Jaredites

The Jaredites are a people written of in the "Book of Mormon", principally in the "Book of Ether". In the "Book of Ether", the Jaredites are described as the descendants of Jared and his brother, at the time of the Tower of Babel. According to the "Book of Mormon", the people fled across the Ocean via boats and established an ancient civilization in the Americas. The existence of the Jaredites is rejected by mainstream historians and archaeologists.

ummary of "Book of Mormon" narrative

"Book of Ether"

According to the "Book of Mormon", the Jaredites are the descendants of Jared, his brother and their immediate family and friends. (Joseph Smith, Jr. later identified the brother of Jared as Mahonri Moriancumer.) At the time of the Tower of Babel, when the tongues of all nations were confounded, the Lord acceded to the desires of Jared and his brother so that their language, as well as that of their families and friends, was not confounded, and they were granted a land of promise.

According to the narrative, the people were guided by God through the wilderness, and were eventually directed to cross the sea in "barges". These vessels were sealed and watertight [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=2|verse=17] [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=6|verse=7] and able to be swamped by waves without sinking. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=2|verse=24] Air was obtained from outside the vessels as needed. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=2|verse=14] [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=2|verse=20] They also brought with them animals, and food for themselves and their animals. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=6|verse=4] The recorded length of this miraculous trip was 344 days. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=6|verse=11]

Ether is the last in the royal line that began with one of the sons of Jared. From the time of the first king to the destruction of the Jaredites, there were only occasional periods of peace and prosperity. These times of peace were interrupted by intrigue over the throne, civil war, and the accession of wicked kings. Thus the history of the Jaredites confirmed the fears of Jared and his brother that a monarchy would lead to evil. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Omni|chapter=6|verse=22|range=-23]

The Jaredites grew to become a civilization that exceeded two million people just prior to their destruction. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=15|verse=2] They finally destroyed themselves about the time Lehi and the other refugees from Jerusalem arrived in America (see also Nephites, Lamanites, and Mulekites). A prophecy given [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Ether|chapter=13|verse=20|range=-21] by Ether was fulfilled, and the last Jaredite king, Coriantumr, lived to see both the total destruction of his people and the arrival of another people to inherit the land. [sourcetext|source=Book of Mormon|book=Omni|chapter=1|verse=20|range=, 21]

Other references

Besides the "Book of Ether", the "Book of Mormon" elsewhere relates that Coriantumr was found by the Mulekites. The Nephites later encountered the Mulekites and taught them the Nephite language. The Mulekites told them that Coriantumr had died nine months after he had come to live with them. The Nephite prophet was able to translate some records (a stone tablet and twenty-four metal plates) the Mulekites had found. The story recorded on the metal plates is what Moroni later included in the "Book of Mormon" as the "Book of Ether".

Geography of Jaredites

:See also Limited geography model (Book of Mormon)

The ocean crossed is not specified in the "Book of Mormon". In the Hugh Nibley books "There were Jaredites" and "The World of the Jaredites", he argues for the Pacific Ocean. Milton R. Hunter has argued for an Atlantic Ocean crossing.

The location of the Jaredite civilization is also not specified in the "Book of Mormon", except as called the "Land Northward" by the Nephites. However, the location of the Nephites has not been corelated to any modern geographic location, though there are Mormon speculations.

Proposed Jaredite origins

Some Mormon scholars have argued for substantial parallels between the Jaredites and the Olmecs. For example, one scholar pointed to writings by an alleged ancient native American historian Ixtlilxochitl who wrote about a group of people who came from the great tower to Mesoamerica. According to Ixtlilxochitl's writings, they lived in an area in the northern parts of the land along the Gulf Coast of Mexico. (Allen 1989, 55)

Descendants of Shem

Other Mormons have suggested that the Jaredites may have been descendants of Shem. The reasoning is as follows. Moroni begins his abridgement of the "Book of Ether" by saying that he is omitting those parts of Ether's record that are found in the Bible; he says he will begin where the biblical record leaves off. Moroni then begins with a genealogy, going from Ether back to Jared. This may imply that his point of departure from the biblical record is also a genealogy.

In the Bible, sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Genesis|chapter=10 lists the descendants of Shem (Shem - Arphaxad - Salah - Eber). Shem's great-grandson Eber (or, Heber) is said to have two sons, Peleg and Joktan (or, Yoktan), noting that in their day, the earth was divided. The record briefly lists Joktan's children but then his line dead-ends. The record returns to Peleg and follows his line after telling the tower of Babel story.

Some have interpreted "the earth was divided" to mean the covenant line was divided into two groups, one of which went to America. They note that one of Joktan's sons is named "Jerah," which is similar to Jared. They propose that Moroni's genealogy of Ether begins where Genesis 10 leaves off. Some have further hypothesized that the word Yucatán is derived from Joktan. (See Smith and Sjodahl's commentary, or a [http://www.whyprophets.com/prophets/ophir.htm summary] .)

Asian Origins

Hugh Nibley argues the Jaredites are essentially similar to peoples such as the Mongols in culture. This argument is also workable considering they crossed small bodies of water before going to the ocean and dwelt along the seashore for three years. It is possible members of their group broke off and became part of the ancestors of the population of the Mongols and others of that region.Fact|date=August 2007

ee also

*Mahonri Moriancumer
*Book of Ether

References

External links

* [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=28# Jaredite chronology]