An article by Wallace E. Hunt Jr. shows that the account of Moses' brazen serpent as taught by the Nephite leaders ("He sent fiery flying serpents among them" -- 1 Nephi 17:41) presents parallels to the symbol and name of the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl. It further explains that the term flying, used in the Nephite but not in the biblical account of the fiery serpent, has parallels in the Old and New Worlds. (For a more complete discussion, see the commentary on Helaman 8:14-15). [Wallace E. Hunt Jr., "Moses' Brazen Serpent as It Relates to Serpent Worship in Mesoamerica," in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Fall 1993, p. 121]