According to the Book of Mormon, Shiblon (/ˈʃɪblʌn/[1]) was a Nephite missionary and record-keeper. He was the second son of Alma the Younger, who was the first chief judge. Circa 74 BC (17th year of the reign of the judges), Shiblon went with his father, younger brother Corianton, and 5 others (Amulek, Zeezrom, Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni),[2] on a mission to proselytize to the Zoramites in Antionum, while his older brother Helaman stayed behind. The group witnessed the peculiar worshiped of the Zoramites in their congregations, including praying to the Rameumptom.
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2200 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.
According to the Book of Mormon, Alma, the son of Alma was a Nephite prophet often referred to as "Alma the Younger" to distinguish him from his father, who is often referred to as "Alma the Elder". These appellations, "the Younger" and "the Elder", are not used in the Book of Mormon; they are distinctions made by scholars, useful because both individuals were prominent during the same time period and filled a similar cultural and religious role. Alma is the namesake of the Book of Alma.
At the beginning of the Zoramite mission, Alma prayed for Shiblon and the group for the Lord to sustain and guide them. Afterwards as Alma clapped his hands on them and each was filled with the Holy Spirit; each went separate ways to begin their missions.[3] Through faith and prayer, they succeeded among the poorer classes, who had been shunned from other churches because of their lowly appearance.[4]
Holy Spirit is a term found in English translations of the Bible that is understood differently among the Abrahamic religions. The term is also used to describe aspects of other religions and belief structures.
Alma's counsel
In 73 BC, during Shiblon's mission to the Zoramites, Alma gave him counsel and advice.[5] From these instructions, we learn that Shiblon was held in bonds and stoned for the Word's sake. According to Alma, Shiblon bore all things with patience because the Lord was with him. We also discover the following strengths and weaknesses that Shiblon may have possessed through the words of counsel that Alma gives:
Strengths
Steady and faithful to God since youth
Diligent, patient, and long-suffering
Possible weaknesses
Remember to trust God
Continue to preach; do not be idle
Be diligent and temperate; do not be over-passionate
Do not be proud or boastful; be humble and sober
Be bold, but do not domineer
Importance of continual encouragement
Shiblon appears to obey his father's teachings; Alma advises that adult children need continual direction and encouragement from their fathers regardless of the child's maturity and station.
Record-keeping in later years
Circa 56 BC (36th year of the judges), Shiblon inherited the records and other items from his brother Helaman. He kept them for three years, then realized he would soon die. Because he could not deliver them to Corianton who had gone north in a ship, he gave them to his nephew Helaman II. As he predicted, he died shortly afterwards, c. 53 BC.
LDS scholar Hugh Nibley stated both names are probably related to the Arabic word shibl, "lion cub", and argued that Shiblon may have been a variant of Shiblom. His student Benjamin Urrutia further connected it with "Jaguar Cub" imagery of the Olmec people.[6]
Hugh Winder Nibley was an American scholar and Mormon apologist who was a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) for nearly 50 years. He was a prolific author, and wrote apologetic works supporting the archaeological, linguistic, and historical claims of Joseph Smith. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and wrote and lectured on LDS scripture and doctrinal topics, publishing many articles in the LDS Church magazines.
Arabical-ʻarabiyyah[alʕaraˈbijːa](listen) or ʻarabī[ˈʕarabiː](listen) or Arabic pronunciation: [ʕaraˈbij]) is a Central Semitic language that first emerged in Iron Age northwestern Arabia and is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. It is named after the Arabs, a term initially used to describe peoples living from Mesopotamia in the east to the Anti-Lebanon mountains in the west, in northwestern Arabia, and in the Sinai Peninsula. Arabic is classified as a macrolanguage comprising 30 modern varieties, including its standard form, Modern Standard Arabic, which is derived from Classical Arabic.
Benjamin Urrutia is an author and scholar. With Guy Davenport, Urrutia edited The Logia of Yeshua, which collected what Urrutia and Davenport consider to be Jesus' authentic sayings from a variety of canonical and non-canonical sources. Urrutia interprets Jesus' mission as a leadership role in the "Israelite nonviolent resistance to Roman oppression".
Gold is a chemical element with symbol Au and atomic number 79, making it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. In its purest form, it is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions. Gold often occurs in free elemental (native) form, as nuggets or grains, in rocks, in veins, and in alluvial deposits. It occurs in a solid solution series with the native element silver and also naturally alloyed with copper and palladium. Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold compounds, often with tellurium.
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Related Research Articles
The Book of Alma: The Son of Alma, usually referred to as the Book of Alma, is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The title refers to Alma the Younger, a prophet and "chief judge" of the Nephites.
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4 And now I, Amaron, write the things whatsoever I write, which are few, in the book of my father.
5 Behold, it came to pass that three hundred and twenty years had passed away, and the more wicked part of the Nephites were destroyed.
6 For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land.
7 Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
8 And it came to pass that I did deliver the plates unto my brother Chemish.
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Book of Mormon:
