Moroni, the final prophetic writer in the Book of Mormon, was the son of the great prophet/historian Mormon. We do not know the exact date of Moroni's birth, but his mortal life bridged the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth centuries following the birth of Christ.

He was undoubtedly raised in a loving and faithful home, one where he was nurtured in the principles and practices of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, simultaneously, he lived in a civilization plagued with wickedness and violence.The dichotomy of his experience as a young man, living in a righteous home environment in the midst of a world disintegrating under the weight of iniquity, is reflected in Mormon's rejoicing at his son's call to service in the ministry of the Church (Moro. 8:2) juxtaposed against Moroni's appointment as the military leader of 10,000 at the final tremendous conflict at Cumorah. After that great battle, followed by years of wandering alone, Moroni finished the record entrusted to him by his father. He wrote the title page of the Book, naming the volume in honor of his father's great work of abridging the Nephite records. Joseph Smith said the title page was "a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates. . . . " (History of the Church 1:71.) Moroni then buried the plates where they would be found centuries later.

What of the mortal experiences and writings of this prophet? The introduction to Moroni's powerful message includes his sad lament, "My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not." (Morm. 8:5.) Realizing that he was left alone "to write the sad tale of the destruction of

hisT people" (Morm. 8:3), perhaps, at the beginning of his monumental contribution, Moroni did not anticipate the depth or duration of what the Lord had in store for him to do. Acknowledging that he had neither room upon the plates nor the ore with which to make new ones, Moroni gave the initial impression that his comments would be brief. In fact, some have seen his words in verses 12 and 13 of Mormon 8 as his original conclusion, viewing verse 14 of the same chapter as his reintroduction of himself to the reader upon his return to begin a different phase of the work. At least, it appears that the sadness and loneliness of the first few verses of Mormon 8 are not to be found thereafter in his writings.

Beginning with Mormon 8:14, Moroni shoulders the mantle of a prophet, powerfully prophesying about the day when the Book of Mormon would come forth to the world. Today, it is possible for us to accurately place the date of the resurrected Moroni's first visit to Joseph Smith or the day of transmission of the gold plates from the heavenly messenger to the latter-day prophet for translation or its first date of publication. But Moroni's predictions of the circumstances in the world when the book would come forth relate to a broader range of time than just the initial stages of the restoration. Significantly, Moroni's vision of world conditions seems pointed directly at the time in which we live and the era of world history into which we are rapidly moving.

Among his prophetic insights, he saw that when the book would come forth, the Lord's ancient covenant people would be dispersed. (Morm. 8:15.) He prophesied that the efforts of those who would, in our time, seek to destroy the Lord's work would come to naught, for "the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled." (Morm. 8:17-22.) He predicted that this work would come in a day when "it shall be said that miracles are done away" (vs. 26), when great wickedness would be perpetrated because of "secret combinations and the works of darkness," (vs. 27) and when "churches would become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts." (vs. 28.) In vision, he was shown fires, tempests, vapors of smoke, wars, earthquakes and "great pollutions upon the face of the earth." (vs. 29-31.)

Reflecting on all the Lord had shown him about our day, his warning then becomes very personal. "Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts." (Morm. 8:35-36.) Moroni had seen us so clearly that he knew we would be afflicted with the very problem which the Nephite prophets had labeled the cause of the destruction of their people, even pride. (Moro. 8:27.) He chastised our generation, labeling many as pollutions and hypocrites, in these words: "Ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted." (vs. 37.) He therefore forcefully warned that unless we repent and follow the Lord, the sword of vengeance hangs over us. (vs. 41.)

In Mormon 9, Moroni's writings turn to a different warning, cautioning us that if miracles cease to exist among us, it is not because God has changed but because of our unbelief. (vs. 20.) Moroni reminds us that "God is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (vs. 8) and that He "has not ceased to be a God of miracles." (vs. 15.) He issues the promise that "whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." Implicit in such an assurance is the understanding that we must ask for that "which is right," as stated by the risen Lord to the Nephites. (3 Ne. 18:20.)

Moroni closes his address to us with the prayer, "May God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." (Morm. 9:37.) It is possible that he did not then realize he was going to give us an abridgment of the record of Ether. We do not know whether Mormon had originally intended to give us this record himself, as might be surmised from his comment, that "this account shall be written hereafter" (Mosiah 28:19), or whether he had intended that it be done by Moroni. We also do not know whether Mormon had given specific directions to Moroni to include the abridgment of the Jaredite record or whether the Lord so directed Moroni after Mormon's death. Either way, Moroni fulfilled the commandment. His comments about the brother of Jared's powerful writing (Ether 12:24) give the impression that Moroni was working from Ether's original record in making his abridgment rather than utilizing Mosiah II's translation thereof.

The book of Ether is Moroni's very abbreviated recounting of what occurred in the roughly two millennia of Jaredite history, intermingled with his personal commentary directed specifically to us. Because of the account's brevity, it may be assumed that what has been included was felt by Moroni to be important material for us to know and understand.

The theme of Ether parallels the theme of the rest of the Book of Mormon. Moroni addresses us as his audience, knowing that no one will see his record until our day, saying, "And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land; that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. . . . And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come." (Ether 2:9-11.)

Moroni clearly shows the Lord's hand in the beginning of Jaredite civilization, especially with his details about the remarkable encounter of the brother of Jared with the Lord Jehovah (Jesus Christ), as found in Ether 3. In Ether 4, Moroni states: "I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there were never greater things made manifest. . . . Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up." (vs 4-5.)

Thus, Moroni informs us that he is the engraver of the sealed portion of The Book of Mormon, that portion which contains "a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof." (2 Ne. 27:7.) He further declares the words of the Lord that we shall not be privileged to have that portion of the record until we exercise faith in Christ "even as the brother of Jared did." (Ether 4:7) After giving us the Lord's counsel regarding these things, Moroni bears his own witness that, "the testimony of three and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record - and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day." (Ether 5:4)

In the midst of discussing secret combinations in Ether 8, Moroni issues a stern warning: "Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain." (vs. 23.) He recounts in chapter 12 how the Jaredites would not believe the marvelous things which Ether prophesied unto them, "because they saw them not." (vs. 5.)

Moroni then digresses from his historical narrative, commenting on the importance of faith, hope and charity. He begins with the powerful insight, "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (vs. 6.)

Midway through this discussion, Moroni betrays some feelings of inadequacy with which he has been struggling, fearing that "the Gentiles will mock at these things because of our weakness in writing." (vs. 23.) He had also referred to this concern in Mormon 8:17. Similarly, toward the end of Mormon 9, Moroni asked us not to condemn him or the work itself because of his imperfections in writing. He seems to have been very concerned about his lack of talent or skill in this area.

Presumably the Nephites spoke a type of altered Hebrew (Moro. 9:33; compare 1 Ne. 1:2), and yet they wrote in a type of "reformed Egyptian." (Moro. 9:32.) Moroni was engraving on plates of gold, which allowed him little or no chance for correcting errors. His obvious familiarity with the power of the Nephite records, his admiration and recommendation to us of the writings of Isaiah and his translation of the record of the brother of Jared seem to have combined to leave him feeling inadequate, resulting in the remarkable outpouring of his feelings in Ether 12. In response to Moroni's pleadings, the Lord gave both a warning and words of comfort: "Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; and if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (vs. 26-27.)

Moroni indicated that these words of the Lord and the interchange which followed, including the assurance of eternal life made to him in Ether 12:37, were the result of a personal visit by the Savior. "And now I, Moroni, bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ. . . . And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things." (vs. 38-39.)

Commending us to seek Jesus, Moroni ended his personal commentary and returned to his historical abridgment. (Ether 12:41-13: 1) He continued by relating some of the prophecies and experiences of Ether as darkness settled over Jaredite civilization, concluding the book with the last recorded words of Ether. Who could have been more perfectly postured than Moroni to give us the account of another lonely survivor of a perished civilization?

Contrary to Moroni's expectations and fortunately for us, he returned to the gold plates one more time. Moroni began the book named after him by telling us he "had supposed not to have written more," but, since he was still living, he thought it wise to tell us a few more things of worth. (Moroni 1.)

He proceeded to give us some extremely significant information concerning doctrines and practices from Moroni's youthful experience when the Nephite Church was still functioning. He must have sensed our need to know, understand and practice these same principles in order to safeguard ourselves against the growing spiritual darkness in our own society, lest we fall prey to the calamity which had overtaken his people when they abandoned such precepts.

In chapters 2 through 6, he tells us how to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, how to ordain to the priesthood, how to bless the sacrament, and offers a short course in Church administration. Chapter 7 is a supernal discourse on how individuals may discern good from evil, miracles, and the relationship and eternal importance of faith, hope and charity. It is the text given by Mormon decades earlier. It is here that we learn that "charity is the pure love of Christ," and that we must "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that

weT may be filled with this love." (vs. 47-48.)

Chapters 8 and 9 of the book of Moroni are letters from Mormon to Moroni written long before they were recorded on the gold plates. Moroni had kept them safely during his many years of wandering alone. About 36 years had then transpired since the last battle at Cumorah. Moroni must have found comfort in his periods of loneliness by reading words such as, "My beloved son . . . I rejoice exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been mindful of you. I am mindful of you always in my prayers." (Moroni 8:2-3.)

The letter in chapter 8 discusses the purity of little children because of the atonement of Christ and, therefore, the lack of necessity for their baptism until they reach the age of accountability. Chapter 9 is a sad letter recounting the degenerate state of the Nephite people. It helps us understand the reasons and faith that enabled Mormon and Moroni to continue with a sense of hope and service in such a dark world.

Chapter 1O is Moroni's final farewell. In it, he used the word "exhort" and its derivative "exhortation," meaning to advise or recommend strongly, nine times. He exhorted us to "remember how merciful the Lord hath been . . . and ponder it in

ourT hearts."

Then he issued the sublime promise, "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (vs. 4-5.)

He discussed the spiritual gifts which are brought by the power of the Holy Ghost, followed by a repetition of the importance of the three great virtues of faith, hope and charity. Then, figuratively opening wide his arms by way of invitation, he said, "And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth." (vs. 2.4) And what was his message to all? "Come unto Christ and be perfected in him." (vs. 32) He then bid us all farewell. (vs 34.)

Even though Moroni's written message to us was then finished, his ministry and responsibility for the sacred plates was not over. He was given the special charge by the Lord to hold "the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim." (D&C 27:5.)

On Sept. 21, 1823, in a small farmhouse in upstate New York, the resurrected and glorified Moroni appeared to young Joseph Smith. After giving us the most complete description of a resurrected personage in the standard works, the Prophet Joseph wrote: "When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had work for me to do." (Joseph Smith-History 1:32-33). With that simple introduction, the prophet of old ushered in a new era; the sacred record which he had finished and buried so long before was about to be brought forth to the very world for which it was written.

The responsibility to flood the earth with its message (Moses 7:62) has now passed to us.

- Byron R. Merrill is an assistant professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture at BYU.