The Takeaway

Roper continues his examination of claimed Book of Mormon anachronisms, looking at 16 items related to the destruction and other events described in 3 Nephi. He concludes that 88% of these supposed anachronisms have received subsequent confirmation in the archaeological record, with the remaining two trending toward confirmation (destruction at the time of Christ and the night without darkness).

The Summary

In this article, Matthew Roper presents the eighth chapter of his book, Anachronisms: Accidental Evidence in Book of Mormon Criticisms, this one focusing on the descriptions of cataclysmic destruction as presented in 3 Nephi. With critics asserting their incredulity on this front well into the twentieth century, Roper shows how each of 16 aspects of those events has at least received partial confirmation. He argues that 14 of the 16 have been fully confirmed, while the remaining two (evidence of cataclysmic destruction at the time of Christ, and the night without darkness), though not yet fully confirmed, have a number of plausible options or explanations on hand. His list (with some categories combined for brevity) is outlined below; see the end of the article for some helpful charts.

• General Description of Destruction (Confirmed). The types of destruction described in 3 Nephi, once deemed implausible, can all be accounted for by severe volcanic events, based on what was observed at Krakatoa and elsewhere. (See the works of Bart Kowalis and Jerry Grover for a deeper dive.)
  
• Sunken Cities (Confirmed). Contrary to critical claims, there are several examples of cities being sunk into water or earth in connection with earthquakes and volcanic activity—Roper cites the case of Port Royale in Jamaica, though he could’ve also cited the case of Samabaj, which lies underneath Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. This includes accounts of liquefaction resulting in earth being carried up over a city and closing up after opening.
  
• Tempest and Whirlwinds (Confirmed). Storms and strong winds often accompany volcanic events, including accounts from the Tambora eruption of winds carrying up “men, horses, cattle, and whatever else came within their influence.
  
• Destruction by Fire (Confirmed). Accounts of volcanic activity often include reports of “fire…coming out of the sky”, and the fires that attend volcanic events can be severely destructive, sometimes killing tens of thousands.
  
• Earthquakes and their Effects (Confirmed). Earthquakes can, of course, be destructive at the scale described in 3 Nephi and often accompany volcanic events. Despite critical claims to the contrary, Mesoamerica in particular is a seismically and volcanically active area.
  
• Tangible, Fire-Quenching Darkness (Confirmed). Though some have believed that such thick darkness is implausible, survivors from Krakatoa reported that level of tangible darkness, lasting multiple days, with oxygen content low enough that fires immediately went out and could not be lit.
  
• Destruction at the Time of Christ (Partially Confirmed). Though timeframes for volcanic activity are rarely exact, there are a number of Mesoamerican/Central American volcanoes that erupted around the 1^st century AD, including one in Mexico (Popocatepetl) that appears to have occurred in March or early April.
  
• Light for a Day, Night, and Day (Partially Confirmed). While not discounting supernatural explanations for the night without darkness, he notes a number of atmospheric phenomena that could have been involved, citing the strange events reported following the Tunguska event. (Also see an interesting proposal from Charles Dike from a past Interpreter volume.)
  

The Reflection

Roper’s final substantive chapter (next week is a brief summary and a bibliography) brings us to the climax of the Book of Mormon and the harrowing events that accompany it. Though the plausibility of those events is now well-demonstrated, I think Roper would probably agree with me that the reality of the cataclysm is secondary to the reality of what came after—a risen Christ descending to greet, teach, and bless the people of the New World. Just as he promised to gather them like chicks under his wings, he promises the same to us now. It may be satisfying to watch the secular world catch up to where the Book of Mormon always has been, but we should consider, in the deepest humility, what the book is really here to do—to point us to the Savior, to serve as another testament of his atoning love, and to witness to the restoration of his gospel.