Benjamin reminds the people that they have been taught these things. This is nothing new, but rather a review, a recommitment. It is interesting that he notes that all except perhaps the little children have been taught these things. While he specifically mentioned his father’s teaching, for all but the youngest to know these things, they have clearly been taught over and over again since the time of Mosiah I. Nevertheless, Benjamin is going to develop an argument that creates literary tension between young children and grown men. He will contrast the “men” who might follow evil with the “young children” who do not. This is the beginning of this recurring theme.
Benjamin reviews not only the general doctrine, but the source of the doctrine. Benjamin’s sources are the “fathers” and the “records.” Both of these sources teach the commandments of God. It would appear that Benjamin had a similar relationship to scripture that the modern church has, where the text is authoritative, but so are the pronouncements of the prophets, even when they are not found in the scriptures themselves.