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< Book of Mormon | Geography | Statements | Nineteenth century
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:We publish the foregoing for the purpose of giving our readers some ideas of the antiquities of the Nephites—of their ancient cities, temples, monuments, towers, fortifications, and inscriptions now in ruin amid the solitude of an almost impenetrable forest; but fourteen hundred years since, in the days of Mormon, they were the abodes of thousands and millions of human beings, and the centre of civil and military operations unsurpassed in any age or country. | :We publish the foregoing for the purpose of giving our readers some ideas of the antiquities of the Nephites—of their ancient cities, temples, monuments, towers, fortifications, and inscriptions now in ruin amid the solitude of an almost impenetrable forest; but fourteen hundred years since, in the days of Mormon, they were the abodes of thousands and millions of human beings, and the centre of civil and military operations unsurpassed in any age or country. | ||
− | :What a satisfaction it is for the lovers of intelligence to realize, that while the minds of Mr. stephens and many others of the learned world have been and still are enveloped in mystery, impenetrable, dark, and drear on the subject of ancient America; and while they contemplate the ruins of a nation, whose very name as they say is lost in oblivion, and whose history they say has not come down to us; we have their entire history,Otheir origin, laws, government, religion, wars, and lastly their destruction; lately discovered in their own hand-writing, unfolded by the power of him whose Nspirit searches all things, yea, the deep things | + | :What a satisfaction it is for the lovers of intelligence to realize, that while the minds of Mr. stephens and many others of the learned world have been and still are enveloped in mystery, impenetrable, dark, and drear on the subject of ancient America; and while they contemplate the ruins of a nation, whose very name as they say is lost in oblivion, and whose history they say has not come down to us; we have their entire history,Otheir origin, laws, government, religion, wars, and lastly their destruction; lately discovered in their own hand-writing, unfolded by the power of him whose Nspirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God by him who has declared that there is nothing secret that shall not be revealed, and nothing hid that shall not be known, and come abroad, and that this history is now extensively published on both sides of the Atlantic, and tens of thousands of copies of it are multiplied and scattered among the people. The "mytery" which Mr. stephens and the wise men of Babylon acknowledge themselves entirely unable to fathom, has by a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, been opened, brought forth from amid the mouldering archives and sepulchral ruins of a nation and a country before unknown to the other parts of the world. It is a striking and extraordinary coincidence, that, in the Book of Mormon, commencing page 563, there is an account of many cities as existing among the Nephites on the "narrow neck of land which connected the north country with the south country;" and Mormon names a number of them, which were strongly fortified, and were the theatres of tremendous battles, and that finally the Nephites were destroyed or driven to the northward, from year to year, and their towns and country made most desolate, until the remnant became extinct on the memorable heights of cumorah (now western New York),OI say it is remarkable that Mr. smith, in translating the Book of Mormon from 1827 to 1830, should mention the names and circumstances of those towns and fortifications in this very section of country, where a Mr stephens, ten years afterwards, penetrated a dense forest, till then unexplored by modern travellers , and actually fines the ruins of those very cities mentioned by Mormon. |
:The nameless nation of which he speaks were the Nephites. | :The nameless nation of which he speaks were the Nephites. | ||
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::"According to Fuentes, the chronicler of the kingdom of Guatimala, the kings of Quinche and cachiquel were descended from the Toltecan Indians, who, when they came into this country, found it already inhabited by people of different nations. According to the the manuscripts of Don Juan Torres, the grandson of the last king of the Quiches, which was in the po ssession of the lieutenant general appointed by Pedro de Alvarado, and which Fuentes says he obtained by means of Father Francis vasques, the historian of the order of san Francis, the Toltecas themselves descended from the house of Israel, who were released by Moses from the tyranny of Pharaoh, and after crossing the Red sea, fell into Idolatry. To avoid the reproofs of Moses, or from fear of his inflicting upon them some chastisement, they separated from him and his brethren, and under the guidance of Tanub, their chief, passed from one continent to the other, to a place which they called the seven caverns, a part of the kingdom of Mexico, where they founded the celebrated city of Tula."{{ref|facts.are.stubborn}} | ::"According to Fuentes, the chronicler of the kingdom of Guatimala, the kings of Quinche and cachiquel were descended from the Toltecan Indians, who, when they came into this country, found it already inhabited by people of different nations. According to the the manuscripts of Don Juan Torres, the grandson of the last king of the Quiches, which was in the po ssession of the lieutenant general appointed by Pedro de Alvarado, and which Fuentes says he obtained by means of Father Francis vasques, the historian of the order of san Francis, the Toltecas themselves descended from the house of Israel, who were released by Moses from the tyranny of Pharaoh, and after crossing the Red sea, fell into Idolatry. To avoid the reproofs of Moses, or from fear of his inflicting upon them some chastisement, they separated from him and his brethren, and under the guidance of Tanub, their chief, passed from one continent to the other, to a place which they called the seven caverns, a part of the kingdom of Mexico, where they founded the celebrated city of Tula."{{ref|facts.are.stubborn}} | ||
− | Note that the author regards south of the | + | Note that the author regards south of the isthmus of Darien (Panama) as being part of "the whole continent." He likewise invokes purported myths from Guatemala and other Central American areas as evidence for the Book of Mormon. |
==== September 1842: ''Millennial Star''—"western continent"==== | ==== September 1842: ''Millennial Star''—"western continent"==== | ||
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:[W]e have found another important fact relating to the truth of the Book of Mormon. ''Central America, or Guatimala [Guatemala], is situated north of the Isthmus of Darien and once embraced several hundred miles of territory from north to south.-The city of Zarahemla, burnt at the crucifixion of the Savior, and rebuilt afterwards, stood upon this land'' as will be seen from the following words in the book of Alma...It is certainly a good thing for the excellency and veracity, of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, that the ruins of Zarahemla have been found where the Nephites left them: and that a large stone with engravings upon it as Mosiah said; and a 'large round stone, with the sides sculptured in hieroglyphics,' as Mr. Stephens has published, is also among the left remembrances of the, (to him,) lost and unknown. We are not going to declare positively that the ruins of Quirigua are those of Zarahemla, but when the land and the stones, and the books tell the story so plain, we are of opinion, that it would require more proof than the Jews could bring to prove the disciples stole the body of Jesus from the tomb, to prove that the ruins of the city in question, are not one of those referred to in the Book of Mormon...''It will not be a bad plan to compare Mr. Stephens' ruined cities with those in the Book of Mormon'': light cleaves to light, and facts are supported by facts.{{ref|ts2}} {{ea}} | :[W]e have found another important fact relating to the truth of the Book of Mormon. ''Central America, or Guatimala [Guatemala], is situated north of the Isthmus of Darien and once embraced several hundred miles of territory from north to south.-The city of Zarahemla, burnt at the crucifixion of the Savior, and rebuilt afterwards, stood upon this land'' as will be seen from the following words in the book of Alma...It is certainly a good thing for the excellency and veracity, of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, that the ruins of Zarahemla have been found where the Nephites left them: and that a large stone with engravings upon it as Mosiah said; and a 'large round stone, with the sides sculptured in hieroglyphics,' as Mr. Stephens has published, is also among the left remembrances of the, (to him,) lost and unknown. We are not going to declare positively that the ruins of Quirigua are those of Zarahemla, but when the land and the stones, and the books tell the story so plain, we are of opinion, that it would require more proof than the Jews could bring to prove the disciples stole the body of Jesus from the tomb, to prove that the ruins of the city in question, are not one of those referred to in the Book of Mormon...''It will not be a bad plan to compare Mr. Stephens' ruined cities with those in the Book of Mormon'': light cleaves to light, and facts are supported by facts.{{ref|ts2}} {{ea}} | ||
− | ====1 Nov. 1842: | + | ====1 Nov. 1842: Yucatan ruins appealed to as evidence==== |
The ruins of ''Chi-Chen'' are discussed; no commentary is included.{{ref|ts.15.nov.1842}} | The ruins of ''Chi-Chen'' are discussed; no commentary is included.{{ref|ts.15.nov.1842}} |
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This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.
Note that Columbus never reached the United States; he was confined to Mexico and Caribbean.
Parley P. Pratt in England wrote of “ruins in Central America” providing Book of Mormon evidence in the Millennial Star. He cited extensively from Stephens and Catherwood's work on Central American archaeology, and then wrote:
NOTE: Page 862 of this issue of the Times and Seasons states: "The Times and Seasons, Is edited, printed and published about the first and fifteenth of every month, on the corner of Water and Bain Streets, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, by JOSEPH SMITH"
This statement was signed "ED," which attributes it directly to Joseph Smith.
NOTE: Page 926 of this issue of the Times and Seasons states: "The Times and Seasons, Is edited, printed and published about the first fifteenth of every month, on the corner of Water and Bain Streets, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, by JOSEPH SMITH."
Although Joseph Smith is listed as the editor at this time, opinions vary on whether it may have actually been either John Taylor or Wilford Woodruff who wrote this unsigned article.[9][10] John Taylor later became the editor of Times and Seasons. Regardless of whether it was Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, or John Taylor who wrote this article, its publication occurred prior to the death of Joseph Smith. The subject being discussed is a very popular book by John L. Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, which Joseph Smith read and enjoyed:
Note that the author regards south of the isthmus of Darien (Panama) as being part of "the whole continent." He likewise invokes purported myths from Guatemala and other Central American areas as evidence for the Book of Mormon.
NOTE: Page 942 of this issue of the Times and Seasons states: "The Times and Seasons, Is edited, printed and published about the first fifteenth of every month, on the corner of Water and Bain Streets, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, by JOSEPH SMITH."
The ruins of Chi-Chen are discussed; no commentary is included.[15]
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