Three Biblical Archetypes Compared to Nephi's Construction o

Title

Three Biblical Archetypes Compared to Nephi's Construction of the Ship

Publication Type

Chart

Year of Publication

1999

Authors

Welch, John W. (Primary), and Welch, Greg (Primary)

Number

7-93

Publisher

Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies

City

Provo, UT

URL

https://byustudies.byu.edu/charts/7-93-three-biblical-archetypes-compared-nephis-construction-ship

Terms of use

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Bibliographic Citation

Abstract

Unlike modern writers, who value originality and consider writing to be intellectual property, writers of antiquity valued repetition. For example, ancient Hebrew writers consistently repeated and alluded to previous narratives, and the Nephites did the same. This chart highlights one specific instance of this. As is shown here, Nephi's account of the construction of his ship closely parallels three other narratives about beginnings: the creation, the flood, and the construction of the biblical tabernacle. This suggests that Nephi purposefully included allusions to these biblical texts when recounting his own story of creation, a practice consistent with ancient Hebraic writing.

Old Testament

Ship

Nephi (Son of Lehi)