The Book of Ether Chapter 7 Critique
Setting: Orihah reigns in
righteousness—Amid usurpation and strife, the rival kingdoms of Shule
and Cohor are set up—Prophets condemn the wickedness and idolatry of
the people, who then repent.
Verses 1-6: And it came to pass
that Orihah did execute judgment upon the land in righteousness all his
days, whose days were exceedingly many. And he begat sons and
daughters; yea, he begat thirty and one, among whom were twenty and
three sons. And it came to pass that he also begat Kib in his old age.
And it came to pass that Kib reigned in his stead; and Kib begat
Corihor. And when Corihor was thirty and two years old he rebelled
against his father, and went over and dwelt in the land of Nehor; and
he begat sons and daughters, and they became exceedingly fair;
wherefore Corihor drew away many people after him. And when he had
gathered together an army he came up unto the land of Moron where the
king dwelt, and took him captive, which brought to pass the saying of
the brother of Jared that they would be brought into captivity. Now the
land of Moron, where the king dwelt, was near the land which is called
Desolation by the Nephites.
Note: Solomon Spalding did not know about the tropical jungles of coastal Mexico.
The Olmecs were the first major civilization in Mexico following a
progressive development in Soconusco. They lived in the tropical
lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz
and Tabasco. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
Verses 7-9: And it came to pass
that Kib dwelt in captivity, and his people under Corihor his son,
until he became exceedingly old; nevertheless Kib begat Shule in his
old age, while he was yet in captivity. And it came to pass that Shule
was angry with his brother; and Shule waxed strong, and became mighty
as to the strength of a man; and he was also mighty in judgment.
Wherefore, he came to the hill Ephraim, and he did molten out of the
hill, and made swords out of steel for those whom he had drawn away
with him; and after he had armed them with swords he returned to the
city Nehor, and gave battle unto his brother Corihor, by which means he
obtained the kingdom and restored it unto his father Kib.
Note: Steel never existed in Pre-Columbian America.
Steel (with a carbon content between pig iron and wrought iron) was
first produced in antiquity as an alloy. Its process of production,
Wootz, was exported before the 4th century BC to ancient China, Africa,
the Middle East and Europe. Archaeological evidence of cast iron
appears in 5th century BC China. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
Verses 10-14: And now because
of the thing which Shule had done, his father bestowed upon him the
kingdom; therefore he began to reign in the stead of his father. And it
came to pass that he did execute judgment in righteousness; and he did
spread his kingdom upon all the face of the land, for the people had
become exceedingly numerous. And it came to pass that Shule also begat
many sons and daughters. And Corihor repented of the many evils which
he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom. And it came
to pass that Corihor had many sons and daughters. And among the sons of
Corihor there was one whose name was Noah.
Note: Noah was never a Pre-Columbian native name.
The Olmec King was usually referred to as Tu. The Olmec term for
governor was Ku. Interestingly, some of the Olmec rulers were referred
to as the Ku and Tu. Olmec98.net
Verses 15-17: And it came to
pass that Noah rebelled against Shule, the king, and also his father
Corihor, and drew away Cohor his brother, and also all his brethren and
many of the people. And he gave battle unto Shule, the king, in which
he did obtain the land of their first inheritance; and he became a king
over that part of the land. And it came to pass that he gave battle
again unto Shule, the king; and he took Shule, the king, and carried
him away captive into Moron.
Note: Moron is an appropriate name to be included in the Book of Mormon.
Merriam-Webster: a very stupid or foolish person.
Verses 18-22: And it came to
pass as he was about to put him to death, the sons of Shule crept into
the house of Noah by night and slew him, and broke down the door of the
prison and brought out their father, and placed him upon his throne in
his own kingdom. Wherefore, the son of Noah did build up his kingdom in
his stead; nevertheless they did not gain power any more over Shule the
king, and the people who were under the reign of Shule the king did
prosper exceedingly and wax great. And the country was divided; and
there were two kingdoms, the kingdom of Shule, and the kingdom of
Cohor, the son of Noah. And Cohor, the son of Noah, caused that his
people should give battle unto Shule, in which Shule did beat them and
did slay Cohor. And now Cohor had a son who was called Nimrod; and
Nimrod gave up the kingdom of Cohor unto Shule, and he did gain favor
in the eyes of Shule; wherefore Shule did bestow great favors upon him,
and he did do in the kingdom of Shule according to his desires.
Note: Nimrod was never a Pre-Columbian native name.
The name 'Olmec' comes from the Nahuatl word for the Olmecs: Ōlmēcatl
(singular) or Ōlmēcah (plural). This word is composed of the two words
ōlli, meaning "rubber", and mēcatl, meaning "people", so the word means
"rubber people". Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
Verses 23-24: And also in the
reign of Shule there came prophets among the people, who were sent from
the Lord, prophesying that the wickedness and idolatry of the people
was bringing a curse upon the land, and they should be destroyed if
they did not repent. And it came to pass that the people did revile
against the prophets, and did mock them. And it came to pass that king
Shule did execute judgment against all those who did revile against the
prophets.
Note: Pre-Columbian natives were pagan polytheists.
Olmec Dragon (God I) also known as the Earth Monster, the Olmec Dragon
has flame eyebrows, a bulbous nose, and bifurcated tongue. When viewed
from the front, the Olmec Dragon has trough-shaped eyes; when viewed in
profile, the eyes are L-shaped. Fangs are prominent, often rendered as
an upside-down U-shaped bracket. With the Bird Monster, the Olmec
Dragon is one of the most commonly depicted supernaturals. Wikipedia
Encyclopedia.
Verses 25-26: And he did
execute a law throughout all the land, which gave power unto the
prophets that they should go whithersoever they would; and by this
cause the people were brought unto repentance. And because the people
did repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them,
and they began to prosper again in the land. And it came to pass that
Shule begat sons and daughters in his old age.
Note: Pre-Columbian natives were pagan polytheists.
It is believed that Olmec supernatural entities such as the feathered
serpent were the forerunners of many later Mesoamerican deities,
although experts disagree on the feathered serpent's importance to the
Olmec. Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
Verse 27: And there were no
more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that
the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great
deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in
righteousness all his days.
Note: The promised land is not America.
And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I
was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them,
to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which
they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children
of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My
covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I
will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will
rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an
outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My
people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord
your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the
Lord.’” Exodus 6:2-8.
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