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Note on navigation: There are "hot spots" in the text that refer to and will take you to footnotes. At the end of each footnote is the word "back" that will take you back to the point you jumped from. Hope it helps...
Note on printing: If you would like to print a copy of this document, this "hot spot" will take you to a document with all the extraneous web stuff stripped out, which is formatted for better printing.I made the image by reducing to line art a scanned photograph of a stone monument. The stone was discovered in 1941 by a Smithsonian/National Geographic Society expedition in the ruins of Izapa in southern Mexico. Subsequent explorations of the ruins (dating from 500 B.C. to about A.D. 1) have turned up close to 90 similar stone monuments. This one was designated as "Izapa Stela 5".
Well, that will take some explaining. First, you need to understand that. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We're often called "Mormons", and that nickname is what makes the connection to the stone. Let me share a little background with you to clarify.
Why are we called Mormons? Well, it goes way back to Bible times, in fact to the Old Testament. In those days, God spoke to men called prophets, and the prophets wrote down the things God wanted the people to know. Old Testament prophets, men like Moses, Elijah and Isaiah, wrote a lot of what we now have as part of the Bible. One of God's main purposes was to testify (that's where the Testament part comes from) of the future coming of the Savior Jesus Christ. We all enjoy Handel's Messiah during the holiday season, but did you realize that a lot of the words describing the life and mission of the Savior come from the Book of Isaiah? It was written over 700 years before Christ was born. Likewise, the New Testament is a testimony of the mortal ministry of Jesus, and of the atonement and resurrection, written by and about prophets. Obviously, the Christian world relies pretty heavily on the Bible, comprised of the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT) [please forgive the acronyms -- but it will make sense in a minute].
Back in Old Testament times, there were many prophets whose writings weren't included in what became the Bible. One of them was a man named Lehi, who lived in Jerusalem about 600 B.C. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and was very vocal in warning the Jews that their wickedness would lead to destruction if they didn't straighten out. They didn't take it well at all, and in fact, he was warned by God to flee the city with his family or he would be killed. He took some records with him containing some of the scriptures that were available at that time, including some of the writings of Isaiah. He and his family were led through the wilderness, and eventually across the sea to the Americas. There they prospered, multiplied and founded some of the cultures represented by many of those ancient ruins scattered across the Americas. They unfortunately split into two nations that warred constantly, but one branch of the family continually kept a written record of their history and the things God wanted recorded - remember, they were led by a prophet to start with, and that tradition continued for about a thousand years. The record keeping group was eventually wiped out, but near the end one of the last great prophets whose name was Mormon, edited the records. He included only the most important and precious parts in the final version passed down to his son. His son's name was Moroni, and he was the last survivor of the whole nation. A prophet in his own right like his father, Moroni added to the record. As death approached he buried the record, trusting that God would have it brought forth at some time in the future. That time came early in the 19th century, when a young Joseph Smith was led to the buried record, and by the gift and power of God was enabled to translate it and see it published. Since the final "editor" of the compiled writings was the prophet Mormon, Joseph was instructed to give it his name, and it was published in 1830 as The Book of Mormon.
So that's the long version of how we came to be called Mormons. Joseph was ridiculed, and eventually killed for daring to claim he was a prophet just like those of old, and the Book of Mormon was likewise made fun of as "that gold bible" (it was translated from inscriptions on thin golden plates). Originally, the term "Mormon" as applied to members of the Church was meant as a derogatory appellation, but it did stick and today is a badge of honor for those of us so called.
The Book of Mormon is actually Another Testament of Jesus Christ (or AT, to go along with the OT and NT - now it all comes together). Lehi, like Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets, testified very clearly of the future coming of Jesus, and the prophecies continued in America right up to a miraculous manifestation at the birth of the Savior. Further, there were great calamities that struck the Book of Mormon people at the time of Christ's crucifixion, but the most significant of all is the fact that the resurrected Savior appeared in person to some of the righteous survivors of that great destruction. The account of His visit is truly remarkable. The fact is, Christ told His disciples in Jerusalem of His intended visit, but the reference wasn't understood until the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
First, let me say that I'm no archaeologist and this is in no way a scholarly piece. I don't mean it to be. So if you're an archaeologist or scholar and want to argue with my conclusions, feel free to drop me an e-mail and point out my errors. On the other hand, I'll bet the artisan who carved this stone wasn't a scholarly person either. This is my interpretation of what I see in the carving, with a few points added from things I've read. My purpose is to express my faith in Jesus Christ, and to share something that strengthens that faith. Please proceed with that understanding.
Now that you've met Lehi, we can explore the significance of the stone. Just after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, he had a dream or a vision in which he saw a beautiful tree with fruit that was most precious above all other fruits. There was also a river in his dream, and mists of darkness which kept others he saw in his vision from finding their way to the tree. Lehi however, did make it to the tree and partook of the fruit. It filled his soul with joy to such a degree that he wanted the rest of his family to come and partake. His family at this time included his wife Sariah and their four sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi. In his dream, he saw them all in the distance, and called to them to come partake of the delicious fruit. While Sariah and the two youngest, Sam and Nephi came and partook, Laman and Lemuel refused. Another important element in the story was a path (straight and narrow of course) leading to the tree and mists of darkness that prevented people from seeing clearly to find their way to the path or to the tree. There was help however, consisting of a rod of iron which lay beside the path. If grasped and held firmly, the iron rod could lead one safely to the tree whether he could see the way clearly or not.
Nephi, the youngest son was devoutly religious and became a prophet in his own right. In fact, Nephi is the one who wrote the parts of the record from his period that are now included in the Book of Mormon. At this point in their journey, Nephi wanted to know the meaning of his father's vision, and in answer to prayer, was given the same vision and the interpretation thereof. He found that the tree represented the love of God, and the fruit represented eternal life, making the desirability pretty clear. Obvious too was the reason for Lehi's concern over his sons who refused to partake of the fruit. Other elements that were explained included the mists of darkness representing the craftiness of Satan which blinded people to the truth, while the rod of iron represented the word of God, which if followed, could lead them through the mists on to the goal. Since both Lehi's telling of the vision, and Nephi's retelling and interpretation are included in the Book of Mormon (i.e., neither account was edited out by Mormon nearly a thousand years later), this story clearly had great importance for these people who handed it down through their many generations. Nearly anyone looking at this stone carving and knowing the little bit of background I've given from the Book of Mormon, will clearly see strong indications that whoever carved this stone was familiar with the story of Lehi's vision.
The most obvious is the tree itself. Being the largest figure in the carving, it is the central theme. Looking closely one can see that, as in Lehi's vision, it is a fruit bearing tree. The river mentioned is also clearly indicated by the waves at the very bottom of the carving.
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Next in importance are the figures in the foreground. There are six representations of human figures in the foreground. On the far left is a woman, just behind a bearded figure (indicating an older age than the other figures) in the attitude of teaching. This figure may also be interpreted to be offering sacrifice, as there seems to be a fire immediately in front of him (thoroughly consistent with their Jewish heritage). Proceeding across the carving to the right are four more figures, all male. This all matches Lehi's family exactly. Note that of the four sons, the two on the far right are significantly larger than the other two. The largest of these four figures, like the old man, also appears to be in an attitude of teaching. Note the open mouth and the right hand directed forward as if directing or gesturing in speech. Note also that in the other hand he appears to hold some sort of stylus or writing instrument, almost as if he were writing on the folder shaped "icon" in front of him. That seems to fit Nephi perfectly. As the prophet leader who succeeded Lehi, he wrote the first two books of scripture in the Book of Mormon and preached the gospel tirelessly all his life. Archeological experts have determined that the head gear on this figure indicate that the figure was a "priest leader or prophet". The figure on the far right, holding some sort of umbrella over the Nephi figure matches the character of Sam. He supported Nephi through all their lives, but though older than Nephi he never took a central role in the story.
The two smaller figures are the only ones with their backs turned to the path and the tree, just as Laman and Lemuel both refused to partake of the fruit in Lehi's vision. The relative sizes of the figures could be an expression of their various states of righteousness - or lack thereof. Further, the smallest figure of all even appears to be worshipping an idol. In the Book of Mormon, after Lehi died ,his descendants split into two warring nations. The Lamanites, descended from the two older brothers, fell into idolatry and unrighteousness, while the Nephites, descendants of Nephi and Sam, remained for the most part the more righteous of the two nations.
| Leading from the foreground figures, in the center of the carving are some lines that lead directly to the tree, perhaps representing a straight and narrow path, and even the rod of iron in the story. To the right of the straightest line (the iron rod) it looks to me like a precipice, symbolically indicating the danger of straying from the path. To the left of these lines is a figure that appears to be hooded (a representation of one blinded by Satan's influence?) who seems to be reaching out toward the iron rod. All of these elements match Lehi's dream completely. |
Something noted by archaeologists (which isn't as clear to me, but I'll take their word for it here) relates further to the mists of darkness in Lehi's story. At the far right center of the carving is a symbol that has been interpreted as another indication of the dark mists spoken of. The symbol shows "rain bands or 'mists' [that] cover the eyes and ear of a human head."
Another element that isn't obvious to the casual observer relates to a general cherubic tradition that's common to both the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon, and which is indicated on the stone. In the center of the carving, to either side of the tree are two strange looking beings that have been interpreted to be cherubim like, and in fact "are male and female, as was the case in the ancient Israelitish temple...", which makes an interesting link between this New World carving and the Jewish traditions of the Old World. It's also an interesting connection because it brings another "Tree of Life" story into the overall relationship between these two supposedly unrelated cultures. You will remember the creation story in Genesis, where after the fall, God "placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims... to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24). This event is spoken of and explained in some detail by the prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon, so one would not be surprised to find this "tree of life" being artistically linked to the other one by these figures. Also in Jewish tradition, Cherubims became important figures mentioned repeatedly in relation to the ark of the covenant, and later the temple. The figures are always spoken of as facing each other, as is the case of the two figures in the carving. To me there are beginning to be too many parallels to be explained by mere coincidence.
| A couple of other elements that you may find interesting really seal it for me. First, remember that Nephi was the prophet scribe that wrote the first two books of the Book of Mormon, and that the Nephi figure in the carving seems to be in an attitude of possibly writing on a folder shaped object (sorry, that's the only way I can describe it -- it really looks like a little tabbed folder icon -- maybe I've been sitting at this computer too long). Remember also, that in Lehi's vision, as interpreted by Nephi, the iron rod which led to the tree of life symbolically represented the word of God, meaning the scriptures. Well, take a close look at that iron rod in the carving. Instead of just a straight line leading to a tree, at the base of the tree the line flows into a figure that is very nearly the same shape as the "book" that Nephi appears to be writing in. If I were an ancient sculptor trying to tell the story indicating that the iron rod is the word of God, how could I make it any clearer than to show the iron rod turning into the same symbol as that on which the prophet figure is writing. The prophet writes the scriptures. The rod of iron symbol turns into the scripture symbol, and is directly connected to the tree of life. We're way beyond coincidence here in my opinion. |  |
| The last element on the carving that I want to mention is the one that fixes firmly my belief that this stone truly was carved by someone who knew this story from the Book of Mormon. Look again at the Lehi figure. There's what the academics call a name glyph above the head of this figure, but it's interpretation is much more certain than that of the Nephi figure. This symbol is clearly, even to the scholars that study these things professionally, a symbol of a jawbone. The word for jawbone in Hebrew is lehi. Can there be any doubt the name of the old man in the carving is Lehi? I think not! |
There are so many elements in this carving that exactly coincide with Lehi's dream, that I can't believe there's no connection - it's way too much to be just coincidence. After the publication of the Book of Mormon and the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, there was a great deal of persecution of those who accepted the teachings of Joseph Smith. Detractors claimed that he wrote the Book of Mormon himself - that it was a fiction - a total fabrication. Anyone who seriously studies the Book of Mormon will quickly discover that it is beyond the capacity of any one man, particularly one as young and unschooled as was Joseph Smith, to have written such a book. This stone carving appears to me to confirm the connection between the Book of Mormon and the actual people who lived in the Americas some 2000 years ago. Despite Joseph's martyrdom and all the trials the early believers went through, the Church rolled forth and became what it is today, not only a world wide church, but one of the fastest growing in the world. That phenomenal growth is due in large measure to the powerful testimony of Jesus Christ that is borne by the Book of Mormon. I shared this piece about the tree of life carving hoping that it might catch your interest enough to get you to read the Book of Mormon. Does the carving prove that the Book of Mormon is true? I don't know, and I'm not sure that it matters. If Heavenly Father wanted to prove to his children that the Bible or the Book of Mormon (or anything else for that matter) are true, He could easily do it. Instead though, He wants us to develop and live by faith. He hasn't left us without help to develop the needed faith, and the scriptures, all of them, are some of the greatest helps. I have no doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and I would think that anyone who believes that Jesus Christ really is who He claimed to be, would want to get all the first hand information about Him they could get their hands on. The Book of Mormon is first hand information, as it was written by prophets just as surely as the Bible was, and it carries the same powerful testimony, namely that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of all the world.
If you found this story interesting and want to know more about the Book of Mormon, I would be delighted to send you a copy of your own. Just send me your name and address via e-mail: davejo@centurytel.net.
Are there other indications or evidences that Jesus Christ really appeared in ancient America? You bet! Follow this link to read some of the information gathered by Elder Mark E. Peterson, a modern day Apostle of the Lord.
Here's a cool link to a site in the UK that talks about a book that has been written exploring in a great deal of detail the evidence that Christ truly did appear in ancient America.
A great deal of other evidence that the Book of Mormon is authentic is available.
And finally, here's another link to lot's of interesting things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
| Bible references to other relatively unknown prophets: | Bible references to other prophetic writings not contained therein: |
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Last updated: 14 November 2000