The Evolution of Anti-Mormonism
Response to Charge 8 – No characters from the The Book of Mormon have been found.
The Izapa Stela 5 – Tree of Life Stone Carving.
Joseph Smith, having received the golden plates on September 22, 1827, translated them into English and published The Book of Mormon. One significant part of The Book of Mormon is a dream about a “Tree of Life” that one of the prophets, Lehi, received before coming to the American continent. Lehi’s dream was recorded by his son, Nephi, on the golden plates.
To respond to the charge that no names or artifacts of any kind that demonstrate the truth of The Book of Mormon have been found, a very interesting discovery in Central Mexico will be presented. This discovery is the Izapa Stela 5 stone carving.
Research by Warren and Ferguson (1) revealed: “In 1943 the Smithsonian Institution of the Bureau of American Ethnology published its Bulletin 138, entitled “Stone Monuments of Southern Mexico,” by Matthew W. Stirling, Plate 52 in Bulletin 138 is a photograph of a cast of a large ancient stone monument discovered at the ancient ruin of Izapa near the present town of Tapachula iin the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Izapa is near the border of Guatemala and not far from the Pacific Ocean.
Izapa Stela 5 is possibly one of the most important graphic depictions of the Christian symbol “tree of life.” It is a stone carving that weighs 15 tons and is 255 centimeters high. Dated to the late Preclassic Guillen phase, about 300-50 B.C., it is the earliest Mesoamerican depiction of the “tree of life” discovered so far.
The most recent study of this stela is by V. Garth Norman, who recently summarized the significance of Stela 5:
What makes the monument so interesting…is its possible connection to The Book of Mormon. In the 1950s and early 1960s, studies by Dr. M. Wells Jakeman of the Brigham Young University Department of Archaeology indicated that certain features of the monument seem to correspond to features of Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life. [See also 1 Nephi 8 and 11.] The most obvious of the parallels is a fruit-bearing tree in the center with a stream running by. A pathway extends from the river’s head to the tree, and a broad grooved line paralleling the path lines suggests the rod of iron. Two cherubim-like beings attend the tree, and seated around it are six people who, it was suggested, could represent Lehi’s family in the attitudes they assume in Lehi’s vision. Attaching their names to the figures, we see Lehi, on the left and attended by Sariah, facing Laman, and on the right Nephi, attended by Sam, facing Lemuel. In fact, Dr. Jakeman deciphered possible name hieroglyphs above the heads of two of these figures as “Lehi” and “Nephi.”
The years of research since Dr. Jakeman’s study (2) have neither proved nor disproved his thesis. Nor has his translation of Nephi and Lehi’s names been disproved.
The Izapa Stela 5 with the depiction of the Tree of Life dream from The Book of Mormon is an American archaeological artifact that supports The Book of Mormon.
Lehi’s dream as recorded in The Book of Mormon reads as follows:
1 Nephi 8: 2-4, 9-36
2. And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.
3. And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.
4. But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, me thought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.
9. And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
10. And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
11. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceeding great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.
13. And as I cast my eyes roundabout, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
14. And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off, and at the head thereof I beheld your mother, Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
15. And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
16. And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
17. And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
18. And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.
19. And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.
20. And I also beheld a straight and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.
21. And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood.
22. And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.
23. And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; ye, even an exceeding great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.
24. And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.
25. And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.
26. And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
27. And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceeding fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
28. And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
29. And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.
30. But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
31. And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.
32. And it came to pass that many were drowned the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
33. And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
34. These are the words of my father: For as many as heeded them, had fallen away.
35. And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father.
36. And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord.
(1) Warren & Ferguson, The Messiah in Ancient America, The book of Mormon Research Foundation, Provo, Utah, 1987, page 71-74.
(2) Ibid. Warren & Ferguson, pages 71-72.
