Nightlion wrote:Good grief people. The Bible says; and it came to pass about four hundred times. Shut up and get your brains back from this mad drunkenness.
The phrase in the Book of Mormon....'and it came to pass' is the translation into English of a single glyph on the Gold Plates. Because of the awkwardness of their hands and the lack of space Mormon and Moroni moved the story along with this little glyph. Moroni realized how the Gentiles would mock them for things like this. They were limited in writing skills because of the greatness of their words.
On another note I would like to scold DrW for badly misrepresenting the last days of the Jaredites when million of them were destroyed as he wrongly supposed, in a single battle. Please read the last two chapters of Ether and realize that the saga stretched over twenty years where every man woman and child was compelled to arm themselves and do battle to survive. The dead bodies were left unburied and covered the land. The entire population was living a war survival mentality as their only means of support and living for all that time. After twenty millions mighty men with their women and children were killed the battles rage on for years and then four more years were taken just to gather every living soul into one camp or the other. So after twenty some odd years there were so few that they had to hunt out of the rocks more people to add to their armies. Then long battles raged over the entire range of their nation North of the narrow neck of land....today's Ecuador and the Gulf of Guayaquil. Coriantumr takes time to recover of his wounds four times. And while he is recovering the people are constantly at war killing one another.
We have no idea how many were engaged in the final week of battle when they dwindled down to fifty and then only the last two, Shiz and Coriantumr.
Earlier in the Jaredite story when the drought brought up the poisonous serpents the people followed the path of their animals who went South to escape and devoured them. No more Elephants, cureloms and cumoms or swine and a lot fewer horses no doubt.
We
do have an idea, because Oliver Cowdery (with Jo's help) let us know that there were "tens of thousands",
This hill, by the Jaredites, was called Ramah: by it, or around it, pitched the famous army of Coriantumr their tents. Coriantumr was the last king of the Jaredites. The opposing army were to the west, and in this same valley, and near by, from day to day, did that mighty race spill their blood, in wrath, contending, as it were, brother against brother, and father, against son. In this same spot, in full view from the top of this same hill, one may gaze with astonishment upon the ground which was twice covered with the dead and dying of our fellowmen. Here may be seen where once sunk to nought the pride and strength of two mighty nations; and here may be contemplated, in solitude, while nothing but the faithful record of Mormon and Moroni is now extant to inform us of the fact, scenes of misery and distress--the aged, whose silver locks in other places and at other times would command reverence; the mother, who in other circumstances would be spared from violence; the infant, whose tender cries would be regarded and listened to with a feeling of compassion and tenderness; and the virgin, whose grace, beauty and modesty, would be esteemed and held inviolate by all good men and enlightened and civilized nations, alike disregarded and treated with scorn!--In vain did the hoary head and man of gray hairs ask for mercy; in vain did the mother plead for compassion; in vain did the helpless and harmless infant weep for very anguish, and in vain did the virgin seek to escape the ruthless hand of revengeful foes and demons in human form--all alike were trampled down by the feet of the strong, and crushed beneath the rage of battle and war! Alas, who can reflect upon the last struggles of great and populous nations, sinking to dust beneath the hand of justice and retribution, without weeping over the corruption of the human heart, and sighing for the hour when the clangor of arms shall no more be heard, nor the calamities of contending armies no more experienced for a thousand years? Alas, the calamity of war, the extinction of nations, the ruin of kingdoms, the fall of empires and the dissolution of governments! O the misery, distress and evil attendant on these! Who can contemplate like scenes without sorrowing, and who so destitute of commiseration as not to be pained that man has fallen so low, so far beneath the station in which he was created?
In this vale lie commingled, in one mass of ruin, the ashes of thousands, and in this vale was destined to consume the fair forms and vigorous systems of tens of thousands of the human race--blood mixed with blood, flesh with flesh, bones with bones, and dust with dust! When the vital spark which animated their clay had fled, each lifeless lump lay on one common level--cold and inanimate. Those bosoms which had burned with rage against each other for real or supposed injury, had now ceased to heave with malice; those arms which were, a few moments before nerved with strength, had alike become paralyzed, and those hearts which had been fired with revenge, had now ceased to heave with malice; those arms which were, a few moments before nerved with strength, had alike become paralyzed, and those hearts which had been fired with revenge, had now ceased to beat, and the head to think--in silence, in solitude, and in disgrace alike, they have long since turned to earth, to their mother dust, to await the august, and to millions, awful hour, when the Trump of the Son of God shall echo and re-echo from the skies, and they come forth, quickened and immortalized, to not only stand in each other's presence, but before the bar of him who is Eternal!. . . .
http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/Cowdery-hist.htmlThe Book of Mormon gives the timeline for this last battle, which was (as you stated) (1 week):
11 And it came to pass that
the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.
12 And it came to pass that
they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether.
13 And it came to pass that Ether did behold all the doings of the people;
and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz.14 Wherefore, they were for
the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive.
15 And it came to pass that
when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men, women and children being armed with aweapons of war, having shields, and bbreastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and
they fought all that day, and conquered not.
1 day 16 And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a alamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly.
17 And it came to pass that
on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people.
2 days 18 And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people.
19 But behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.
20 And it came to pass that
they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.
3 days 21 And
on the morrow they fought even until the night came.
4 days 22 And when the night came they were drunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords.
23 And
on the morrow they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz.
5 days, 121 people left. 24 And it came to pass that they slept upon their swords that night, and
on the morrow they fought again, and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all that day.
6 days, 59 people left 25 And when the night came there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the people of Coriantumr.
26 And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men as to the strength of men.
27 And it came to pass that
they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood.
7th day, (last day)
28 And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword.
29 Wherefore, he did pursue them, and
on the morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the sword. And it came to pass that when they had aall fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood.
30 And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.
31 And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised up on his hands and fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.
32 And it came to pass that Coriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.
It doesn't say that it took so long to gather that many people (four years) because there were so few. For all we know, there might have been so many, that it took time to feed them and transport them all, make camps to house them, make weapons, etc., especially since Jo had said that the plains of the Nephites were in the Illinois area which was the "land of desolation". They would have had to possibly go far distances to gather up the armies. You are filling in information that is not in the account with your own speculations, which aren't borne out by the Historical Accounts given by Smith and Cowdery. Cowdery (who had his information from Jo) said that the last battle was fought around the Hill Ramah or Cumorah, in New York, where "tens of thousands" fell. That could be up to 20 or 30 or 50 thousand or more. Joseph Fielding Smith wrote,
HILL RAMAH IN WESTERN NEW YORK. "This hill, by the Jaredites, was called Ramah; by it, or around it, pitched the famous army of Coriantumr their tents. Coriantumr was the last king of the Jaredites. The opposing army were to the west, and in this same valley and near by, from day to day, did that mighty race spill their blood, in wrath, contending, as it were brother against brother, and father against son. In this same spot, in full view from the top of this same hill, one may gaze with astonishment upon the ground which was twice covered with the dead and dying of our fellowmen....
"In this vale lie commingled, in one mass of ruin, the ashes of thousands, and in this vale was destined to consume the fair forms and vigorous systems of tens of thousands of the human race--blood mixed with blood, flesh with flesh, bones with bones, and dust with dust."
PROPHET APPROVES OLIVER COWDERY'S VIEWS. The quibbler might say that this statement from Oliver Cowdery is merely the opinion of Oliver Cowdery and not the expression of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It should be remembered that these letters in which these statements are made were written at the Prophet's request and under his personal supervision. Surely, under these circumstances, he would not have permitted an error of this kind to creep into the record without correction.
At the commencement of these historical letters is found the following: "That our narrative may be correct, and particularly the introduction, it is proper to inform our patrons, that our Brother J. Smith Jr., has offered to assist us. Indeed, there are many items connected with the fore part of this subject that render his labor indispensable. With his labor and with authentic documents now in our possession, we hope to render this a pleasing and agreeable narrative, well worth the examination and perusal of the saints."
Later, during the Nauvoo period of the Church, and again under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, these same letters by Oliver Cowdery, were published in the Times and Seasons, without any thought of correction had this description of the Hill Cumorah been an error. (Doctrines of Salvation)
News of the Book of Mormon's demise may be a bit pre-mature, but who knows? It will be interesting to see where things shake out this time around.