Keywords
Mormon, Nephite archive, historians
Abstract
Nephite written history began with Nephi, perhaps soon after the family arrived in the New World (1 Nephi 19:1). As far as we can tell, the Nephite historical tradition continued in an essentially unbroken line until Mormon, who was the last official historian.21 Nephite historians not only wrote, but preserved. Jacob specifically notes: “we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain; [b]ut whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away” (Jacob 4:1–2). The Old World tradition also preserved records,22 but something about the New World suggested the need for an imperishable medium.
Recommended Citation
Gardner, Brant
(2020)
"Chapter 2: Mormon and the Nephite Archive,"
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: Vol. 35, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/interpreter/vol35/iss1/6
