Showing posts with label Book of Mormon geography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon geography. Show all posts

Saturday, April 26, 2014

"Nephite" Coinage in 1860 Colorado

I owe the following to Sandra Tanner, who turned my attention to the following brief but interesting piece originally published as "An Old Nephite Coin", The Deseret News 10/41 (12 December 1860): 321.  (As is not unusual, "interesting" in mid-nineteenth-century Utah has something to do with William W. Phelps.) 


Hon. George Peacock, of Manti, has exhibited in our office an old copper coin, recently found by some explorer or hunter on the Colorado river, on both sides of which are hieroglyphics or characters and Hebrew coin letters.  Not being one of the "learned," we submitted it to Professor Phelps, who has given us the following as a literal translation of the characters:
The King, Hagagadonihah, over the kingdom of the sea west, sends to all greeting: one senine.
On the other side - 
In the 95th year of the Kingdom of Christ, 9th year of my reign: Peace and life.
Mottoes: "Weapon to weapon:
               Life for life."

The coin is 1765 years old; and is evidently a Nephite Senine or farthing, as mentioned in the fifth chapter of second Nephi, in the Book of Mormon - English edition, page 517.  It is about the size of an English farthing.  The numerals are plain Arabic figures.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Book of Mormon Geography: A Perspective from 1878

While glancing through an issue of The Juvenile Instructor, I found a little lesson for children, presented in Q&A format, dealing in part with Book of Mormon geography. I doubt very much that the author ever imagined that a time would come when his or her answers would be viewed as controversial within LDS circles! The following is taken from "Questions and Answers on the Book of Mormon: Lesson XXXIV", The Juvenile Instructor 13/02 (15 January 1878): 16.
Q. What three colonies does the Book of Mormon mention, as having settled on this American continent?
A. That led by Jared and his brother from the Tower of Babel, that led by Lehi and Nephi, and that led by Mulek, the son of King Zedekiah.
Q. By what names were they known?
A. The first was called Jaredites, the second Nephites and Lamanites, and the third the people of Zarahemla.
Q. What part of the continent did the Jaredites principally occupy?
A. North America, though it is probable that they spread over all the land.
Q. Were the other colonies confined to any particular place of North or South America?
A. No; they spread over all the land.
Q. In the beginning where did they principally live?
A. The Nephites and Lamanites first lived in South America, afterwards in Central America and then in North America.
Q. Where was the Jaredite nation destroyed?
A. At the hill Ramah.
Q. Where was the Nephite nation destroyed?
A. At the hill Cumorah.
Q. Are these two names for the same hill?
A. Yes; it was called Ramah by the Jaredites, and Cumorah by the Nephites.
Q. In what part of the land is this hill?
A. Between Palmyra and Manchester, Oneida County, in the State of New York.
Q. Do you know where Joseph Smith the prophet found the records of the Book of Mormon?
A. He found them in the hill Cumorah.