The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

The Book of Alma continues Mormon’s abridgement of the Large Plates of Nephi and represents the largest constituent part of The Book of Mormon, running to 63 chapters. It provides an overview of a span of approximately 40 years of Nephite history at the outset of the theocratic republic introduced by King Mosiah II’s reforms. Alma the Younger is the eponymous protagonist of the book, as he deals with various political challenges and religious duties in the course of undertaking his office. He resists an attempt at a coup d’etat to reinstate the monarchy, then hands over the political duties of leadership to Nephihah, who takes over as chief judge while Alma continues his priestly and prophetic role.

Alma travels and preaches throughout much of the book, at times with his converted follower Amulek. Amulek attempts to testify to the truth of Alma’s message in the city of Ammonihah, but the result of their ministry there is tragic: The authorities of Ammonihah expel all the men who believe Alma’s message and burn their wives and children to death in a public execution. Alma and Amulek are imprisoned and beaten in Ammonihah, but they regain their freedom when the jail miraculously collapses and leaves them free to escape.

In the middle of the accounts of Alma’s ministry, the book tells the story of the sons of King Mosiah II—Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni—who had gone into Lamanite country to serve as missionaries. It was a time of unrest between Lamanites and Nephites, but the sons of Mosiah II were nonetheless able to preach and teach among the Lamanites over the course of some 14 years of service. The book’s narrative then returns to affairs within the Nephite community, with a continued focus on Alma’s ministry. The Zoramites—a breakaway group of Nephites—rebel against the authority of the state in Zarahemla, while at the same time preaching their own interpretation of doctrine in opposition to the official teachings of the church. Alma and a team of fellow missionaries go to preach to the Zoramites, but they only succeed in convincing some of the lower classes to return to the church, while the upper classes of Zoramite society resist Alma’s message, sever themselves from the other Nephites, and eventually join the Lamanite nation.

The final chapters of the Book of Alma record a mix of religious teaching—primarily the counsel of Alma to his son—and a long section of historical narrative. The historical sections deal primarily with the ongoing Lamanite-Nephite war, in which the Lamanites and their new Zoramite allies launch successive waves of attacks during the early-to-mid first century BCE. The Nephite defense of their territory is organized by the chief captain Moroni (not the same figure as the later prophet Moroni), who is both a brilliant military commander, seeing the war through until the ultimate victory on the banks of the river Sidon, and also a righteous follower of God’s commands. Moroni sees the war as an existential battle for the Nephites’ God-given rights to govern themselves in liberty.

The Book of Helaman, 16 chapters long, continues the prophet Mormon’s abridgement of the Large Plates of Nephi, portraying the history of the Nephites and Lamanites in the latter half of the first century BCE. It largely follows two characters: Helaman, son of Helaman, from the line of Alma the Younger, and Helaman’s son Nephi (not to be confused with the original Nephi, the patriarch Lehi’s son). It is significantly shorter than the Book of Alma that it precedes, coming to 16 chapters in all.

The introductory chapters describe a political crisis within the Nephite state, in which a newly elected chief judge, Pahoran, is murdered by a clandestine group of conspirators (in The Book of Mormon’s terminology, they are a “secret combination”). In the wake of that crisis, a Lamanite offensive briefly manages to capture the Nephite capital, and after regaining the city, the new chief judge, Helaman, must contend with an assassination attempt against himself. With the plot foiled, the conspirators flee into the wilderness and take up a life of brigandry. This group becomes known as the Gadianton robbers, named after an early leader, and their influence rises again shortly thereafter, causing further unrest in the Nephite state. Meanwhile, Helaman consolidates power during a period in which Nephite economic influence develops rapidly and expands its reach to the north, but the Lamanite threat remains, and the Lamanites eventually manage to conquer a significant portion of Nephite territory. As Helaman’s reign as judge ends, his son Nephi takes over the office, but eventually abdicates in order to serve as a missionary to the occupied territories that the Lamanites now rule. While Nephi initially meets resistance, the appearance of an angelic manifestation convinces his hearers of the truth of his message, and the Lamanites withdraw from Nephite territory.

With his mission to the Lamanites complete, Nephi returns and preaches to the Nephites, whose rising wealth and influence have made them complacent about spiritual matters. He confronts the continuing corruption and violence at the heart of the state (much of it due to the Gadiantons), proclaiming God’s judgment against the Nephites for their unfaithfulness. God permits Nephi to act as an agent of judgment in summoning a famine that lasts for three years, until some of the Nephites repent. The last portion of the Book of Helaman consists of another prophecy of judgment, this one delivered by a converted Lamanite, Samuel (conventionally known as Samuel the Lamanite): “And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them” (Helaman 15:17). Samuel prophesies the eventual destruction of Nephite society in four centuries’ time and references specific information concerning the imminent birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ back in their ancestral Judean homeland, predicting specific signs that will accompany those events.