Enos 1:1-2

Brant Gardner

Enos begins his record with a declaration that his father was a just man, and that he was taught in his father’s language as well as by the admonition of the Lord. This seems to be so similar to Nephi’s introduction of himself and his goodly parents that it would seem that Enos had read at least the beginning of Nephi’s book before writing his own book on those very same plates. It is an introduction that has no other purpose than to connect himself to his father, and then Enos moves to what will be the topic of his book. He will speak “of the wrestle which I had before God.”

The book of Enos is not very long, and it is possible that it was composed in a single writing event. However, it is more likely that there were at least two and perhaps more such events. The first probable division comes with the beginning of verse 20. However, the break is not obvious, and, therefore, the whole of the book might have been a single reminiscent event. We will see evidence for that approach to this record at the beginning of the book of Omni.

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