Page:A dictionary of the Book of Mormon.pdf/104

Chaldeans. of them were converted to the Lord through the preaching of Nephi and his brother Lehi. The Lamanites, in the fulness of their conversion, restored to the Nephites the lands they had taken from them, and the seat of Nephite government was again established at Zarahemla. This conversion and restitution was followed by a most profound and widespread peace, during which commerce was greatly extended, the arts and refinements of life were developed, and both races grew extremely rich. This age marks a new era in ancient American history. Many of the old distinctions between the Nephites and Lamanites were swept away, and the old distinctive names convey somewhat different ideas from this time forth. But, unfortunately, notwithstanding the preachings and example of the now zealous and righteous Lamanites, many of the people of Nephi remained “hardened, impenitent and grossly wicked;” they entirely rejected the word of God and the warning word of prophecy that was so energetically proclaimed in their hearing, by the faithful of both races. To this unhappy state of society may be traced the murder of Cezoram and his son, and the evils that afterwards followed in rapid and desolating succession.  CHALDEANS, CHALDEES. The people of Chaldea, in Asia, of which land Babylon was the capital. These names simply appear in quotations from the writings of Isaiah (I Nephi, 20:14, 20; II Nephi, 23:19).   CHEMISH. The son of Omni, a descendant of Jacob, the son of Lehi. He received the sacred records from his brother Amaron, in the year 280 B. C. His entire writings only consist of sixty-nine words, and from them we can gather nothing regarding his private life, the history of his times, nor for how long a period he retained the plates. We must, however, suppose that his brother Amaron considered him the most suitable person 