Abinadi

According to the Book of Mormon, Abinadi (/əˈbɪnədaɪ/)[1] was a prophet who lived on the American continent about 150 BC. In the Book of Mormon account, Abinadi visited the court of King Noah at Lehi-Nephi, and pleaded for them to repent of their iniquity. Abinadi gave Noah the message of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth in the flesh, to live among the children of men. Noah and his priests threatened Abinadi that unless he recalled all the words he had said against him and his priests, they would kill him. Abinadi stood by his words and Noah had him burned with fire. One of Noah's priests, Alma the Elder, adhered to Abinadi's message and eventually became a prophet himself.

Etymology

According to Todd Parker, the name "Abinadi" (Mosiah 11:20) appears to be symbolic. In Hebrew, ab means "father," abi means "my father," and nadi is "present with you," so the name Abinadi may reflect his mission; it may mean something like "my father is present with you." In the Book of Mormon account, the alleged reason for killing him was because Abinadi claimed that God would come down and would be with man (see Mosiah 15:1–7). That was the charge of blasphemy they finally used to put him to death (Mosiah 17:8).[2]

Praise

M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles praised Abinadi for courage and obedience: “Abinadi infuriated wicked King Noah with his courageous testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. Eventually this great missionary offered the ultimate sacrifice for his witness and faith but not before his pure testimony touched one believing heart. Alma, one of King Noah’s priests, ‘repented of his sins . . . , [accepted Jesus as the Christ,] and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi’ (Mosiah 18:1). Many were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ as a direct result of Abinadi’s powerfully borne testimony of the Savior, believed by one soul, Alma.”[3]

While serving in the Seventy, Cree-L Kofford discussed Abinadi's influence: “What is there that is so special about Abinadi? Perhaps it was his total obedience as he went, presumably alone, among those whom he must have known would take his life, to deliver the word of the Lord and to cry repentance to the people. Perhaps it is the very fact that we know so little about him, or perhaps it was simply the way with which he faced the adversities which came into his life in such a straightforward, ‘square-to-the world’ way. Whatever the reason, Abinadi was and is special. His life, lived so long ago, still has the power to excite the mind and cause the pulse to pound.”[4][5]

Comparison to King Benjamin

According to Todd Parker, there are many similarities between the speeches of King Benjamin and Abinadi.[2]

  1. God himself shall come down (Mosiah 3:5; 15:1).
  2. He will work mighty miracles (Mosiah 3:5; 15:6).
  3. He will suffer temptation (Mosiah 3:7; 15:5).
  4. He will be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mosiah 3:7,8; 15:2,21).
  5. He is the Father of heaven and earth (Mosiah 3:8; 15:4).
  6. He will bring salvation (Mosiah 3:9; 15:1).
  7. He will be scourged and crucified (Mosiah 3:9; 15:8).
  8. He will overcome death (Mosiah 3:10; 15:8).
  9. He will do these things that men can be judged (Mosiah 3:10; 15:9).
  10. His atonement redeems those who have ignorantly sinned (Mosiah 3:11; 15:24).
  11. Those who willfully rebel are not redeemed (Mosiah 3:12; 15:26).
  12. All prophets declare this message (Mosiah 3:13; 16:6).
  13. Prophets spoke as if he had already come (Mosiah 3:13; 16:6).
  14. Because Israel was stiffnecked, a law was given them (Mosiah 3:14;13:29).
  15. The law included types of things to come (Mosiah 3:15; 15:11).
  16. Prophets spake concerning his coming (Mosiah 3:15; 15:11)..
  17. Israel hardened their hearts against the prophets (Mosiah 3:15; 13:32).
  18. Law of Moses is ineffectual without the atonement (Mosiah 3:15; 13:28).
  19. The atonement provides eternal life for little children (Mosiah 3:16; 15:25).
  20. Salvation is in Christ. There is no other way (Mosiah 3:17; 16:13).
  21. The natural man is an enemy to God (Mosiah 3:19; 16:5).
  22. The knowledge of a Savior shall spread to every nation (Mosiah 3:20; 15:28).
  23. Receiving this message makes one accountable (Mosiah 3:22; 16:12).
  24. Every man will be judged according to his works (Mosiah 3:24; 16:10).
  25. Prophets' words stand as a testimony (Mosiah 3:24; 17:10).

Type of Christ

According to Jeffrey R. Holland, Abinadi is a type of Christ.[6]

AbinadiType/ShadowChrist
Mosiah 11:20Called to preach repentance to those sinningMatthew 9:13
Mosiah 11:21–23; Mosiah 12:1–8To deny message was to be afflicted by the hand of enemies and brought into bondageMatthew 23:37–38; Matthew 24:3–51
Mosiah 11:20–25Denounced unbelievers in public discourseMatthew 23:9
Mosiah 12:9Stood alone against accusersMatthew 26:56
Mosiah 12:17–18Bound and taken before religious priests and political rulerJohn 18:12–40
Mosiah 12:19Cross-examinedMatthew 26:59–60
Mosiah 13:1Dismissed as madJohn 10:20
Mosiah 13:6Spoke with power and authorityMatthew 7:28–29
Mosiah 13:7Could not be slain until message / mission was completedJohn 10:17–18
Mosiah 17:6Three-day imprisonment (entombment)Luke 24:4–8 Luke 24:46
Mosiah 17:8Condemned for blasphemyMatthew 26:63–66
Mosiah 17:9Would not recall wordsMatthew 27:12–14
Mosiah 17:10Innocent bloodMatthew 27:24
Mosiah 17:11–12Leader tempted to release him but yielded to detractors and delivered him to be slainJohn 18:4–25

See also

References

  1. ↑ LDS.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «a-bĭn´a-dī»
  2. 1 2 Parker, Todd, Abinadi: The Man and the Message (Part 1), Maxwell Institute, BYU, pp. 1–2
  3. ↑ M. Russell Ballard, "Pure Testimony", Liahona, November 2004, p. 41.
  4. ↑ “Abinadi,” in Heroes from the Book of Mormon [1995], 69–70)
  5. ↑ Book of Mormon Student Manual, (2009), 149–55
  6. ↑ Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, pp. 171-173

Further reading

  • Cramer, Lew W. (1992), "Abinadi", in Ludlow, Daniel H, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 5–7, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140
  • Matthews, Robert J. (1991). "Abinadi: the Prophet and Martyr". In Nyman, Monte S.; Tate, Charles D., Jr. The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University. pp. 91–111. ISBN 0-8849-4816-1.
  • Matthews, Robert J. (April 1992), "Abinadi: Prophet and Martyr", Ensign (LDS magazine)
  • Nyman, Monte S. (1991). "Abinadi's Commentary on Isaiah". In Nyman, Monte S.; Tate, Charles D., Jr. The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only Through Christ. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University. pp. 161–186. ISBN 0-8849-4816-1.
  • Parker, Jared T. (2007). "Abinadi on the Father and the Son: Interpretation and Application". In Strathearn, Gaye; Swift, Charles. Living the Book of Mormon: Abiding by Its Precepts. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University. pp. 136–50. ISBN 978-1-59038-799-3.
  • Petersen, Mark E. (1983), Alma and Abinadi, Deseret Book Co, ISBN 0877479593, archived from the original on 2013-07-04
  • Welch, John (2011). The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press; Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. ISBN 0842527125. OCLC 232358237.
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