Text: Even though the first verse is not properly discourse, it nevertheless is a shift between abridged and quoted material. The introductory “I, Alma,” clearly marks quoted text rather than Mormon’s synopsis. Mormon’s source text for these chapters is at least presented as Alma’s holographic writings, whether or not that was actually the case. It seems somewhat unlikely that Alma recorded his own sermons. Certainly this introductory paragraph and the dialogue mandate that the original redaction occurred after delivery. But one way or another, this sermon was written down, with Alma being the stated and presumed author (though it is not inconceivable that a scribe wrote it at Alma’s dictation). As a result, we are probably dealing with a somewhat idealized account of the events rather than a “recording” of the actual discourse.