A friend recently shared a story about a young man in his ward. The student graduated from high school and enrolled at Utah State University in Logan. Midway through his freshman year at college, he announced to his parents that he was leaving the Church because "there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon." I decided to compile a list of the 10 evidences I find most convincing. A few months ago, I received an email from John L. Sorenson who asked that I share some of his thoughts on the subject. Citing salient points from his 2013 magnum opus,
Mormon's Codex: An Ancient American Book, John concludes that those who maintain there is no archaeological evidence for Mormonism's keystone scripture "remain ignorant of the actual situation." This article derives from my experience, John's thoughts, and
Book of Mormon Central's superb
KnoWhy series, the first 137 of which will appear soon in a new book from
Covenant Communications entitled
Knowing Why.
1. The Book of Mormon mentions Mulek (
Yale 2009 Muloch), son of Zedekiah (ca. 618 - 587 BC), King of Judah deposed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon
Helaman 6:10,
8:21. A variant of the name Mulek as royal son is now attested in Levantine archaeology from a clay seal dating from the time of Zedekiah. See
KnoWhy #103 published May 19, 2016.
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| Clay Seal Excavated in Jerusalem in the 1980's |
2. The Book of Mormon mentions a pre-existing place called Nahom on the Red Sea side of the Arabian Peninsula. Ishmael was buried at Nahom
1 Nephi 16:34, his family mourned there
1 Nephi 16:35, and Lehi's party changed direction at that place and traveled almost due east
1 Nephi 17:1 until they came to Bountiful
1 Nephi 17:5 by the sea. A place called Nihm/Naham does exist on the Red Sea side of the Arabian Peninsula in modern Yemen. As with all images on this blog, click to enlarge.
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| Naham Tribal Area between Sana'a and Marib in Yemen |
Naham is home to the largest ancient cemetery in Arabia. The Semitic root of the term implies sorrow or mourning. The name in this geographic area is attested from Lehi's era.
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| My friend, Warren Aston, pointing out the name NHM on an altar that pre-dates Lehi |
And, travelling almost due east from the Naham Tribal Area brings one to Khor Khofot, the one place on the south Arabian coast that meets all of the Book of Mormon criteria for Bountiful.
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| Nearly Eastward from the Naham Tribal Area to Likely Bountiful |
See
KnoWhy #19 published January 26, 2016.
3. The Book of Mormon says Lehi and his family used an amalgamation of Hebrew and Egyptian language elements
1 Nephi 1:2. A similar compound system was in use 1,000 years later at the end of the Nephite era
Mormon 9:32-33. We now know that a form of Egyptian script known as Palestinian Hieratic was in use by Hebrew-speaking Judean scribes in Lehi's day. Nearly 200 examples of this Hebrew/Egyptian amalgam have been found.
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Ostracon from Tel Arad ca. 597 BC with Both
Hebrew and Egyptian Language Elements |
See
KnoWhy #4 published January 5, 2016.
4. The Book of Mormon says the people of Zarahemla (commonly called Mulekites) sailed across the sea from the ancient Near East ca. 588 BC and made landfall in the land northward, then settled permanently in a sparsely-populated part of the land southward
Alma 22:30-31,
Omni 1:15-16. This means they must have sailed past the Olmec capital, La Venta, which was going strong in 588 BC. The presence of Jewish/Phoenician seafarers in what is today Tabasco, Mexico would have been sensational news to the Olmec and we have good evidence that they memorialized the inter-cultural encounter in stone on La Venta Stela 3 excavated in 1943 by Matthew W. Stirling and Philip Drucker. This sculpture is generally dated ca. 600 - 550 BC and is sometimes euphemistically called the "Uncle Sam Stela."
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| La Venta Stela 3 Newly-Excavated in 1943 |
Drucker said "... the principal figures on this monument represent a meeting of Olmec and non-Olmec personages." Philip Drucker, "On the Nature of Olmec Polity" in
The Olmec and Their Neighbors: Essays in Memory of Matthew W. Stirling, Elizabeth P. Benson, Editor, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1981, p. 44.
Tatiana Proskouriakoff called the person on the right "... a bearded man with a conspicuously aquiline nose." She called the figure a "bearded visitor" and a "bearded stranger." She said "... these figures represent two racially distinct groups of people." Tatiana Proskouriakoff, "Olmec and Maya Art: Problems of Their Stylistic Relation" in
Dumbarton Oaks Conference on the Olmec October 28th and 29th, 1967, Elizabeth P. Benson, Editor, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1968, p. 122
This map shows La Venta with Mulek's likely sea voyage route.
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| Mulek's Likely Route in White Passing by La Venta |
5. The Book of Mormon describes the first Nephite capital, the city of Nephi, in some detail.
