As stated before, we do not know who kept the record of King Noah’s reign that Mormon is abridging; but Alma writes the works of Abinadi that constitute the account of the past two or more years (v. 4, Mosiah 11:20–16:15). Alma was a young man (v. 2) but was old enough to have been on the council of priests advising the king, and thus was present during the time of Abinadi’s prophesying. Alma’s courage reflects his character. His ancestry may also have been a contributing factor. The wrath of the king against Abinadi and Alma (vv. 1, 3, 5) further indicates the cause of the apostasy that had taken place.