The book of 4th Nephi has been a long time favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon for me. It is filled with extreme happiness and extreme sorrow. It has always been fascinating to me to analyze why these two cases were so severe and what caused them. When I read this chapter in the Grant Hardy version, however, I noticed a few themes that I hadn't quite picked up on before, and now can see how important some of the themes presented in 4th Nephi are to the Book of Mormon as a whole.The contrast between "new" and "old" within just a few short pages really stuck out to me. The passage repeatedly emphasizes what aspects of the Nephite life are new and the changes that are brought about because of what is new. Throughout the story new cities were built in old places, different laws were followed, new classes were made in order to get rid of the old ones, and so on. It is comparing the old and the new back and forth over and over again.
This book is also explicitly instructional. There are multiple times where it states that certain events came about "because" something happened before it. The passage makes very clear why whatever happened, happened so that the audience can clearly see what to do if they want similar results, good or bad. I like the instructional and straight forward aspect of reading this text as literature, and taking a step back and viewing the whole Book of Mormon in a different way.
I really liked your comment about how reading Hardy's version helped you recognize new themes. I had the same experience while reading Hardy's text. It is amazing how a different format can help you noticed so many new things even if you've read the text a hundred times.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of the "new" and "old" is really interesting. It makes me think of the Law of Moses and then when Christ implemented his culture of love. With this thought and theme, its easy to see how important it is to see these comparisons. Good work.
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