A Comparative Book of Mormon Chronology - Traditional vs. Updated

by Don R. Hender

(Part III)
[321-421 AD —— Mormon-Moroni]

The last 100 years of the Nephi record, which includes a very brief Jaredite abridgment by Moroni, has been, due to the lack of 'size' past over in a field of errors of presumption and subjective interpretion of 'condensed soup'. That is, due to it being but a 100th part, all that is left out leaves only a small picture, which has generally been taken as the basis of determining it to be but a 'small' matter. For example, even though the Jaredites lived almost twice as long upon the land as did the Nephites, because Moroni's abridgment of an abridgment record mentions so few actual sites and events over the Jaredite habitation, the land northward of the Jaredites has suffered such a relative size reduction that the 'greater land of Desolation' of the Jaredites is shrunk in size to be less of a land, a fraction of the land size, than the nation of Zarahemla, and thus even more of a small fraction of the size of the land southward. The Book of Mormon never does state this to be that facts of the matter, but such has been the treatments of 'map makers', particularly those who force the limited model upon the book. Imagine, the last war of the Jaredites at hill Ramah is nearer to the narrow neck of land than the narrow neck of land is wide. And this even though the greatly abridged movements of the Jaredites would in truth suggest that 'Ramah', which is the same as Cumorah, is many days distance in travel from the lands of the Jaredites which touts a grand city of trade at the narrow neck border with the land southward. And convienently for the 'limited model' mappers, this also becomes the case of the hill of Cumorah. After years of flight, as the dew before the rising sun, and Moroni's watched over Christians being protected to the north of Mormon's later positions, the final battle suddenly comes to be at a hill of Cumorah near the narrow neck of land than the narrow neck of land (that could be traveled in a day and a half) than the narrow neck itself is wide. Talk about force stuffing a nation into a pint size bottle.

Mormon and Moroni

Between AD 321 and 328 (Mormon's Youth)
* AD 321 (about): Ammaron visits Mormon and instructs him on the location of the sacred engravings.
* AD 322: Mormon is carried into the land southward to the land of Zarahemla by his father.
* AD 326: Mormon is visited by the Lord at the age of fifteen, "and taste[s] and [knows] of the goodness of Jesus" (Mormon 1:15).
* AD 327-28: Mormon becomes head of the Nephite armies and leads them in battle against the Lamanites.

Between AD 328 and 350
* AD 331: Mormon and his army of 42,000 defeats the Lamanite king, Aaron, and his army of 44,000.

Mormon —— Moroni

Between AD 311 and 331 (Mormon's Youth and First Nephite Deliverance)
* AD 311 (about) Mormon is born in the Land Northward, not in the land Antumn but likely in an unnamed land region near enough to the land Antum and the hill Shim to know about them.
* AD 321 After hiding the Nephite records in the hill shim Ammaron visits Mormon, age 10, and instructs him that at age 24 he is to go and retrive just the [large] plates of Nephi and engrave his [large record] observations concerning the people of Nephi upon them.
* AD 322 Mormon's father, also named Mormon, takes 11 year old Mormon into the land southward, even to the local regional land of Zarahemla about the City of Zarahemla [in the central heart of the land]. In this year a war between the Nephites and Lamanites begins [perhaps the relative cause why Mormon Sr. had come down to the land of Zarahemla].
* AD 326 It is about at this time that the 3 Nephite Apostles, the beloved disciples, are taken away and that for the most part in general the work of miracles and healing did cease as wickedness did prevail upon the land. (Mormon 1:13). It was also nw when at age 15, Mormon is visited by the Lord and comes to know the goodness of Jesus Christ-Mormon 1:15). [Perhaps in conjunction with 'war death' of his father Mormon. For some reason young Mormon is known and accepted by the Nephite Military.]
* AD 326 Known and being large in stature, Mormon appointed to be leader of the Nephite armies at age 16 [in his sixteenth year, actually still age 15] Mormon 2:2
* Between AD 326-330 Lamanites come with exceedingly great power. Nephites flee in northern direction. Stop to defend themselves at Angola. Then they flee to land of David and were again driven. They then marched forth to land of Joshua [land of Jesus] in the borders west by the seashore.
[Note: never states went north beyond narrow neck.] In Land of Joshua Mormon leads Nephites to Victory and Deliverance against Lamanites and King Aaron (in year AD 330 at age 19).

Mormon Effects 'First Deliverance' of Nephites

* AD 335 (about): Mormon goes to the hill called Shim in the land Antum, takes the plates of Nephi, and begins his abridgment of the records.
* AD 345: Nephites retreat to the land of Jashon, but are driven forth again northward to the land of Shem.
* AD 346: A Nephite army of 30,000 beats a Lamanite army of 50,000.
* AD 350: The Nephites make a treaty with the Lamanites and the Gadianton Robbers, giving the Nephites the land northward up "to the narrow passage which led into the land southward", and giving the Lamanites the land southward (Mormon 2:28-9).

Between AD 350 and 360
* No battles fought

Between the Nephites and the Lamanites

Between AD 331 and 360
* Between AD 331 - 334 Mormon leaves Nephite Army having delived the Nephite people from their Lamanite Enemy, and travels back north into the land northward - likely timing of Mormon's marriage and Moroni's birth?
* AD 335 Mormon age 24 goes to the hill Shim in land Antum and retrieves the [large] plates of Nephi and begins to write his 'full record' (not abridgment) upon the large plates of Nephi themselves.
* AD 335-345 Mormon in ten years of relative peace raise young family and records his 'full' account record of Nephites on the large plates of Nephi.
* AD 345 Lamanites have breached the narrow neck of land, Nephites have had to retreat fo the land of Jashon, and then further driven northward to the land of Shem. Mormon rejoins Nephite army as Nephites and Nephite record in jepordy.
* AD 346-349 Mormon forms a defense at land Shem with 30,000 Nephites and beats Lamanite army of 50,000. Mormon pursues Lamanites and beats them again. Nephites continue to go forth until they had again taken possession of the lands of their inheritance.
* AD 350 Treaty made with Lamanites and robbers of Gadianton, dividing the lands of Nephite inheritence. Nephites give up land southward [nation of Zarahemla] and retained the land northward even unto the narrow passage.
Mormon Has Effected Second Nephite Deliverence

* Between AD 350 - 360 Treaty holds with no battles fought. Mormon stays with military preparing defenses of the Nephites at narrow neck against the Lamanites, who Mormon knows will come again as Nephites becoming as wicked as the Lamanites and do not fight in the strenght of the Lord.

Between AD 360 and 385
* AD 360: Lamanites again come to battle the Nephites.
* AD 362: Nephites beat the Lamanites in battle and begin to boast in their own strength and "swear before the heavens that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies" (Mormon 3:9). Mormon "utterly refuse[s]...to be a commander and a leader" to the Nephites (Mormon 3:11).

Between AD 360 and 362 - The Third and Final Deliverence
* AD 360 After 10 Years, Lamanites again come to battle the Nephites
* AD 362 Due to Mormon's strategic planning and positioning, the Nephites beat the Lamanites soundly.
This Is Mormon's Effected Third Deliverence of the Nephites

* AD 362 The Nephites begin to boast of their own strength though it was due to Mormon's designed defenses and planning. And they 'swear before the heavens that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren by taking a war of aggression to the Lamanites and attcking them in the land southward. This is against the Lord's battle plan and the Nephite maintained ethics of fighting any war of aggresion. Thus Mormon 'utterly refuses to be their commander and leader ever again (Mormon 3:11).

Between AD 360 and 385
* AD 363: Nephite armies attack the Lamanites and are beaten back. Lamanites take the city of Desolation.
* AD 364-66: Lamanites attack the city of Teancum, but are driven back. Nephites retake the city of Desolation.
* AD 367: Mormon describes "the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites" (Mormon 4:11). Lamanites take the city of Desolation back driving the Nephites before them, next attacking the city of Teancum and taking many women and children prisoners to offer up as sacrifices to their idol gods. Nephites drive the Lamanites out of their land in anger over Lamanite sacrifices (Mormon 4:15).

Between AD 363 and 367 - The Back and Forth Battles * AD 363 The Nephites attack the Lamanites by entering into the land southward beyond the narrow neck in their war of aggression against the Lamanites. But they are beaten back north of the neck to the city of Desolation and the Lamanites successfully defeat the Nephites there and take the city of Desolation. Fleeing Nephites take refuge in the city of Teancum.
* AD 364-366 Lamanites attack the city of Teancum, but are driven back and the Nephites retake the city of Desolation.
* Ad 367 Mormon decribes 'the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the peope, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites' (Mormon 4:11). Lamanites again take the city of Desolation, driving the Nephites back to city of Teancum where the Lamanites are successful in taking many women and children prisoners to offer them up as sacrifices to their idol gods. Nephites in their 'anger' over the sacrifices drive the Lamanites out of their land taking back city of Desolation (Mormon 4:15).
* AD 363-367 Despite the on going wars to the south, Mormon likely entrenches himself under the commandment of the Lord in preparing golden plates and abridging the large plates of Nephi.

Between AD 360 and 385
* AD 375: After eight years of no conflict between the two sides, the Lamanites attack. Meanwhile, the Nephites, from this point forth, gain no power over their enemies (Mormon 4:16-18), resulting in a nationwide retreat (Mormon 4:22).

Between AD 367-375
* AD 368-375
* AD 368-375 The Lamanites use this time to gather together an emence army. Mormon most likely is still entrenched in his preparation of the large plates of Nephi (over all from about AD 363-375, some twelve years of carefully abridging the plates of Nephi.
* AD 375: After eight years of no conflict
Between the two sides, the Lamanites attack full force ousting the Nephites and putting them to flight. Meanwhile, the Nephites, from this point forth, gain no power over their enemies (Mormon 4:16-18), resulting in a nationwide continual retreat (Mormon 4:22).

From This Time Forth (AD 375-385—for 10 years) the Nephites Could Gain No Power Over the Lamanites, But Began to Be Swept Off By Them Even As A Dew Before the Sun - (Mormon 4:18)
Perhaps the best word which detail the Nephite 10 year retreat from 375 to 385 AD are those of Mormon himself. Note in Mormon 5:2 Mormon states that he had rejoined the Nephite army but without hope. he does state that for a short time after flee to the city of Jordan that they withstood the Lamanite charge against that city and had other strongholds (perhaps such as Morianton and Sherrizah as named in a letter to Moroni. But they were only held for a short time and their fate is that which Mormon would not speak of in Mormon 5 but perhaps did speak somewhat of such in his letter to Moroni in Moroni chapter 9. Here are Mormon's words after the tempory pause in the retreat:
    "And it came to pass that whatsoever lands we had passed by, and the inhabitants thereof were not gathered in, were destroyed by the Lamanities, and their towns, and villages, and cities were burned with fire; and thus three hundred and seventy and nine years passed away. And it came to pass that in the three hundred and eightieth year the Lamanites did come against us to battle, and we did stand against them boldly; but it was all in vain, for so great were their numbers that they did tread the prople of the Nephites under their feet. And it came to pass that we did again take to flight, and those whose flight was swifter than the Lamanites' did escape, and thos whose flight did not exceed the Lamanites' were swept down and destroyed. And now behold, I, Mormon, do not desire to harrow up the souls of men in casting before them such an awful scene of blood and carnage as was laid before mine eyes; but I, knowing that these things must surely be made known, and that all things which are hid must be revealed upon the house-tops— And also that a knowledge of these things must come unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the Gentiles, who the Lord hath said should scatter this people, and this people should be counted as naught among them—therefore I write a small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people." ~ Mormon 5:5-9
Now, though but an abridgment itself, perhaps the one letter of Mormon to Moroni in Moroni 9 will illustrate such as that which Mormon did not wish to delve more fully in. Certainly Mormon did not give a full account of the 10 year retreat from 375 AD to 385 AD. We have only snipits which are bad enough. But what must be evident is that the people retreated and were swept off the face of the land for upwards of 10 continuous years. Now I must objectively determin that 10 years of such flight with lands, cities, villages and towns being destroyed in the process would certainly take the Nephites further distance than one day's journey for a Nephite and a Cumorah within a shorter distance from the narrow neck than the narrow neck is wide.

Between AD 360 and 385
* Sometime

Between AD 375 and 380: Mormon resumes command of the Nephite armies.
*

Between AD 380 and 385: Mormon, with the permission of the Lamanites' king, gathers his people to Cumorah to fight the Lamanites.

Between AD 375 and 380 * AD 375 Seeing the obvious coming destruction, Mormon first secures the cash of records by sending the north to where Moroni is working with the Church in a distant protected land. Then Mormon reverses himself and rejoins the Nephite army but in what he knows will be a exercise in failure. * AD 376-380 Mormon temporarily stalls the inevitible continual retreat about the land narrows of Sherrizah and Moriantum perhaps as a part of the momentary defense of the city of Jordon mentioned in Mormon 5:3. With Moroni further north and with momentary protection, Mormon writes Moroni a letter discribing some of the scenes of the gross depravity of the people which he in his abridged book of Mormon refused to detail (See Moroni 9). * AD 380 to 384 Mormon's and the Nephites' retreat continues. Those that do not retreat swift enough are caught up in the ever advancing Lamanites invation and take over of the land. In all from 375 AD to 384 AD there are a continuous retreat of the Nephite nation 'as dew before the sun'. The Nephites would never gain any advantage or advance against the Lamanites all during that time. The best they ever did was but one season's delay
The Jaredites, NOT the Nephites, take 4-5 years of gathering and dividing the entire remaining population between the two factions of either Shiz or Coriantumr. A mis-applied parallel of dividing of an entire nation's populous is wrongly compared with Mormon's task of recuiting in the limited land of the remaining Nephites who will come to defend their nation. Not all Nephites come at that point as even after Cumorah Mormon lives on and fights with various remaining Nephite faction against the Lamanites until he is eventually killed by the Lamanites in some such subsequent battle. Even then there are still remaining Nephites who Moroni states are still being weeded out and if they do not deny Christ, they are then exterminated. Therefore Mormon's gather of the willing remaining in the limited land is nowhere near the task of Jaredites who divided every bogy north of the narrow neck. Many Nephite land had already passed into Lamanite hands, never to be returned again, certainly including such as the limited model suggested 'hill of Cumorah' within less distance of the narrow neck than then narrow neck is wide. Mormon's task regeminent to such as the eastern states of the US could well have taken merely the time of months to collect to the hill of Cumorah for the last great battle.

Between AD 360 and 385
*

Between AD 380 and 385: Mormon, with the permission of the Lamanites' king, gathers his people to Cumorah to fight the Lamanites.

Between AD 384-385
* AD 384 Mormon negociates with King Aaron to allow Mormon to gather all remaining Nephites of the surrounding remaining lands to come forth and participate in the last great battle at Cumorah. This suits the Lamanite king as he does greately out number the Nephites in any case and looks to reduce the task of seeking out the remaining Nephites, having to go from remote city to remote city.
* AD 384-385 Mormon sends out messengers and calls forth all remaining Nephites who will to come and defend their failing reduced nation against the Lamanites. Not all the Nephites respond and those who do are able to come within a matter of months. This is also likely the time that Mormon takes to stay at the hill Cumorah and prepare the hiding place for the cash of Nephite records.
* AD 385 Mormon has a 'dying' strategic hope that by tactically defending the druman hills of the land of Cumorah, Mormon might gain some advantages over the Lamanites. But even Mormon knows that being so vastly out numbered, this is but a 'dying' hope of last best ditch attempt and nothing more.

The Book of Mormon states that there is a strategic hope that Mormon has in his attempted defenses at the land of Cumorah. Here the limited model logic falls completely apart. What strategic hope could there possibly be in march all the rest of his army back to such a position as being in the midst of the lands already captured and now populated by the invading Lamanites as such a site as a hill nearer the narrow neck than the narrow neck is wide? Even if, and the Book of Mormon decidedly states that the Lamanites had taken over such lands already, but even if the Lamanites had in bulk stayed south of the narrow neck, what possible advantage could Mormon see in placing his remaining army within a mere 'day and a half jouney' of the vast Lamanite homeland populous? There is NO strategic home in setting the slaughter table for your enemy right admidst his army and at his door step. And certainly a great military leader such as Mormon would never do such a stupid thing as that. The smart thing is to meet as remotely away from the Lamanite national base as possible [Cumorah in New York], and in a setting of numerously confusing drumin hills about which to tactically defend and attack the enemy. That is the true logic of Mormon's decided final defensive hope.

Between AD 360 and 385
* AD 385: The Nephites finish gathering their people. Around this time is when Mormon abridges the Large Plates of Nephi, and compiles the record into its almost finished product (See Words of Mormon 1:1-5, 9 and Mormon 6:6).
* They then go to battle, resulting in the annihilation of the Nephite nation, with 230,000 Nephite casualties, or 10,000 each led by 23 captains. Only 24 survive, including Mormon and his son Moroni. Mormon bids farewell to the once great nation.

About AD 385
* AD 385 Mormon finishes the gathering of those remaining Nephites who will join in the great final battle. He finishes the last part of his abridgment of the plates of Nephi and as he secures the records in the hill of Cumorah finds and attaches the small plates of Nephi with his bridge record, 'The Words of Mormon'.
* AD 385 Then with all in place, Moroni finally instructed to complet the record (the last two chapter of Mormon's small abrided book). They go to battle and the annihilation of the Nephite nation. Some quarter of a million Nephite casualties and only 24 survive including Mormon and his sone Moroni. Mormon bids a farewell recorded by Moroni and slips off to find any other remaining Nephite groups to continue to fight another day.

Between AD 385 and 421
*

Between AD 385 and 400: Of the remaining survivors of the final battle, all are hunted down and slain, except for Moroni.
*

Between AD 401 and 421: Moroni finishes his father's work (Mormon 8); abridges the book of Ether, the record of the Jaredites; and finishes with his own book, including the church ordinances (Moroni 2-6) and some of his father's teachings and writings (Moroni 7, 8, 9).
* About AD 421: Moroni finishes the work his father and ancestors started, leaving a promise to its readers, and buries it in the earth.

Between AD 385 and 400* (* Mormon 8:6)
* AD 385 - 400 Moroni finishes the record of his father, that is the last two chapters of the small book of Mormon which is an abridgement of Mormon of his own larger book written on the large plates of Nephi. At the end these two chapters, Moroni presumed that his work was done.
* AD 400 At this date in Mormon 8, Moroni would have found his way back to the hill of Cumorah, presumably to add his few plates of completion to the greater record of Mormon's abridgment contained in the hill. Perhaps it was at this time, when in the archives, that the Lord commissioned Moroni to provide an abridgment of his own of the plates of Ether and to further add his own small book of Moroni.
Between AD 401 and 421* (*Moroni 10:1)
* AD 401-421 Moroni produces the brief abridgment of the 24 plates of Ether called the the book of Ether. Moroni also addes some items reative to the church performances of baptism and the sacrement. He also addes some teaching and two letters he had received and kept all this time from his father Mormon (Moroni 7, 8, & 9). And then he wrote his own final farwell chapter of Moroni 10.
* AD 421 Then at this final date, Moroni, as directed of God, would have prepared the stone box and place those items in it as later to be 'found' by the prophet Joseph Smith.