“Brought Them to Believe by Their Traditions”

Alan C. Miner

According to David Wright, one distinctive feature of the Book of Mormon narrative is listing. This may be termed a type of parallelism. Korihor describes the means by which the church leaders have oppressed the people:

"and have brought them to believe by

their traditions,

and their dreams,

and their whims,

and their visions

and their pretended mysteries

The repetitive structure is clear whether one sees it visually listed as here or reads it in customary verse-paragraph form. One of the effects of this list is to halt the reader in the middle of Korihor's criticism and hear more emphatically the anti-Christ's criticisms. They become drum beats accentuating his charges. The reader becomes more aware of this negative character hearing plainly his sacrilegious mixing of the pure forms of religious knowledge, i..e., traditions, dreams, and visions, with impure forms, i.e., whims and pretended mysteries. [David P. Wright, "Review of Wade Brown, The God-Inspired Language of the Book of Mormon: Structuring and Commentary," in Review of Books of the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, 1989, pp. 13-14]

Alma 30:30 [Korihor] was brought before Alma and the chief judge ([Illustration]): Confrontation between Alma and Korihor. Artist: Robert F. Barrett. [L.D.S., The Ensign, December 1989, p. 6]

Alma 30:30 He [Korihor] was brought before Alma and the chief judge ([Illustration]): Alma and Korihor [Robert T. Barrett, Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 6]

Alma 30:30 He [Korihor] was brought before alma and the chief judge ([Illustration]): Alma and Korihor [Robert t. Barrett,Verse Markers, Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p 6

Alma 30:30 [Korihor] was brought before Alma and the chief judge (Illustration): Confrontation between Alma and Korihor. Alma defended the Church and its leaders. Artist: Robert T. Barrett. [Thomas R. Valletta ed., The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 1999, p. 352]

Step by Step Through the Book of Mormon: A Cultural Commentary

References