It is very likely that the introductory summary for the First Book of Nephi was written by Mormon not Nephi. Mormon used introductory summaries to briefly describe the content, source, and authorship of each major section of the abridgement he was making of his people’s historical records.
When Mormon found the Small Plates of Nephi among his library records, he appended it to his abridgement and logically followed his practice of adding an introductory summary to it. In the first sentence of the Small Plates of Nephi, Nephi personally declared his authorship by writing "I Nephi,... make a record of my proceedings in my days" (1 Nephi 1:1). Mormon’s introductory summary testifies to that authorship by simply paraphrasing Nephi’s words: “This is according to the account of Nephi; or in other words, I, Nephi, wrote this record.” (1 Nephi Preface:Heading)
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Wanless SouthwickJanuary 9, 2024
It is very likely that the introductory summary for the First Book of Nephi was written by Mormon not Nephi. Mormon used introductory summaries to briefly describe the content, source, and authorship of each major section of the abridgement he was making of his people’s historical records. When Mormon found the Small Plates of Nephi among his library records, he appended it to his abridgement and logically followed his practice of adding an introductory summary to it. In the first sentence of the Small Plates of Nephi, Nephi personally declared his authorship by writing "I Nephi,... make a record of my proceedings in my days" (1 Nephi 1:1). Mormon’s introductory summary testifies to that authorship by simply paraphrasing Nephi’s words: “This is according to the account of Nephi; or in other words, I, Nephi, wrote this record.” (1 Nephi Preface:Heading)
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