Lehi and the twelve visitors


romans8
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I bought a copy of the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and started reading it.

What does 1 Nephi 1:2 mean?  "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of 
the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians"  
Does this mean the Jewish institutes of 
learning were all taught in the Egyptian language?

1 Nephi 1:10-11 mentions twelve heavenly beings coming and giving him a book.  The footnote for "twelve" 
identifies them as Apostles. 

What are the names of these 12 Apostles?  

Matteo

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52 minutes ago, romans8 said:

I bought a copy of the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and started reading it.

What does 1 Nephi 1:2 mean?  "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of 
the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians"  
Does this mean the Jewish institutes of 
learning were all taught in the Egyptian language?

1 Nephi 1:10-11 mentions twelve heavenly beings coming and giving him a book.  The footnote for "twelve" 
identifies them as Apostles. 

What are the names of these 12 Apostles?  

Matteo

Great questions!

I can’t speak too much on behalf of the language bit,  but I would point out the Israelites came I’d of Egypt via Moses. Their origins are very much Egyptian.

I always understood this as being either the original twelve or at least symbolic of calling if the twelve (since Judas fell away)

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3 hours ago, romans8 said:

I bought a copy of the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and started reading it.

1 Nephi 1:10-11 mentions twelve heavenly beings coming and giving him a book.  The footnote for "twelve" 
identifies them as Apostles. 

What are the names of these 12 Apostles?  

Matteo

I think the key is verse 16;

Quote

And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.

The 1 and the 12 are not identified in the text that we have today. That means we have to speculate as to their identities and what they directly represent. What we know from the text is that the 1 hands him a book to read and the 12 "came down and went forth upon the face of the earth". We also know what message he took away from his vision and reading:

  • (13) Jerusalem will be destroyed
  • (14) God's "power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth"
  • (14) God spares those who come to Him
  • (19) Messiah will come and redeem the world

Some possible ways this ties into the identity of the 12 beings could be:

  • As a meta-point, the image of 1 sun-luster and 12 star-shines suggests Lehi is a new Joseph-like leader (who was accused of being a "dreamer" and also dreamed of the sun, moon, and 11 stars).
  • The 12 beings are scattering all of Israel across the earth and Jerusalem's destruction fits in that larger context
  • No single being represents anything at all - it is only the number 12 that's significant, representing God's power
  • These 12 are the apostles chosen by the Messiah (in which case their names are the same as those in the New Testament) whose testimony/witness would be spread throughout the world.
  • something else.

Feel free to pick your favorite, but the important thing to Nephi seems to be the conclusion.

Edited by mordorbund
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3 hours ago, romans8 said:

I bought a copy of the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and started reading it.

What does 1 Nephi 1:2 mean?  "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of 
the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians"  
Does this mean the Jewish institutes of 
learning were all taught in the Egyptian language?

Matteo

It could mean that, and it might be worthwhile for historians and archaeologists to look for pre-exilic scribal connections between Israel and Egypt (there's already a number of literary connections, with the whole of the Mediterranean sharing and borrowing culture with each other).

But I think 1 & 2 taken together suggests private tutors, since Nephi's record is "the language of my father" (2) which he probably learned as he was "was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father"(1). So I'm reading this as Nephi being Lehi's personal apprentice with either personal or private lessons.

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3 hours ago, romans8 said:

I bought a copy of the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and started reading it.

What does 1 Nephi 1:2 mean?  "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of 
the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians"  
Does this mean the Jewish institutes of 
learning were all taught in the Egyptian language?

1 Nephi 1:10-11 mentions twelve heavenly beings coming and giving him a book.  The footnote for "twelve" 
identifies them as Apostles. 

What are the names of these 12 Apostles?  

Matteo

I will attempt an answer.  To the First:  Egypt was the center of ancient Western Civilization.  We know that Lehi was a wealthy individual.  Most likely his wealth came from trade which would give him connections in Egypt.  As you are referencing the first chapter of first Nephi you may be surprised to note that Nephi's writing definitely has roots in ancient Egypt.  Nephi opens his writing with a classic Egyptian Colophon made famous from the Bremer-Rhind Papyrus.  This becomes a striking testimony of the Book of Mormon's origins and truthfulness because this ancient Egyptian Colophon was not know at the time Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.   Along this same line - Egyptians would close their remarks with phrases like "And thus it is" or "And so it is".  Nephi uses the closing of "And thus it is, Amen" - which demonstrates a most interesting blending of ancient Egyptian and Hebrew.

As to the second reference of 12 heavenly beings.  In this we find poetic symbolism very similar to the Book of Revelation in the Bible.  Because the Apostles chosen by Christ are vessels bringing truths of heaven they are symbolically represented as 12 heavenly beings.  Because of the symbolism we are not to think of them individually but as a quorum of 12 - distinct to that which is ordained of G-d and not man.  Thinking in terms of their individual names is pointless to the revelation.  In the Bible the Apostles are referenced as the "foundation" of the religious structure built by Christ and thus a means to identify the true and living church or structure of G-d.  To be differentiated from the counterfeit strictures built up by men (including well meaning men).

 

The Traveler

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6 hours ago, romans8 said:

I bought a copy of the Book of Mormon a few weeks ago and started reading it.

What does 1 Nephi 1:2 mean?  "Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of 
the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians"  
Does this mean the Jewish institutes of 
learning were all taught in the Egyptian language?

1 Nephi 1:10-11 mentions twelve heavenly beings coming and giving him a book.  The footnote for "twelve" 
identifies them as Apostles. 

What are the names of these 12 Apostles?  

Matteo

"Language" is more than the written and spoken words, it is the entire system and style of communication in any form that binds a society (and which is constantly evolving). In this case, a melding of Jewish and Egyptian systems and styles evolved, likely with religious (priest class) and class (Lehi was a merchant) elements.

The twelve were seen in vision and in this context represent the Lord's servants in the earth.

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On 1/9/2021 at 5:42 PM, CV75 said:

The twelve were seen in vision and in this context represent the Lord's servants in the earth.

So in Lehi's vision the number twelve is not literal but rather represents many more?

Edited by romans8
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9 minutes ago, romans8 said:

So in Lehi's vision the number twelve is not literal but rather represents many more?

These are not mutually exclusive. But the application to this passage is a bit simpler than that.

Among Latter-day Saints, whenever we read the number 12 in a religious context, it deals with evengelists (by the common Christian definition).  Specifically, we have the 12 Apostles and 12 members of the Stake High Councils.  There is a wealth of tradition, history, and meaning in that which can't be easily shared through a simple post, so I won't attempt to convey that.  But what the 12 did in the vision would be exactly the kind of role such men might have in such a theophany.

So, your question about "representing" more is ambiguous considering the above.  It is not that they represent "other people" or "a group of people."  These 12 represent "a role" which anyone may be called to fill if it so be that the Lord finds it in His wisdom to do so.

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On 1/16/2021 at 10:01 AM, romans8 said:

So in Lehi's vision the number twelve is not literal but rather represents many more?

Good question. As visions go, numbers can be both literal and figurative, and have blended significance, as with other terms such as "luster", "brightness", "book"  and other elements of the vision. In a figurative sense, "12" among the ancient Jews represented perfection, or the union of the people with God. In a literal sense, the vision prefigured the mission of Christ (the "One" and "the first") and His Twelve Apostles, and suggests it may be far more expansive than just their mortal time on earth.

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