A Nazarene Looks at the Book of Mormon Part 2
A NAZARENE LOOKS AT THE BOOK OF MORMON
Part 2
see part 1
By James Scott Trimm
The Book of Mormon claims that the peoples which it depicts as coming to the new world kept the law of Moses in all things until the time of Messiah's death:
"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"
(2Ne. 5:10)
"...we keep the law of Moses.." (2Ne. 25:24)
"...They observed to keep the law of Moses..." (Jarom 1:5)
"And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks,
that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings
according to the law of Moses;"
(Mosiah 2:3)
...the people did observe to keep the commandments of the Lord;
and they were strict in observing the ordinances of God,
according to the law of Moses;
for they were taught to keep the law of Moses
until it should be fulfilled.
(Alma 30:3)
But does the Book of Mormon prove true in this regard? Does it stand the test of Torah? Does its author even display and accurate knowledge of Torah?
THE PRIESTHOOD
In the Book of Mormon, during the time period in which its people supposedly "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10), Nephi consecrates his brothers Joseph and Jacob as priests:
And it came to pass that I Nephi,
did consecrate Jacob and Joseph,
that they should be priests and teachers
over the land of my people.
- 2Ne. 5:26
For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph
had been consecrated priests and teachers
of this people, by the hand of Nephi.
- Jacob 1:18
Now this Jacob and Joseph were both sons of Lehi (1Ne. 18:7; 2Ne. 2:2) and this Lehi was a Josephite (1Ne. 15:12; 19:24; 2Ne. 3:2-5; Jacob 2:5 & Alma 10:3; 26:36). Thus Jacob and Joseph were both from the Tribe of Joseph and NOT from the Tribe of Levi.
But the Torah is very clear. One must be from the Tribe of Levi and a son of Aharon (Aaron) to be consecrated as a priest (Ex. 28:1; Num. 3:5-13; 16:3-10, 40; Num. 18; also Heb. 7:12-14).
So how could Nephi claim that he and his people "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10) when in fact he was consecrating his own Josephite brothers who were not even Levites, much less sons of Aharon to serve as priests?
Obviously the true author of the Book of Mormon was so ignorant of Torah he did not know that Josephites cannot be consecrated as priests.
THE TEMPLE
During this same time period that the Book of Mormon Peoples supposedly "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10) they also supposedly built a Temple "after the manner of Solomon" on the American continent (2Ne. 5:16). In fact they not only built one Temple but they built several. They built temples in "the Land of Nephi" (2Ne 5:8, 16) and in "the Land of Zarahemla" (Mosiah 1:18) and in the "Land Bountiful" (3Nephi 11:1).
However the Torah teaches that a single unique place would be established for the location of the Temple:
...the place which the LORD your God has
chosen to put his name there....
(Deut. 12:21)
...in the place which he shall choose...
(Deut. 16:16)
"His name" in this case refers to the Ark of God "whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwells between the cherubims."(2Sam. 6:2). This single unique place was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (2Sam. 6; 1Kings 6 & 8). Now let me repeat the Torah is clear that there is to be only one unique location for the Temple and that the one Temple, once that place was chosen, could only be built in that one location.
But the Book of Mormon peoples supposedly built a Temple in "the Land of Nephi" sometime between 588 and 570 BC (2Ne. 5:16) but by 124 BC they had also built another Temple in "the Land of Zarahemla" (Mosiah 1:18) and by about 34 AD they had built another Temple in "The Land Bountiful" (3Ne. 11:1). And lets not forget much of this time overlaps the time from about 460 BC to 70 AD in which the Second Temple stood in the chosen place on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS
According to the Book of Mormon, during this time that the "Book of Mormon Peoples" were keeping "all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10) they were offering sacrifices including "burnt offerings".
"And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses;" (Mosiah 2:3 see also 1Ne. 5:9 & 7:22)
So now we have non-levitical priests officiating sacrifices at a Temple that is not in the chosen location! It just gets deeper and deeper!
CALENDAR
Although its people supposedly kept the Law of Moses until the time of "Christ" the book places the death of "Christ" on the "the first month, on the fourth day" of their calendar (3Ne. 8:5). This is a serious problem for the Book of Mormon. We know from the "New Testament" that Yeshua's death occurred either on Passover or on the day before Passover. Now Passover occurs on the 14th day following the New Moon for the month of Abib. On ANY New Moon based calendar (i.e. any Torah based calendar) the death of Yeshua would take place no earlier than the 13th day of the month. (On any full moon based calendar it would take place within two days of the first day of the month, so this could not even be a lunar based calendar at all). Thus the Book of Mormon People could not have been observing the Biblical calendar.
CONCLUSION
So now lets return to our key passage:
"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"
(2Ne. 5:10)
Now even if God had told the Book of Mormon peoples to appoint non-levitical priests and build various Temples in locations other then the chosen place at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and even if He told them to conduct sacrifices and offerings there, and even if He had told them to abandon the Biblical calendar.... The Book of Mormon would STILL be TOTALLY dishonest in claiming that they had done "all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10).
James Trimm
Part 2
see part 1
By James Scott Trimm
The Book of Mormon claims that the peoples which it depicts as coming to the new world kept the law of Moses in all things until the time of Messiah's death:
"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"
(2Ne. 5:10)
"...we keep the law of Moses.." (2Ne. 25:24)
"...They observed to keep the law of Moses..." (Jarom 1:5)
"And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks,
that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings
according to the law of Moses;"
(Mosiah 2:3)
...the people did observe to keep the commandments of the Lord;
and they were strict in observing the ordinances of God,
according to the law of Moses;
for they were taught to keep the law of Moses
until it should be fulfilled.
(Alma 30:3)
But does the Book of Mormon prove true in this regard? Does it stand the test of Torah? Does its author even display and accurate knowledge of Torah?
THE PRIESTHOOD
In the Book of Mormon, during the time period in which its people supposedly "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10), Nephi consecrates his brothers Joseph and Jacob as priests:
And it came to pass that I Nephi,
did consecrate Jacob and Joseph,
that they should be priests and teachers
over the land of my people.
- 2Ne. 5:26
For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph
had been consecrated priests and teachers
of this people, by the hand of Nephi.
- Jacob 1:18
Now this Jacob and Joseph were both sons of Lehi (1Ne. 18:7; 2Ne. 2:2) and this Lehi was a Josephite (1Ne. 15:12; 19:24; 2Ne. 3:2-5; Jacob 2:5 & Alma 10:3; 26:36). Thus Jacob and Joseph were both from the Tribe of Joseph and NOT from the Tribe of Levi.
But the Torah is very clear. One must be from the Tribe of Levi and a son of Aharon (Aaron) to be consecrated as a priest (Ex. 28:1; Num. 3:5-13; 16:3-10, 40; Num. 18; also Heb. 7:12-14).
So how could Nephi claim that he and his people "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10) when in fact he was consecrating his own Josephite brothers who were not even Levites, much less sons of Aharon to serve as priests?
Obviously the true author of the Book of Mormon was so ignorant of Torah he did not know that Josephites cannot be consecrated as priests.
THE TEMPLE
During this same time period that the Book of Mormon Peoples supposedly "did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10) they also supposedly built a Temple "after the manner of Solomon" on the American continent (2Ne. 5:16). In fact they not only built one Temple but they built several. They built temples in "the Land of Nephi" (2Ne 5:8, 16) and in "the Land of Zarahemla" (Mosiah 1:18) and in the "Land Bountiful" (3Nephi 11:1).
However the Torah teaches that a single unique place would be established for the location of the Temple:
...the place which the LORD your God has
chosen to put his name there....
(Deut. 12:21)
...in the place which he shall choose...
(Deut. 16:16)
"His name" in this case refers to the Ark of God "whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwells between the cherubims."(2Sam. 6:2). This single unique place was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (2Sam. 6; 1Kings 6 & 8). Now let me repeat the Torah is clear that there is to be only one unique location for the Temple and that the one Temple, once that place was chosen, could only be built in that one location.
But the Book of Mormon peoples supposedly built a Temple in "the Land of Nephi" sometime between 588 and 570 BC (2Ne. 5:16) but by 124 BC they had also built another Temple in "the Land of Zarahemla" (Mosiah 1:18) and by about 34 AD they had built another Temple in "The Land Bountiful" (3Ne. 11:1). And lets not forget much of this time overlaps the time from about 460 BC to 70 AD in which the Second Temple stood in the chosen place on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS
According to the Book of Mormon, during this time that the "Book of Mormon Peoples" were keeping "all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10) they were offering sacrifices including "burnt offerings".
"And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses;" (Mosiah 2:3 see also 1Ne. 5:9 & 7:22)
So now we have non-levitical priests officiating sacrifices at a Temple that is not in the chosen location! It just gets deeper and deeper!
CALENDAR
Although its people supposedly kept the Law of Moses until the time of "Christ" the book places the death of "Christ" on the "the first month, on the fourth day" of their calendar (3Ne. 8:5). This is a serious problem for the Book of Mormon. We know from the "New Testament" that Yeshua's death occurred either on Passover or on the day before Passover. Now Passover occurs on the 14th day following the New Moon for the month of Abib. On ANY New Moon based calendar (i.e. any Torah based calendar) the death of Yeshua would take place no earlier than the 13th day of the month. (On any full moon based calendar it would take place within two days of the first day of the month, so this could not even be a lunar based calendar at all). Thus the Book of Mormon People could not have been observing the Biblical calendar.
CONCLUSION
So now lets return to our key passage:
"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"
(2Ne. 5:10)
Now even if God had told the Book of Mormon peoples to appoint non-levitical priests and build various Temples in locations other then the chosen place at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and even if He told them to conduct sacrifices and offerings there, and even if He had told them to abandon the Biblical calendar.... The Book of Mormon would STILL be TOTALLY dishonest in claiming that they had done "all things according to the law of Moses" (2Ne. 5:10).
James Trimm
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