PROVO, Utah — By "glimpsing Lehi's Jerusalem," Church members can see the Book of Mormon fit into context and "come to even better know that it is true," said John W. Welch at a BYU symposium Feb. 21.
"Let's go to Lehi's Jerusalem," said the BYU professor of law and editor-in-chief of BYU Studies. "The journey will be arduous, but fascinating."
The symposium, "Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem," explored the ancient world of Jerusalem in 600 B.C., covering topics including law and politics, everyday life and agriculture, ancient Hebrew writings, prophecy and Jerusalem as seen by its surrounding neighbors.
The event, sponsored by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at BYU, was held in conjunction with the release of a new book by FARMS with the same title, which looks in depth at the political, religious, social, cultural, economic and legalistic situation of Jerusalem, Judah and the nations surrounding them in the decades before the city's destruction by the Babylonians in 587-586 B.C.
During the symposium, BYU scholars talked about Lehi — who traveled to southern Arabia along well-used commercial routes to the ocean where he and his family sailed to the Americas — and other biblical characters he might have known.
Presenters described house and talked about what historians today can learn from Hebrew inscriptions from Lehi's day. Other speakers addressed what it would be like to visit Lehi's Jerusalem, Lehi's agricultural world, how Jerusalem could be destroyed, and Lehi's Arabian connections.
Brother Welch said Church members can learn a lot by studying Jerusalem, the world that "incubated the prophesies of the coming of Christ."
Lehi's Jerusalem was a "profoundly quiet world" where people ate bread, fruit and stew, he said during his address, titled "Culturegram: Jerusalem 600 B.C."
One thing visitors to ancient Jerusalem would notice, said Brother Welch, is the relatively small size of the city, at least by modern standards. With 25,000 inhabitants, Jerusalem would have been a good-sized city by ancient standards.
The city had no coin or paper money. Commerce was conducted with "gold, silver and precious things," where "even the rich will appear poor to us by our standards."
Brother Welch continued that most people in the city would have worn dark clothing that was rough to the touch. While sometimes dyes were added for color, white clothing was extremely hard to find and very expensive. This gives insight into the scriptures that talk about having "our robes white or washed white in Christ's blood (Alma 5:21)."
He said women in 600 B.C. Jerusalem worked around the house making clothes, cleaning, cooking, washing, and raising the children. Men worked primarily in agriculture. "We will see the Sabbath day is observed very strictly and is a very holy time," he added.
During the symposium, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, a BYU associate professor of Church history, spoke about Lehi's house in Jerusalem. Nephi reported that Lehi had "dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days" (1 Nephi 1:4) and that he had "his own house in Jerusalem" (1 Nephi 1:7). The scriptures also speak of a "land of inheritance" (1 Nephi 2:4), which along with his house and his possessions, Lehi left behind when he took his family into the wilderness, said Brother Chadwick.
He said a house typical of the period of Lehi was a four-room house which included an open central courtyard, a cobbled animal stall, cobbled shop or work area, first level pantry, and first and second level living space.
Brother Chadwick said as someone who has studied this area for many years, he "has never found anything to doubt" that the Book of Mormon is true. "I testify that it is," he said.
During an address on Hebrew Inscriptions from Lehi's Day, Dana M. Pike, a BYU associate professor of Ancient Scripture, said the patient student of the history of ancient Israel and its culture will be rewarded with insight.
"Israelite inscriptions help us better peer across the historical and cultural divide that separates us from the world of ancient Judah, augmenting the description in the Bible and 1 Nephi," he said.