BRAZIL: BOOK OF MORMON HERITAGE?
April 30, 2018
As Humanitarian Services Missionaries in Brazil, my wife and I are amazed at the high percentage of Brazilians having indigenous DNA. We marvel at how many cities throughout the country have indigenous names. What intrigues us most are Phoenician hieroglyphs and archeological findings in Rio de Janeiro and throughout the Northeastern region of Brazil.
From our perspective, there are many "remnants of the House of Israel" in Brazil. Based on Book of Mormon promises made to these "remnants," the future is bright for this enormous country and its marvelous people!
The Book of Mormon documents Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem in 600 BC and journey to the "Promised Land." The oceanic portion of the adventure originated somewhere on along the northern coast of the Red Sea. There is no mention in the Book of Mormon of the route taken by the Jaredites (in 2,200 BC), or Mulekites (587 BC) in their respective voyages to the American continent.
According to historical records, Pedro Alvarez Cabral accidently discovered the Northeastern coast of Brazil in 1500 AD (close to what is currently Porto Seguro, Bahia). According to Cabral’s account, a rogue wind blew him off course as he followed the common Portuguese trade route down the west coast of Africa. If unexpected trade winds brought Cabral to Bahia, it seems plausible that the Mulekites and Jaredites could have arrived on the east coast of South America in a similar manner.
Another known fact is that Phoenicia was an ancient civilization composed of independent city-states, which lay along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea stretching through what is now Syria, Lebanon, and northern Israel.
If I lived in Babylonia at the time of the tower of Babel (which, according to the Book of Mormon, was the home and era of the Jaredites), or if I was Mulek looking to flee Jerusalem at the time of King Zedekiah (Mulek ́s father), the Mediterranean Sea would have been a logical choice. Besides, my wife would have vetoed both the Arabian Desert and Red Sea.
Forgetting the massive logistics for a moment, I would have purchased boats from the local Phoenician shipyard (or built them, as did their Jaredite predecessors). Once aboard, I would lather up with sunscreen, put on my shades and sail due west until the Rock of Gibraltar. Then, it is just a matter of tacking southwest along the coast of Africa. If an errant trade wind kicked in, the rest would be history.... just as it was for Pedro Alvarez Cabral in 1500 BC, and perhaps for the Jaredites, Mulekites, and perhaps others, that preceded Admiral Cabral.
The Atlantic route sure seems a lot more appealing than hiking all the way to the Red Sea, as Lehi did, and then using local resources to build a ship! Lehi’s options may have been limited due to the circumstances under which he departed Jerusalem. This was especially the case after his boys’ run- in with Laban to bring home the Brass Plates. No matter the origin of the navigators, dates of their journeys, routes travelled and logistical challenges, the discovery and population of the Americas was definitely an amazing adventure!
REFLECTIONS ON THE PEDRA DA GÁVEA
May 2, 2018
As a young missionary in the Brazil North Mission in 1969, I read an article in the Liahona about the Pedra da Gávea. (See March 1964 issue of the Liahona magazine) I was fascinated that such a prominent archeological site, with possible Book of Mormon significance, was so close to Rio de Janeiro (where I was serving at the time).
I was able to visit the Pedra da Gávea twice during my mission. As I gazed upward at the stoic rock face peering into the distance, I remember wondering: “Who” were the Phoenician people that carved the hieroglyphs into the massive granite stone? “Why” did they do it? “How” did they do it? Was it perhaps an ancient monument to some great warrior, political leader or prophet? Were the two eye-socket caves perhaps burial sites? What secrets were hidden in the dense rain forest surrounding the towering monolith?
The mystery of the hieroglyphs took on took new significance after we met a large, humble construction worker (Antonio de Andrade) in the town of Sao Gonçalo, across Guanabarra Bay from Rio. Antonio had recently moved from Campinas Grande, in the Northeastern State of Paraiba with his family of seven to find employment.
In our second discussion, Antonio was drawn to the Book of Mormon. He explained that, as a child in Paraiba, he played in caves with hieroglyphs on the walls. Since he had indigenous ancestry on both sides of his family tree, he read the Book of Mormon with keen interest.
Antonio refused to accept a baptismal date or allow his family to sit in on the missionary discussions until he was sure the Church was true. One Sunday, while seated in Sacrament meeting at the Niteroi Branch, the Branch President (Brother Brito) announced that there would be a baptism the following Sunday after Church.
While President Brito continued the meeting, Antonio leaned over to my left ear and asked, “how much advance notice do I need to give you to be baptized?” I whispered back that it usually took at least a week to complete the necessary interviews and paper work. To my joy and surprise, he responded, “I would like to be baptized next week after Church.” And so, he was.
The Book of Mormon answered Brother Andrade´s childhood questions about the source of the hieroglyphs in Paraiba and the Holy Ghost answered his prayers regarding the truthfulness of the restored gospel.
Brother Andrade, his wife (Teresina) and their five children joined the Church and were sealed together in the São Paulo Temple. At the time of his death, Brother Andrade was serving as Patriarch of the Paraiba Campinas Grande Stake.
If the Holy Ghost bore witness to Brother Andrade that the hieroglyphs of his youth were explained by the Book of Mormon, perhaps my fascination with the Pedra da Gávea and the Phoenician heritage of Brazil originates from the same source.
