(Supposed)
Book of Mormon Anachronisms
(c) Copyright Michael R. Ash 1996. All rights reserved
“Swine” are mentioned twice in the Book of Mormon; once in 3 Nephi 14:6, where the Lord uses the term figuartively, and once in Ether 9:18 where swine are described as an animal useful for food. Some critics have ridiculed the Book of Mormon’s suggestion that swine would be used for food (due to dietary constraints of the Mosiac law), but it should be noted that history contained in Ether took place prior to the Law of Moses. Other critics have claimed that swine were unknown in the ancient New World. Anti-Mormon, Floyd McElveen, for instance, declares that “scientific research has demonstrated that the American continent was devoid of many domestic animals such as cattle, swine, horses, asses and certain other animals until the Europeans came to America, [but] the Book of Mormon claims these were all here long before Christ.” (McElveen, 62.) Likewise, John Hyde, Jr., asserts: “Swine are certainly not aboriginal to America. The earliest swine were imported by De Soto, in 1539, who brought 13 sows.” (Hyde, 226.)
The early Americans did, however, have a native pig. The Aztecs called it pisote, “which means basically glutton” and was often applied to the peccary or wild pig. “In regard to the peccary,” notes Sorenson, “the Nahuatl terms quauhcoyametl and quahpizotl were developed after the conquest to distinguish the native species from the introduced Castilian pig....” (Sorenson, 1985, p. 290.)
Michael R. Ash
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