Jun 05, 2015 at jerusalem among the nephites meant in the land of jerusalem and environs. Jun 22, 2016 beit lehi or house of lehi near jerusalem. And i could not help but wonder as we turned south from jerusalem what connections this site had with lehi of book of mormon fame. This gives further meaning to christs words to the nephites. Book of mormon central archive khirbet beit lei and the book of mormon. In lehis vision, the first heavenly being who descended out of heaven gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read 1 nephi 1.
Why did lehi and jeremiah find themselves in a dark and dreary wilderness. As has already been noted, the archeologist jeffery chadwick studied this topic and concluded that beit lehi was not the home of the book of mormon lehi. In the 1970s many of the lds community attempted to connect lehi to this village of ruins and it became known as beit lehi and the lehi cave. Was there any ancient israelite or jewish settlement at khirbet beit lei during the time of biblical samson ca. Private tour to beit lehi khirbet beit loya danny the. Book of mormon stories chapter 1 lehi becomes a prophet youtube. Lehi was a descendant of manasseh, the son of joseph. The society for early historic archaeology 129 april 1972. Unknown to all but a handful of dedicated archaeologists, university participants, generous sponsors, and adventurous travelers allowed on site, this. Emeritus lds general authority the beit lehi archaeological project in israel and implications for the book of mormon wayne n. The original book of lehi, which was translated by joseph smith in 1828, was stolen and became lost from the book of mormon. And since i was with fun for less tours the only company allowed on the site i knew my trip there was a rare and special opportunity. Lehi was an israelite of the tribe of manasseh, and father to nephi, another prominent prophet in the book of mormon.
Samsons lehi was most likely located in the hills surrounding the sorek valley as it runs east of beit shemesh. Lehi is the name of a book of mormon prophet who lived in about 600 bc, making. Beit lehi, or beit loya, is an active archaeological site southwest of jerusalem, about an hour and a quarters drive by car. Beit in hebrew means house or dwelling of, while lehi means jawbone. According to the book of mormon, lehi was a prophet who lived in jerusalem during the reign of king zedekiah approximately 600 bc. They multiplied and eventually split into two groups. It details the strengths and weaknesses of dna research and how it relates to the historicity of the book of mormon as being a second witness of jesus christ. Beit lehi means house of the jawbone and may refer to the biblical site at which samson slew a thousand philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Welch on thursday, june 18, 2015, he indicated that the semitic phrase translated into english as at jerusalem connotes near. Beit lehi the house of lehi archaeological site by alan rudd alan rudd presents the latest findings from the beit lehi archaeological site in israel. However, the name of the site is not beit lehi, as your letter suggests this is your important error, but beit lei, or, in its older arabic form, bayt layy. In the 1980s, however, several mormons began to publicly doubt the connection between beit lei and the book of mormon character lehi.
By book of mormon evidence origins of the name beit lehi almost every town or city is named for somethinga person, an event, or a nearby geographical wonder. The alleged connection with lehi in the book of mormon was based on the name of the site. Around 600 bc, in the commencement of the first year of the reign of zedekiah, king of judah 1 nephi 1. We suggest identifying the site of beit lehi with beit tzedek, or the house of righteousness mentioned by the jewish historian josephus flavius in the 1st century a. Maxwell institute article entitled khirbet beit lei and the book of mormon. Lehi was a prophet living in jerusalem around 600 bc. The authors offering illustrates the challenge of creating a lengthy, believable forgery. Some have wondered how lehi, a faithful israelite, could not have previously known this. Jan 11, 2012 beit lehi, an archeological dig in israel, has changed little from new testament times. According tot he book of mormon, the historical and cultural factors involved in the departure of the lehi group from the land of jerusalem center in the fact that the sociopolitical establishment there had rejected lehi s warning message and standing as a legitimate prophet. He further emphasizes that the book of mormon says these men were gone so long that their own mother gave up hope of their ever returning and went into mourning, thinking they were dead. The original find was 8 skeletons in a burial chamber.
There are some very interesting possible correlations with this site and the home of lehi in the book of mormon. Khirbet beit lei or beth loya is an archaeological tell in the judean lowlands of israel. Beit lehi or house of lehi near jerusalem book of mormon evidence. Thank goodness lehi was given just a unique name in history unlike joseph, joshua or david. Beit lehi is a buried city just a few miles southwest of jerusalem, and is. Beit lehi or house of lehi near jerusalem beit lehi is a buried city just a few miles southwest of jerusalem, and is currently under excavation. He is a contemporary of the biblical prophet jeremiah. May, 2011 beit lehi is a buried city just a few miles southwest of jerusalem, and is currently under excavation. Because the cave resides near the ruins of a medieval arab village that was known as khirbet beit lei pronounced bait lay, some mormons began to call this beit lehi, speculating that this might be associated with the book of mormon prophet lehi.
Josephus recounts how, during the time of the great revolt against rome 6670 ad, a group of jewish rebels escaped to a village by this name. Nevertheless some lds general authorities have made such an attempt. Today many lds tour groups make beit lei an important part of their itinerary. The israeli archeologists named it the jerusalem cave but a while later it became known as the lehi cave to the lds community. The israeli name for the site, beit loya, refers to a type of ornament. Since the early 1970s many thousands of members have been told about a lehi cave and a place called beit lehi in classes and firesides, in commentaries and video presentations, and on the internet. One group, the lamanites, forgot their beliefs, became heathens, and were the ancestors of the american indians. The book, who are the children of lehi, gives an objective analysis of dna tracking as it relates to the book of mormon and the different peoples of the americas. Beit lehi, an archeological dig in israel, has changed little from new testament times. In the 1980s, however, several mormons began to publicly doubt the connection between.
Israelite inscriptions from the time of jeremiah and lehi. Beit lehi is a buried city just a few miles southwest of jerusalem, and is currently under excavation. Lehi, as well as jeremiah, both prophesied that jerusalem would be destroyed if the people didnt repent. Lehis ancestors moved to jerusalem from beit lehi at the time the assyrians were destroying all. The prophet lehis ancestors had moved to judah from israel and lived at the beit lehi site, perhaps in a city of lehi where the ruins at khirbet beit lei now sit.
The beit lei area simply cannot have been the place lehi in the samson story. Beit lehi foundation, beit lehi horbat beit loyathe 2008 excavation. Secrets of a lost village of ancient israel come to light israel21c. In the first book of the book of mormon, first nephi, lehi and nephi lead their family out of jerusalem. Lehis ancestors moved to jerusalem from beit lehi at the time the assyrians were destroying all the other cities of judah 701 bc. Secrets of a lost village of ancient israel come to light. Brown describes a carved altar inscribed to the tribe nihm discovered in the southwest arabian peninsula yementhis location may be the place nahom where nephis. In the first book of the book of mormon, first nephi, lehi and nephi lead their family out of jerusalem, and across the sea to the promised land. Jun 22, 2019 beit lehi or house of lehi near jerusalem beit lehi is a buried city just a few miles southwest of jerusalem, and is currently under excavation. Since the book of mormon makes clear that lehi was a descendant of manasseh, brother of ephraim, it is less than straight forward to identify it as the stick of ephraim.
The book of lehi was mormons abridged account of the material contained on the small plates, i. Beit lehi relative to bethlehem, jerusalem in a conversation with john w. A couple hundred meters from the jerusalam cave was an abandoned village of ruins in an arab village called khirbet beit lei pronounced bait lay. It was settled between the israelite and the byzantine periods. From the book of first nephi chapter 1 1840 edition of the book of mormon. The other group, the nephites, developed culturally and built great cities but were eventually destroyed by the lamanites about. During the assyrian destruction of the northern kingdom of israel in 721 bc, many people from the tribe of joseph fled to. Iron age i or during the time of the book of mormon prophet lehi ca.
Of course, there were the jaredites, but ethers record seemed to indicate to them that those people were all destroyed not long after lehi landed. Abridgment of lehi 5 about the book part i of this book gives an abridgment of the record of the prophet lehi, which was the first book engraved upon the gold plates of the book of mormon. Berrett discusses point by point reasons why an ancient burial complex at khirbet beit lei, sometimes called lehis cave, is unlikely to have book of mormon connections. After lehi and his sons obtained the plates of brass, they had proof of what they had previously only believed from oral tradition, hence lehi then knew that he was a descendant of joseph through manasseh and could prove his important status as such 1 nephi 6. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints, based in utah, believes this was the home of an iron age prophet named lehi mentioned in the book of mormon. The archeological site of beitlehi house of lehi, a. One of the earliest names for followers of jesus was the way. See more ideas about book of mormon, scripture study and lds books. Theories developed about how the book of mormon prophet lehi and his family might have been connected to the site.
In 1974, the ensign magazine published an article on beit lei titled archaeology reveals old testament history. It is situated within a geographical region known as the judean shephelah, or lowland, sandwiched between the judean hills in the east and the coastal plain in the west. By mormon tradition the site was home of prophet lehi. But berrettalso linked the site to book of mormon references about lehi fleeingjerusalem, lehis sons fleeing from laban, and his sons hiding in thecavity of a rock.
Here is the video titled beit lehi, israel translation. Book of mormon stories chapter 1 lehi becomes a prophet. The church of latterday saints, based in utah, believes this was the home of an iron age prophet named lehi mentioned in the book of mormon. This archaeological dig was discovered by road workers. For many years after the book of mormon first appeared in 1830, many read it with the idea that lehi and his group were the only ones on the american continents.
Leehy was a prophet who lived in jerusalem during the reign of king zedekiah approximately 600 bc. May publisher, ancient america magazine new archaeological research in americas heartland that supports the book of mormon record. Why does the book of mormon warn against seeking after riches. Welch, the book of mormon and the heavenly book motif, in reexploring the book of mormon, pp. This does not mean beit lehi was the ancestral home of lehi and his family, but it means beit lehi could have been lehi s home, contra chadwick.
It received its name from the bedouin arabs who reside in the area. Coz that then means any archaeological finds that translate to lehi assuming any do, must be the book of mormon one. House of lehi found near jerusalem book of mormon evidence. Criticism of mormonismbooksthe book of lehi fairmormon. Beit lehi, speculating that this might be associated with the book of mormon. Smiths comments on the word way also help explain some things about the book of mormon. The book of lehi was mormon s abridged account of the material contained on the small plates, i. This circumstance confirms the idea that they were in hiding for a long time and could have written the inscriptions on the wall of the beit lehi cave. An archaeological discovery in israels judean lowlands is an authoritative introduction to an active archeological site located southwest of jerusalem. One of his main conclusions was that the name of the site was beit lei, not lehi, which was arabic for twisted or bent and not hebrew for jaw or cheekbone. Beit lehi or house of lehi near jerusalem book of mormon. Hundreds of latterday saint tourists to israel have been taken to the ruins at khirbet beit lei and told that a city of lehi may have existed there, that. Therefore, the information in the book of lehi should agree with what is on the small plates.
The book of first nephi, the first book in the volume, describes the actions of lehi and his family in leaving jerusalem before its destruction, following the counsel of the lord, and wandering through the wilderness for several years before embarking on a transoceanic voyage to somewhere in or near central america. The beit lehi project, introduction and progress of ancient archaeology in israel relating to the book of mormon. Mar 09, 2020 from the book of first nephi chapter 1 1840 edition of the book of mormon. The book of mormon begins in a wellknown location, jerusalem, in 600 b. Khirbet beit loya is an archaeological site in the southern judean shefelah. The term khirbet beit lei means ruin of beit lehi according to their translation.