Jacob 1-4

 This week we read Jacob 1-4.  Jacob is Nephi's much younger brother who takes over the ministry after Nephi's death. Jacob says he is writing 55 years after Lehi left Jerusalem, and that probably puts Jacob at about 50 years old. Jared Halverson from "Unshaken" podcast has a whole theory that Jacob suffered  from anxiety due to childhood trauma during the Lehites' journey to the promised. land.  He makes a few good points, one of which is that Jacob actually uses the word "anxiety" more than any other Book of Mormon writer.  It comes up in 2 Nephi 6:3 which is Jacob's sermon on Isaiah, Jacob 1:5, Jacob 2:3, and in Jacob 4: 18 he uses the term "over anxiety".  

Another argument is that even though Nephi made Jacob the religious leader of the society, he didn't make him king. Nephi was seen as both king and religious ruler and he seemed to function actively in both roles.  He built a temple (2 Nephi 5:16) and wielded a sword in his people's defense (Jacob 1:10). Before Nephi dies, he chooses some unnamed man to be king (Jacob 1:9) and Jacob becomes the religious leader.   Why not continue having someone play both roles?  Why the separation of church and state? 

The final evidence is that while Jacob is talking very bluntly to his people, particularly about the sin of adultery, he keeps reminding people that he is speaking for the Lord.  (Jacob 2). Halverson suggests that he has to rely heavily on the Lord because broaching the topic is so difficult for him.  

I think he has some good arguments, but I am not totally convinced. Yes, Jacob had a rough childhood, but the scriptures suggest that Jacob was very young when they were on the boat, young enough that he depended heavily on his mother for food (1 Nephi 18:19).  How much would he have remembered about their trials in the wilderness? How much did he understand as a child the conflict between his older brothers?  I also think that all the talk of anxiety for the welfare of his brethren, the separation of church and state at Nephi's death, and Jacob's refences to the will of the Lord could have easily arisen from other causes.  We just don't have enough information. 

Jacob is clearly sympathetic to the victims of the Nephite men's bad behavior.  I find it interesting that he fully targets the men because of their wish for multiple wives and concubines, forgetting that whenever a man has an illicit relationship with a woman, (except in the case of rape) there is woman having an illicit relationship with a man. It wasn't just the men behaving badly. Still, Jacob comes across as very tender hearted and caring of his people.  He also has a lovely literary style and seemed to carefully craft his writings.  He seems to have a very extensive understanding of Jesus' forthcoming mission on the earth. Even though we only have less than a dozen chapters written by Jacob, he is one of the great prophets of the Book of Mormon.