The trials of Abinadi, Alma and Amulek, Nehor and Korihor help law students and others better understand the culture and laws of the Book of Mormon and how they shaped Nephite society and history.

More than 28 years of research on the legal cases found in the Book of Mormon have been compiled in a BYU law professor's most recent book, "The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon."

Professor John W. Welch came to BYU in 1980 and used the classes he taught and the atmosphere that allows for religious and secular study to help him complete a lifelong undertaking.

Welch's book expounds the trials readers of the Book of Mormon are familiar with and have studied in Sunday School, seminary and religion or institute classes. His book also helps those not familiar with the Book of Mormon.

"Another need is to build bridges of understanding between the young Mormon tradition and the long-standing Christian tradition," Welch wrote in a letter. "I have written this book with both Latter-day Saint and non-LDS readers in mind."

As law students study modern law to see how it shapes society, they can also study ancient law to discover how it shaped history and culture.

"Biblical and Book of Mormon law both describe what was understood by these ancient cultures in terms of practice and prescribe through concrete examples what ethics should be," stated David R. Seely, BYU professor of ancient scripture, in a peer review of Welch's book.

Students learn that modern court decisions shape society, just as the ancient legal cases of the Book of Mormon were turning and shaping points for Nephite society.

Welch says the trial of Nehor helped set a precedent with Alma being the chief judge making the final judgment just as Marbury v. Madison, which solidified the role of the Supreme Court as an equal partner in the U.S. government and set the court as the final authority on defining the Constitution.

Some cases that were analyzed include the trials of Book of Mormon prophets and their opponents.

The trial of Abinadi may be considered the most influential legal case in the book, Welch said. From that single point in Nephite history the leaders in the Book of Mormon, prophets and judges, can be traced from Alma all the way to Moroni, he said.

Law students are not the only ones who benefit from studying the legal cases in ancient scripture. Welch said it can help anyone "understand the messages of the Book of Mormon better."

However, as the Book of Mormon itself counsels in the writings of Moroni, one can only gain a testimony of the book through the Spirit of the Lord. Welch expressed this too in a BYU devotional address he gave in 2003.

"My testimony does not depend on finding such things," Welch said. "Rather, my mind looks with confidence for such things precisely because I know the Book of Mormon and the gospel are true."

Copyright Brigham Young University 16 Sep 2008