This episode is part 11 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon.
In Jacob chapter 5, Jacob relays the "mystery" he just mentioned. It's something the Nephites as children of Israel should have read or heard. A prophet named Zenos wrote an allegory of Israel as an olive tree. This allegory clearly borrows from several passages of the Bible, but adds far more detail.
Did you know that an ancient prophet in Israel wrote a story depicting how the church would have a lot of denominations bearing wild fruit? Did you know his story also described the origin and fate of the Book of Mormon's Lamanite and Nephite peoples?
Amazing prophecy! Or, perhaps, it was all Joseph Smith with 20/20 hindsight and imagination.
Sources Cited:
The Biblical Antiquities of Philo chapter 25
"Is Anything Known of the Prophet Zenos Outside of the Book of Mormon?" Scripture Central, August 20, 2020.
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, s.v. "Zenos," accessed April 6, 2025.
Further research:
Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration
The Book of Mormon online: Jacob [chapter 5]
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