The virus is fond of John Clark. The mention of his name is enough to infect an article as occurred in “Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon, William J. Hamblin, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Volume – 2, Issue – 1, Pages: 161-97, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1993:
North and South Seas
Wilson also raises the question of how the sea north and sea south fit with the Limited Geography Model (3b), a matter which has been fully analyzed by John Clark.(Clark, “Key for Evaluating,” 63–67) The north and south seas are mentioned only twice (Helaman 3:8; Alma 22:32), in a vague general sense. Clark rightly attributes these references to common ancient macrogeographical world-views of the earth surrounded by the primordial “ocean.” THUS THE MINOR AND VAGUE MENTIONS OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH SEAS REFER TO MACROGEOGRAPHICAL COSMIC WORLD-VIEWS OF SEAS SURROUNDING THE ENTIRE LANDMASS, RATHER THAN SPECIFIC IDENTIFIABLE BODIES OF WATER.
Their argument fails for the same reason they justify its use – the lack of repetition. If the meaning they attributed to the expression were true, the expression would occur MORE often when warranted. Consider the following verse:
And thus it did come to pass that the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to build up their waste places and began to multiply and spread even until they DID COVER THE WHOLE FACE OF THE LAND BOTH ON THE NORTHWARD AND ON THE SOUTHWARD FROM THE SEA WEST TO THE SEA EAST. (Helaman 11:20)
And now I, Mormon, would that ye should know that the people had multiplied, insomuch that they were SPREAD UPON ALL THE FACE OF THE LAND and that they had become exceedingly rich, because of their prosperity in Christ. (4 Nephi 1:23)
But behold, the land was filled with robbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; therefore there was blood and carnage SPREAD THROUGHOUT ALL THE FACE OF THE LAND both on the part of the Nephites and also on the part of the Lamanites; and it was one complete revolution throughout ALL THE FACE OF THE LAND. (Mormon 2:8)
And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST BOTH IN THE LAND NORTH AND IN THE LAND SOUTH were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth. (3 Nephi 1:17)
Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the WHOLE EARTH except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen! (3 Nephi 9:2)
The author (Mormon) is expressing “ALL OF THEIR LANDS” yet failed to use the so-called metaphor: “from the SEA SOUTH to the SEA NORTH, from the SEA WEST to the SEA EAST. “