Mormon records that a treaty was reached in which the Lamanites would not come again in battle against the Nephites for ten years. From the account in Bancroft's Native Races, we find a similar story. Unable to
resist this formidable army, the Toltec king was compelled to send ambassadors
bearing rich presents to sue for peace....A truce . . . was concluded .
. . to the effect that the Toltecs should not be molested for ten years.--Volume
5, page 279.
A. Introduction
of a new religion (Native Races, Volume 5, pages 280-282)
The Book of Mormon tells us that the Lamanites "were not numbered because of the greatness of their numbers." In the last day of battle after years of conflict, 230,000 Nephites perished. From the Book of Mormon account, there must have been millions of men engaged on each side during the long death struggle of the Nephites. Bancroft says: It is difficult
to credit the statements of the old authors respecting the number of Chichimecs
that espoused Xolotl's cause. Ixtlilxochitl and Veytia state that no less
than three million, two hundred and two thousand men, women, besides children
rallied to his standards.3
In the previous
chapter, we found that ancestors of the Aztecs were not the only ones who
were present in that great day when the Good Shepherd appeared; likewise
we find that other tribes besides the Aztecs had a knowledge of the existence
of a prehistoric sacred record.
THE POPUL VUH The story of the Popol Vuh, like the story of the Teoamoxtli, comes from the writings of a native author. The original Maya Quiche text was translated into Spanish in the early days of colonial history. The manuscript, however, remained in obscurity in Catholic archives in Guatemala until it was discovered by Doctor Scheizer in June, 1854, and translated and published in the English language. Like the Teoamoxtli of Ixtlilxochitl, the Popol Vuh of the Maya Quiches could not have been known to Joseph Smith. Concerning the Popol Vuh (Book of God) Bancroft says: I pass next
to the tradition of the Quiché nations as preserved in the Popol
Vuh . . . These traditions, the authenticity and general accuracy of which
there is no reason to doubt . . . with apparent, although vague references
here and there, to actual events in the primitive history of the people
whose descendants were the Quichés.4
The Popol
Vuh, the national book, is no longer visible, in which it was clearly seen
that we came from beyond the sea . . . It is the first book, written in
olden times, but its view is hidden from him who sees and thinks.
THE TEMPLE OF HIEROGLYPHICS At Copan, Honduras, there is a temple containing large tablets of hieroglyphics. The stairway which leads to the entrance of the temple is literally covered with hieroglyphics. At the base of the stairway stands an imposing figure of a man holding in his hand a king's escutcheon. I had the good fortune to visit Copan, Honduras, in 1941, in company with a group of archaeologists from the United States. As we approached the entrance to the mysterious temple of the hieroglyphics with its prehistoric figure in stone standing guard, someone asked the leading Carnegie Institute archaeologist as to the identity of the imposing statue. His answer was, "Your guess is as good as mine." Similar answers were given to other questions regarding the elegant ruins of this very ancient city. There is very much that science does not know about the ancient Americans. Archaeology has not yet scratched the surface. Much exploration is yet to be done. There are,
however, some conclusions that can be drawn about Copan as well as other
archaeological sites. The people who built Copan were a religious people.
The presence of temples and beautiful altars attests this fact. They had
a system of writing as is attested by the abundance of hieroglyphics. If
the Good Shepherd of Israel visited these people and they heard his voice,
why would it not be possible that they would inscribe his words on temples
and tablets of stone? If guessing is in order, why not venture the guess
that the tablets of hieroglyphics (as yet undeciphered) in the temple of
the hieroglyphics may contain words of Jesus Christ.
THE BRASS PLATES According to the Book of Mormon, when the Lord led Lehi and his colony from Jerusalem to America about 600 B.C., they brought with them a record of God's dealings with their fathers (the Bible up to 600 B.C.). This record was inscribed on brass plates and contained, among other things, Genesis and the other books of Moses, as well as Scriptures down to and including the Book of Isaiah. We have already noted that the name "Toltecs" is identified with Quetzalcoatl and the golden age of prehistoric America. We have also noted that the Toltecs were a white race. Dr. Eduard Seler says: In the traditions
of the Mexican and Central American races, there is mention of a civilized
nation, said to have been in the country before all others, which was the
originator of all arts and sciences. This was the Toltec nation. Among
other things, the invention of the calendar is ascribed to this nation,
and we are told that they carried their books with them on their migrations.7
DID THE ANCESTORS OF THE INDIANS KNOW THE STORY OF GENESIS? And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.--Genesis 1:2. From the Popul Vuh: And the
earth was without form, and void: and darkness was upon angle and alignment,
and its boundaries fixed towards the four winds by the Creator and Former,
and Mother and Father of life and existence--He by whom all move and breathe,
the Father and Cherisher of the peace of nations and of the civilization
of his people. . . .
"In the year and in the day of obscurity and darkness, yea, even before the days or years were, when the world was in a great darkness and chaos . . ."9 According to Genesis, creation involved a period of seven days and was accomplished by the word of God's power. The Aztec book, The Anales de Quauhtitlan, states that the world and all therein was created in seven days. "In the sign Tochtli the earth was created, the firmament was erected in Acatl, animals came into being in Tecpatl, and man was made out of dust or ashes on Ehecatl, the seventh day."10 CREATION LEGENDS OF PERU All things emanated from Pachacamac, the all-pervading spirit, the maker and molder of matter. Pachacamac it was who breathed the breath of life into man. "By means of his word, the creator, a spirit, powerful and opulent, made all things." The formula of his words in Peruvian prayers: "Let the earth and heaven be," "Let there be night," "Let the light shine."11 AZTEC LEGENDS Lewis Spence says that Tezcatlipoca deceived the first woman who committed sin. Ixnextli is the name of an Eve who sinned by plucking forbidden roses and was cast out of a paradise with her husband.12 Consideration of the scriptural analogies contained in the legends of all the Indian tribes of the New World would be a very large undertaking. We therefore conclude the subject with a statement from the well-known English nobleman, Lord Kingsborough: It is impossible
when reading what Mexican mythology records of the war in heaven and the
fall of Zontemonque and other rebellious spirits; of the creation of light
by the word of Tonacatecotle; and of the division of the waters, of the
sin of Xztiacoliuhqui, and his blindness and nakedness; of the temptation
of Suchiquecal and her disobedience in gathering roses from a tree and
the consequent misery and disgrace of herself and all her posterity not
to recognize scriptural analogies. But the Mexican tradition of the deluge
is that which bears the most unequivocal marks of having been derived from
a Hebrew source.13
When Christianity was carried to China, their artists (unless trained otherwise) pictured the Savior as a Chinaman. The same is true of the artists of India and Africa where the Savior has been pictured as a Hindu or a black man. But in Mexico the most beloved of their gods was Quetzalcoatl, white and bearded. In the face of these facts how can anyone conceive of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas depicting their God as a white man with Hebrew caste face and a beard unless they had seen him in person and heard his voice? 1. Brinton,
Myths of the New World, page 13.
8. Bancroft,
Naive Races, Volume 3, pages 44, 45.
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CHAPTER
III
THE LOST TRIBE OF JOSEPH FOUND And 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.--John 10:16. We have found strong evidence that the Good Shepherd visited America. We have also found substantial evidence that his sheep in America heard his voice and wrote down his words and had a sacred book. We are now confronted with the question of the origin of these sheep (house of Israel). There is much in tradition and in ancient pictographs about the ancestors of the Indians migrating over seas and through vast forests and deserts. As already noted, the Toltecs are said to have carried their books with them. Bancroft's works tell us: The Chileans
assert that their ancestors came from the west. The Chepewyans have a tradition
that they came from a distant land.... The Algonquins preserve a tradition
of a foreign origin and a sea voyage. For a long time they offered an annual
thank offering in honor of their happy arrival in America. According to
Careri, the Olmec traditions relate that they came by sea from the east.1
[For original Thanksgiving Day, see Mosiah 1:30 in Book of Mormon.]
Mr. Bancroft says, "According to the Quichés' tradition, the primitive portion of the Nahoas, or ancestors of the Toltecs, were in a distant East, beyond immense seas and lands."2 Gregory Mason says that there are many legends along the west coast of South America concerning the remote arrival on rafts, of a very learned and powerful people.3 Brinton says, "The Aztec priests never chanted more regretful dirges than when they sang of Tulan, the cradle of their race."4 Sahagun (pioneer traveler among Aztecs) was asked by the natives if he came from Tlapallan. He had crossed the sea to their country; and the inquisitive natives wanted to know if he came from the same place their ancestors did.5 The evidence
in the New World points across the sea for the origin of the ancient people.
Since Christ himself is the Holy One of Israel and said he was "not sent
but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," it appears that the Bible
might be the most likely place to look for the origin of the flock of sheep
who were led to America.
THE FLOCK OF JOSEPH Give ear,
O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that
dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.--Psalm 80:1.
Joseph is
a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over
the wall;
The next lead we get as to the destiny of Joseph is found in Deuteronomy. Moses gives a description of Joseph's land to which we shall make future reference. And of Joseph
he [Moses] said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things
of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
Let us continue to trace the movements and destiny of the tribe of Joseph. And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh.--I Chronicles 9:3. A REMNANT TO ESCAPE FROM JERUSALEM For out
of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount
Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.--Isaiah 37:32.
Flee, get
you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord; for
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath
conceived a purpose against you.
Let us sum up our biblical clues so far. The blessing of Joseph was to be unto the "utmost bound of the everlasting hills" (Andes or Rockies). Joseph's land was to be blessed with many specific things as mentioned in Deuteronomy. We shall soon search for that part of the earth which best meets the requirements of this prophecy. The flock of Joseph settled in Jerusalem. Someone was to escape from Jerusalem before the king of Babylon destroyed the city. The "zeal of the Lord of hosts" was to do this. In other words, the Shepherd of Israel would lead Joseph like a flock (Psalm 80:1). Jeremiah delivers the prophecy to those that are to flee and offers some hints as to where they are to go. It was to be far off. It is to be a "wealthy nation which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone." All the cities of the Old World had walls, gates, and bars, and no nation dwelt alone. We found
strong evidence in the New World, pointing back across the sea as the place
"from whence they came." Now, in the Old World and from the Bible, we find
clear-cut evidence pointing across the sea to the New World as the place
to which the flock of Joseph was led.
JOSEPH'S BRANCHES TO RUN OVER WALL (SEA) Psalm 80:1, 8, 11 says: O Shepherd
of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.
For the
fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen
have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto
Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched
out, they are gone over the sea.--16:8.
O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits, and upon thy vintage.--48:32. JOSEPH'S LAND DESCRIBED We have already had strong indications that the Shepherd of Israel led his flock of Joseph away from Jerusalem down "through the wilderness" and "over the sea" "to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills." Moses in the thirty-third chapter of Deuteronomy names eight specific points for which Joseph's land is to be noted. If America is Joseph's land and the choice pasture to which the "Shepherd of Israel" led "the flock of Joseph," then we must expect that America will meet the requirements of Moses' eight points better than any other country in the world. Blessed of the Lord be his [Joseph's] land, for the precious things of heaven. Peter says, "Unto you . . . who believe, he [Christ] is precious" (I Peter 2:7). Without question, the Savior is most precious. Joseph's land was to be blessed because of the precious things of heaven. In other words, Joseph's land was to be blessed by the presence of the Holy One of Israel. In our first chapter, "The God of Ancient America," we found that evidence of Christ's visit to Joseph's land (America) is indeed great. Moses used the word "things" (plural), so Joseph's land is to be blessed with more than one precious thing of heaven. Next to the presence of the Good Shepherd himself, his words or a holy record takes second place as a precious thing of heaven. (See I Samuel 3:1.) We found evidences on both sides of the sea that the ancestors of the Indians came from ancient Israel. Also, we find evidences on both sides of the sea (Old and New World) that Joseph's land was to be blessed of a second thing of heaven--a holy book. The Prophet Ezekiel tells us: The word
of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take
thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel
his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph,
the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Joseph Smith,
the eighteen-year-old son of a New York farmer, was divinely led to an
ancient record deposited in a stone box close to the top of a high hill
near Palmyra, New York. In the box was a volume of thin gold plates inscribed
with ancient hieroglyphics. Also in the box was the ancient Hebrew instrument
known as the Urim and Thummim. By means of this remarkable instrument,
Joseph Smith was able to translate the ancient record into English. It
bears every earmark and every evidence of being Joseph's book, the lost
sacred record of the ancient Americans. It tells how the Good Shepherd
led the flock of Joseph from Jerusalem to the New World. It records the
words of the prophets here in America and the ebb and flow of history among
the ancient Americans. It reaches its grand climax in the story of the
appearance of Jesus Christ to the people at the temple in the land Bountiful
and the subsequent golden age of America when all the people were converted
to the gospel and lived together in a great brotherhood. This was the great
era of art, architecture, and high achievement in every field. The Book
of Mormon also records the eventual termination of the golden age and the
gradual decline of morals until the Nephites were entirely wiped out. The
last prophet hid in the earth the record which eventually came forth in
1830.
THE URIM AND THUMMIM Among the precious things of heaven possessed by the Israelites in Old Testament times was the Urim and Thummim. It is mentioned first in the twenty-eighth chapter of Exodus as being worn in the breastplate of the high priest. It was consulted to obtain the will and counsel of the Lord. David used it a number of times. (See I Samuel 28:6; 30:1-8; I Chronicles 13:3; Leviticus 8:8; and Numbers 27:21.) After the departure of the colony of Joseph from Jerusalem in about 600 B.C., it disappeared from Old Testament history. Ezra (2:63) and Nehemiah (7:63-65) later looked for it, but no mention of it is again made in the Bible. After the colony of Joseph reached America under Nephi's leadership, the Urim and Thummim, or interpreters as they are called in the Book of Mormon, are mentioned several times. There is also evidence from archaeology that the ancient Americans knew about the Urim and Thummim or Holy Stones. While digging about the base of the great pyramid, El Castillo, at Chichen Itza, archaeologists found a large stone box, similar to the one Joseph Smith found. Inside this box was a priceless mosaic of precious stones and a Sac-tun or "Holy Stone." Another stone box was found in the temple of the warriors by Morris and Morley. In describing the contents of the box, Ann Axtell Morris says, "At the center of the cavity lay a large spherical ball of dark jade polished glass. This was one of the Sac-tuns or 'light stones' which the old priests had used for prophecy."6 In another place in the book quoted above, Mrs. Morris refers to the Holy Stones as "peep stones." Not only does it appear that the ancient people knew of the Urim and Thummim, but they also knew of thin gold plates with hieroglyphics. A Spanish colonial history states: The Mexican
Indians sold to some European antiquarians very thin plates of gold, evidently
worked with a hammer, which their ancestors had been able to preserve,
and on which were engraved ancient hieroglyphics.7
The Museo de Oro contains by far the largest and finest collection of ancient gold artifacts the author has seen in the Western Hemisphere. Among the fabulous arrays of jewelry and golden artifacts, there is one showcase devoted to numerous rolls of thin gold paper. On the wall of the showcase are a number of specimens of the thin gold plates or paper on which there are inscriptions. We have given consideration to the first of eight different things for which Joseph's land was to be blessed. Let us briefly consider the seven remaining points. Blessed of the Lord be his [Joseph's] land, for the dew and for the deep that coucheth beneath. For great rivers, fountains, and lakes, America is far ahead of any other part of the world. According to Hendrick Van Loon's Geography, the Mississippi-Missouri River is the longest river in the world (4,221 miles). It is navigable 3,550 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, a distance greater than from New York to London. The Yukon, known as the "Wandering River," rises within fifteen miles of the Pacific, flows 2,300 miles, then empties into the Pacific. Steamboats cover all but fifteen miles of it. Next to the Mississippi-Missouri River, the Amazon is the longest river in the world (3,900 miles). For volume of water, no river can compare with the Amazon. During the wet season, the mouth of the river is said to be fifty miles wide. The Amazon River drops only one inch each five miles in its last seven hundred miles and flows only two and one quarter miles per hour, yet its current is felt two hundred miles at sea. And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun. The agricultural fruits of America are indeed precious now. Because America is so far ahead of the rest of the world in agricultural resources, it is helping greatly to feed the world. Countless millions across the sea depend upon the world's bread basket (Mississippi Valley) for their food. In statistics published in 1938, before the war had upset the world's economy, the United States (only one of the nations living in Joseph's land) was producing 60 per cent of the wheat and cotton of the globe. And for the precious things put forth by the moon. It is well known that the moon as well as the sun plays its part in influencing and wooing plant life into maximum activity. Mr. Nadaillac says: In no region
of the globe has nature been more prodigal than in the vast districts stretching
from Guiana to Uruguay, from the Atlantic to the forest spurs of the Andes,
forming the empire of Brazil. The fertility of the soil, under the double
influence of heat and moisture, is wonderful; forest trees grow in great
variety everywhere; valuable medical plants spring up in profusion which
are not to be met with in any other climate; and vegetables, good for food,
or fruits pleasant to the palate of man, with flowers of the most brilliant
colors. Fifteen thousand vegetable species peculiar to Brazil have already
been recognized.8
There are no forests in the Old World that begin to compare with the vast forests of the United States and Canada. "Founder's Tree" on the Eel River in northern California is the tallest tree in the world (364 feet). In the Sequoia National Forest in California, there is one tree which contains enough lumber to build fifty-five five-room homes. Hooker's Oak, near Chico, California, is the largest oak tree in the world. There are trees in California with a circumference of ninety-eight feet. In the Kansas City Star for March 24, 1949 is a feature article about three giant cypresses in a valley in Mexico. The largest of these trees has a circumference of more than 114 feet. Its age is estimated as high as 10,000 years. And for the precious things of the lasting hills. The United
States possesses (1938) almost $11,000,000,000 in gold, or nearly half
of the world's monetary metal. It has two thirds of civilization's banking
resources. The purchasing power of the population is greater than that
of the 500,000,000 people in Europe and much larger than that of more than
a billion Asiatics. These figures are to be found in the record. They are
the envy of the world. Turning to one of our journals, The United States
News, we find more statistics concerning automobiles. This country has
22 to every 100 persons. Canada has 11; France, 5; United Kingdom, 5; Germany,
2; and Italy, 1.
According to a recent chart prepared by the National Federation of Small Business in Washington, D.C., the United States has one auto for each four persons, Britain one auto for each twenty-two persons, Sweden one for twenty-nine persons, Italy one for ninety-three persons, and Russia one auto for two hundred and fifty-two persons. And though only possessing 6 per cent of the world's land area we possess 40 per cent of the world's telegraphs and 30 per cent of its railroads. And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof. The United States, exclusive of the other countries of the New World, produces 70 per cent of the world's oil (1937-38). The United States contains 6 per cent of the world's area and 7 per cent of its population; but because of its wealth, based on the richness of its vast natural resources, it consumes 48 per cent of the world's coffee, 53 per cent of its tin, 56 per cent of its rubber, 72 per cent of its steel, 36 per cent of its coal, and 42 per cent of its pig iron. And for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush. A great mass of evidence discloses that the ancient Americans had prophets and a Sacred Book, and that Jesus Christ visited them. In what other part of the world (Europe, Siberia, India, Australia, Africa) is there such evidence of having "the good will of him that dwelt in the bush"? If we take Moses' eight points in Deuteronomy as the determining factor in identifying Joseph's land, there can be no other conclusion than that America is Joseph's land and that it is the place where the Good Shepherd led the flock of Joseph (Psalm 80:1). 1. Bancroft,
Native Races, Volume 5, page 22.
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CHAPTER
IV
A HEBREW NATION IN AMERICA And 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.--John
10:16.
Paul Radin says, The Mexicans
came from Aztlan. They carried with them an idol called Huitzuilopuchtli.
They affirm it was this idol that had commanded them to leave the country,
promising them that they would be rulers and chiefs of all the provinces
which had been settled by the other six tribes; of a land greatly abounding
in gold, silver, precious stones, feathers, rich shawls, and every costly
thing conceivable. Thus did the Mexicans set out just as the children of
Israel had done in search of the promised land, taking with them their
idol enclosed in an ark made of rushes just as the others had taken with
them their ark of the covenant. They took with them four principal priests
who made their laws, instructed them in their rites and sacrifices, etc.
They traveled with their ark wherever their idol bade them go.1
Mr. Baldwin quotes from E. G. Squier: "In the map of their migrations presented by Gemelli, the place of the origin of the Aztecs is designated by the sign of water (atl standing for Aztlan), a pyramidal temple with grades, and near these a palm tree."2 We shall soon give consideration to the pyramidal temple with grades as one of the signs of the origin of the Aztecs. Another symbol of the origin of the Aztecs is the palm tree. Concerning this palm symbol, Mr. Baldwin says, "In history Jerusalem has been sometimes referred to as the City of Palms."3 In I Kings 6:29-36, the walls of Solomon's Temple are described as being decorated with palm trees carved in wood and overlaid with gold. Concerning the origin legends of the Maya Quichés (Guatemala), Lewis Spence says, "The truth is that the conditions of migration undergone by the Maya were similar to those described in the Scriptures."4 According
to Mr. Nadaillac, "The people of Yucatan believed that their ancestors
had come from the East, across a great body of water."5
A HEBREW TEMPLE IN AMERICA Did the Shepherd of Israel establish a fold for his sheep here in America? If he did, the first evidence we should look for will be a temple of Hebrew design. Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem was the center of the Good Shepherd's fold in the Old World. We have also a second strong reason to look for a temple of Solomon in the New World. The "stick of Joseph" (Book of Mormon) which contains the record of the Good Shepherd's dealing with the flock he led to America contains the story of the erection of a temple after the manner of Solomon's Temple. "And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon. . . . and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine."--II Nephi 4:22,26. Solomon's Temple was composed of three courts, the innermost being called the Holy of Holies. A. Hyatt Verrill says, "The great temple of Pachacamac, Peru, is composed of courts in the center of which is the Holy of Holies containing the image of their great God."6 The Book of Mormon records that as their civilization developed, the Nephites gradually spread northward (into Central America and Mexico). It is also recorded that they continued to build temples, sanctuaries, and synagogues after the manner of the Jews (Alma 11:22, etc.). Mayan temples were usually composed of an outer corridor and an inner sanctuary surmounting a more or less lofty pyramid.7 In Bancroft's Native Races, Volume 4, page 332, is a drawing of the ground plan of the Temple of the Cross at Palenque. This drawing shows an outer court or corridor and an inner corridor and a Holy of Holies. In a tablet on the wall of the Holy of Holies was found the great symbol (cross) of the Shepherd of Israel. Solomon's Temple was very large. The temple of the thousand columns with its courts at Chichen Itza covers five acres. The north colonnade extends across the north side of the court. It is a spacious hall 463 feet long.8 Nephi says the temple he built (after the manner of Solomon's Temple) was of "exceeding fine workmanship." Besides its three courts, its size, and fine workmanship, the Temple of Solomon was noted for other things: A. Greatest
collection of gold and silver known in the Old World (II Chronicles 9:14-22).
A. Hyatt Verrill says, Taken all
together the gold of the Incas was probably the greatest accumulation of
the precious metals the world has ever known prior to the time of the Conquest.
. . . It is obvious that the Incans, finding the temple ready made, repaired
it, added to it and made use of it as their own place of worship. Although
the Spaniards transformed the temple to a Christian church, and added a
deal of European embellishment and adornment to it, yet the greater portion
of the structure still remains that of the prehistoric unknown inhabitants
of Peru.
Archaeology
underwrites the Book of Mormon claim of temples in ancient America built
after the manner of the Temple of Solomon.
THE LAW OF MOSES We have discovered that the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and Indian traditions all indicate that the Shepherd of Israel led some of his sheep of the flock of Joseph to the new world. The Bible and Book of Mormon agree that this "remnant escaped from Jerusalem" just before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city (about 600 B.C.). The children of Israel of that day practiced the Mosaic Law. The Temple at Jerusalem and the Mosaic Law went hand in hand. They were two parts of a whole. Together they comprised the Shepherd's fold for ancient Israel. If the Shepherd of Israel established part of his fold here (Hebrew temples), then it is logical to look for evidence of the prehistoric existence of the other part (the Law of Moses). The Book of Joseph (Book of Mormon) tells us the ancient Americans kept the law of Moses. And we did
observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of
the Lord, in all things, according to the law of Moses.--II Nephi 4:14.
Theodore A. Willard says, It is a
curious fact that the ancient Itza-Mayas had many habits and customs similar
to those of the Jews. Many have remarked that some of the faces carved
on the walls and stones are of a Jewish caste.... Both the Itza-Mayas and
the Jews venerated one God, of whom they made no image. Both worshiped
toward the east; and both burned incense in the four directions. The confession
of sins and atonement were common to both peoples. Both believed in devils.
The Maya like the Jew was punctilious about washing and in making ablutions.11
On stele
C two impressive chieftains stand face to face, surrounded by lesser men
suspended in space. The face of the man on the left is smashed, but the
other is untouched and represents a stern, fully bearded man with an enormous
aquiline nose, totally different from the flat-nosed people of La Venta...a
personage with surprisingly pronounced Semitic features.12
In the National Geographic for July, 1931, is a picture of what is reputed to be the largest and finest altar yet discovered (found at Uaxactun, Guatemala). The Book of Mormon says, "And they also took of the first lings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings, according to the law of Moses" (Mosiah 1:30). Concerning the similarities between the Mosaic and Aztec systems, Lord Kingsborough says, "There was much in connection with the sacrifices that was common to Mexicans and Jews."13 The Mexicans applied the blood of sacrifices to the same uses as the Jews; they poured it upon the earth, they sprinkled it, they marked persons with it, and they smeared it upon walls and other inanimate things (Ibid., page 154). No one but the Jewish High Priest might enter the Holy of Holies. A similar custom obtained in Peru (Ibid., page 156). Both Mexicans and Jews regarded certain animals as unclean and unfit for food (Ibid., page 273). It was customary among the Mexicans to eat the flesh of the sacrifices of atonement (Ibid., page 176). Mr. C. Reginald Enoch says, Cloths of vicuna wool, which were interwoven with gold and silver filaments (Peru), have come down to us today in all their primitive freshness.... An art which passed in remote times from Babylon to other cities and which is first mentioned as employed in the Ephods of Aaron.14 THE JUBILEE YEAR According to the law of Moses (Leviticus 25), the Hebrews made a new start every half century. This was called the Year of Jubilee. Mortgages and debts were canceled and all the land returned to the original tribal inheritance. It was a time of celebration and rejoicing. Thus far we have found evidence of the existence in ancient America of much that the Good Shepherd had in his fold at Jerusalem in Old Testament times. Let us see if there is evidence that the Year of Jubilee was known in ancient America. Mr. José Jiminez Gomez says, concerning the Aztec calendar stone, "The snake scales are supposed to represent centuries of fifty-two years and on the upper side of the body of the serpents can be seen blazes of fire which means that at the beginning of every century they kindled the new fire."15 In the Mexican National Museum in Mexico City there are numerous bundles (stone) of roped years. Manly P. Hall says concerning these bundles of roped years, "The Mexicans had periods composed of what they called the binding of years. These bindings contained fifty-two years and constituted a cycle."16 Concerning
the volador, a religious ceremony of the Totonacs of Mexico, Dr. Alfonso
Caso says, "The four macaws descending from the pole and taking thirteen
turns are symbols of the 52 years of the Indian cycle, that is to say,
of the movement of the sun in 13x4 which gives the 52 years figure."17
PATRIARCHY, GENEALOGY, AND TOTEMISM Patriarchy, genealogy, and totemism were all part of the Old Testament system and found within the Good Shepherd's fold in ancient Israel. Stephen D. Peet says, The prevalence
of Totemism in the Old Testament is shown by the dying words of Jacob,
for in them he described the animal figures which were shown on the escutcheon
of each tribe. The lion on the escutcheon of Judah, the serpent on that
of Dan, the wild ass on that of Issachar, and the bird on that of Naphtali.
While traveling in South America in 1949, I had a thrilling experience. A young archaeology student at the University of Trujillo in northern Peru was guiding me through the large Museum of Larco Hoyle at Chiclin, Peru. The museum contains the world's finest collection of the ceramics of the ancient Chimus. Instead of painting pictures on canvas the Chimus molded pottery of the object they desired to picture, then painted the pottery. The museum seems to picture all the objects and activities connected with ancient Chimu life. One section is devoted to warriors and war, others to fruits and vegetables, another to various diseases. Finally, we came to a section devoted to crimes and punishments where my guide pointed out a large specimen of pottery. A man and a woman were tied to a post. There were
many specks on the ceramic. My guide pointed out the spots as rocks flying
through the air. The crime was adultery punished by stoning to death. This
is of course a part of the Mosaic Law, well illustrated by the woman brought
to Jesus who was accused of adultery.
THE THEORY OF EGYPTIAN ORIGIN The British scientist, F. A. Mitchell Hedges, says, The modern
theory is that the Mayas appeared in Central America sometime between 1,000
B.C. and the Christian Era, and that their civilization was derived from
Egypt, from which they came across the vast Pacific. The points of resemblance
between the Maya and the Egyptian civilizations are too numerous and peculiar
to be explained by some imaginary impulse in all prehistoric people to
develop along the same line.20
The Prophet Nephi in the very first verse in the Book of Mormon says, "I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (I Nephi 1:1) Nephi was the prophet who wrote the first chapter in the "stick of Joseph" (Book of Mormon). Mormon and his son Moroni wrote the last chapters. The "stick of Joseph" (Ezekiel 37:16-22) was named after the Prophet Mormon. Mormon says, "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" (Mormon 4:98). The Egyptian
Tau or letter T has been found at Palenque, Copan, and in Peru. Mr. Nadaillac
says of the palace at Palenque, "Numerous masonry niches in the wall merit
special attention on account of their resemblance to the letter T or rather
the Egyptian Tau."21
THE MONGOLOID THEORY There are two major theories in the world today concerning the origin of the American Indian and the ancient civilizations of the Americas. The Mongoloid theory taught in our school books is based upon the supposition that thousands of years ago uncultured tribes crossed from northern Siberia to Alaska over the frozen Bering Sea which is only twenty miles across. The other major theory is the Book of Mormon theory. The Book of Mormon records that the American Indian is of eastern Mediterranean or Hebrew origin. If the Mongoloid theory is correct, how account for so much eastern Mediterranean influence in America (Hebrew style temples, Jewish caste faces, Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphics, obelisks, etc.)? Another serious question arises. Ancient crude Eskimo type people living in the arctic northern Siberia region would have a tremendous adjustment to make between their native frozen north and the torrid tropics where ancient American civilization reached its heights. Which is the more reasonable--that Mongoloid people gradually scattered over Canada and the United States and down into Central America there to establish themselves and develop a great civilization, or that people from the eastern Mediterranean already adjusted and acclimated to the warm regions migrated to similar regions here in the New World? We make
one more observation. The Lord told Abraham, "And in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18). It is both historical
and remarkable that the four civilizations of the Old World sprang up immediately
adjacent to the Promised Land of Abraham--Egypt to the southwest, Babylon
to the east, Greece to the north, and Rome to the northwest. Is it unreasonable
that ancient American civilization sprang from this same cultural hotbed?
THE CALENDAR STONE The greatest Egyptian discovery in America is not pyramids, stelæ (obelisks), hieroglyphics, or mummies. It is the Aztec calendar stone. It is a huge round stone, twelve feet wide, four feet thick, and weighs 57,000 pounds. It is on exhibit in the Mexican National Museum in Mexico City. It has eighteen months of twenty days each, with five complementary days and six hours for the measurement of a year's time. This is similar to the calendar possessed by the ancient Egyptians. Stephen D. Peet says, "The year in common use, called the vague year, began at different times of the true year through a long cycle. Here we find the analogy between the Egyptian and the American systems very startling."22 John Delafield comments: I have also
recognized in your memoir on the division of time among the Mexican nations,
compared with those of Asia, some very striking analogies between the Toltec
characters and institutions observed on the banks of the Nile. Among these
analogies there is one which is worthy of attention. It is the use of the
vague year of 365 days, composed of equal months, and of five complementary
days, equally employed at Thebes and Mexico, a distance of 3,000 leagues....
Now, it is remarkable that the same solar year of 365 days, six hours,
adopted by nations so different, and perhaps still more remote in their
state of civilization than in their geographical distance, relates to a
real astronomical period, and belongs peculiarly to the Egyptians . . .
The fact of the intercalation [by the Mexicans] of 13 days every cycle,
that is, the use of a year of 365 days and a quarter, is proof that it
was either borrowed from the Egyptians, or that they had a common origin.23
BARBARIC RELIGIONS The barbaric religious systems that led to the downfall of ancient Israel were sun worship (Jeremiah 8:2; 7:18, etc.), human sacrifice and serpent worship (II Kings 18:4). These three abominations wrecked the Good Shepherd's fold in ancient Israel and scattered the sheep on a thousand hills. We have found abundant evidence that the Shepherd of Israel set up his fold in ancient America. Now we are confronted with evidence that similar idolatrous abominations wrecked the fold in ancient America. Stephen D. Peet says, The most
remarkable fact which is brought out by this study is that the aboriginal
religions of America correspond to the earliest forms of religions which
prevailed in the East. The system of sun worship which prevailed among
the agricultural tribes of the gulf states closely resembled that which
existed in Egypt and Babylonia at the opening of history and many of the
same customs were observed.25
The Book of Mormon history tells us that soon after the colony of Joseph arrived in America, in about 580 B.C., it divided. One group was faithful to God and kept the law of Moses (Nephites). The other group reverted back to the idols and religious vices which led to the downfall of ancient Israel. This group (the Lamanites) was cursed and their skins were darkened so there would be no intermarriage between the white, cultured Nephites and the lazy, idolatrous Lamanites. Eventually, and after the Golden Age of ancient America which followed Christ's visit here, the entire population gradually drifted away from the Good Shepherd's fold. A war of extinction broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites, and both nations turned from the gospel of Christ to idolatry and human sacrifice. Yea, the
more part of them [Nephites] had turned out of the way of righteousness
and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn
unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold
and their silver.--Helaman 2:158.
Jeremiah says, Because
they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense
in it unto other gods,... they have built also the high places of Baal,
to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal,... therefore,
behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be
called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter....
And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth
thereby shall be astonished, and hiss because of the plagues thereof.--19:4,
5, 8.
AN ARRAY OF SOBERING FACTS The facts indicate that the God of Israel established his fold in America. His sheep prospered and enjoyed a Golden Age as long as they listened to the voice of the Good Shepherd. The day came (third century after Christ) when they turned away from their Shepherd's fold and reverted back to the abominations which destroyed the fold in ancient Israel. Now the fold the Good Shepherd established in America is desolate and the words of Jeremiah to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah are startlingly applicable. Chan Chan, Kabah, and Sayil are "desolate without an inhabitant." Piedras Negras, Tikal, and Uaxactun are "desolate" "and a den of dragons." Monte Alban, Teotihuacan, Copan, and Chichen Itza, glorious cities of ancient America, are "heaps" and "an astonishment to all that pass by." Now, from the pages of the Book of Mormon, the warning comes to us and to our cities: And now
we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land
of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it, shall serve God, or
they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon
them.
WARNING WORDS OF CHRIST FROM ANCIENT AMERICA Yea, wo
be unto the Gentiles, except they repent, for it shall come to pass in
that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst
of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots, and I will cut off the cities
of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds:
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CHAPTER
V
MODERN MIRACLE REVEALS AMERICA'S PAST And 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.--John
10:16.
WHAT IS THE ROD OF THE SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL? When Moses met God at the burning bush, the Lord told Moses to cast his rod (shepherd's rod) on the ground. It became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it. The Lord told Moses to pick it up by the tail. As he did so it turned again to a shepherd's rod. It was by this selfsame rod that Moses turned the rivers of Egypt into blood. And thou
shalt say unto him [Pharaoh], The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me
unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness:
and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the Lord, In this
thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that
is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall
be turned to blood.--Exodus 7:16,17.
And the
Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men
are dead which sought thy life. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and
set them upon on ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took
the rod of God in his hand. And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest
to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh
which I have put in thine hand.--Exodus 4:19-21.
From the story of the striking of the rock from which the water flowed to the story of the three Hebrews and the fiery furnace, and the story of Jonah and the fish, the Old Testament almost seems to be one continuous relation of miracles. The life
of Christ in the New Testament from the virgin birth to the resurrection
morn is also one continuous relation of miracles. To unnumbered millions
of followers of the Good Shepherd it is the miraculous story and hope of
the resurrection that comforts them as they pass through the valley of
the shadow of death. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I will fear no evil:... thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
RUN, SPEAK TO THIS YOUNG MAN Zechariah says, "And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein" (Zechariah 2:3,4). This prophecy clearly deals with events lying in futurity. It indicates that the contents of the prophecy were to be announced by an angel to a "young man." It clearly was to be fulfilled in the latter days! In the early part of the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith, a young man of the state of New York, says he was visited by an angel who revealed to him the hiding place of the sacred record of the ancient Americas near the top of a near-by hill. It was only a comparatively short time after this (1856) that Jerusalem for the first time in history, commenced to be inhabited as a town without walls. Canon Hanover says, concerning Jerusalem, when he moved there in 1853, "The gates were closed each day from sunset to sunrise. No one could leave the city or get into it without a special permit from the Turkish Government. Large areas within the walls were unoccupied by buildings and were used for agricultural purposes. "A change for the better came in 1856. People then began to have courage to build outside the city walls."1 According to Zechariah an angel was to speak to a young man before Jerusalem was to be inhabited as a town without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein. This prophecy is now fulfilled. The modern
and largest part of Jerusalem is now built outside the walls. Joseph Smith
stands pre-eminently as being the young man who meets the requirements
of this prophecy.
THE MIRACULOUS IN MODERN AMERICA The angel who came to Joseph Smith not only revealed the hiding place of the Sacred Book but also gave instructions as to its translation into the English language. A vast amount of recently unearthed scientific evidence supports the Book of Mormon. Someone has said that if the Book of Mormon had been found while plowing a field, the world would have accepted it. The reason the world does not accept it is because it has an angel and other miraculous things connected with its coming forth. Paul says, "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of hearings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues" (I Corinthians 12:28). In his famous sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter says, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" (Acts 2:22). In biblical times prophets were approved by miracles. The seal and test of the Savior himself was in his shepherd's rod. When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent his disciples to inquire of Jesus whether he was the Messiah or not. Jesus answered
and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear
and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have
the gospel preached to them.--Matthew 11:4,5.
I will pour
out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and
also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour
out my spirit.--Joel 2:28,29.
It is a strange fact that though the modern world claims to be Christian and to believe the Bible, yet many reject Joseph Smith because of his claims of the miraculous. They do
this in the face of the inescapable fact that the miraculous is associated
with the prophets of biblical times.
TWO ANGEL STORIES After the body of Jesus had been placed in the tomb, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked that a watch be set over the tomb so that his followers could not steal the body and then claim he had risen. Under Pilate's authorization the tomb was sealed with the great seal of Rome and Roman soldiers stood guard. Then came the hour of the resurrection morn. There was a great earthquake, and an angel from heaven descended and rolled away the great stone from the door of the tomb. The Roman soldiers fled to the city in terror. They went to the high priests and Pharisees and told their story. And when
they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large
money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and
stole him away while we slept.
There are two stories about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. One is an angel's story. The other is the Solomon Spaulding story. The Roman soldiers' story of the Resurrection was a product of the enemies of Christ (high priests and Pharisees). The Solomon Spaulding story about the Book of Mormon is a product of the enemies of Joseph Smith. Inez Smith Davis says that in 1834, E. D. Howe published the first rabid exposé of Mormonism, led on by his indignation because his wife and other members of his family had united with the church. In this book he first published to the world the theory that the Book of Mormon was derived from a romance written by one Solomon Spaulding in the year 1812.2 The original Spaulding romance manuscript was lost between the time Howe published his book and the time it was discovered among a large quantity of old Ohio documents in 1884. Concerning this famous manuscript which the world had supposed was the basis for the Book of Mormon, Mr. J. H. Fairchild, president of Oberlin College in Ohio, and member of the Ohio Historical Society says, There seems
no reason to doubt this is the long lost story. Mr. Rice, myself, and others
compared it with the Book of Mormon, and could detect no resemblance between
the two, in general or in detail. There seems to be no name or incident
common to the two. The solemn style of the Book of Mormon, in imitation
of the English Scriptures, does not appear in the manuscript. The only
resemblance is in the fact that both profess to set forth the history of
lost tribes. Some other explanation of the Book of Mormon must be found,
if any explanation is required.3
THE GREAT UPHEAVAL IN ANCIENT AMERICA The manner of discovery and translation of the Book of Mormon is extraordinary and remarkable. The contents of the book are also very extraordinary and remarkable as we shall presently see. The Book of Mormon records that when Jesus was born at Bethlehem there was a day and a night and a day in America when there was no darkness (III Nephi 1:12-17). Some forty years after the Book of Mormon was published, H. H. Bancroft published his books containing the work of Ixtlilxochitl who had recorded the same event: The next
event recorded, although Veytia makes it precede the hurricane, is the
stopping of the sun for a whole day in his course as at the command of
Joshua as recorded in the Old Testament.4
And it came
to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, the fourth day
of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been
known in all the land;
CITIES ON TOPS OF MOUNTAINS One of the Book of Mormon prophets declares in his prophecy of the upheaval, And behold
there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low,
like unto a valley, and there shall be many places, which are now called
valleys, which shall become mountains, whose height is great.--Helaman
5:79.
If it is true that during the great upheaval where there were valleys "there became mountains whose height is great" it must be expected that we should find evidence of prehistoric ruins on the mountains, because cities are usually built in valleys. It is necessary to travel a steep mountain road for nine miles in order to get from the valley floor at Oaxaca to the great prehistoric city of Monte Alban on top of the mountain. Some say these cities have been built on tops of mountains for military reasons. However, when we consider the cities on tops of mountains in Peru, a new factor enters the equation. C. Reginald Enoch, F.R.G.S., says, "It is known that portions of the Andes and the North American Cordillera have been raised and that other parts have sunk. It is even conjectured that the highland region of Peru and Bolivia may have been elevated since the building of the megalithic structures of the preInca people; and one of the arguments adduced is that these buildings exist in a region where now timber does not grow and where maize will not ripen."5 Lewis Spence says, "The greatest mystery of all regarding the ruins of Tiahuanaco is the selection of the site. For what reason did the prehistoric rulers of Peru build here? The surroundings are totally unsuitable for the raising of such edifices, and the tableland upon which they are placed is at once desolate and difficult of access. The snow line is contiguous, and breathing at such a height is no easy matter."6 After the great upheaval, the Book of Mormon indicates that many of the devastated Nephite cities were "renewed" (IV Nephi 1:9,10). In the case of Tiahuanaco there is no evidence of repairing or rebuilding. When the author visited Tiahuanaco in 1949, he was greatly impressed with the evidence of prehistoric upheaval. The immense cut stones (up to two hundred tons) of which Tiahuanaco was built lie scattered about in all sorts of positions just as the ancient upheaval left the ruins. The wreckage was never cleaned up or the city repaired for the very apparent reason of the height to which the upheaval had elevated it. In 1953 in company with three others I climbed remote Mount Giengola on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Our guide told us it was three miles from the foot of the mountain to the ruins on top. Mount Giengola is a ruin few white men have visited. The mountain has a broad, extensive upper area covered with dense forest which in turn covers the ruins. There are two walls surrounding the ancient mountaintop city. On this same trip in 1953 we visited extensive mountaintop ruins at Cayo in the interior of British Honduras. Nadaillac quotes the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg as saying, "If I may judge from allusions in the documents that I have been fortunate enough to collect, there were in these regions, at that remote date convulsions of nature, deluges, terrible inundations, followed by the upheaval of mountains accompanied by volcanic eruptions. These traditions, traces of which are also met with in Mexico, Central America, Peru, and Bolivia, point to the conclusion that man existed in these various countries at the time of the upheaval of the Cordilleras and that the memory of that upheaval has been preserved."7 Mr. Nadaillac says: "Other traditions allude to convulsions of nature, to inundations, and profound disturbances, to terrible deluges, in the midst of which mountains and volcanoes suddenly rose up" (Prehistoric America, page 527). These references and quotations were not available to Joseph Smith in 1830. Mr. Nadaillac
says further concerning the great upheaval, "In the Sierra Nevada region,
at various localities on the Pacific coast, numerous traces of the presence
of man are met with. The discovery of implements or weapons at a depth
of several hundred feet, in diversely stratified beds showing no trace
of displacement, simply implies that the country was peopled many centuries
before the arrival of the Spaniards, and that the inhabitants were witnesses
of the convulsions of nature, of the volcanic phenomena, which brought
about such remarkable changes." 8
CITIES SUNK IN THE SEA The Book of Mormon says that during the great upheaval many great and notable cities were sunk. Some of these cities listed (III Nephi 4:32) were along the west coast according to descriptions in the Book of Mormon. Here again we are confronted with the remarkable fact that although it was absolutely unknown in 1830 that there were cities beneath the sea, yet the Book of Mormon contained the information that cities had been sunk beneath the sea in this general region. Johnston's Universal Encyclopedia says concerning the west coast of South America, "The whole region is subject to earthquakes, one of which in 1822 destroyed several cities, and raised the coast four feet above its former level, which change of level proved permanent."9 Let us now consider a remarkable discovery made thirty years after the Book of Mormon had been published. Mr. Baldwin says that James S. Wilson, Esq., in 1860 discovered on the coast of Ecuador "ancient or fossil pottery, vessels, images," and other manufactured articles, all finely wrought. Some of these articles were made of gold. The most remarkable fact connected with them is that they were taken from "a stratum of ancient surface earth" which was covered with a marine deposit six feet thick.... The ancient surface earth or vegetable mold, with its pottery, gold work, and other relics of civilized life, was, therefore, below the sea when that marine deposit was spread over it. This land, after being occupied by men, had subsided and settled below the ocean, remained there long enough to accumulate the marine deposit, and again been elevated to its former position above the sea level. In 1862, at a meeting of the Royal Geological Society, Sid Roderick Murchison spoke of these discoveries as follows: The discoveries Mr. Wilson has made of the existence of the works of man in a stratum of mould beneath the sea level, and covered by several feet of clay, the phenomenon being persistent for sixty miles, are of the highest interest to physical geographers and geologists. The facts seem to demonstrate that, within the human period, the lands of the west coast of Equatorial America were depressed and submerged, and that after the accumulation of marine clays above the terrestrial relics, the whole coast was elevated to its present position.10 REMARKABLE EVIDENCE FROM THE SCIENCE OF SEISMOLOGY The weird phenomena which accompany major earthquakes were absolutely unknown in 1830. There was no science of seismology at that time, yet the Book of Mormon records in their proper sequence the phenomena that accompany the great upheavals. In its eyewitness account of the great upheaval, these three terms are used concerning the quake: "rocks did rend," "dreadful groanings," "tumultuous noises" (III Nephi 4:62). Mr. E. J. Houston says, "After the actual quaking of the earth, the most wonderful and impressive thing is the great variety of sounds and noises. These occur not only while the earth waves are passing through the crust at any place, but also long before the principal shocks reach the place as well as long after they have passed."11 After the great upheaval attending the crucifixion of Jesus had ended, we find these remarkable words in the Book of Mormon: Nevertheless,
all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three
hours; and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land. And
it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the
land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen, could feel
the vapor of darkness;
There was
thick darkness,
Here are the facts every student of seismology now knows: In a major earthquake, the earth opens up and closes again. Immense quantities of carbonic and sulphurous gases are released from the interior of the earth. These gases cause immediate darkness. The gases are thick or heavy and can be felt. These gases do not support combustion, and therefore no fires can be built in their presence. Because the gases are heavy they cling close to the ground. If a person will stand or otherwise keep his head above the gases, he can breathe; otherwise he will be overcome and suffocate. Dr. Hartwig
says, "Carbonic gas and carbureted hydrogen are two gases that often proceed
from the earth's crust at various places. The former comes forth in incredible
quantities in certain regions.... A light dipped in car as is immediately
extinguished and every animal inhaling it is liable to instant suffocation."12
A SUBMARINE EARTHQUAKE From a newspaper account published in the Oakland (California) Tribune, July 4, 1945: TEXAS ISLAND
SHORES ARE COVERED BY DENIZENS OF DEEP KILLED BY QUAKE
Corpus Christi,
Texas, July 4, 1934.--Fishermen who ventured out to Padre Island for a
day of sport on the Fourth of July were confronted by the sight of thousands
of tons of dead fish, washed up on the shores of the island. Nauseating
fumes, identified as sulphur dioxide, rose from the waters of the Gulf
of Mexico, so strong that persons walking on the beach found it difficult
to breathe. The great piles of dead fish extended for about 40 miles along
the shoreline. . . . In some places the fish were stacked three feet deep.
Sharks, kingfish, mackerel, trout, and every other kind of sea life in
the region fell victim to the strange condition. Experienced fishermen
estimated that 40,000 tons of fish lay on the beach with more being washed
up all the time. Some of the fish were still alive when washed ashore,
but were so overcome by the deadly fumes that they could not swim.13
GOD MOVES IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS HIS WONDERS TO PERFORM From the beginning of God's dealings with man, the work of the Lord has always been characterized by the remarkable, the marvelous, and the miraculous. If the story of the Book of Mormon is true, then we should expect that the contents of the book itself in its relationship to all known facts will manifest the qualities of the remarkable, the extraordinary, and the marvelous. 1. Quoted
from Rebuilding Palestine According to Prophecy, by George T.B. Davis,
pages 31-34.
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CHAPTER
VI
GOD AT WORK IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE And 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.--John 10:16. Let us summarize
the evidence presented thus far:
The Good
Shepherd visited America.
We shall now give consideration to the evidence of the Good Shepherd's staff in America. What is the staff of the Shepherd of Israel? Wheat has been called the staff of life. Isaiah says, "For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, dloth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread and the whole stay of water" (Isaiah 3: 1, Inspired Version). Bread is the staff of life to the physical man, while the word of the Lord is the staff of life to the spiritual man. Moses said, "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord cloth man live" (Deuteronomy 8: 3). (See also Luke 4: 4, John 6: 26-41.) There are a number of Scriptures that clearly indicate that the word of the Lord is the bread and staff of life of the spirits of men. Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land,
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water; but of hearing the words
of the Lord:
PROPHETS AND VISIONS If there
be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a
vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.--Numbers 12: 6.
THE CIVILIZATIONS OF THE OLD WORLD Egypt produced a major civilization. Joseph, who was sold into Egypt as a slave, became the prophet of the Lord in Egypt. He was inspired to foresee the great famine and was made governor over all of Egypt. He was able to supervise the storing up of vast reserves of grain so that the people would not perish. Babylon also benefited from the presence of Hebrew prophets in its courts. Daniel occupied the same position in Babylon that Joseph filled in Egypt. Then was
the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed
the God of heaven.
The Greek and Roman civilizations also had the benefit of direct contact with prophets and visions and the word of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas and numerous other prophets and missionaries of New Testament times established branches of the church among the Greeks and Romans. In the Bible there are entire books (Romans, Corinthians, etc.) containing the word of the Lord to Greeks and Romans. The tides
of history and human progress have risen and fallen as men have either
turned to or turned away from the teachings and words of the Shepherd of
Israel and his servants, the prophets.
THE CIVILIZATION OF PREHISTORIC AMERICA The power and authority of the Good Shepherd in the Old World centered in the Shepherd's rod (miracles) and the Shepherd's staff (prophets, visions, word of the Lord). If everything pertaining to the Shepherd's rod (the miraculous) and the Shepherd's staff (the prophetic) were removed from the Old and New Testaments, there would scarcely be a dry skeleton left. Previous articles have strongly indicated that the Good Shepherd came to America, that he led the flock of Joseph to America and set up his fold here in America. We also considered equally strong evidence that his sheep in ancient America heard his voice, and that he exercised the Shepherd's rod of his power in their behalf. The four major civilizations of the Old World had direct contact with the prophets of Israel. Shall we say that the ancient civilization of America was an exception, and that it was able to reach its great height without benefit of the Shepherd's staff (prophets, visions)? The doubting soul may question the relationship between major civilizations and the prophets of Israel, yet the indisputable fact still remains that the four great civilizations of the Old World each had Hebrew prophets in their midst, and without them nations have not been able to attain equal heights. The great
biblical covenant and promise to Abraham that "in thee and in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth he blessed" (Genesis 22: 18) is strikingly
substantiated by the historical facts involved in each of the Old World
civilizations.
COLUMBUS The Book of Mormon (stick of Joseph) is like the Bible. If everything miraculous and prophetic were deleted there would scarcely be anything left. One of the Book of Mormon prophets looked down the long vista of time. In the vision which he saw of the future this prophet (Nephi) says: And I looked
and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of
my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it
came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters,
even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.--I Nephi
3: 147.
Is there
anyone so foolish ...as to believe that there are antipodes with their
feet opposite ours; people who walk with their heels upward, and their
heads hanging down; that there is a part of the world in which all things
are topsy turvy . . . where it rains, hails and snows upward!1
The historian, Mr. P. De Roo, says: There is
no sense in ascribing Columbus' admirable achievement merely to his enthusiasm
or his genius. Foolhardiness would in this case be the more correct expression.
The Book of Mormon prophet in a vision saw the Spirit of God descend on Columbus. Columbus in a letter to the king and queen of Spain (1503) na a dream he had and in which he heard a voice say, "He [the most High) gave to thee [Columbus] the keys of those great gates of the ocean . . . which fast closed with such mighty chains."3 THE VISION OF LEHI As the Bible starts with Moses (Pentateuch), so the Book of Mormon starts with Lehi. Moses had the vision of the burning bush. Lehi had a vision of a pillar of fire. It was in this vision that the Hebrew prophet Lehi first learned that the Lord had chosen him to lead a colony of Joseph from Jerusalem to a promised land. The Book of Mormon records that the Nephites measured their time from when they left Jerusalem, about 600 B.C. This was published in the Book of Mormon in 1830, nearly one hundred years before Morley and Spinden deciphered the Maya dates which revealed that the Maya calendar started from an original date in the sixth century B.C. Mr. Spinden says, "the Venus Calendar of the Mayas proceeded from an original inauguration in the sixth century before Christ."4 Gregory Mason says the date Mr. Spinden and Mr. Morley deciphered, which went back to the sixth century B.C., "took its origin from certain celestial events."5 According to Mr. Webster, a celestial event is a heavenly vision. The material presented in the preceding paragraphs appears to be well authenticated. However, in view of an earnest desire to give full recognition to all available evidence, I feel I should call attention to the fact that three scientists--Goodman, Hernandez, and Thompson--have worked out a new correlation of the date referred to. This correlation places the date about 260 years later, which would give us 353 B.C. instead of 613 B.C. Recently,
a new factor has entered the equation in regard to the two systems of reading
Maya dates. The new factor is the development by the University of Chicago
of carbon 14 as a means of determining the age of ruins. Carbon 14 appears
to be supporting the original Morley correlation of 600 B.C.
MAYA CALENDAR versus INSPIRATION Ann Axtell Morris says: It was far more accurate, indeed, than the system under which the so-called civilized world operated until about a century ago, when the revised Gregorian calendar was put into effect. Such a calendar was not invented in a week. Untold years of laborious calculation, coupled with inspired vision, must have been necessary to bring it to the finished state where we find our first date.6 THE SHEPHERD'S STAFF (PROPHETS, VISIONS) IN AMERICA In biblical times it is indicated that among other things men became prophets by fasting, prayer, and going alone into the wilderness. Moses went up into the mountain and fasted alone forty days on two different occasions. Daniel fasted two weeks, after which he had visions which extended down to the last days. Christ after his baptism went alone into the desert for forty days where he fasted and prayed and obtained the powers of his ministry. The Book of Mormon records the same kind of procedure (Enos 1: 4-8). The Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, says: "Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days, that I might know these things of myself" (Alma 3:79) Alma 12: 4, 5 states: For they
were men of a sound understanding, and they had searched the scriptures
diligently, that they might know the word of God.
A. Hyatt Verrill says: Among our
North American Indians a man usually becomes a shaman or medicine man by
fasting, prayer and seeing a vision.
The following
excerpts are from Aztec ritual prayers as found in Bancroft's Native Races
which indicate belief in prophets and prophecy.
RULER'S PRAYER TO TEZCATLIPOCA (EXCERPTS) With great
thirst I await thee and demand urgently thy word and inspiration, which
thou didst breathe into thine ancient friends and acquaintances that have
ruled with diligence and rectitude over thy kingdom. This is thy throne
and honor, on either side whereof are seated thy senators and principal
men, who are as thine image and very person. They give sentence and speak
on the affairs of the state in thy name; thou usest them as thy flutes,
speaking from within them and placing thyself in their faces and ears,
opening their mouths so that they may speak well!
PROPHECIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON The Bible contains internal evidence of its own authenticity. The prophecies and visions of its prophets have been fulfilled and are still being fulfilled. Consideration of the question of the presence of prophets and visions in ancient America cannot be complete until we examine some of the Book of Mormon's internal evidence of its authenticity. Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon contains numerous prophecies which have been fulfilled. In this
article we shall limit ourselves briefly to several prophecies the Book
of Mormon contains relative to certain things which were to happen after
the book should be published.
THE RESTORATION OF THE JEWS All Bible students know that the Scriptures are replete with prophecies concerning the restoration of the Jews to their ancient homeland. In 1830, there was no outward indication that these ancient prophecies were about to be fulfilled. The Roman Emperor, Titus, sacked Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and banished the surviving Jews to other countries. From A.D. 70 until 1830, the Jews lived as foreigners without citizenship rights in the various countries of Europe. Dr. Hollis M. Read says: It must
be evident to any common observer that there is a great movement among
them. This wonderful people, who for 1800 years remained unaltered, have
undergone a marvelous revolution within the last forty years, especially
the last twenty.10
The Book of Mormon which was published in March, 1830, contains the following prophecy: And now
I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and Gentiles. For after
the book of which I have spoken [Book of Mormon] shall come forth, and
be written unto the Gentiles . . . the Lord God shall commence his work,
among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration
of his people upon the earth.--II Nephi 12: 79, 80, 87.
There is
much at present in their civil condition that indicates the returning favor
of heaven. Nothing decisive or permanent was done to remove the disabilities
of the Jews until the beginning of the present century. . . . In England
a single ray of light darted above the horizon, but was soon extinguished.
An act passed in Parliament [1753] in favor of the Jewish Emancipation,
but was repealed the next year; and not until the year 1830 was the question
renewed and then only to be lost. Yet in the same year a bill in their
favor was carried in France.11
In an issue of the Prophetic News, published in 1887, we find the following statement: The only
countries in which, half a century ago [1837] the Jews enjoyed full and
integral equality of rights, are France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and
the United States of America. At present [1887] except Russia and Roumania,
the constitutions of all countries of the civilized world guarantee civil
and political equality of rights to the Jews.
GATHERING OF THE JEWS The Book of Mormon contains a prophecy by Christ which gives the time when the Jews should gather to Jerusalem. The time was to be very soon after the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Then shall
the covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people, be fulfilled;
and then shall Jerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall
be the land of their inheritance.
In an article published in the National Tribune in 1889 (June 15), Mr. F. G. Carpenter says: At present
the Jews are coming here by the hundreds . . . a half century ago [1839]
there were only 32 Jewish families in all Jerusalem and the number in Palestine
was only 3,000, Now [1889] there are nearly 50,000 in the Holy Land.
LEBANON TO BE A FRUITFUL FIELD In 1830, there were very few Jews in Palestine, and the country itself was desolate. The restoration of the Jews involves more than people. It involves the land also. An old encyclopedia gives us the situation in Palestine in the early part of the eighteenth century. Eighteen
centuries of war, ruin, and neglect have passed over it. Its valleys have
been cropped for ages without the least attempt at fertilization. Its terraced
walls have been allowed to crumble, and its soil has washed down its ravines,
leaving the hillsides rocky and sterile. Its trees have been cut down and
never replaced. Its fields have been desolate. Its structures pillaged
and all its improvements ruthlessly destroyed. A land of ruins without
man or beast. Everywhere, on plain or mountain, in rocky desert, or on
beetling cliff the spoiler's hand has rested.--McClintock and Strong's
Encyclopedia, Article on Palestine.
Is it not
yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field;
and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
When the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, Palestine was an unproductive wilderness. In a book published in 1935, Mr. George T. B. Davis says: The change
that has taken place in Palestine . . . is almost unbelievable, and well
nigh beggars description. Swamp lands have been reclaimed, and have given
place to waving fields of grain. Sandy wastes have been turned into beautiful
orange groves. Desert places have been turned into a veritable garden of
Eden. Indeed it is quite probable that such a sadden change from a waste
wilderness to a land blossoming as the rose has never before been witnessed
in the history of the world.12
Israel is planning 66,000 farm units by the end of 1954 with the rural population to be doubled within three years to reach 600,000 people living and working in farm areas or about 30 per cent of the population. More than 950,000 acres, which is almost 18 per cent of the territory of the state and well over one third of the total cultivable land in the country, is now under cultivation in Israel. In addition
to its agricultural wealth recent surveys indicate there may be rich oil
deposits in Palestine. Its phosphate deposits are fabulous. There are also
rich manganese deposits as well as other valuable minerals.
THE TIMES BEFORE APPOINTED When Paul went up on Mars' Hill, he found an altar "To the Unknown God." Whom therefore
ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world
and all things therein, . . .
It is a matter of history that the five previous major civilizations (Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and prehistoric America) were all directly associated with and influenced by prophets and the word of the Lord. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of prophets, visions, and the word of the Lord in our day has been followed by the greatest era of scientific, social, and intellectual progress the world has ever known, and the nation (United States of America) that has nestled the return of an authoritative religion (prophets, visions) has become the heart and center of our great twentieth century civilization. 1. Washington
Irving, Life of Columbus, page 35.
Hanson's Jesus Christ Among the Ancient Americans. 9. H. H.
Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, pages 228, 230.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER
VII
THE GOLDEN AGE OF ANCIENT AMERICA And 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.--John
10:16.
In one of the beautiful shepherd chapters of the Bible, Jesus says, "I am come that they [the sheep] might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10: 10). In a previous chapter, we discussed the fact that the mountain peaks of great achievements in the history of the world (Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, prehistoric America, and modern civilization) have all had direct contact with the servants (prophets) of the Good Shepherd (Joseph, Daniel, Paul, Barnabas, Nephi, Joseph Smith, et al.). From the beginning, the purpose of Jesus Christ has been to lead them out of the valley of ignorance, sin, and inferiority. From the beginning, the influence of Christ and his teachings has moved men to climb upward toward better things. The Lord
is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me beside the still waters.--Psalm 23:1, 2.
Wherever the Christian influence goes and to the measure it is accepted, men "have life and have it more abundantly." The reverse is also true. When men turn away from the Christian influence, selfishness, materialism, and even barbarism quickly manifest themselves. Nazi Germany is a classic example. Hitler and his followers turned away from Christ and his teachings. In a few short years, Germany descended to barbaric practices that shocked and appalled the civilized world. The facts of history unequivocally indicate that the finer things of life are directly traceable to Jesus Christ. Kenneth Scott Latourette says: We have,
and properly, had much to say of the effects of Christianity upon the collective
life of communities, nations, and mankind as a whole. Here has been the
most potent force which mankind has known for the dispelling of illiteracy,
for the creation of schools, and for the emergence of new types of education.
From Christianity have issued impulses for daring intellectual and geographic
adventures. The universities, centers for pushing forward the boundaries
of human knowledge, were at the outset largely Christian creations. Music,
architecture, painting, poetry, and philosophy have owed some of their
greatest achievements to Christianity. Democracy as it was known in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries was in large part the outgrowth of Christian
teaching. The abolition of Negro slavery was due chiefly to Christianity.
So, too, were the measures taken to protect the Indians against the exploitation
of whites. The most hopeful movements of the regulation of war, for the
mitigation of the sufferings entailed by war and for the eventual abolition
of war, owed their inception chiefly to the Christian faith.
The finest workmanship of our twentieth century civilization is traceable to the influence of Jesus Christ. "The fine workmanship" of prehistoric America is also traceable to the Good Shepherd's appearance and influence among the ancient Americans. Lewis Spence says: Immediately
prior to the discovery there was in America a widely disseminated belief
that at a relatively remote period strangers from the east had visited
American soil, eventually returning to their own abodes in the Land of
Sunrise. Such, for example, was the Mexican legend of Quetzalcoatl. . .
. He landed with several companions at Vera Cruz, and speedily brought
to bear the power of a civilizing agency upon native opinion.3
And surely
there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created
by the hand of God: There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were
there Lamanites, nor any manner of ites; but they were in one, the children
of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.--IV Nephi 1:19,20.
The greatest
legend, so full of noble suggestions, relates to Quetzalcoatl, who came
from the eastern world to Guatemala, and the Golden Age that arose under
his preaching, when the birds sang never before so sweetly, when the flowers
bloomed never before so brightly, and a single ear of corn taxed the strength
of a man, and no violence was allowed to bird, beast or man.4
They worshiped
at first one God. . A divine being, Quetzalcoatl, descended to earth, revived
ancient ways of life and brought new secrets of power. It was the Golden
Age of Anahuac.5
Quetzalcoatl
was very rich; he had all that was needful both to eat and to drink; maize
was abundant, and a head of it was as much as a man could carry. . . .
Pumpkins measured a fathom round ...cotton was sowed and gathered of all
colors.... The vassals or adherents of Quetzalcoatl were also very rich
and wanted for nothing. . . .
WISDOM OF THE WISE SHALL PERISH The twenty-ninth chapter of Isaiah deals with the coming forth of a book. The statements of the prophet indicate that the book would come out of the ground and that the wisdom of the wise men would perish. And she [Ariel] shall be brought down, and shall speak out of the ground, and her speech shall be low out of the dust; and her voice shall be as one that bath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and her speech shall whisper out of the dust.--Isaiah 29: 14. THE WISDOM OF THE WISE MEN OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY The archaeologists of the early part of the nineteenth century had no understanding of America possessing a rich pre-Columbian history and conceded only a meager archaeology of clay pots and bone awls. The prehistoric inhabitants of America were referred to as stone-age men. Stone implements and flint arrow points comprised the cultural achievements of the pre-Hispanic inhabitants.7 The wise men of the early part of the nineteenth century did not believe there were great pre-Columbian American nations. In 1830, a book was published, giving the history of two great pre-Columbian civilizations. This book (the Book of Mormon) literally fulfills Isaiah's prophecy about "speaking out of the ground" and "whispering out of the dust." It came forth out of the ground and was published to the world (1830) nine years before the first pre-Columbian city (Chichen Itza) was explored and publicized to the English-speaking world. Before the facts were known, the Book of Mormon told the story of Christ's visit to ancient America and of the fine workmanship accomplished by the ancient Americans. We will
now give the reader the facts and let each one judge for himself as to
whether "the wisdom of the wise men" has perished.
TWO CIVILIZATIONS Before science had discovered positive evidence of one civilization the Book of Mormon was published containing the story of the two great civilizations and their "fine workmanship" in hundreds of details. It is now common knowledge that there was more than one major civilization in ancient America as well as lesser cultures. Remains have been found of ancient people in America which are classified as "archaic," and there are remains of civilizations left by the pre-Incas, Incas, Nahuas, Mayas, Olmecs, Aztecs, et al. Gregory Mason says: But we must
remember that there seems to have been a great gap between the sort of
life these later nations led and the existence of the "archaic" people;
the relics of the two eras which have come down to us show scarcely any
similarity and many divergencies. . . . It is quite possible that the Mayas,
Aztecs, and Peruvians, were just about as ignorant of these "archaic" people
as we are.8
Thomas Gann writes about the Mayas being archaeologists and collecting figurines, etc., of the civilization which had preceded them.10 According to the Book of Mormon, the first people came to America from the Tower of Babel (2200 B.C.), and the second people from Jerusalem (600 B.C.). Thomas Gann says that the archaic era dates back some 3,500 years while the Old Empire civilization dates back 1,500 years.11 The Book
of Mormon records the history of the two oldest and greatest civilizations
of America. After the demise of the second great civilization (Nephite),
the records were deposited in the earth by the last prophet in the early
part of the fourth century after Christ. After the close of Book of Mormon
history, several lesser civilizations arose, such as the Inca, the Maya
new empire, the Aztec, et al,
FINE WORKMANSHIP IN BUILDINGS Before archaeology and scientific research brought the facts to light, men of learning used such terms as "stone age men" and "no pre-Columbian history." The Book of Mormon contains many statements about fine workmanship in great temples and palaces. Here is a sample statement: And it came
to pass that King Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings.... And
he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within
the walls of the temple.--Mosiah 7: 11, 13.
Concerning the House of the Governor at Uxmal, Yucatan, Gregory Mason says: This building
is 320 feet in length, and is said to contain two hundred thousand cubic
feet of masonry not counting the massive substructure. Wonderfully designed
and constructed, its façade is covered with most ornate sculpture.
. . .
In 1940 a group of eight of us visited the ball court and Temple of the Bearded White God at Chichen Itza, Yucatan. Our guide divided the party one half at one end of the structure and the other half at the other end. We whispered back and forth, a distance of well over three hundred feet. In the St. Louis Globe Democrat for December 12, 1948, there is an article describing the remarkable acoustics of this ancient building. A Mayan quartet accompanied by violin and guitar softly played and sang, and though they were 493 feet away every note of the music and blending of the native voices floated perfectly through the tropical air. The Yale expedition to Machu Picchu in 1912 uncovered stone buildings of master artists in masonry. The precision, symmetry of construction, and gradual graduation of the tiers combine to produce an effect which is a joy to behold.14 Archaeologists
marvel at the way huge stones weighing many tons are fitted together with
such accuracy that not even a knife blade can be inserted between them.
With some of the finest work at Ollantaytambo, Peru, the joints are too
fine to be seen with the naked eye. It is necessary to use a lens to be
sure there is really a seam and not a false joint.15
METALLURGY Some learned men of the nineteenth century thought the prehistoric Americans were a stone-age people. The Book of Mormon, however, told the world a different story when it was published in 1830. Here is asample of numerous statements found in the book: And we multiplied
exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceeding
rich in gold, and in silver, and precious things, and in fine workmanship
of wood in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron, and copper, and
brass, and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the
ground, and weapons of war.--Jarom 1:19.
They had
great skill in the art of working metals, especially gold and silver. Besides
these precious metals, they had copper, tin, lead, and quicksilver. . .
. Their goldsmiths and silversmiths had attained very great proficiency.16
Clark Wissler says: Metal work
was praiseworthy, especially at Cartago (Colombia). Skillful casting ...
has been noted, and good examples of soldering, plating, and even gilding
have been collected. Different colored alloys were produced of gold, silver,
and copper.17
The Book of Mormon says the ancient people wore all manner of gold and silver jewelry and even pearls (III Nephi 1: 27). Dr. Alfonso
Caso found more than five hundred articles from tomb seven (Monte Alban),
including necklaces of gold, pearl, and turquoise composed of hundreds
of beads each.18
ASTRONOMY According to the Book of Mormon, the ancient Americans were well advanced in their knowledge of the movements of the stars and planets: "all the planets which move in their regular form, doth witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 16: 55). "And behold there shall be a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld."--Helaman 5: 59. Before the great mounds of the prehistoric cities of Central America were opened up, learned men thought that the prehistoric Americans were unlearned barbarians. They have now revised their concepts. No revisions are necessary for the Book of Mormon. Herbert Spinden, Ph.D., says: When the
most of our ancestors were untutored barbarians, the Mayan-Priest astronomers
had developed their science to a mathematical precision.... They could
tell the exact number of days between the recurrence of any phenomena.19
STAIRCASE FARMS The Book of Mormon gives numerous instances of proficiency in the cultivation of all kinds of agricultural products. (See Mosiah 4: 9; Enos 1: 34, etc.) Archaeologists have found that to reclaim a single acre of Mountainside land in Peru involved the laying of approximately seven hundred perches of stone and the transportation of nearly five thousand tons of soil. The staircase farms built by prehistoric man in Peru involve the moving of millions of tons of earth and the cutting and transportation of millions of perches of stone.21 For their fine developments in the field of agriculture, we owe the ancient Americans a tremendous debt of gratitude. Herbert J. Spinden says, "We owe to the Indian well over half of our agricultural wealth."22 It is estimated that the world's annual production of one of these products alone (the potato) is of greater value than all the gold the Spaniards obtained from the New World. Maize, or Indian corn, a second valuable product that has come down to us from prehistoric America via the Indian, produces more than $300,000,000 worth annually. Other products
for which we owe the fine agricultural work to the prehistoric Americans
include pineapples, squashes, pumpkin, strawberries, sweet potatoes, alligator
pears, cascara sagrada, kidney beans, persimmons, tomatoes, cocaine, peanuts,
lima beans, peppers, quinine, turkeys, tobacco, and rubber.
THERAPEUTICS The Book of Mormon says: And there
were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year was 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 man was subject by the nature of the climate.--Alma
21: 75-77.
Donald Cadzow says: The red
medicine man, as known to the average tribe was the one who treated his
patient by the use of herbs, barks, and roots of certain trees and shrubs,
the knowledge concerning the use of which has been handed down through
the ages.24
Archaeologists believe brain surgery was practiced to a considerable extent because of the large number of trepanned skulls found.26 In Time magazine for October 26, 1953 ("Echo of the Incas"), there is a write-up concerning two of Peru's leading surgeons who have been studying and experimenting with ancient brain surgery instruments and methods. They performed a brain surgery with the ancient Inca instruments which was entirely successful. Dr. Graña, one of the surgeons, declared that the ancient's tools and methods were as good as the modem's and in some ways perhaps better. (Modern brain surgery was made possible by the discoveries of Pasteur and Lister and dates back only about fifty years.) Donald Cadzow says: Dental surgery was also practiced in ancient times by the people of some parts of South America. Occasionally skulls have been found by explorers with the enamel of the front teeth very skillfully scraped off and round solid gold discs inset.27 LOST ART OF COLORING A. Hyatt Verrill says: Cups, vessels, utensils, and many other objects were highly and beautifully embellished with colors applied like lacquer or enamel. Even today, after a lapse of centuries, the colors upon these are bright and fresh. Chemicals have little if any effect upon the pigments used, and they resist the action of all ordinary known solvents. No one has yet been able to learn the secret of their composition or to duplicate them, and we may consider the work as a true lost art.28 FINE TWINED LINEN In the field of textiles, the contrast between the Book of Mormon and the learned men of the nineteenth century stands out in bold relief. The expression "bone awls |