Book of Ether
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The Book of Ether is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The Book of Ether tells of an ancient people (the Jaredites), descendants of Jared and his companions who were led by God to the Americas shortly after the confusion of tongues and the destruction of the Tower of Babel.[1] The title refers to Ether, a Jaredite prophet who lived at the end of the time period covered by the book. The time frame for the events in the book have been estimated as starting anywhere from 2600 B.C.[2] to 2100 B.C. and extending to some time beyond 600 B.C., giving a date range of at least 1500 years,[3] but possible as long as 2500 years.[4]
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[edit] Contents
The book begins with the journey of Jared and his people from the tumultuous wickedness of the Tower of Babel to "the promised land." The brother of Jared is described as "a large and mighty man … highly favored of the Lord",[5] and seems to have been the spiritual leader of the group. Through his faith, he is given a prophetic vision of the history of the world, and inscribes prophetic writings that are to be "sealed up" until the Lord sees fit that they be revealed. The brother of Jared is directed by the Lord to build unpowered submarines, termed barges, to cross the ocean to the promised land. They are capable of maintaining an air supply underwater.[6]
The brother of Jared goes to a mountain and brings several molten stones; then God touches the stones and makes them light. Because of the great faith of the brother of Jared, he could not be kept from beholding, and saw finger of the Lord. "For he knew nothing doubting." He saw and was ministered unto by Jesus. He leads the people to successfully establish a righteous nation, but as Jared and his brother grow old their people desire that they appoint a king to govern in their stead. They anoint Orihah, the youngest son of Jared, to be king, but only after all the sons of the brother of Jared and all of Jared's older sons refuse to be king.
Orihah reigns in righteousness, but strife and dissension arise among the children of Orihah. From this time forward there is a nearly constant contention for the government of the Jaredites that continues for many generations, and ultimately the book ends with an enormous final war in which millions of Jaredites are killed and the Jaredite nation is destroyed. The prophet Ether had warned Coriantumr, the last king of the Jaredite nation, that if he did not obey the Lord he would live to see the end of the Jaredites. The prophecy is fulfilled, and, on the last day of the war, only Coriantumr and Shiz, the commander of the opposing army, remain. Coriantumr slays Shiz and he wanders alone, the last Jaredite, for many years. Coriantumr is finally discovered by the Mulekites, another Book of Mormon people who come to the Americas sometime after the fall of Jerusalem in 600 B.C. Later, the people of Zarahemla also discover a large stone containing a history of the Jaredites that Mosiah was able to translate.[7]
In addition to the historical events outlined above, the Book of Ether contains several interpolations by Moroni,[8] regarding points of doctrine or lessons illuminated by the actions of the Jaredites, such as how faith works and the importance of following Jesus Christ to be blessed as a nation.
[edit] Parallels
The Book of Ether parallels in many ways the story of the Book of Mormon as a whole. A small group (Jared and his companions; Lehi and his family) separate themselves from a wicked society (the Tower of Babel; Jerusalem just prior to its destruction) and establish a new nation (the Jaredites; the Nephites) in "the promised land." In each case the group is divided following the death of the original leaders and the divisions contend for many generations. The fortunes of the nations are dependent upon their obedience to God—righteousness brings prosperity and wickedness brings destruction (sometimes delayed). Ultimately, the wicked prevail and the nation is destroyed.[citation needed]
These parallels are often emphasized in Mormonism as applicable to the present day. The Americas are still considered "the promised land" and the continued prosperity of the present nations are believed to be contingent on the righteousness of their people.[citation needed]
[edit] Provenance
According to the Book of Mormon, the Book of Ether was taken from a set of twenty-four plates written by Ether and discovered by the people of Limhi during the time of King Mosiah (son of King Benjamin).[9][10] The book was abridged by Moroni onto the plates[11][12] from which the Book of Mormon was later translated into English by Joseph Smith.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ether 1:33
- ^ Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon p. 117, quoted in Church Educational System (1996, rev. ed.). Book of Mormon Student Manual (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), ch. 6.
- ^ Church Educational System (1996, rev. ed.). Book of Mormon Student Manual (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), ch. 48.
- ^ Randal Chase (2008). Making Precious Things Plain: A Book of Mormon Study Guide (Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort) p. 127.
- ^ Ether 1:34
- ^ Ether 2:20
- ^ Omni 1:20-22
- ^ Ether 4, Ether 5, and Ether 12
- ^ Mosiah 8:9
- ^ Ether 1:2
- ^ Ether 1:2
- ^ Moroni 1:1
[edit] Further reading
- Sorenson, John L. (September 1968), "The Years of the Jaredites", BYU Today: 18–24, http://mi.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=28, as reprinted by the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU.
[edit] External links
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Event Diagram of the Book of Ether at Wikimedia Commons. This is a PDF Document summarizing the events within the Book of Ether. It may be used when studying or teaching the contents of the book to provide a visual time line of the events which occur. It may be freely downloaded and distributed.
