Book of Alma

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The Book of Alma is the longest of all the books of the Book of Mormon, consisting of 63 chapters. The book records the first 39 years of what the Nephites termed "the reign of the judges", a period in which the Nephite nation adopted a constitutional theocratic government in which the judicial and executive branches of the government were combined.

It contains some of the most doctrinally rich and narratively compelling material in the entire text. Named after Alma the Younger, it divides roughly into two major sections: the ministry of Alma and his sons, and the military campaigns led by Captain Moroni.

The book opens after Mosiah's death, with Alma the Younger serving as both the first chief judge and high priest over the church. Almost immediately, a man named Nehor introduces priestcraft to the Nephites, teaching that priests should be popular and supported by the people, and that all mankind would be saved regardless of their actions. When Nehor kills a faithful teacher named Gideon in a theological dispute, Alma condemns him to death for murder and priestcraft.

Despite Nehor's execution, his teachings spread, creating a class of people who persecute the humble followers of God. This sets the stage for a major political and military crisis when a large, strong man named Amlici seeks to become king. The Nephites, who had recently transitioned to a system of judges specifically to avoid kingship, vote against Amlici. Refusing to accept this democratic decision, Amlici and his followers rebel, leading to a civil war.

Alma personally leads Nephite forces against the Amlicites, who have allied with the Lamanites. In a dramatic confrontation, Alma fights Amlici hand-to-hand and kills him. The combined Amlicite-Lamanite forces are driven back, but not before thousands die on both sides. This conflict establishes a pattern that will continue throughout the book: internal dissension among the Nephites often coincides with external Lamanite aggression.

After the military crisis, Alma resigns as chief judge to focus entirely on his calling as high priest, recognizing that the spiritual wickedness of the people requires his full attention. He begins preaching in Zarahemla, delivering one of the Book of Mormon's most powerful sermons. He asks his people a series of penetrating questions: "Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

Alma warns that good trees bring forth good fruit and bad trees bad fruit, and challenges the people to prepare for the final judgment. He testifies of his father's conversion and the angel's visit to himself, using his own dramatic transformation as evidence of God's power to change hearts.

Moving to the city of Gideon, Alma finds a more faithful people. His message there is more encouraging, though he still warns against pride and persecution of the humble, and testifies of the coming of Christ, providing specific prophetic details about Jesus's earthly ministry.

Alma's journey to the city of Ammonihah marks one of the book's most difficult episodes. The people there reject his message completely, revile him, and cast him out. As Alma departs in sorrow, an angel appears commanding him to return, promising that his prayers have been heard. When Alma returns, he meets Amulek, a wealthy man of that city who has been prepared by an angel to receive Alma and support his ministry.

Together, Alma and Amulek preach powerfully to the people of Ammonihah. Amulek testifies of angels ministering to him and of his knowledge that these are the last days before Christ's coming. The duo face intense opposition from lawyers and judges, particularly a man named Zeezrom who attempts to bribe Amulek and trap him with sophisticated questions about theology.

Zeezrom asks whether there is only one God, and whether the Son of God will save people in their sins. Amulek answers clearly: the Son will save people *from* their sins, not *in* them, and there is no salvation except through Christ's name. This exchange provides crucial theological clarification, and Zeezrom, struck by the power of their words and convicted of his own sins, begins to believe.

However, the majority of people in Ammonihah harden their hearts. In one of the Book of Mormon's most horrific scenes, believers—including women and children—are gathered with their sacred records and burned alive while Alma and Amulek are forced to watch. When Amulek pleads with Alma to use God's power to save them, Alma explains that the Spirit constrains him, and that God will receive these martyrs while their blood will stand as a testimony against their murderers.

Alma and Amulek are then imprisoned, beaten, naked, and mocked. When the chief judge strikes them and demands they prophesy who will smite them, Alma, filled with power, stands and the prison walls crumble, killing their tormentors while Alma and Amulek emerge unharmed. The people flee in terror. The two missionaries then travel to the land of Sidom where they find believers who had fled Ammonihah, including a repentant and sick Zeezrom, whom Alma heals.

The judgment of God falls swiftly on Ammonihah. The entire city is destroyed by Lamanites in a single day, leaving it so completely desolated that it becomes known as the "Desolation of Nehors."

The narrative shifts dramatically to recount the fourteen-year mission of the sons of Mosiah (Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni) among the Lamanites. These young men, who had been among the most wicked Nephites until they were converted along with Alma by an angel, requested permission to preach to their traditional enemies.

Ammon travels to the land of Ishmael, where he is brought before King Lamoni. Offering himself as a servant, Ammon tends the king's flocks. When Lamanite robbers scatter the flocks, Ammon sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate God's power. In a spectacular scene, he defends the flocks, cutting off the arms of multiple attackers with his sling and sword. The severed arms are brought to Lamoni as evidence, and the king, amazed, concludes that Ammon must be the Great Spirit.

When Ammon teaches Lamoni about the true God, the creation, humanity's fall, and God's redemptive plan through Christ, the king believes and falls to the earth as if dead, overcome by the Spirit. His wife and household also experience this powerful spiritual manifestation. When they arise, they testify of seeing their Redeemer. Through this experience, King Lamoni, his wife, many of his servants, and Ammon establish a church among the Lamanites.

Meanwhile, Aaron and his brothers endure imprisonment and suffering before being brought to Lamoni's father, the king over all the Lamanites. Through a remarkable turn of events involving Ammon's friendship with Lamoni, Aaron gets an audience with this great king. The king, softened by Ammon's loyalty and righteousness, asks what he must do to inherit eternal life, and declares he would give up his kingdom for this knowledge.

Aaron teaches him about God, creation, the fall, and redemption through Christ. The king prays, offering to give away all his sins to know God, and he too is overcome by the Spirit. His entire household experiences similar spiritual manifestations. The queen, learning from what happened with Lamoni, protects those who have fallen from being disturbed, and when they arise, they testify powerfully of Christ.

These royal conversions lead to the establishment of the church among thousands of Lamanites. The convert community becomes known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (later called the people of Ammon). They make a remarkable covenant: having recognized how much blood they had shed, they bury their weapons of war deep in the earth and covenant never to take them up again, even to defend themselves. They would rather die than break this oath or risk returning to their former bloodthirsty state.

When unconverted Lamanites attack them, these people fall before their enemies without resistance. The sight of their brethren being slaughtered without defense so moves some of the attackers that more Lamanites are converted by witnessing this display of faith than had been killed. However, persecution continues, so the converts are brought by the sons of Mosiah to live among the Nephites in the land of Jershon, where the Nephite armies agree to protect them.

After rejoicing at the success of Mosiah's sons, Alma is grieved to hear that his own son, Corianton, has abandoned his mission to follow a harlot named Isabel. Alma also has two other sons: Helaman and Shiblon. To each he delivers private counsel, which is recorded for readers.

To Helaman, the faithful son, Alma entrusts the sacred records and the interpreters (the Urim and Thummim). He recounts in detail his own conversion experience—being visited by an angel, falling to the earth in a state of torment as he remembered his sins, experiencing three days of the most exquisite pain as he was "racked with eternal torment," then remembering his father's teachings about Jesus Christ and calling on that name. In that moment, his pain was replaced by joy "as exquisite as was my pain." This account provides one of scripture's most detailed descriptions of spiritual rebirth.

Alma teaches Helaman about the Liahona, the miraculous compass that guided Lehi's family, explaining that it worked according to their faith and diligence. He uses it as a type for Christ: just as the Liahona pointed the way to the promised land, Christ's words point the way to eternal life.

To Shiblon, who has been faithful and steady, Alma offers encouragement and counsel to continue in diligence, acknowledging his trials with the Zoramites and commending his patience.

To Corianton, Alma must address serious sins: sexual immorality and abandoning his ministry. Alma explains that sexual sin is an "abomination" and "most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost." He helps Corianton understand the resurrection, teaching that there is a space between death and resurrection where spirits go to paradise or spirit prison depending on their righteousness. He clarifies that restoration means receiving back according to one's deeds—good for good, evil for evil—and that mercy cannot rob justice without meeting justice's demands, which is accomplished through Christ's atonement.

These chapters contain some of the Book of Mormon's most important theological teachings about the atonement, resurrection, judgment, and the interplay of justice and mercy. Alma emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice satisfies justice's demands, allowing mercy to be extended to the repentant.

The family had been preaching to the Zoramites, a Nephite apostate group who had developed a peculiar practice: once a week they would ascend a high platform called the Rameumptom and offer the same rote prayer, thanking God that they were chosen while others were not, that they would be saved in heaven while others were cast into hell, and that they were not led away by tradition. The rest of the week they never mentioned God. They also disbelieved in Christ, considering such expectations foolish.

The missionaries have success among the poor Zoramites, who had been cast out of the synagogues for their poverty. Alma teaches them that being humble due to circumstances is less ideal than choosing humility, but God will accept even compelled humility. He delivers a magnificent sermon on faith, explaining that faith is not perfect knowledge but leads to knowledge through experiment. He compares faith to a seed planted in the heart: if it's a true seed and one nourishes it, it will grow, bringing light and understanding, eventually producing the fruit of eternal life. But this requires patience and diligent nourishment.

Amulek adds a powerful sermon on prayer and the atonement of Christ, teaching the people to pray over everything in their lives and to cultivate the Spirit's guidance constantly, not just in their synagogues but in their fields, houses, and hearts. He warns against procrastination, urging them not to delay repentance.

The converted Zoramites are expelled from their lands and join the people of Ammon in Jershon. The unconverted Zoramites, angry at the missionaries, ally with the Lamanites for war against the Nephites.

The remainder of the book focuses on extended military conflicts, primarily under the leadership of Captain Moroni, the chief captain of the Nephite armies. These chapters contain detailed accounts of military strategy, fortifications, and the moral and political dimensions of warfare.

When the Zoramite-Lamanite coalition attacks, they're led by a Nephite dissenter named Zerahemnah. Moroni, inspired by the commandments of God and the prophecies of the prophets, prepares his people with innovative defensive armor: breastplates, arm-shields, head-plates, and thick clothing. The Lamanites, seeing the Nephites' armor and coming upon their fortified positions, are at a severe disadvantage.

After military success, Moroni offers peace to Zerahemnah, requiring only that he covenant not to return to war. Zerahemnah refuses to make a covenant he believes would be broken anyway, leading to further battle until his forces are surrounded and decimated. Finally he agrees to the covenant to preserve his remaining people.

During a period of peace, Moroni fortifies cities throughout the land with earthen walls, stakes, and pickets, creating a defensive perimeter unlike anything seen before. These fortifications prove crucial when a massive Lamanite army under Amalickiah attacks.

Amalickiah's rise to power is detailed in a fascinating political narrative. A large, strong Nephite man who desires to be king, Amalickiah gathers followers but is opposed by Moroni. When Moroni sees internal support for kingship, he tears his coat and writes upon it "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." He calls this the Title of Liberty and rallies the people to defend their freedoms. Those who refuse to support the covenant of freedom are put to death, and Amalickiah flees to the Lamanites.

Through treachery, manipulation, and murder, Amalickiah ascends to become king of the Lamanites, marrying the Lamanite queen by causing the king's death and blaming it on the king's servants. He then uses his position to stir up hatred against the Nephites and leads a massive army in invasion.

The war that follows lasts for years. Several cities are taken through stratagem by the Lamanites, who use Nephite dissenters as leaders because these men know Nephite battle tactics. Moroni recaptures cities through clever stratagems, including using wine to intoxicate Lamanite guards and liberating Nephite prisoners who then help retake fortifications.

A major subplot involves political intrigue in the Nephite capital. A group seeking to establish a king, led by a man named Pachus, overthrows the chief judge Pahoran while Moroni is away fighting. When Moroni, facing supply shortages and receiving no support, writes an angry letter to Pahoran accusing him of neglect and demanding supplies or threatening to come and compel him, Pahoran responds with grace. He explains that he too is facing conflict, having been driven from his seat of government by king-men, and rather than taking offense at Moroni's harsh words, he praises his zeal.

Moroni marches to the capital, joins forces with Pahoran's loyalists, and they defeat the king-men. Those who refuse to defend their country are executed. With government restored, they march together to relieve Nephite forces facing overwhelming Lamanite numbers.

A massive final battle occurs when the Lamanite armies under Ammoron (who succeeded Amalickiah after Moroni's forces killed him) are caught between Nephite armies. Tens of thousands die in the fighting. The Lamanites finally covenant for peace and are allowed to depart.

Throughout these chapters, the Book of Mormon makes clear moral distinctions: the Nephites fight defensively, never initiating aggression but defending their families, religion, and freedom. Moroni himself is described as a man "who did not delight in bloodshed," who desired to defend his people but would prefer peace. The text repeatedly states the Nephites' cause was just while condemning those who initiated war for conquest or power.

The war chapters also highlight the danger of internal dissent and pride. Many of the Nephites' worst defeats come when dissenters join the Lamanites and share military intelligence or when king-men refuse to support the defensive effort. Conversely, the people of Ammon, true to their covenant, refuse to take up weapons even to defend the Nephites who are protecting them, though their sons, who had not made that covenant, form an elite fighting force of 2,000 young warriors who fight with miraculous protection.

These 2,000 stripling soldiers, led by Helaman (Alma's son), display extraordinary faith and courage. Though all are wounded in battle, not a single one is killed, which they attribute to their mothers' faith and teachings. These young men had never fought before but had been taught to believe that if they kept the commandments, God would deliver them.

In the later chapters, leadership transitions to Helaman after Alma's mysterious departure. Alma had prophesied about the Nephites' eventual destruction and blessed Helaman to preserve the records. Alma then departed and was never seen again—the text suggests he was taken up by the Spirit like Moses, though this is not stated definitively.

Helaman faces both military and spiritual challenges. As chief captain over the 2,000 young Ammonite warriors and other forces, he wages careful defensive campaigns. As spiritual leader, he preaches repentance and maintains the sacred records.

The wars eventually wind down through a combination of Nephite military success, the death of Lamanite kings who had been stirring up aggression, and Lamanite war-weariness. A lasting peace is established, though not before tens of thousands have died on both sides.

The book concludes with the Nephites in a precarious spiritual state. Despite their deliverance, many become prideful and forget God. The church experiences both growth among the humble and resistance from the proud. Secret combinations begin to form. The foundation is laid for the conflicts that will dominate the next books of the record.

• Zeezrom
• Lamoni
• Anti-Nephi-Lehi