In prophesying to the corrupt learned men of his time, Nephi, the son of Helaman cited scriptural history in order to emphasize the power of God given to men to know of things to come, especially to know of the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God. With this in mind, it is interesting that Nephi says that "Abraham saw of his coming" and that Abraham "knew of these things." While no specifics are given as to how Abraham "knew," Roy Weldon and Edward Butterworth provide some interesting cultural information about Abraham:
The American historian, Draper, writing of Abraham's world, now admits: "They had correct views of the structure of the solar system and knew the order of emplacement of the planets . . . and by the aid of their cycle called Saros, they could predict [heavenly events]." (Draper, Conflict Between Religion and Science, p. 13)
Josephus mentions that the ancient Babylonian historian, Berosus recorded, "In the tenth generation after the Flood, there was among the Chaldeans a man righteous and great, and skillful in the celestial science." (Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book I, Chapter VII, Section 2).
Josephus also mentions that:
[Abraham] was a person of great sagacity, both for understanding all things and persuading his hearers, and not mistaken in his opinions; for which reason he began to have higher notions of virtue than others had, and he determined to renew and change the opinion all men happened then to have concerning God; for he was the first that ventured to publish this notion that there was but one God, the Creator of the universe . . . This his opinion was derived from the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happen to the sun and moon, and all the heavenly bodies . . . (Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book I, Chapter VII, Section 1).
[Roy E. Weldon and F. Edward Butterworth, Book of Mormon Claims and Evidences, Vol. 3, pp. 63-64] [See the commentary on 1 Nephi 15:18, 22:9; 3 Nephi 20:25, 20:27; Mormon 5:20; Ether 13:11]