Editor’s note: This is the introductory article in a series of articles that explore the nature of the Liahona. Look for (part 1-A), coming soon in Meridian.
In searching the Internet a while ago I came across some information that was completely new to my knowledge of world history. It seems that some eighty years before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic in the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria to what would later be termed the West Indies, there was a man in China by the name of Zheng He (“Cheng Ho”[i] with many superior maritime achievements for the time. Yet these achievements became “lost” to the so-called superior western civilization and history.
What were those achievements? Well, between the years A.D. 1405 and A.D. 1433, Zheng He led at least seven major maritime expeditions covering at least 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) and visiting at least 30 different countries. He commanded the largest fleet of ships for five centuries to come. His armada included 300 ships and 28,000 sailors. The largest of his ships were more than 400 feet long and 160 feet wide, with nine masts supporting red silk sails, which makes them the largest wooden ships ever built.[ii]
For comparison, the Santa Maria upon which Columbus sailed was only 85 feet long.[iii]
In regards to the great Phoenician ships, ocean voyages of three years’ duration were made during the time of Solomon (1000 B.C.) to the mysterious land of Ophir and back. In 600 B.C., Phoenician ships circumnavigated the continent of Africa. And at various times, Phoenician ships are thought to have sailed across the Atlantic ocean to the Americas.
These Phoenician ships were almost twice the length of Columbus’s ship, yet they pale in contrast to Zheng He’s flagships. Here we have a massive Chinese ocean-going fleet with ships almost three times the length of the mighty Phoenician ships and almost five times the length of the prize ships coming out of Europe. Even the last and largest of the wooden ships from the United States such as the USS Constellation and USS Constitution do not compare[iv]
Zheng He’s ships had multiple decks and luxury cabins. He had supply ships to carry horses, troop transport ships, and tankers to carry fresh water[v] The full contingent of 28,000 crew members included language interpreters, astrologers, astronomers, pharmacologists, ship-construction specialists, doctors, and social protocol officers.
Furthermore, not only was his fleet far ahead of Europe, but the Chinese and Indian empires had been wealthier and more advanced than any place in Europe for thousands of years. At least by the eighth century A.D there were large ships on which people lived their entire lives; they were born, they married and they died there. There were multiple dwellings, gardens, and several hundred sailors on board.
By Zheng He’s time China and India together accounted for more than half of the world’s gross national product. Most current experts readily admit that at this time the ships of Zheng He had the capability to reach Europe or sail the other way to the Pacific Islands and even to American shores. Whether he did so, or whether any of his officers did so is a subject of debate at the present time.
So in view of this I asked myself, in all of my reading about the history of the world over half a century, from elementary school through high school, from college through graduate studies, from Weekly Readers to books, magazines and newspaper articles many thousand times over, why had I never heard of this man or the sophistication of China’s maritime industry? Had I just missed it or had my pride caused me to ignore it?[vi]
Perhaps, I thought, it was more than my selfish pride; perhaps American pride had got in the way. After all, I had never given China any in-depth consideration as part of my history classes other than a vague reference to early origins of paper, fireworks and ancient settlers coming across the Behring Strait land bridge into the Americas.
Yet according to what I found in the history of Zheng He, my lack of information regarding this Chinese admiral might have been caused by something other than personal ignorance or pride; it might have been the result of a decision by the Chinese themselves to isolate their people from the rest of the world.
More to History than “History”
Toward the end of Zheng He’s life, the government of China was overthrown. Confucian scholars, worried about what foreign cultures might do to their morals and values, took control. Not only did they end the voyages of Zheng He’s fleet, but they also halted construction of any new ships. To prevent any backsliding, they destroyed Zheng He’s sailing records and set about dismantling China’s navy.
By the time of Columbus, the Chinese government had made it a capital offense to build a boat with more than two masts, and 25 years later, they ordered the destruction of all ocean-going ships. The greatest navy in history, a navy that a century earlier had amassed 3,500 ships, was thus extinguished, and China set a course that would lead to poverty and decline. And thus the greatest maritime fleet of its time would seemingly disappear from the pages of history.
“This is all well and nice,” you might say, “but how does this freshly revealed tidbit of history relate to the Book of Mormon?”[vii] “And more specifically, how does this relate to the central question of your paper, ‘Was the Liahona, in part, a magnetic compass?’ ”
My response would be that the exploits of Zheng He tell us that sometimes what we have been taught concerning “history” really isn’t all there is to history, and that by studying certain events more thoroughly we might obtain some different perspectives. Whether these perspectives ultimately prove true in every detail is for future generations to decide. What is important is that without questions new perspectives would never arise in the first place.
Nephite Cultural Item
In order to more fully illustrate this point and apply it to the history portrayed in the Book of Mormon, I have decided to focus on a particular Nephite cultural item — a venerated instrument called the “Liahona” (Alma 37:38), or as it is also referred to in the Book of Mormon, a “compass,” a “ball,” or a “director.”[viii] I have approached this subject with four main questions, which have become the topics of the corresponding parts of this paper:
- Can the Book of Mormon narrative and other scriptures support the idea that the Liahona contained a magnetic needle? If so,
- Was the magnetic compass known in ancient times? And if so,
- Could Nephi and Lehi have been in the right place geographically and at the right time chronologically to have become acquainted with a magnetic compass? Additionally,
- Was there support for the magnetic compass being ancient (600 B.C.) and associated with Israelites coming to America before the time of publication of the Book of Mormon? And if so, would that change how we view the Liahona?
Stay tuned in Meridian to see what conclusions I have reached regarding these four fascinating questions.
Notes
[i] . One can find a portrait of Zheng He at <a href="https://www.
<hr class=’system-pagebreak’ ></a>%3Chr%20class=%27system-pagebreak%27%20%3E%3C/a%3Echina.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131456.htm” target=”_blank”>
https://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131456.htm
[ii] . The following represent a few of the sites that give information on this subject:
https://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/millennium/m3/kristof.html
https://www.chinapage.com/zhenghe.html
https://www.asiawind.com/hakka/zheng_he.htm
https://www.chinaseas.org/newest/new.html
https://www.tricoastal.com/woodship.html
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sultan/archeology2.html
https://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131456.htm
https://www.islamfortoday.com/zhenghe.htm
http:www.chengho.org/top.htm
[iii] . A picture by Jan Adkins (1993) illustrating this comparison in size between Zheng He’s treasure ship (400 feet) and Columbus’s Santa Maria (85 feet) can be found at a number of websites. Some examples are found at https://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131456.htm; and https://www.chinapage.com/zhenghe.html
[iv] . I have a personal photo of myself standing next to the USS Constellation, anchored in Baltimore harbor, November 2006.
[v] . For a gallery with illustrations depicting the different types of ships and details of their usage one can go to https://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/131456.htm
[vi] . In this regard I did search in a number of old book stores for encyclopedias from the 1950’s to the 1980s. Although my search was cursory, I did find a brief 2 sentence reference for “Cheng Ho” but only in a 1983 edition. In addition to my own brief searches I asked some friends who had access to some old sets of encyclopedias to search for me. They also failed to come up with anything significant.
[vii] . John A. Tvedtnes explored this same perspective in a short two-page note in The FARMS Review (“Can Early Chinese Maritime Expeditions Shed Light on Lehi’s Voyage to the New World?” Review of Gavin Menzies, 1421, the Year China Discovered America, New York: Morrow, 2003. The FARMS Review, Volume 16, Issue 1 [2004], pp. 427-428). After a brief note on Zheng’s voyages, he writes:
Zheng’s expeditions, it seems, would have taken him over seas earlier crossed by Lehi on his voyage to a promised land. Even if Zheng did not arrive in the New World, his exploration of parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans may provide useful information for future Book of Mormon research.
[viii] . The scriptures that are listed below directly relate to the Liahona. I would hope readers will familiarize themselves with the text in preparation for the discussion that follows:
(Desert Journey & Bountiful)
1 Ne 16:10–And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.
1 Ne 16:13–And it came to pass that we traveled for the space of four days, nearly a south-southeast direction, and we did pitch out tents again . . .
1 Ne 16:16–And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.
1 Ne 16:26–And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord said unto him: Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written.
1 Ne 16:27–And it came to pass that when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball, he did fear and tremble exceedingly, and also my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and our wives.
1 Ne 16:28–And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.
1 Ne 16:29–And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.
1 Ne 16:30–And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain, according to the directions which were given upon the ball.
(Ocean Voyage)
1 Ne 18:12–And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.
1 Ne 18:13–Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly lest they should be drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me.
1 Ne 18:14–And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.
1 Ne 18:15–And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days . . .
1 Ne 18:21–And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.
1 Ne 18:22–And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land.
(Promised Land)
2 Ne 5:12–And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written.
Mos 1:16–And moreover, he [Benjamin] also gave him [Mosiah] charge concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; and also . . . the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.
Mos 1:17–Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty.
Alma 37:38–And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director-or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.
Alma 37:39–And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.
Alma 37:40–And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
Alma 37:41–Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. The were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey;
Alma 37:42–Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.
Alma 37:43–And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
Alma 37:44–For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the work of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
Alma 37:45–And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
