A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon/Corianton
CORIANTON, SON OF ALMA. Of Corianton's birth and death we have no record. With his brothers, he is first mentioned in the Book of Mormon at the time of the Zoramite apostasy, when, though young and inexperienced, his father took him on the mission to that people. At this period of his life, Corianton appears to have been afflicted with a failing common to youth — an inordinate estimate of his own strength and wisdom, and an inclination to scepticism, if not to infidelity. He was a doubter of everything except his own supposed abilities. He marveled that the assurance of the coming of the Messiah should be given to men so long before His advent. His mind was worried concerning the resurrection of the dead, the restoration of all things, the eternal punishment of the sinner, and other points of doctrine. He denied the justice of God in the condemnation of the evil-doer, and sought to justify himself in sinning, on the plea of God's mercy. Possessed of such a frame of mind as this, no wonder that he sinned. Notwithstanding that Alma had imparted the Holy Spirit to him, like unto the rest of the brethren, when they started out to reclaim the Zoramites from their sin-satisfying apostasy, he deserted his field of labor, and went over to the borders of the Lamanites to enjoy the sinful embraces of Isabel, of Siron, a harlot, whose meretricious charms had led many away from the paths of virtue. As might reasonably be expected, this iniquitous conduct of Corianton placed a stumbling-block in the way of his fellow laborers, and caused many of the Zoramites to reject the light of the Gospel. Alma, in his “commandments” to Corianton, severely chided him for his sinful conduct, pointed out the awful criminality of his course, and entered into a lengthy explanation of the doctrines Corianton doubted or denied.
From the tenor of Corianton's after life, we judge that he sincerely repented of his youthful follies and unbelief. We find that during his father's lifetime he accompanied him on his missionary travels, and after Alma's death he labored under the direction of his brother Helaman. He survived both his elder brothers, and at the time of Shiblon's death (B. C. 53) was in North America, whither he had gone in a ship to carry provisions to the settlers. This is the last time his name is mentioned in the sacred pages.
We infer from the manner in which the statement is made, that if Corianton had been in Zarahemla at the time of Shiblon's death, the latter would have transferred the records and other sacred things to his charge, instead of to their nephew, Helaman; if this be so, it is evident that by his later life he had proved himself worthy of such a high honor.