Mormon is the name of the prophet in The Book of Mormon after whom the book is named. According to the and the account of Joseph Smith, Jr. (the book's translator), Mormon was the prophet-historian who engraved the book on Golden Plates. Latter Day Saints believe that Mormon was an actual Nephite prophet who lived in the Americas during the 4th century AD. Non-Mormon scholars, as well as some churches that follow the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly within the Community of Christ, consider Mormon to be a fictional character.
The Book of Mormon reports that Mormon was instructed by the prophet Ammaron where to find the records that had been passed down from their ancestors. It also claims that Mormon later abridged the near-millennium-long history of his ancestors, a more ancient people, and additional revelations into the Book of Mormon. The divisions of Mormon attributed to the prophet are the Words of Mormon and the first seven chapters of the larger book. Mormon eventually passed all of the records on to his son Moroni.
Mormon writes that at age fifteen he was visited by Jesus Christ., Ibid.
At age sixteen, Mormon became the leader of the Nephite armies,, Ibid. and fought against the Lamanites in many battles thereafter.
Mormon went to the hill (called Shim) at the age of 24, as instructed by Ammaron, to take and abridge the Nephite records., Ibid.
In 362, Mormon writes that he "utterly refuse*...to be a commander and a leader" to the Nephites "because of their wickedness and abomination.", Ibid. However, about thirteen years later, Mormon decided to return to command of the Nephite armies as they were being badly beaten by the Lamanites., Ibid.
Upon returning, Mormon again led them in battle against the Lamanites until the entire destruction of the Nephite nation, which took place as a result of a huge battle fought between the two groups in 385., Ibid. The prophet Moroni, Mormon's son to whom he delivered the Golden Plates, records that Mormon was killed by the Lamanites (presumably in 385 A.D. or shortly thereafter)., Ibid.
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"Mormon (prophet)".
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