Hugh
Nibley
¡°The first
three verses of 1 Nephi, sharply set off from the rest of the text, are a
typical colophon, a literary device that is highly characteristic of
Egyptian compositions. Typical is the famous Bremer-Rhind Papyrus, which opens
with a colophon containing (1) the date, (2) the titles of Nasim, the author,
(3) the names of his parents and a word in praise of their virtues, with special
mention of his father's prophetic calling, (4) a curse against anyone who might
¡®take the book away,¡¯ probably ¡®due to fear lest a sacred book should get into
impure hands.¡¯ Compare this with Nephi's colophon: (1) his name, (2) the merits
of his parents, with special attention to the learning of his father, (3) a
solemn avowal (corresponding to Nasim's curse) that the record is true, and the
assertion, ¡®I make it with mine own hand¡¯ (1
Nephi 1:3)--an indispensable condition of every true colophon, since the purpose
of a colophon is to establish the identity of the actual writer-down (not merely
the ultimate author) of the text. Egyptian literary writings regularly close
with the formula iw-f-pw ¡®thus it is,¡¯ ¡®and so it is.¡¯ Nephi ends the
main sections of his book with the phrase, ¡®And thus
it is, Amen¡¯ (1 Nephi 9:6; 14:30; 22:31).¡± (Lehi in the Desert/The World of the
Jaredites, p. 15.)