onti collecting for fun and bribery
The Book of Mormon: Restored Covenant Edition (1999) Alma 8:53-63
The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text (2009) Alma 11:4-19
Now these are the names of the different pieces of their gold and of their
silver, according to their value; and the names are given by the Nephites, for
they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews which were at Jerusalem;
neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews, but they altered their
reckoning and their measure according to the minds and the circumstances
of the people in every generation until the reign of the judges, they having
been established by King Mosiah. Now, the reckoning is thus: a senine of
gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold and a limnah of gold; a senum of silver,
an amnor of silver, an ezrum of silver and an onti of silver; a senum of
silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley and
also for a measure of every kind of grain. Now the amount of a seon of gold
was twice the value of a senine; and a shum of gold was twice the value of a
seon; and a limnah of gold was the value of them all; and an amnor of silver
was as great as two senums; and an ezrum of silver was as great as four
senums; and an onti was as great as them all. Now this is the value of the
lesser numbers of their reckoning: a shiblon is half of a senum, therefore a
shiblon for half a measure of barley; and a shilum is half of a shiblon and a
leah is half of a shilum. Now an antion of gold is equal to three shiblons.
Now this is their number according to their reckoning.
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measures
of barley | pieces
of gold | pieces
of silver |
| 7.000 | limnah | onti |
| 4.000 | shum | ezrum |
| 2.000 | seon | amnor |
| 1.500 | antion | |
| 0.500 | | shiblon |
| 0.250 | | shilum |
| 0.125 | | leah
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Misrepresenting the printer's manuscript, the 1830
edition had ezrom for ezrum and shiblum for shilum.
If "the different pieces of their gold and of their
silver" applied to all of the pieces named, shiblon,
shilum, and leah would have been of silver, in
contrast to antion of gold. Otherwise, these "lesser
numbers of their reckoning" were of other material.
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In these papers, references to The Book of Mormon use RLDS versification.
Unforgiven, mentioned in the 1985 speech, referred to a 1971 book of that title
by Charles Walters. An updated edition of that book was published in 2003.
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Acres, U.S.A., 1986, October, "A Wheat Currency" by John McDonnell
The glossary of An Acres, U.S.A. Primer describes biodynamics as "a valid
form of eco-agriculture." That is true as long as "eco" stands for ecologic.
But what if "eco" also stands for economic?
Rudolf Steiner, who founded biodynamic agriculture in 1924, presented 14
lectures on world economy in 1922. In the sixth lecture Steiner said that
each worker should receive for his product enough money for him to satisfy
his family's needs until he will again have completed a like product. In the
seventh lecture he said that for this to be possible the various products must
reciprocally determine one another's value.
In the 14th lecture Steiner said, "It is from the land that everything
ultimately comes." Money should not be based on gold, but on wheat. "The
real origin of the whole economic life will then be made evident." Steiner
said that people no longer understand the connection between nature and
money. "But we shall have it before us always, when the connection with
nature is expressed in our currency notes. Whatever we may do, the
connection with nature is always there. Do not let us forget it! It is reality."
With these words in mind we are better able to understand something
Steiner said in the first of his 1924 lectures on agriculture. "Agriculture
especially is sadly hit by the whole trend of modern spiritual life. You see,
this modern spiritual life has taken on a very destructive form especially as
regards the economic realm, though its destructiveness is scarcely yet
divined by many."
If the United States established parity prices for its raw materials, raised its
minimum wage to the parity price of a bushel of corn, and initiated world
equity of trade, the destructive economic form that bothered Rudolf Steiner
would begin to melt away. With parity economics established by law, it would
be helpful for governments to follow Rudolf Steiner's suggestion of issuing
"nature-currency."
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The Book of Mormon RLDS Alma 8:68-78 LDS Alma 11:21-25
Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil,
that he might destroy that which was good; therefore he said unto
Amulek, Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you?
And Amulek said unto him, Yea, I will if it be according to the Spirit
of the Lord which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary
to the Spirit of the Lord.
And Zeezrom said unto him, Behold here are six onties of silver,
and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a
supreme being.
Now Amulek said, O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest
thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations? Believest
thou that there is no God? I say unto you, Nay; thou knowest that
there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him. And now
thou hast lied before God unto me. Thou saidst unto me, Behold
these six onties which are of great worth, I will give unto thee, when
thou had it in thy heart to retain them from me; and it was only thy
desire that I should deny the true and living God, that thou mightest
have cause to destroy me. And now behold, for this great evil thou
shalt have thy reward.
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A judge received for his wages "a senine of gold for a day, or a senum of
silver, which is equal to a senine of gold" RLDS Alma 8:52 LDS Alma 11:3.
Since an onti of silver was as great as seven senums RLDS Alma 8:60 LDS
Alma 11:11-13, six onties was the amount of money earned by a judge for
42 days of service. A mere 42 senums of silver may not have been much of
a temptation to Amulek, who said of himself, "I have also acquired much
riches by the hand of my industry" RLDS Alma 8:5 LDS Alma 10:4.
Although we don't know the weight or capacity of the measure of barley
that senines and senums were equal in value to, a statement by Alma
suggested that senines and senums were not of great value: "And
notwithstanding the many labors which I have performed in the church, I
have never received so much as even one senine for my labor" RLDS Alma
16:41 LDS Alma 30:33. Also, in Jesus's teachings to the people of Nephi,
senines were mentioned in a way suggesting that they were not of great
value: "Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with
him, lest at any time he shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison.
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, until thou
hast paid the uttermost senine. And while ye are in prison, can ye pay even
one senine? Verily, verily I say unto you, Nay" RLDS 3 Nephi 5:73-75
LDS 3 Nephi 12:25-26.
Amulek had promised to "say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of
the Lord." Therefore, Amulek's misquotation of Zeezrom's offer, in which
Amulek added the phrase "which are of great worth" to Zeezrom's offer of
six onties, may indicate that Amulek had visually seen that the six onties
were historical pieces of money that both Zeezrom and Amulek knew had
great numismatic value. Notice that Zeezrom did not just offer six onties.
His words, "Behold here are six onties" implies that Zeezrom was holding
them up for Amulek to see. "And all these will I give thee" implies that
those specific onties would be given, and not just any six onties.
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