“The prophet Abinadi holds a singular place in the Book of Mormon. He was the first to die as a martyr, and his doctrinal teachings clarify the purpose of the law of Moses, identify the Redeemer, and declare facts about the doctrine of resurrection not previously mentioned in the book. He was capable of exquisite language sparked with fiery metaphor, yet was plainspoken to the point of bluntness.
“ … So far as we know, he converted but one man, yet that one man (Alma) became the progenitor of a posterity that kept the sacred records and served as the ecclesiastical leaders (and sometimes the political leaders) for the remainder of the Nephites’ history, a period of well over four hundred years” (Matthews, “Abinadi,” Ensign, Apr. 1992, 25–26).