The Annual Fall Festival in the Book of Mormon

In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work . . . For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the LORD. (Leviticus 16:29-30)

The Hebrew Bible actually records three festivals in ancient Israel during the autumnal harvest month of Tishri: New Year (Rosh ha-Shana) starting on the 1st of Tishri, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) starting on the 10th, and Tabernacles (Sukkot) starting on the 15th (cf. Num 29 and Lev 23). However, this tri-fold division of the festival complex is generally seen as a post-exilic redaction, the consensus being that anciently there was a single yearly autumnal agrarian ingathering festival that was later divided into the three distinct feasts.[1] This is seen as happening in stages. In the time of King Josiah, the deuteronomist reformers deemphasized the land atonement and land fertility aspects of the fall festival (as well as its local nature) in order to create a national festival at the Jerusalem Temple.[2] Later, due to the exile, the solar-based harvest calendar is abandoned in favor of a Babylonian lunar system of chronology that required fixing rituals to precise calculations of new moons rather than on a fluctuating harvest season.[3] Many of the names used for months in Israel's calendar, including Tishri itself, are actually of Babylonian origin; very few of the original Hebrew names for the months are actually known, further evidence of the editing that took place due to Babylonian influence.

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A Robe of Righteousness: From Adam to Isaiah

Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. (Psalms 132:9)

The imagery of a robe of righteousness is one of the more powerful symbols of the Atonement in the Book of Mormon. Yet it is only used twice in that text—once by Nephi and once by his brother Jacob.[1] It is a priestly symbol linked to the Day of Atonement ritual (Leviticus 16) likely influenced by Isaiah, yet at least Jacob's usage seems to also evoke imagery associated with Adam.

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Nephi and His Brothers Hit it Off

 
In my last post, "Psalm 1 and 2 as the Tree of Life Vision," I discussed the rod of iron in Lehi's vision and in Psalm 2 as a symbol of authority to rule both temporally and spiritually. The divine kings of the ancient Near East were given a staff at their coronation that assisted them in warding off enemies in war while shepherding their subjects along the correct path. In this respect, there is a curious event involving a rod that plays out with Nephi and his brothers.

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Psalm 1 and 2 as the Tree of Life Vision

Soon after a prophetic calling that appears to include initiation into the Divine Council,[1] the prophet Lehi receives a vision of the tree of life. He describes a harrowing journey through a dark and dreary wilderness that troubles him enough that he prays for mercy. He then finds himself at the tree of life, whose fruit makes those who partake of it happy, filling them with exceeding joy. The tree is planted near a river, by which he sees a path and a rod of iron. Lehi then contrasts those who follow this path to happiness with those who choose other paths, becoming lost in midst of darkness and among the mocking throngs of those in the great and spacious building.

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Alma's Baptismal Covenant

In the church we typically view baptism as an individual covenant that puts us on the pathway to eternal life and exaltation. In the book of Mosiah we see Alma the Elder travel this entire road, from sin and rebellion to repentance, baptism, and enduring to the end with a promise of eternal life. What I love about his journey, however, is that it underscores how much these important individual covenants are actually not about the individual at all. Alma's words to the gathered prospective saints at the waters of Mormon are a great example of this:

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Lamanite Kings and Approaching Armies

There are a number of episodes in The Book of Mormon that contain thematic and textual similarities. For example, both Nephi and Lehi experience visions of the tree of life that are similar, and Alma the Younger recounts his conversion story using language that is very much like his father's. (For specific comments on the latter, see my entry under Authorial Influence: Alma the Elder and Alma the Younger.) Another recurring motif appears in the context of Lamanite kings and approaching armies.

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Zenos and the Prayer of Enos

That Jacob seems to have an affinity for the prophet Zenos is evident in his quotation of that prophet's allegory (Jacob chapter five) and his own explanation and application of it (chapter six). One even wonders whether his son Enos is named after Zenos in some fashion. Aside from the parable in Jacob 5, however, we also have portions of his text as cited from other Book of Mormon authors. For example, Alma, in response to questions from the poor among the Zoramites, quotes Zenos as talking about worship in prayer in multiple locations. Part of the text reads as follows:

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