“That They May Know That We Knew of Christ”

Alan C. Miner

In Jacob 4:4-5, Jacob records the following:

For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name.

However, while the Book of Mormon supports the idea that Christ was known by all the holy prophets, Neal A. Maxwell notes that the specific name of Jesus Christ does not appear in what has come forward as the Old Testament. Intriguingly, however, Maxwell writes that in the New Testament we find that Paul, speaking of Moses' time, said this:

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)

Apparently, Moses' devotion to Jesus in ancient times was not unique. [Neal A. Maxwell, Plain and Precious Things, p. 23] [See the commentary on 1 Nephi 13:40; Helaman 8:13-20]

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

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