What does Ammon’s introduction suggest about the relationship between the Nephites and the descendants of Zarahemla?

Thomas R. Valletta

“Limhi … declared his lineage … and identified its ultimate authority in Zarahemla. Ammon is no king, but his lineage likewise links him to Zarahemla, both the king (his ancestor) and the land (the current political regime). Ammon, a lineal Zarahemlaite, was entrusted with the mission of finding a dynasty founded by a lineal/cultural Nephite from the original city of Nephi. Such an assignment suggests that the Zarahemlaites were thoroughly accepted as participants in Benjamin’s new covenant. Had there been any continuing animosity between the descendants of Nephi and the descendants of Zarahemla, then almost certainly, the mission would have been given to a descendant of Nephi” (Gardner, Second Witness, 204).

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