Question
Gramps,
Nephi writes that he does not know why he is commanded to rewrite his father’s writing, but he does it with faith. I understand this because of the 116 lost pages. But I am so confused about the secular history he says he will write. We have the spiritual history in 1st and 2nd Nephi. Then we hear from Jacob and Enos, but I can’t figure out where the secular history that Nephi said he was writing is.
Martha
Answer
Martha,
Those who first approach the Book of Mormon—whether out of earnest faith, academic curiosity, or casual interest—often notice its unexpected transitions through time. Rather than progressing in a simple linear manner, the narrative jumps back and forth between B.C. and A.D., and occasionally revisits earlier events or parallel stories. This pattern can be disorienting to modern readers accustomed to chronological histories. But is this a sign of confusion, error, or poor editing?
In reality, the Book of Mormon’s shifting structure is a product of its unique origins as a patchwork history, compiled from multiple ancient records by different prophetic hands. Its narrative is shaped by its purpose, the editorial decisions of prophet-historians like Mormon and Moroni, and because it traces the intersecting stories of several peoples whose lives span more than two millennia. Understanding why the Book of Mormon skips around in time not only clears up a common misunderstanding but also unlocks a deeper appreciation for its message and construction.
The Book of Mormon does not pretend to be a simple biography or uninterrupted chronicle. Instead, it is what some might call a “meta-history,” an abridgment and blending of several sets of records, each created for different reasons and by different writers.
At its core are the descendants of Lehi, who fled Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and journeyed to the “promised land,” believed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the Americas. Lehi’s family splits, after death, into two contending groups: Nephites and Lamanites. Over the centuries, other migrations and groups contribute to the mix—most prominently the Jaredites, whose story begins at the Tower of Babel, around 2247 B.C., and who leave their own record behind after their civilization’s collapse. According to the Book of Mormon, as the Nephite nation approached its end, its prophet-historians discovered, translated, and included this much older Jaredite record in their own chronicles.
This means the Book of Mormon contains “histories within histories,” at times pausing its main narrative to insert, summarize, or abridge the writings of previous civilizations, other families, and different historical epochs. As I once pointed out, “the Book of Mormon account cannot be strictly chronological because it follows the accounts of different groups of contemporary people.”
In other words, the book’s non-linear style reflects its purpose: it is not only telling one story, but juggling multiple intersecting stories at once.
A key to understanding the Book of Mormon’s timeline is the overseeing presence of the prophet-editor Mormon, who lived approximately from A.D. 311 to 385. Mormon is not simply a narrator or annalist; rather, he acts as a collector, abridger, and commentator, gathering together centuries of Nephite records kept by kings and prophets since the time of Nephi (Lehi’s son).
Mormon’s editorial purpose was not to give an exhaustive chronological account. Instead, as scholars have remarked, “he was primarily concerned with selecting and simplifying the available records to emphasize themes of righteousness, faith, and the fate of peoples who follow or reject God … the Book of Mormon does this by emphasizing that those who follow God are blessed, while those who reject him suffer. This theme was introduced in the book’s second chapter when the Lord said to Nephi, ‘Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise.'”
Given these purposes, Mormon at times pauses the narrative to insert backstories, sermons, or the translated records of other groups (like the Jaredites) discovered mid-narrative. Later, the historian Moroni adds his own material, completes his father’s record, abridges the Jaredite account (now known as the Book of Ether), and finally writes the Book of Moroni.
B.H. Roberts, a prominent Latter-day Saint historian, notes that the Book of Mormon divides into three major documentary blocks:
1. The small plates of Nephi: primarily spiritual and prophetic, covering the family of Lehi from Jerusalem’s exile to King Benjamin, about 400 years.
2. Mormon’s abridgment: summarizing and commenting on the large plates of Nephi (which detail secular and political affairs), ending with Mormon’s own firsthand account.
3. Moroni’s writings: closing the book, finishing Mormon’s work, and including the Jaredite history.
These are interwoven, creating narrative interruptions and jumps backward in time whenever the editor introduces new sources or inserts explanatory material. For example, after hundreds of pages following the Nephites, the book unexpectedly jumps back well over a millennium to recount the rise and destruction of the Jaredites.
Modern readers accustomed to footnotes, appendices, and chronologies might wonder why the Book of Mormon doesn’t clarify its transitions more systematically. But as Roberts observes, “devices in literary work were not known, apparently, among the Nephites … What has led to confusion is that the books of ‘Mosiah,’ ‘Alma,’ ‘Helaman,’ ‘III Nephi,’ etc., are not really the books of these men, but are Mormon’s abridgment of those books, to which abridgment he has given the name of the book he abridged.”
Thus, we see that:
– Some books present firsthand accounts (Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, Moroni).
– Others are title-named for the original writer, but are summations or selections pieced together by Mormon.
– The Book of Ether is Moroni’s abridgment of the Jaredite record.
The intent was not only historical, but also theological and persuasive. Nephi himself says his goal in writing was “to persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and … be saved,” rather than provide a day-by-day or year-by-year historical account. This allows for thematic and doctrinal juxtapositions. For example, powerful sermons or divine interventions may be relayed out of strict sequence, making spiritual discussion the priority rather than precise chronology.
This pattern is evident in the insertion of large sections of Isaiah, as well as frequent editorial asides where Mormon or Moroni step away from the timeline to discuss lessons, reflect on events, or clarify themes. These serve as connective tissue, tying the diverse stories together, but they also contribute to the “skipping around” quality that stands out to readers expecting a conventional historical narrative.
Think of a historian of our day writing the history of England and its people, including their migrations and conquests beginning at 1000 A.D. Do you think such a historian could write that complicated account without going back and forth in time as he chronicled one group and then another that had come out of Briton?
When historians piece together the stories of multiple peoples, migrations, and civilizations—especially those whose records interweave and sometimes overlap in time—chronological leaps and nested narratives are inevitable. Indeed, even the Old Testament presents similar literary traits, with overlapping books, parallel stories, and inserted genealogies that would be untidy if pressed into strict chronological sequence.
In fact, literary critics and religious scholars alike increasingly acknowledge that such documentary “patchworks” are not evidence of confusion, but rather a sign of sophistication, especially in works intended to convey collective identity, religious law, and spiritual legacy.
The editorial hand in the Book of Mormon is not hidden. Prefaces, genealogical sketches, and inserted commentary appear throughout, sometimes at the beginning of a book, at times mid-narrative, or interspersed with “and thus I make an end of my sayings.” For example:
Jacob simplifies his society’s complexity for narrative clarity, even though he acknowledges omissions.
Mormon frequently comments on what he cannot include, summarizing critical lessons and outcomes.
Summaries, colophons, and editorial comments structure the reader’s experience, making it clear where one record ends and another begins, even as transitions between records may feel abrupt or temporally jarring.
At times, records are “discovered” by later generations (such as the Jaredites’ record), incorporated mid-story, and then the book resumes its earlier timeline, much like the addition of appendices or sidebars in modern works.
Gramps
