To combat this encroaching evil, Alma separated the two chief positions (government and religion) much as Mosiah2 had done in making his father chief priest. Alma appointed Nephihah to head the government while he (Alma) concentrated his full attention on halting the church’s rapid apostasy into worldly ways.
Culture: Alma’s action to quell potential rebellion presents an interesting picture of Nephite politics. Although Mosiah had created a de facto separation of politics and religion, allowing different religious ideas under the same political umbrella, Alma sees the social pressures building in the cities that at least nominally claimed to be Nephite. He wanted to take some action to preserve them. What is most interesting is what he does not do. As the leader of the Nephite army, he does not muster the army to quell a rebellion. He does not make a show of force and require dissenting cities to return to “true Nephiteness.” He abandons his political power and attempts to effect change by preaching.
This suggests two things. First, the Nephite hegemony was not one of direct control over subordinate cities. Ammonihah is clearly divergent from Zarahemla, yet no force is taken. Beginning in Alma 31 we have the story of the Zoramites who not only have a different religion but who forsake political allegiance to the Nephites and become Lamanites who war against the Nephites. In spite of their clear rebellion and in spite of their strategic position, Alma does not take military action but assumes that persuasion is his best course. Whatever held the Nephite hegemony together, it was not a centralized power that exercised authority and control over the various cities, towns, and hamlets that are called Nephite. In the book of Alma, the only time we clearly see the region acting as one is when there is a Lamanite invasion that threatens the entire area equally. The response to that common foe is a common army.
Alma’s separation from the political line had another ramification. Alma, as the combined political and religious leader, had possession of the plates of Nephi and the responsibility to maintain them. Later, Alma 50:37–38 mentions that Alma offered to turn the sacred records, as well as the judgment seat, over to Nephihah. The new chief judge refused, apparently setting a precedent that would be followed through the remainder of the Book of Mormon. From this point, the plates move in and out of the political line as the record keeper is either in or out of the judgeship. (See Mosiah, Part 1: Context, Chapter 2, “Mormon’s Structural Editing of the Book of Mormon; Chapters and Books.”)
As noted in “Excursus: The Voice of the People” (following Mosiah 29), Alma had the power to appoint Nephihah. Even though Nephihah was selected, not elected, he still ruled according to the voice of the people.