Mosiah 12-16: Martyr in Disguise

Keywords

Abinadi’s martyrdom, prophetic witness, repentance and redemption

Abstract

As the man of God returned to the city, most people did not notice him.  He had returned to preach the message of repentance that had previously caused this wicked people to seek his life.  But this time he “came among them in disguise, that they knew him not” (Mosiah 12:1).  In boldness and faith he stretched forth his hand and announced that he was Abinadi, sent by God to call the people to return to the Lord.  The ensuing story unfolds the drama of the most prominent martyr story in the Book of Mormon.

Abinadi’s mission was to bear witness to the people of King Noah that lest they repent they would be afflicted and punished for their sins.  Like others in prophetic responsibility, he became a martyr for the cause of God. ((Taylor Halverson, “Martyrdom of Isaiah” Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2013.))  Martyr derives from the Greek language and means “a witness who bears a divine message.” ((Walter Bauer A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, translated by William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979; second edition), p. 494.)) Over time the word took on additional meaning as those who bore divine witness were killed (such as Stephen in Acts 7:55-56).  Thus the word martyr began to refer to one who was killed for the sake of the witness he bore.  Abinadi’s story contains significant details that give light to our understanding of the martyr-prophet Abinadi, the people whom he addressed, and prophetic tradition.  We will briefly explore these topics.

Original Publication Citation

“Mosiah 12-16: Martyr in Disguise.” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. 2016.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2016

Publisher

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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