Second Nephi as a Legal Document

Abstract: Considering conventions of the ancient Near East, 2 Nephi can be understood as a legal document or legal archive. Support includes: Nephi’s allusions to sealing the record and to a bar of judgment; discussion of the law of witnesses and reference to Isaiah and Jacob as witnesses; components and formatting consistent with Neo-Babylonian depositions and plaintiff statements; uncharacteristically formal and conservative citations of Isaiah; and rhetoric and vocabulary consistent with the Judean legal genre. The structure of 2 Nephi, consistent with legal conventions of the time, can be viewed as collated texts that contain a covenant framing the Nephite’s situation, a reaction, three supporting witness statements, and finally a plaintiff statement. Recognizing the legal implications of 2 Nephi can help us appreciate Nephi’s agenda as author and editor of his text, as well as the meaning of his document in our day.