The Book of Mormon

Week 9: Nephi₁’s prophecies of the Book of Mormon; “the doctrine of Christ” (2 Nephi 28–33)

2 Nephi 28–33

9 November 2023

• Douglas Campbell, “‘White’ or ‘Pure’: Five Vignettes,” Dialogue 29, no. 4 (Winter 1996): 119–35. The original reading of 2 Nephi 30:6 indicated that the descendants of Lehi₁ in the last days would accept the gospel and become “a white and a delightsome people.” In the 1840 Nauvoo edition of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith changed this passage to read “a pure and delightsome people.” Campbell’s article explains the context of this change, why it was not included in editions of the Book of Mormon published between 1840 and 1981, and the implications the change has for understanding skin color in the Book of Mormon.

• Michael B. Parker, “Nephi’s Later Reflections on the Tree of Life Vision,” Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 22, no. 5 (2002): 2–3. In this—my one and only published scholarly article!—I compare Nephi₁’s language in 2 Nephi 31:20 with his description of the tree of life in 1 Nephi 8:30. In his final testimony, Nephi₁ appears to have purposely alluded to his father’s earlier vision.