Nor does the book of mormon text indicate that horses or chariots play any role in the many nephite wars despite a popular classic book of mormon painting by arnold friburg depicting helaman leading the 2000 stripling warriors while astride a battleready horse. Hard evidence of ancient american horses byu studies. The book of mormon mentions horses a few times, even though were not in the americas before the spanish arrived, according to current expert opinion. Any casual student of archaeology knows scientists frequently find animals alive that were previously believed to be extinct. Though wheeled vehicles are still unattested throughout precolumbian america, archaeology currently shows that some mesoamerican peoples did understand the concept. Ted dee stoddard, in the issue of the word horse in the book of mormon, reminds us that horses existed at one time in the ancient world, but were believed to have become extinct. Horses are mentioned in eight different book of mormon episodes that involve an ancient new world setting. For addition precolumbian dated horse bones, see miller and roper, animals in the book of mormon, 164. So, given the rarity of hun horse remains, we should not be disturbed if so far we do not have incontrovertable evidence of nephite horses. Some people believe that references to horses are out of place since it is widely believed that they were extinct long before book of mormon times. Horses, cattle, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheels, chariots, wheat, silk, steel, and iron did not exist in precolumbian.
Further, the weakness of uncertain horses in the book of mormon is an area with a hint of a familiar trend. At first glance, its a simple case for rejecting the book. First of all, the author, daniel johnson, states the problem. Horses are mentioned only on a few occasions in the book of mormon the last mention is around the time of christ horses are mentioned once. Of course, archaelogical and anthropological research shows us that the western horse went extinct thousands of years before the time of the alleged. Several recent publications on this topic deserve to be considered. Apr 11, 2016 the book of mormon mentions horses a few times, even though were not in the americas before the spanish arrived, according to current expert opinion. Bennett stated that as a comparison, the famed horses of the huns did not leave any archaeological trace yet numbered in the thousands. Here are a couple of apologetic sources suggesting that tapirs are what the book of mormon means by horses. To know exactly when each horse, elephant, and cow went extinct has to be an unsure science. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. There are three possible ways to approach this puzzle, dealing with archaeology, ancient cultural practices, and difficulties in translation. In light of this view, latterday saints have approached this question in one of two ways.
Horses in the book of mormon sign in to follow this. Horses in the book of mormon book of mormon archaeological. In other words, critics claim that the book of mormon is a fraud, since horses mentioned in the book of mormon couldnt have lived here at the time of the nephites. Horse remains have been found in california which radiocarbon date before the spanish arrival to the area. The word chariot conjures up images of horse drawn war vehicles. Braswell, which is appropriate to my particular point. Book of mormon horses in ancient north america book of. Why does the book of mormon mention horses when there were.
For example, book of mormon references to horses suggest that they may have been uncommon or rare, being limited only to certain regions during specific periods of book of mormon history. Nov 01, 2008 but, now the lds church is saying the horse referred to in the book of mormon is probably a tapir or deer like animal known in central and south america, as is noted in an article from the fairlds site horses in the book of mormon by mike ash. In alma there is a reference to horses, however there were no horses in the americas before columbus got here in 1492. In the book of mormon, however, chariots are referenced little, and never in a battle context, making it hard to be certain about their nature. In the bible we find the same animals as listed in the book of mormon with the exception of the elephant along with the lion, bear, ape, ostrich, hare, bat, badger. Captain moroni made every other medieval war advancement in a period of 20. Though wheeled vehicles are still unattested throughout precolumbian america, archaeology currently shows that some mesoamerican peoples did understand the. While the book of mormon mentions horses, nothing in the text indicates that their importance approached anywhere near that of horses in hun society.
Jul 16, 2019 the topic of horses in the book of mormons depiction of the ancient new world is undoubtedly a controversial one. There are five incidences where horses are mentioned in the book of mormon, and are portrayed as being in the forest upon first arrival of the nephites, raised, fed, prepared in conjunction with chariots, used for food, and being useful unto man. Gain a deeper understanding about this topic by learning what the text actually says, what the archaeological record shows, how ancient people labeled unfamiliar animals, and how the translation process might have happened. The book of mormon speaks of horses used by book of mormon peoples, and yet there is no proof of such a thing. Many people who believe in the mesoamerican theory try very hard to explain why horses are mentioned in the book of mormon, when they. Not to mention the text of the book of mormon would have used it in the wars. There were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals1 nephi 18. Ancient horses and the book of mormon book of mormon. Precolumbian horses in book of mormon proves it false. The mention of horses among domesticated animals kept by book of mormon peoples has raised questions in some peoples minds, due to the prevailing view that horses were not found in the americas during precolumbian times. Horses in the book of mormon general discussions mormon. Horses in america and book of mormon recovery from.
Ash, scholar, author of shaken faith syndrome and of faith and reason the charge that the book of mormon must be fiction. Miller and matthew roper, animals in the book of mormon. For the first 150 years of mormonisms existence, everyone thought it was a story about a people who left the middle east and came to south or central america, and who fought wars clear up into new. So much for the fourthgrade idea that eastern woodland indians always walked and that the first horses came to the plains tribes, who. One of the toughest challenges for the book of mormon is the issue of horses. Excerpt from the horses in the book of mormon article on fair mormon. On three of these occasions, the horse is related to other lands 2 nephi 12. In fact, book of mormon horses are never mentioned in a combat narrative. There are a small number of mentions in the book of mormon of horses. Ancient horses and the book of mormon the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Aug 03, 2018 every time there is some new evidence for horses, i am extremely skeptical because previous claims have turned out to be bogus. In fact, horses went extinct in the americas thousands of years before they show up in the book of mormon. There were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. Horses in the book of mormon post by nibbler fri apr 27, 2018 7.
There is no evidence that horses existed on the american. It is possible that the subsequent disasters associated with the death of christ 3 nephi 810 or the wars and famines of later years alma 45. Excerpts from step by step through the book of mormon unpublished by alan c. The suggestion of horses and chariots in precolumbian america has long been an easy target for critics of the book of mormon. Two major questions have been raised by antilds critics of the book of mormon concerning the statement that there were horses and chariots on the. There is a documented report from a french baron fighting the iroquois in 1687 near rochester, new york, that reads, in all these villages, we found plenty of horses, black cattle, fowl and hogs. Horse manure in the book of mormon excultmember re.
Gotta have something to pull the chariots since hoses didnt exist. These limited details seem to allow brant gardners observation, the book of mormon horse never fulfills the functions we expect of a horse. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. Moreover, archaeological evidence for the presence of the horse in the precolumbian americas is presently scant and inconclusive. The question of horses in the book of mormon lds magazine.
Horses, scholars believe, were only reintroduced by columbus to the carribbean in 1493, and by cortez to the continent over two decades later in 1819. Donors interested in supporting this work can do so through book of mormon central. The book of mormon s horses werent actually equus ferus caballus, horses in the precise modern sense, but some other animal e. May 26, 2018 the book of mormon talks about horses. May 06, 2011 if the book of mormon truly is an ancient history of america, we can search the book of mormon, then search archaeology to discover if the book of mormon is accurate.
The question of horses in the book of mormon meridian. What is the nature and use of chariots in the book of mormon. Book of mormon horses do not function anything like nineteenthcentury farm or field horses, nor are they utilized by either the nephites or lamanites as were the horses belonging to the farmers, explorers, or native americans in joseph smiths milieu. The book of mormon mentions that horses were known and used by the jaredites and the people of lehi. But, now the lds church is saying the horse referred to in the book of mormon is probably a tapir or deer like animal known in central and south america, as is noted in an article from the fairlds site horses in the book of mormon by mike ash.
An entire book of essays deals with the contact between the maya and teotihuacan, the maya and teotihuacan, reinterpreting early classic interaction, edited by geoffery e. And it came to pass that the people of nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds and also many horses. Each possible explanation also teaches important lessons about archaeology, ancient writings, and the. Wikipedia excerpt from the horses in the book of mormon article on fair mormon. Horses and the book of mormon why the lds church is true.
Although hard evidence is available to consider, so far no incontrovertible proof of book of mormon horses existsthat is to say, physical remains conclusively dated to around 500 bc and earlier from supposed book of mormon. Jan 29, 2018 one of the most persistent questions about the book of mormon has been the mention of horses among the nephites, lamanites, and jaredites. Here are some important points that are often overlooked when exploring this challenge. The horse evolved in the americas, but became extinct between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago. The first apologist argument that they did not find archaeological evidence of lions in palestine until very recently is not applicable since pictographic and literary evidence of horses in the new world outside of the book of mormon is unknown. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Horses are not mentioned in the book of mormon after the time of christ 3 nephi 6. Readers can interpret the presence of horses in the book of mormon in a variety of different ways. The most likely animals to have been included in the expanded definition of the book of mormon horse are the deer and the tapir. When the spanish arrived on the american mainland in the 16th century, they brought horses with them and reestablished the animals on the continent. In fact, the last mentions of horses indicates that they were plentiful. Jones in the 90s had a bunch of bones independently tested that were in various mesoamerican strata that appeared precolumbian.
Horses, chariots, highways, and trade the book of mormon mentions horses and chariots. Scientists, historians, and other scholars have long maintained the view that there were no horses in the americas during book of mormon times. In spite of difficulties in defending this claim, and although the evidence is incomplete, the geological and archaeological record does provide support for horses and even wheeled vehicles in ancient america. The most recent issue of byu studies quarterly includes an. Apr 28, 2018 the book of mormon has a few different mentions of horses in different verses, but horses in the book of mormon arent used in the way we understand horses to be used.
Thinking about this question requires us to begin by reflecting on the book of mormon text itself. The men who attacked amon demonstrated that tapirs could be ridden onehanded. Horses are only mentioned once during the nearly two. Dec 01, 2017 horses, scholars believe, were only reintroduced by columbus to the carribbean in 1493, and by cortez to the continent over two decades later in 1819. The topic of horses in the book of mormon s depiction of the ancient new world is undoubtedly a controversial one. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place. Horses in the book of mormon lds scripture teachings.
The book of mormon mentions horses, yet these animals seem not to have been known to native americans who greeted the spaniards upon their arrival in the new world in the sixteenth century. A related discussion is in my post, update on horses in the book of mormon, mormanity blog, feb. Hard evidence of ancient american horses book of mormon. Feb 05, 2008 the following is a partial rebuttal to the anti mormon video bible vs. For those new to arm who arent informed on the controversythe book of mormon claims that its people had and used horses as late as 26 ad 3 nephi 6. Scholars go over evidence and discuss horses found in. Why are horses mentioned in the book of mormon lds living. Each possible explanation also teaches important lessons about archaeology. There does not appear to be archeological proof for their existence in the new world during the time period in which they are mentioned 600 b. The book of mormon claims that horses were found on the american continent after the arrival of at least two groups of people. Jan 17, 2020 first of all, the author, daniel johnson, states the problem. Another scholar pointed out several possibilities for mentions of horses. Others believe that the word horse in the book of mormon does. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth.
New evidence for horses in america book of mormon central. Horses in america and book of mormon recovery from mormonism. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Horses true book of mormon geography lands western new. Horses in the book of mormon book of mormon mormon.
Book of mormon verses containing the reference to horses. Mormon challenges are precolumbian horses in book of. In my opinion, a more likely candidate for the nephite loanshift horse would have been the central american tapir. Anthropologist state that north american horses went extinct around 1 bc. Horses in the book of mormon the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The following is a partial rebuttal to the anti mormon video bible vs. Many critics ridicule the mention of horses in the book of mormon, for it is widely assumed that horses were not known to man in the americas prior to contact with europeans. There are five incidences where horses are mentioned in the book of mormon, and are portrayed as being in the forest upon first arrival of the nephites, raised. This paper is based on a talk and powerpoint presentation given to the book of mormon lands conference, 20 october 2007. Jun 21, 2016 the word chariot conjures up images of horsedrawn war vehicles. Critics claim that horses are mentioned eleven times in the book of mormon in the context of its new world setting, however, this is not true. In contrast to old world use of real horses, however, it does not appear that tapirs were used in battle, as the book of mormon makes no mention of it despite detailed descriptions of battles, war strategy, and war theory. There were writings and drawings of lions in palestine and horses used by the. Hard evidence of ancient american horses part 1 dan.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading science and the book of mormon. The nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every. Others believe that the word horse in the book of mormon does not refer to members of the genus equus but instead to other animals such as deer or tapirs. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the. Feb 05, 2018 in fact, horses went extinct in the americas thousands of years before they show up in the book of mormon.