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So many good points.
I appreciate your careful reading of the text. That shift from “my father’s tent” to “our tents” is huge. Your citation of Mosiah is from possibly a biased narrative but isn’t it curious they specify the timing in the wilderness? The past tenses you brought up were key. Many legal scholars suggest know there was a blurred (but present) separation of religion and state in the First Temple Period. I sense you depict Nephi as neither a church or legal leader (before Lehi’s death) rather, he is somehow unofficial but definitely in charge. When Nephi talks of leadership he seems to state he is not a King. I wonder how Nephi would characterize his leadership.
In my profession, they tell us that young leaders use as their power enthusiasm and energy. As one becomes a senior leader, actual capability has to be demonstrated. You rightly bring up that the party was probably amazed at Nephi’s skill… Apparently a skill no one else had. As a matter of fact, Nephi had so many abilities you have to wonder if everybody asked him what to do. Perhaps that is why he was grieved he must explain one should pray always (presumably they were just asking Nephi what to do, I know I would).
The “bronze” vs “steel” discussion is huge. Both can be stronger than iron so either is feasible. But we know from archaeology they did have steel around Jerusalem at that time. In the article “Early Evidence for Steelmaking in the Judaic Sources” it Appears the Jews do not have a word for steel. Instead, they call it “iron that breaks iron” Or “iron from the north”, or “worked iron.” Remember that steel is just iron with optimally 2% carbon. So the different between iron and steel could be viewed as a spectrum. The “worked iron” referenced in the Bible is directed at lands north of Israel. And of course, “iron from the north” suggests the people import it and are not immensely familiar with it. Perhaps that is why they don’t actually have a word for it (that we know of).
In contrast, Nephi is associated with the north (see article on naming of River Sidon), grading steel, AND producing steel and weapons. If that is true, it suggests Nephi is intimately familiar with state-of-the-art warfare technology (most of Babylon’s weapons aren’t even steel). Perhaps this is why Nephi initially thinks Jerusalem will not fall? I have to say Nephi typically gives credit to the Lord. But he does NOT ask how to make tools (he asks where to get the ore). He also doesn’t ask how to make a bow… he asks where to hunt. Where did he get this likely highly-guarded knowledge? Noel Reynolds states many scribes are familiar with metal work. He points out many scribes have a second profession. That accounts for a part. One cannot merely attribute Nephi’s skill in metal solely to being a scribe. Steel (and most bronze) are too hard to write on. So Nephi appears to have access to exclusive knowledge and training about steel.
I read Nephi’s wealth as a list… “gold and silver and precious things” What is more precious than gold and silver? Steel is often garbage to us but it would likely be precious to Nephi. (Similar to builders placing aluminum on the Washington monument). Truly, given its strength and scarcity steel would be considered precious.
I see you describing a person who is finally seen for what he is in the Camp of the Broken Bow. He’s no longer a viewed as a zealous follower, but rather a person of world-class training and abilities. He’s still a follower, of course, as you said.
I have to point out that supporting Nephi’s secular knowledge Is that Cleon Skousen claims “Sam” Is not short for Samuel but rather it is the Egyptian version of “Shem.” What would you typically think of a family that is living in Israel and naming their sons Egyptian names? Also, Jacob seems to be using Nephi’s name as an Egyptian word when he says there will be “first captain, second captain, third captain and so forth…” Further, in the autobiographical book, with a superscription most similar to First Nephi (Tobit) we read almost immediately that Tobit kept the commandments and his mother the law of Moses since his youth. In comparison Nephi’s parents are “goodly.” I personally put Lehi in the same category as Amulek. I could go on but I think Nephi is a low-key secular person in exclusive circles. Nothing against Nephi or Lehi, presumably those circles were more “spiritual” than many church circles. Also, it’s much harder to leave Jerusalem when you are at the cutting edge of everything.
It seems after the Camp of the Broken Bow Nephi is seen for who he is (by his family). Perhaps he had not been flashy with his weapons knowledge. Your writing suggests Nephi is the most obvious choice for leader early on. Laman and Lemuel had years to adapt to the obvious choice. Thank you for your writing which is clearly stimulating.
I appreciate your kind words and your insights that add to my thesis.
Thank you for reading my paper so closely. Your first question is that Nephi specifically tells us that his bow “was made of steel” (1 Nephi 16:18). I know next to nothing about metallurgy, so I initially took that his statement as a given as, apparently, do you. In finding out more about it, however, I read the comments of the eminent scholar, William Hamblin, who wrote an entire chapter on “The Bow and Arrow in the Book of Mormon” (in his book with Stephen Ricks entitled Warfare in the Book of Mormon). Hamblin made the strong statement I quoted on page 221 of my paper. Warren Aston, the foremost expert on the trip through Arabia, similarly asserted that the translation of steel “should probably be translated as bows of bronze” (see p. 221). Scripture Central asserts that “the word translated ‘steel’ in these passages is the Hebrew nhwsh which actually means ‘bronze’ and is rendered that way in more recent translations [of the OT]. The King James translation as steel reflects an older, broader range of meaning which included … hardened copper alloys such as bronze” (see knowhy/why-did-nephis-fine-steel-bow-break — the “knowhy” is worth reading in its entirety). The “Father” of modern Book of Mormon scholarship, Hugh Nibley, makes the strong declaration quoted on p. 221. In fact, your own later comment that the word, “bronze” was not in use in America ironically supports, rather than repudiates, the idea that Nephi’s bow was likely reinforced by a metal for which Joseph Smith did not have a name but was probably not solid steel.
Your second point is the “place of Nephi is never referred to as the city of Nephi” in the text. That’s true. But it is never referred to as “the place of Nephi” (which you call it) either. Nephi tells us that “my people would that we should call the name of the place, Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi” (2 Nephi 5:8). But was it a city? Certainly not – at least as we think of cities. The population that followed Nephi to this “place” was a few dozen people (including children) …if that. Nephi even names the heads of households who went with him (v.6). It would only have been more people if there had been converted indigenous peoples who joined them. Either way, the “place” was, at best, a village or a settlement. Nevertheless, over time they built buildings (v. 15) including even a temple (“and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine” v.16). Did Nephi’s followers have a name for this “place”? One would assume so. The people “did take upon them to call themselves the people of Nephi” (v. 9; see also Jacob 1:2), they wanted Nephi to be their king (v.18), and later kings were called “Nephi” (Jacob 1:10). It seems reasonable that they would call their village (city) by his name. Mormon even tells us that “it was the custom of the people of Nephi to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him who first possessed them” (Alma 8:7). The difficulty that you have with the identification of the “city of Nephi” is that “it should not be confused with the city of Lehi-Nephi about 400 years later.” Okay…. The town I live in originally had the same name as another town in the same state, so it was renamed to avoid such confusion. 400 years is a long time, so I have no problem with Nephi’s “place” having a similar name to a much later “place.” Note also that you are assuming that the two “cities of Nephi” were different locations, but they could even have been the same “place.” I don’t think we know whether the locations were the same or different. Despite all this, I yield to your point that the village of Nephi is never called the “city of Nephi” in the Book of Mormon, even though that was likely what they called it. A parallel is that the “small plates” and “large” plates of Nephi are never called that in the Book of Mormon, but we all refer to them with those names.
Excellent in-depth analysis and very plausible.
A couple of minor exceptions:
1. No need to surmise that Nephi’s broken bow was not made of “fine steel” as Nephi stated (1 Nephi 16:18). Nephi had recognized Laban’s sword in the moonlight a being made of the “most precious steel,” (1 Nephi 4:9), and he certainly knew he difference between steel and bronze. Steel is subject to metal fatigue and will break after bending back and forth as would bow.
2. Then “place of Nephi” is never referred to as the city of Nephi and should not be confused with the city of Lehi-Nephi about 400 years later, that Zeniff changed the name to the city of Nephi. ( see https://interpreterfoundation.org/blog-the-city-of-lehi-nephi-name-change-by-j-theodore-brandley/ )
BTW, The Book of Mormon never mentions the word “bronze” although Nephi mentions the word “brass” several times. In Middle English and Early Modern English, “brass” referred to any alloy of copper. The word “bronze” (French) was n not used in the metal industry until the mid 1700s (OED), so it would not be in use in America in Early Modern English.